I’ve written a lot in the past about Madeline’s relationship with her cousins. We always thought Maddie and her cousin Danny would be playmates since they were born only nine months apart, but it didn’t work out that way. Her cousin Spencer, three years her senior, adored her. When they were around each other, Maddie only wanted to be with him, and he always wanted to play with her. I wish I could have seen them grow together and watched their relationship develop.

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I LOVE this picture

Mike’s sister Monica and her husband Sheridan announced at the beginning of the year that they were expecting their third baby. We told Maddie all the time that she was going to have another cousin. She LOVED babies and whenever I’d say, “Maddie, are you excited for your baby cousin?” she’d clap her hands and say, “BABY!” Maddie passed away before we found out that her future cousin was a girl. I know she would have been excited to have another girl around.

Knowing that Monica was pregnant with a girl, I did hope that Binky would also be a girl. But, at the same time, Maddie and Spencer were thick as thieves, so I knew gender wouldn’t matter to our kids.

Yesterday at 4:08 am, Michaela Madeline was born.

I know she and Binky will be best friends.