When you give a girl a papaw...

When I found out I was pregnant with Ciera, one of the first feelings -- after the excitement and a tiny bit of fear -- was a tinge of sadness.

Even before I met my husband, my dad would ask, “When are you going to give me a granddaughter?”

My sister has boys, and my dad was their number one fan. But, he really wanted a granddaughter.

I always thought it was a little funny after I found out I was having a girl. We have nine nephews between us, yet somehow we managed to add a little lady to the mix.

But, in the last two years, Cici has been blessed with papaws that love and cherish her just as much as my dad would.

Logan’s dad, David, and step-dad, Larry -- along with my own grandpa, Don -- have eased that bit of sadness in my dad’s absence.

Cici loves all of her papaws, and her face lights up the minute she sees them. I don’t care who is around, if papaw is near, no one else matters.

Last weekend, I found myself with a tear in my eye after I went to check on Cici while we were at a Christmas celebration and she was being too quiet.

(Parents, you know that fear when your wild one is quiet for more than a second.)

I walk around the corner, and Cici was perched up on a bed with Larry next to her. She had a fake makeup pallet on the bed next to her and a pretend hair dryer fixing papaw’s hair.

Oh, my heart.

It was just the two of them hidden away and bonding with some of Cici’s favorite things. My little girl was completely unaware of the other 30-plus people in the house, and completely focused on her biggest fan.

When you give a girl a papaw, you give her a cheerleader. You give her a man who will show her what love is.

Sabrina is the editor of the Greene County Daily World. She can be reached at sabrinagcdw@gmail.com.