Dear Reader,
Word Raccoon and I have been holding out on you.
We hope you don’t mind. We had been asked to keep the secret for a while, and then we wanted to wait a beat because of the loss of dear Mawgy.
But remember that pinked grass I mentioned?
Well.
THERE WAS A REASON I SAID THAT.
Our son Zack and his girlfriend Erica are having a baby girl.
Myah Ann is coming in March 2027. (The Ann is after my middle name!)
We’ve known about the baby for a month and a half, but we waited to share the news until they were ready for us to. Recently, they came to our house with a gender-reveal cannon and a card, though they already knew.
We pressed the button.
Out came pink, white, and gold confetti ALL OVER THE SIDEWALK AND YARD AND I’M LEAVING IT THERE, MAYBE FOREVER! I LOVE IT!
(Not that Word Raccoon and I believe colors have genders, but we understood the assignment. LOL.)
And I made an absolute spectacle of myself, yelling and dancing. Regrettably, there is video evidence.
Maybe I should mind. I do not.
Because I have been saying all along: You can say whatever you want, but that baby is a girl.
LOL.
AND SHE IS A GIRL.
In fact, I have already begun referring to her as Princess Myah. Not “princess” in the stereotypical, must wear pink and play with dolls sense (unless she wants to). Princess as in: she is royalty and I am willingly in her employ.
Anything she asks? YES.
Anything she wants? ALSO YES, if at all possible.
We are so thrilled. So excited. We cannot wait to meet her.
Someone said Princess Myah looks like a little turtle in her sonogram.
So apparently Turtle is her first nickname.
(Sorry, Myah. You aren’t even here yet and apparently you have a nickname, though I’m not mad about it. I hope you won’t be if it sticks. Why am I reminded of the Barbara Kingsolver character named Turtle, also a child?)
I originally thought I would make something elaborate for this announcement. A cute little vertical story with scenes and characters and a grand reveal.
But I can’t.
I just want to speak from my heart and say how completely overjoyed we are. When I love, I LOVE. Forever.
Word Raccoon may be the tiniest bit jealous because I have already begun imagining Myah’s future. Things I might teach her. Things we might make together. Places we might go. Books I might read to her. (I have a list of all of these things but this post would get SOO long if it added them.)
And yes, I know. I know that none of us gets to write the future in advance. Heartbreak can reach for you and there’s not a thing you can do to stop it.
It would probably be safer to tell myself to hold off. Don’t imagine too much. Don’t hope too much. Don’t dream too much. Wait until she gets here. Wait until you know. Protect yourself.
But I refuse to live that way.
Because if you start papier-mâchéing over your heart to keep it safe, eventually what do you have left?
Besides, papier-mâché melts in the rain anyway.
So come on, March. We’re ready.
Word Raccoon will just have to learn to share me with you.
Drema
P.S. Yes, I wrote a poem about her the day I found out she existed, though the poem is addressed to “Baby Drudge.” It’s a hot mess but I was so excited when I found out she was a girl that I actually read it to the family.