Eleventh Letter to My Little One- Happy Birthday

 

Happy Birthday

She is HERE! Our little one, Payton, was born late April (2013) and we couldn’t be more thrilled! Without boring everyone with too many details (we will save that for family and Payton when she is older), my final letter for my pregnancy journal covers a bit about our birth story.  

5/1/13

My Little One,

You have surprised us all by arriving early, but only by 3 weeks! Your father and I wouldn’t have had it any other way! Reflecting on the moments that lead up to your first appearance, we should have known you were coming soon.

Mommy and Daddy decided a few months before you were due to have the kitchen remodeled (a brave decision on our part because we knew there was a chance the kitchen may not be finished when you were born). The day before your birth, we had to run to the closest Menard’s (a few towns away) and we spent most of the day with Mommy walking around picking out our new kitchen backsplash and tile. Afterwards, we went to a friend’s house for dinner. Grandma Betty came to visit as well and arrived at our house just before we returned from our long day shopping and visiting friends!

After catching up with your Grandma, your mother went to bed at around midnight. At 4:15 AM, she got up to go to the bathroom and, upon returning back to bed, realized her water had just broken. After waking your Daddy up, who thought Mommy was joking, Mommy tried to catch some sleep before your big debut! Although nerves kept Mommy awake, Grandma and Daddy had no problem sleeping and getting ready. We checked into the hospital at about 10AM.  

The craziest part about being in labor was that the fire alarms (not kidding) went off at about noon! The whole building had to evacuate because of a small fire. While sitting outside, other patients were nervous that Mommy could go into labor and give birth at any moment! You stayed inside (thank goodness) until we were safely back inside of the hospital. At 4:55PM, you entered this world! You were 6 pounds, 18 inches, and stole your Mommy and Daddy’s heart! Your birth will forever be one of our best days ever!

 

Our Little Family

Meeting Mommy

You decided to come early and therefore we had no choice but to bring you home to a gutted
kitchen! In the end, everything worked out amazingly well. We got you and a new kitchen!What memories you are creating already for us my love!

                                                                                                                  Love You Always, 
                                                                                                                 Mommy and Daddy

For those of you who are super curious, here are pictures of the gutted kitchen and the (mostly) completed kitchen:

Isn’t amazing how a child changes your world in ways that you could never imagine until they existed?!?!

Letters To My Little One, The Collection

When I first found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to create some sort of record of my pregnancy to show my child later in life. I decided to create a special scrapbook that would show not only pictures from my pregnancy, but would also include letters that were written especially for our little one by both me and my husband. As time has passed, I am so thankful I chose to create letters. As I read the letters from the beginning, I am pleasantly surprised at how some of the memories had faded and now come rushing back to me at once!

I chose to share these letters with you because when I first made my decision to write letters to my unborn child, I did some searching on the internet for inspiration. I did not find exactly what I was looking for. Therefore, I created my own vision and am hoping that someone will find my ideas inspiring for their own project. 

Here is a quick guide to the 11 letters I wrote my little one:

1. Finding Out We Are Pregnant

2. Meet Your Father

3. Telling Our Immediate Family the News

4. Hearing Your Heartbeat For the First Time

5. Ending the First Trimester

6. A Song To Our Little One From Us

7. Daddy's Birthday

8. Gender Vote- Are You A He OR She?!?!

9. Ultrasound/ Gender Reveal?!?!

10. What I Want To Teach My Child
11. Birth Story

What creative ways have you used to create your pregnancy scrapbook/journal?

Tenth Letter to My Little One

Okay, I have to be brutally honest about pregnancy! I have been sooo tired! I have, unfortunately, not written a letter for my pregnancy journal in months! Almost 3 months to be exact! My last letter was written in December. Nonetheless, I have finally written another letter for her (YES, it is a SHE, we found out at our second ultrasound in the last trimester)! See below:

3/21/13

My Little One,

You are a baby Girl! Our second ultrasound will forever be one of Mommy’s favorite moments in life. We got to see you move all over and were very pleased with how active you are! We didn’t care what your gender was, but finding out made everything seem so real for us. My plans for the future already started to solidify as I painted in a beautiful little girl! 

Mommy and Daddy plan to teach you so much about the world and I wanted to tell you a few lessons that I especially hope that you will learn from me.

1. Jesus loves you for you. He also has a plan for you. Trust him.
2. You can make the world a better place.
3. One can never go wrong with kindness, integrity, and being very clear about your expectations.
4. Never trust a man who is unkind to his mother.
5. You can be anything you want to be.
6. Dance like nobody's watching.
7. Love with passion.
8. Don’t be afraid of a broken heart.
9. Find an appropriate way to vent frustration, rather than speaking mean words.
10. A good book can change your life.
11. The world needs your point of view.
12. Nothing you tell me will ever make me want to stop hearing from you.
13. The world is full of mean girls, choose not to be one.
14. I’m on your side; especially on the days when it doesn’t feel like it.
15. Your body is not just yours. It’s a gift for your husband. I promise it’s worth waiting to unwrap together.
16. Marriage is an act of courage, commitment, and sacrifice. It’s also the most fun you’ll ever have with your best friend.
17. Be the friend you wish you had.
18. I will be your best friend. But I will be your mother more.
19. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, don’t do it, wear it or say it.

20. You will have to find a way to get along with people you don’t like.
21. Make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes.
22. Travel.
23. "It isn't what we say or think that defines us, but what we do."
24. Stand up for what you believe is right.
25. Your daddy has loved you better and longer than any boy ever will.
26. Be the kind of friend you want to have.
27. Dare to be different.
28. Life is fast, live slow.
29. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty.
30. Do unto others as you'd have done to you.
31. You are not entitled to anything, it has to be earned.
32. Nothing will make me love you less.
33. Nothing will make me love you more.
34. You’re the most brave when you’re the most scared and keep going anyway.
35. Learn all that you can.
36. Dream big.
37. Apologizing takes strength. Be strong.
38. Find friends who become family.
39. If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is.
40. I will love whoever you choose to love.
41. You will always be my baby.
42. Life can change in an instant, never take what you have for granted.
43.  Trust your gut feeling.
44. Guardian angels and heaven are real.
45. You can always come home.
                                                      Love You Always,                                                             Mommy

What are the things you want to teach your child?

Please, no one tell me I am the only one that didn’t keep up with my pregnancy scrapbook as well as I had intended?!?! Life got ahead of me and now I am sooo close to having my little one. I am beginning to wonder if I will ever get my brain back?