Dear Sweet … Boy or Girl?

See if you can spot my husband's influence ...

Dear Sweet Baby,

There you are! Fluttering around inside me like a little butterfly. Suddenly, you’re ever-present, moving and kicking all day long. It’s amazing to experience you like this, to feel you get restless when I’m hungry or push hard against the wall of my belly like you just can’t wait to come out and greet the world.

You’re officially now a boy or a girl, and I wonder which nearly all the time. It’s so hard to be patient, to withstand the temptation to just allow ourselves to be told, but I am so eager for that moment when your dad and I lay eyes on you for the very first time. Waiting to find out feels like the right thing to do, and it becomes more exciting every day.

If you are a little boy, I hope I can raise you to be kind and love with great abandon. I hope you grow up with a sense of curiosity about the world and the courage to explore all the beauty it holds. I hope your imagination takes you to places far and wide, and that, sometimes, you’ll let me come with you. I hope to teach you to listen with an open heart and look out for those less fortunate than you; to be compassionate to animals and free with your emotions; to respect women and treat people fairly no matter who they are. No matter what, I know you’ll have a strong and independent spirit that will be all your own.

And if you are a little girl — a daughter — I hope to share the unique wonder of being a woman and all that comes with it. I hope I can teach you to stand strong and confident in the midst of everything that will cause you self-doubt. I hope you’ll throw yourself into the world with a passion for learning and a twinkle of mischief in your eye, free to laugh without inhibition and hold your head high. I want to talk to you and braid your hair; I want to watch you run faster than all the boys in the neighborhood and grow up with the wind always in your hair. I want to tell you my secrets and listen to yours as I tuck you in for a long and dream-filled sleep.

Either way, I know your father and I will love you from the instant you come roaring into the world with the spark and vitality I feel in you every day. We’ll always remember the day you join our family and the quiet moment when we choose a name for you. We’ll watch in amazement as you grow bigger and stronger and more fully yourself with each passing day — happy and boundless and secure in our love.