John, as I’m writing this, I’m 40 weeks pregnant with you, and I know that there’s a good chance that your dad and I will be meeting you soon. In all likelihood, before my next post goes live on Monday, you’ll already be here. I might be in the hospital, anxiously awaiting your arrival in Labor and Delivery. I might be recovering in Postpartum, with my beautiful little boy just feet away from me (if you’re not in my arms at the moment). We might be getting ready to give you your first bath, or already getting you dressed to come home for the first time. Or maybe you’re already in our little apartment, and your daddy and I are nervously trying to figure out how to be parents on our own. Or maybe you’re still snug in my womb right now, biding your time. I’ve already decided that this will be the first post that will go up after you’re born, so no matter what happens in the next few weeks, by the time anyone reads this, you’ll already be here.

Your daddy and I have been anxiously waiting for your arrival for about nine months now, and now you’re finally here. We apologize in advance for the many mistakes that we’re surely going to make in the next few days, weeks, months, years. I promise that we love you more than we ever thought possible, and with every passing day, our love for you continues to grow. You’re our little boy, our first-born son, our little gift from God.

You won’t stay little forever though. We’ve already been told that nothing will last forever. In the blink of an eye, you’ll be walking and talking, running around the playground with your new friends. You’ll be guiding me through the double doors on your first day of school, and I honestly don’t know which of us will have a harder time letting go of the other’s hand. Before we know it, you’ll be fighting to show us that you’re all grown up, and a few years later, we’ll believe you. Then I’ll be dancing with you on your wedding day, eagerly anticipating the announcement that your dad and I are going to be grandparents. And so on and so on…

But right now, you’re just a few hours, or a few days, old. You need us for everything. And we need you. You have already opened up our hearts so wide. You’ve taught us to love more intensely than we have ever done before. You’ve taught us the value of sacrifice and selflessness. You’ve taught us that we’re stronger than we think- that we can weather the late nights and early mornings, the tears, the desperate attempts to figure out what you need. You have helped your daddy and I to rely on one another in all things, and your very existence has taught us to love one another more deeply than ever before. Because of you, we are no longer just husband and wife. I am the mother of his first-born son. He is the father of my beautiful baby boy. You have changed us forever, and we give thanks to God daily for the beautiful gift that we’ve been given. Dear John, we are looking forward to every moment that we will have with you, to every memory that we will create together. We love you so much John.

Love,

Your Mom and Dad