She Completes Me

I hate to go all Jerry McGuire here. While I loved Tom Cruise at the time the movie came out, I was disappointed overall. There were only two things I really enjoyed about it. I loved the adorable performance by the little boy playing the stepson, and I appreciated a tearful Tom Cruise saying the famous line in a room full of man haters. Those were my favorite things. And that is how I feel about Megan. She completes me.

I am not saying she is my favorite child and the others are small potatoes. When my kids were born, they were each born into a different family. Each child has a different role and fills a different place in my heart. Before Madison was born, Kevin and I were high school sweethearts that had been married for a few years. Her birth instantly catapulted us from a young married couple to a family. My universe revolved around that baby. I told everyone that I could not believe how blessed I was to have given birth to the most beautiful baby I had ever seen in my life! I watched her for hours and marveled at the wonder of the miracle of her creation to the extent that Kevin began to question the dosage of my morphine. I could not help smiling. I remember being with my mom when someone asked if Madison was a good baby. My mom answered, "She seldom cries, but I don't think Valerie lets her cry!" I remember wondering why a mother would ever consider letting her baby cry? And since I was right there watching her every expression anyway, why not pick her up at the first little peep? I thought I could never love another person as much as I loved my firstborn baby girl without taking some love away from her. I was wrong.

I was unable to spend such lengthy interludes in admiration of Jaron's beauty following his birth into a family with a 25-month-old sister. One of my favorite things about Jaron is the fact that once he started to smile it seemed like he never stopped. And it is contagious. I never wanted to have an only child, so I relaxed and felt I had done my parental duty by making sure my children had a sibling. I remember the first time I saw my two children interact in the hospital. Madison, 2 years old, walked in and softly said, "Oh, baby brother." She touched her cheek to his and he squirmed in my arms from being disturbed. My breath caught in my throat. I did not want to interrupt. To this day I feel all warm and content every time I see my kids lovingly relating to each other. Like the first warm day in the Spring with the sun on my face, breathing in country air and a freshly mowed lawn. And that describes Jaron in a nutshell. A breath of fresh air. To this day when he enters the room I can't help smiling.

Megan was born to a slightly more laid back mom. I always felt like I would not be finished having babies until I had three. I know most people say in today's world that two kids are enough. I know many people feel if you can have a healthy boy and girl it is a good place to count your blessings and call it good. I know we are going to have five more years to pay a babysitter. I know she will require love and attention and money for the rest of my life. I know having her means Kevin and I are officially outnumbered by our children. But I needed her. As grateful as I have always been for my older kids and as much as I love them, I always had a slight feeling that something was missing in our family. I always knew that if I did not try to have just one more baby I would regret it later on in life. I felt like I would always wonder what our third child would have looked like. I would have wondered about her favorite foods and personality traits. I would have wondered about Jaron as a big brother. The first time we loaded up the van, complete with the infant seat and two booster seats, I thought for the first time that my entire family was together at last. And I could not help smiling.

I do not sleep much. My mom told me that bringing home the third baby was like bringing two kids home. She was right. My house gets messy. My laundry piles up. We don't always have a vegetable with dinner. But she is beyond worth it. And every person in my house gravitates toward this baby girl. Madison cannot function without knowing her exact whereabouts at all times. Jaron believes it is completely unacceptable to ever let her cry for a moment. Kevin is particularly proud of the way everyone comments on how strong they think she is. I am more content with my life, chaotic and sleepy as it may be, than I have ever been. Every member of my family loves Megan even more than I thought possible. She completes me. I think maybe she completes us all.