To my daughter, on the day before her birth

Dear Sydney,

I have been privileged to have you inside of me for the past 34 weeks. We did not know you were coming, but nothing in the world has changed my life more. We were truly blessed when the Lord sent you to us. You were conceived in love, and join a mommy and a daddy who have waited for you for a long time. Your daddy and mommy love each other very much, and you are an extension of that love. We are so blessed to be your parents.

These last 34 weeks have not been easy on any of us. I can only imagine how hard you have had to fight to remain alive. I don't know why the placenta my body created for you formed poorly, but it did. I wish I could have protected you from this, but it was beyond my control. I have had the best medical care I could find during my pregnancy with you.

I love you even though we have not met yet. I am so excited to see you. I cannot wait to hold and kiss you.

Somehow, I hope that you and I can have a better relationship than I have with my mother. I will try to be less overbearing and pushy, but I'll fail at times. I'm only human. Please forgive me as I overprotect you. I would love nothing more to be able to promise you that I will always know what to do and say, but I already know I won't. I will try to cut you some slack, please do so with me. You will likely hate me in about 13 years, but hopefully you will know you are loved fiercely by me.

I will love you no matter what. I want to teach you to love others and to be a positive addition to the world you live in. You are a very wanted and loved baby. You are being born into a family which is not perfect by any means, but is joined by love. That is a blessing beyond measure. You are also being born an American citizen. I pray you will never see war in your homeland. Our country is not perfect, but it is one of the best around. You will be able to vote, speak freely, and chose any career you want. You have the privilege of becoming as educated as your mind will allow. So many women in this world do not have that blessing. I will love you and expect you to fulfill your potential. If you need help, I'll help you every step of the way. If your potential comes in a non traditional for, because of disability or something else, I'll love you just as much as if you became president.

I wish I could give you a full 40 week pregnancy. I cannot. Your body is showing signs that you will do better in the world, not in my womb. Please forgive me as you are removed from my body tomorrow, 6 weeks early. I did my best to get you to this point, and have loved feel you move inside of me. I love you, and will be there for you every step of the way as you come into the world before you are ready. I am sad to know that after tomorrow morning, I will not feel you move inside of me again. I will miss holding you safely inside of me. Since we knew you were coming, I have had a little loved one with me at all times. It has been nice to not be alone. I wanted to be pregnant for so long, and feeling you inside of me has been a strong reminder of the Lord's love for us, and for how blessed I am to be your mom.

Tomorrow we will meet for the first time in this life. I already love you beyond words. I am amazed at how much I can love someone I have not met. I wonder what you will look like and how I will care for someone so precious and small.

We are not in for an easy couple of weeks. I will help you get through them. I love you.