The love for a child is powerful. The responsibility is enormous. The results are wonderful, scary, and priceless. Motherhood has been my greatest joy, and nothing since has come close to my experiences with my children.
After her quick entrance and her rough beginning in learning to eat, Madison chilled. She was awesome--a happy-go-lucky baby-- except when it came to sleeping. The kid never wanted to close her eyes.
Afraid to miss something, Madison was curious, investigative, and her little brain whirled constantly. As she grew, she asked a million questions; how did things work, why did they work that way, who made it work this way?
We talked to her--from the moment she was born--as if she understood everything we said. I once had a lady stop me in Sears to peer into the stroller and then shake her head.
Lady: "I thought you were talking to yourself. You know she doesn't understand a word you're saying, don't you?"
Not true. Madison soaked up and took in everything and everyone. She listened when we read her books, and she'd memorize the words.
One of the best memories of Madison was her reading The Rainbow Fish book at two years old to her Uncle Dick. She had the entire book memorized and my mother had educated her on many of the "big" words in the book and their meanings, but we let Dick think our kid was a genius while she read, and then when he asked if she knew what "emerge" meant...
Madison: "It means to come out. The fish came out of the cave."
She was a great big sister when Darcy arrived. She talked to her, answered for her, played with her, and she made damn sure that everything was alright in her sister's world.
Madison has always been a giver, a sharer. If another child took a toy away from her, she'd nod let the kid have it. She never started fights and usually defused them with her practicality and reasonability. Nothing has changed in twenty-two years.
My firstborn is kind and gentle, calm, and full of empathy and understanding. Madison is the first to interject in an argument to point out each other's sides. We call her the lawyer, but she just wants everyone to get along. She is full of love for everything; people, animals, life. She handles life with grace and poise. The kid is truly one of a kind.
Happy Birthday, Madison. You arrived with a bang and made us parents, opening our hearts widely. I wish I could hug you tightly today as I did when you first came, but that will have to wait until the Christmas holiday when college is out for a month.
I love you to infinity and beyond. Always and forever. xoxoxo
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