A Letter to Elise Before She Arrives

Dear Elise,

You haven't made your big debut yet and I already have so much to say to you.  I sit here and picture what your tiny, little newborn body will look like.  Will you get your daddy's sweet button nose that Carter also has?  Will you have a full head of jet black hair like I did as a baby?  Will you have the perfect little lips that grace your brother's face?  I picture your tiny little fingers, your tiny little toes, the glow of your pink skin new to the world.  I imagine the sound of your first cries ringing through the air.  How they are at the same time beautiful and sad.  I love everything about you now and everything that you will be.  I love looking down at my belly, watching you move.  I love feeling you pressed up against me.  I love your tiny little hiccups that let me know you are using your lungs to practice breathing.  When I think of you I feel warm inside.  I love you so much.

This isn't my first time being pregnant, but yet it has been so different.  I can already tell you are going to be a different child than your brother.  You are bigger and growing much faster than he did.  I get the impression you will come out ready to party since you are constantly on the move and putting such intensity into each movement.  I have a feeling you will be the same way with life, putting flare and personality into everything you do, exuding confidence just like your daddy.  I love everything about your brother and, interestingly enough, you could be the exact opposite and I would love everything about you.  Your brother is an amazing little guy.  You are so lucky to have him to learn from, watch, and walk beside.  He is so sensitive and loving.  It's the perfect way for a big brother to be.  I know he will look out for you and do his best to take care of you.  I hope you learn to appreciate what a gift it is to have a brother and what an amazing one you have! 

Miss Elise, thank you for working so hard to grow and prepare for the day we get to meet.  I am looking forward to it with such anticipation.  All of us are.  You may have an amazing brother, but you also have an amazing daddy.  Even though he didn't grow up with a sister, he sure understands girls.  Although lumbering along in his beasticle ways, he is so gentle and sensitive.  You will learn what a loving heart he has and what a great listener he is.  I imagine you going to daddy when you are a teenager and crying on his shoulder because he is so darn good at that kind of stuff.  It makes my heart swell when I think of him holding you close and comforting you, not just as a baby but all through your life.  There is something powerful about being in your daddy's arms.  It is such a safe place.

Your extended family is also so excited to meet you.  Your Oma and Opa were desperate to have a little granddaughter and are already working on spoiling you with a closet full of clothes!  I'd guess they will soon be wrapped around your little finger just as they are Carter's.  I picture you sitting at your Gma and Gpa's table getting your nails painted for the first time (because that's a first I will save for your Gma), giggling as you feel the brush swipe against your skin and leave a cool, wet polish behind.  I know you'll figure it out soon enough, but you are so lucky to have the grandparents you do.  On top of that you have the best great-grandparents who are all beaming with pride simply thinking about you!  Elise, we are all patiently awaiting your arrival, but at the same time it seems it can't get here soon enough.  We love you and can't wait to meet you and begin to learn your face and personality, your sounds, smells, and movements.  I love you, my little peach.  Soon enough I'll get to plant a kiss on the sweet face I've been staring at in ultrasound pictures and I can hardly wait!

Carter is already practicing his big brother skills!