McBlog

In the early part of 1977, I discovered that I was expecting my second baby. Six years earlier, I had given birth to a beautiful baby boy and now I was slowly beginning to allow myself to THINK PINK! Boys are great, and Mike and I were thrilled to have a son, but now, I wanted a girl…a sweet-smelling, dainty, little darling. The morning sickness hit soon, and never really abated for nine months, but if I could have a delicate, pink bundle of joy, it would all be worth it. I even began to fantasize about petticoats and pigtails….ruffles and ribbons….and yes, even pink tights and tutus! After an easy delivery, even though the epidural didn’t work, I got my baby girl!

She was a delight and I had a grand time dressing my little darling in pink and lace and ruffles! That is until about the age of three. Then it became quite obvious that Rebecca and I had two very different and conflicting ideas about a little girl’s wardrobe and accessories. On countless occasions she began to voice her opinion…”I don’t like that…it has ruffles on it!…I don’t like that…the lace itches!….I don’t want those ribbons in my hair!”

OH MY! What happened to my dainty little bundle of femininity? Where was the ‘girly-girl’ daughter of my daydreams? She was a whirling dervish of activity… running and jumping and climbing…as much or more than any boy. I could not turn my back on her for two minutes unless I wanted to turn around and retrieve her from atop a fence or scaffolding. When she was six years old, she fell off a slide and broke her arm, the first of five more breaks. She wasn’t the least bit disappointed that she couldn’t continue ballet classes with her arm in a cast. So, fearing that I was surely depriving the world of the next Pavlova, I withdrew her from dance classes. Scooters and bikes and swings and monkey bars were preferred to baby dolls and Barbie dolls and tutus!

She was the total opposite of my stereotype image of a little girl. A dear family friend even dubbed her BUCKO because of her boundless energy. She became my ‘duckling’. Was she ever going to turn into a ‘swan’?

Around the age of fourteen, the swan slowly began to emerge. She has grown into a self-assured, beautiful young woman, with a kind spirit and a delightful, heart-warming smile.

She is her father’s daughter, with a keen sense of humor and quick wit. And she is the light of her mother’s life!