D is for Daughter Of My Dreams

As far back as I can remember I would dream of having a daughter.  In my dreams I would dress her in adorable clothes and she would always be the most perfect of babies.  I married young and by 21 I was pregnant.  There were no tests back then to determine the sex but I was sure it was a girl.  My labor was rough,  I was so young and really had no idea what to expect.  The pain of labor was not part of my dream but the first sight of my daughter's beautiful face made all the pain a distant memory.

The stressful life with a new baby was certainly also not part of my dream.  I had not realized how tired I would be.  Months and months of no sleep.  She was opinionated from that first day, so often, just one little thing would set her off.  Hours upon hours, holding her when she was crying for no reason that I could figure out.  I would be so frustrated and cry right along with her.  There were times when I thought I was the worst mother in the whole world,  I felt like I just could not keep her happy.  Finally when I thought I couldn't take another minute, she smiled.  Her sweet face lit up and I was back in my dream state.  This was going to be OK.  I made her smile so I must not be such a bad mom.

So life with my daughter from that point had its ups and down. Still opinionated the clothes thing was always an issue, fighting over wearing ruffled socks when she was two, of course the more I insisted, the more she resisted.   Thinking back, why was I so stubborn?   I should have just let it go, not fighting with her over a stinking pair of ruffled socks.

As time went on, of course, there were usual growing up mishaps. She broke her collar bone at three running into a door frame.  Cut open her chin and needed stitches during gym in 2nd grade. When she was 17 her car was hit by a deer and thankfully she was fine but the deer and car did not fair so well.  It all went by so fast.

Over the years I have seen her grow up to be one of the most awesome people I know.  She is dedicated to her family.  She never sweats the small stuff and is constantly giving me good advice to keep my sometimes hectic life in order.  She is funny and makes me laugh all the time.  I see her with her children and I am so touched by the love that she shows them every minute of the day, from all the hugs and kisses to sewing quilts and knitting blankets so they are surrounded by that love, even when they sleep.

So through it all, she is without a doubt, daughter of my dreams.

Mary Ann