Where to begin? We are starting this process in hopes of bringing a little girl into this world and into our family. In brief, though we have two healthy sons, there is an indescribable feeling of incompleteness. As though a spot in my heart is being reserved for a daughter to fill. Along with this, maybe a feeling of guilt for feeling this way; that we have been blessed with two healthy sons, but “want” a little girl. I just know in my heart that my family is not complete and the opportunity to raise a daughter would bring immeasurable joy to our whole family.

My husband and I have many blessings to count. As I said, we have two healthy little boys. They are learning and growing. They play and laugh together. They sleep well, thank goodness. The older one tells us stories, non-stop.

We have a close-knit extended family that all live within 30 minutes of us. We see each other for every major holiday, birthday, sometimes just because it’s Saturday. That close knit-family includes 5 cousins to my sons, all boys. That’s right, there are 7 boys on that side of the family. You can imagine, those weekend get togethers are loud and messy. Luckily, our in-laws usually host as they have a very large property with lots of land for the boys to run around.

Our home is a lovely 4 bedroom on an amazing cul-de-sac. The boys have 2 playrooms and a separate homework space for when they’re older. We’ve got a playset out back, but more importantly, lots of great neighbors. My oldest son’s best friend lives right across the street and all together our street has 26 kids and counting. There’s always a playmate outside and a dad or two ready for an impromptu water balloon fight, kickball game, or baseball game. The moms are always out as well to keep an eye out. Our cul-de-sac has a few get-togethers throughout the year including 4th of July, a Halloween costume parade, and the easter egg hunt. It really is as great as it sounds.

My Husband is usually one of those dads out coordinating the fun. He has served as my son’s soccer coach and baseball coach. He’s also a frequent daycare volunteer when it comes to any special room decorating or party set up. He has a hybrid work schedule as a data analyst and uses this to his advantage to be around for many of the kids daytime activities.

Though my job as a physician is not as flexible, with a bit of planning ahead I am able to attend all of my children’s doctor appointments, after-school extra-curricular activities and even some of their daytime ones as well, like career day. The upside of my particular specialty is that I do not work nights or weekends, so I use this time to be present with my kids.

We are Catholic and our faith is important to us. We observe Christian holidays and Christmas is our favorite. When it comes to family traditions, I think we have the most for Christmas starting with a family photo. Our elf on the shelf comes every year and brings small gifts for a daily treasure hunt. We bake lots of Christmas cookies and typically make a gingerbread house. The kids get a Christmas eve box with a new book, sweet treat, and Christmas jammies. We make reindeer feed and set it out to guide Santa’s sleigh to our house. Then Santa comes leaving snowy footprints and cookie crumbs on his plate. Of course, it’s hard to beat the magic of Christmas morning. Before we had children, we would attend midnight Mass. When the kids are older, I hope to return to this tradition.

I guess I’m not sure what else to say. I hope this letter has given you a feel for our family and a glimpse of the love and fun we try to bring to our children’s lives.