Once, Twice, A Mother

They placed you on my chest and I burst into tears – you looked just like your brother! We didn’t know if you were a boy or a girl and we didn’t care. It took us a full five minutes to get to that detail of your arrival. Hank and Korina came in, and when they were there, Dad looked and saw that you were a girl. He cried out and I was overcome with emotion. I had been certain that you were a girl – that you, Jolene, was coming. So certain that I had spent quite a bit of time and money on fun, frilly and ruflly girly stuff during my pregnancy. “Hank,” I said, “This is Jolene,” and burst into tears. You were here and we were already so in love.