Letter to My Unborn Daughter

Hey baby –

Today is the beginning of week 34 for us. If you came at this point, you would be as okay as a full-term baby, and that’s nice to know.

My hands are kinda swollen, which is normal at this point in a pregnancy.  But today is Saturday, and I took my rings off on Tuesday, and I can still see the imprints on my finger. That is NOT normal. 🙂

You wiggle around a lot. I love feeling you.  Sometimes it’s your little bottom crowding up on the right side of my ribs, but sometimes it’s your elbows or feet, I think.  You’ve tickled me a few times, and one time you made me double over ’cause you kicked my bladder so hard.

Grandma gave you a book for Christmas and read it to you.  When she was reading, your body pushed closer to the surface; I think you liked hearing it. Last week, I played She Sells Sanctuary in the car and you really started moving – you like the Cult. Cohiba gave a fist pump when I told him that.

When you get here, I plan on wearing you a lot. I just love holding you, both inside me and outside, and I want you close to me, soft and warm and I want to smell your head.  I’m also pretty active, and I just want you on me. It makes it easier to talk to you and teach you, and also keep track of you. When you get a little older, we’re (I’m) going to have to figure out a way to let you go. (Holy crap, am I already dreading that? I am totally a mother.)

I’m gonna try breastfeeding – please don’t hurt me on that. I don’t think I’ll do it long, just to bolster your little immune system until it’s running on its own.

I’ve been singing to you, in particular one song by Jewel. I don’t know if you like it; we’ll see when you get here. I’ve been meaning to play the flute while I’ve been pregnant with you, and I still have time, but I hope that you grow up around music. I want you to play with my instruments like I played with my parent’s, and get to know them that way. I’m looking forward to teach you about art, too, and creating things. I’ll sew clothes for you and teach you how to cross stitch…

So many thoughts about the future, but mostly I’m excited to love on you.  Your father and I are really loving people, and we’ve talked about ways to bring you into that. He can’t WAIT to take you skiing. We’ll travel a lot, ’cause that’s the best way to learn about other places, people and your own instincts.

I know you haven’t done this baby thing before, but I haven’t done this mommy thing before, either, so let’s go easy on each other. 🙂

I love you, I think with merely the budding of the strongest love I’ll ever imagine.