Dear Jellybean

By Gail Kaseguma, prints available at kidmodern.

Dear Jellybean,

Aunt Lindsay here. I've been waiting to write this first (of many, I'm sure) letter to you, waiting for the perfect words to capture what we are feeling in anticipation of meeting you. But kiddo, the truth is, we're not perfect and you already know that. You get it, and you agreed to come meet us anyway, so thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We just found out about you a few short weeks ago. You are quite a surprise! (The best things in life are never planned.) There will be much to tell you about in the coming months, but today I just want to tell you something I'm sure you already know. Your mommy rocks. I mean, seriously kid, when it comes to mommies, you hit the jackpot. I cannot wait to see the two of you gaze into one another's eyes for the first time. I'll cry, I'm sure of it, and just to warn you, I'm not a pretty crier.

Your mommy is feeling a lot of things right now- excitement, nervousness, contentment, fear, awe, doubt, love. I'm sure you can feel the butterflies in her tummy as she embarks on a journey that is so new and exciting and unknown. She has a lot of decisions to make in the coming months, and those of us close to her are going to work hard to help her understand something you have already seen- she's perfectly wonderful, completely ready, just as she is.

Right now you are just a little jellybean in your mommy's belly, but already you are taking up a huge piece of our hearts. We cannot wait to meet you, little one.

P.S. If you hear a really loud, obnoxious laugh, it's me. ;-)