Madelynn Grace Garcia...born August 20th, 2008. Two years ago I was blessed with my third daughter. A few days ago I categorized her as the completion to my "trifecta of divas", and indeed she is! We celebrated her birthday on Friday at took the trio of divas to McDonald's. As I sat there talking with Johnny, I found myself thinking back two years earlier, and what an adventure it was, and has been, since that day.
When I learned I was pregnant December of 2007, it never occurred to me that I would have another girl. I figured after two girls, I was due my boy. God obviously had a different plan and a somewhat distorted sense of humor. On our way to see the doctor, Johnny and I talked about what we would do if it was a boy or a girl, but we referred back to Faith Marie, and realized we just wanted the baby to be healthy. (Faith's story to come later.) But deep down, we both secretly knew what the other wanted, even if we didn't say it out loud. Once in the exam room, I laid there, nervously waiting for the doctor to come in - I was always nervous, at every visit...you'd think after 2 babies I'd be like, "Sup doc? Ready to do this?" but yeah, not so much.
Dr. Jones came in, said hello and asked how I was feeling. After my regular responses of feeling fatter, tired all the time, my backaches, etc., etc., he finally asked if we were ready to find out what we were having. The lights went down, the screen turned to me, Johnny by side and cold jelly on my belly...now all I needed was a tub of popcorn and an overhead voice reminding everyone to turn off their cell phones because silence was golden.
After a few minutes of trying to get the best angle, and listening to Dr. Jones mumble under his breath that the baby was being difficult, didn't want us to see, showing us the feet, the legs, the toes...I was like, "Doc, any longer and you're gonna have to prescribe ointment for the sono burn you're giving me with that thing!" But before I said anything, he said the 9 words I'd heard two times before..."Right there. You see those three little white lines?" Yes, the same 3 lines that sealed my fate with Mary Frances and Faith Marie. The same 3 lines that determined whether or not I would give Mary Frances' clothes away. The same 3 lines that now had Johnny and I in a silence neither of us could explain. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, but really was only about 5 secs, we both smiled and said, "Yes doctor, we know what THOSE 3 lines mean."
I accepted that, for whatever reason, God was blessing me with another girl. For His reasons, this was to be my life. A mother of three girls. I would be challenged with remembering their favorite colors to wear, of changing out closets every 3 months, of coming up with new ways to comb their hair and the endless debate of who was the cutest (my own personal debate of course). But the truth of the matter is that, my girls are each distinctly different, they are each their own person. I worried during Maddie's pregnancy whether or not I'd love her as much as I loved the other two. It was the same worry I had when I found out I was pregnant with Faith. It's amazing how you can love 3 different people with the same kind of passion, every day of your life. Maddie is my reminder that things aren't going to happen the way I want them to. She's here to remind me of what it is to be consistent, fair and just. To not forget about her, but to also not forget about her sisters. To show me that it's possible for me to love her as much as I do her sisters.
So, with Dora and Boots by our side, and on the cake, we celebrated Maddie's big day with family, friends and the South Texas heat! I watched with admiration at the young toddler she's become. Her smile. Her hair. Her eyes. Her antics. Her skinny leg jeans. She's as beautiful today as she was two years ago. She's her mother's daughter and her father's gem. Tonight, right now, as I watch her sleep on my bed, I wonder what it is I did to deserve such blessings in my life; and while I may never know the answer to that question, I do know that I'm on the adventure of a lifetime, and not even Dora knows how it will end!
So as Dora would say, "Hasta luego!"...Till next time...
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