happy birthday, little sis!

today is a very special day. it's the anniversary of my one and only sister's birth.

it's not just special because birthdays are awesome. you see, i have 5 brothers. don't get me wrong, i love my brothers. and for the first ten years of my life i had the privileged of being the princess of the family. but even though i loved being a little princess, there was a place in my heart that felt empty. that place was the spot that i held reserved for the sister i someday hoped to have.

each time my mom would get pregnant, have the ultrasound, and find out it was a boy i would cry. i would get over it quickly, of course, and be so happy and excited to be getting a new baby brother. but even still that space in my heart stayed reserved for the sister i prayed i would one day have. i prayed constantly, begging God to grant me my one and only wish. i prayed a special novena to St. Therese the Little Flower and the next baby was, again, a boy. i was disappointed, but at 8 years old i made the decision to accept God's will. i told my mom " i guess God just doesn't want me to have a sister" and i came to terms with the fact that i would be an only girl with 5 brothers.

2 years later, my mom got pregnant again. i was in fourth grade and i can clearly remember the day my mom had the gender ultrasound. she came to my classroom in the middle of the day and pulled me into the hall to tell me i was going to have... a baby sister! i was so excited. it almost didn't seem real at first. then, on march 14, 2001, my life changed forever. i remember putting on my prettiest dress to go see my sister for the first time. i remember holding her in my arms for the first time, feeling happy beyond words. Mary Therese's birth changed my life forever.

i was instantly in love. i remember singing Faith Hill songs to her and dressing her up in her cute pink clothes. i would constantly ask my mom if i could hold her, feed her, push her stroller, even change her diaper. she was so incredibly special to me, and you know what? she still is!

she is my best friend. 

the one i share all my secrets with. the one i fight with like nobody else. she is the one i shared a bed with for 10 years, giggling and scaring each other way past our bedtimes. she is the one who makes me want to be better, because i want to always be a good example to her. 

my baby sister isn't such a baby anymore. she is 12 years old today and it's blowing my mind to think that this is the last year before she is officially a teenager! 

happy birthday, Mare Bear! 

i love you more than you know!