To My Stepdaughter: ‘I loved you first’
What she needs to know before her sibling is born
I’ve prayed for this moment since I first fell in love with you. I wanted to be a real mom so bad. I wanted to know what it felt like to have my own baby to nurture and mold into a real life person in the world.
But I loved you first.
Yours were the first little cries I heard in the middle of the night when you missed your mommy. I would go into your nursery and comfort you the best I could, careful to not overstep any boundaries I didn’t know existed.
Yours was the first hand I held when you learned how to walk. Now you’re 5 and you barely need a hand to hold anymore — except when we cross the street. I can always count on you to reach for my hand first.
Yours was the first head I stroked as you went to sleep beside me on the couch. Your Daddy would quietly pick you up and take you to bed.
Yours was the first voice I heard say, “I love you.” You were impossible not to love back. It was honestly a love I didn’t know I was even capable of.
Unbeknownst to you, you’re going to have a baby brother or sister soon. Our attention will shift to the new baby and you may experience some feelings you don’t know how to process. I will do my best to make sure you know you’re still just as important to your Daddy and me as you ever were — we loved YOU first.
We get to watch you become a big sister and I’m so excited to see you blossom into your new role in our family. You’re going to be AMAZING.
I will love your baby brother or sister just as much as I love you, but in a little different way. You see, this is my baby that I got to make myself. Just like your Momma got to make you. You’re HER baby and this one is mine. But you will always be my girl because I loved you first.
