This man has been blessing our lives for 3 whole weeks today. I can't believe it, yet I somehow know I will spend the rest of my life uttering those same words.
Dear Louis,
I could have never imagined what it would be like to be your Mom. There are simply no words sufficient for the emotions you experience when you receive that title. The amount of pure joy, and love, and pride is overwhelming. To me, you are perfect in every way. As I care for your needs, I breathe in the sweet smell of your skin and observe every feature that makes up your tiny body. Each fold of the skin, each tiny fingernail, a reminder of the miracle you are. I watch you sleep so peacefully, often checking to ensure that your chest is still, in fact, moving up and down. With each breath you take I am consumed with unexplainable love and graciousness for such a perfect gift.
We've only know each other for a short time, yet you are the biggest part of me and I know that forever you will be my baby, and I your Mom, what a feeling that is. I whisper the words "I love you" into your ears often, hoping that you will never question if you are loved, cared for, admired. I whisper the words "God loves you" into your ears, and long that you would understand the truth of that statement for your whole life.
We thought we had everything, until we had you. Now life has begun in a whole new sense of the word. With every cry, with every smile, with every grasp of your hand, our hearts know the deepening love that is parenthood, and we know we are so blessed.
Three weeks, they have flown by, yet somehow it is already hard to imagine life before you. Before we were Mom and Dad. Before our evenings consisted of caring for your needs, and staring at your perfection. It is hard to imagine our family of three being anything but that. With each passing day we learn your idiosyncrasies. The way you grunt when you're hungry. Your dislike for swaddles, and your persistence in getting your arms free. Those wrinkles in your forehead that show up with each facial expression you discover. How you sleep with your hands on your face, and- to our dismay- are so comforted by that pacifier. The way you love to bounce, and swing and stare at the world around you with intent and curiosity.
You are life before blemish, before fault, before stain of this world has reared its ugly head. You cry out in hunger and you trust that we will come, because trust is all you know. You whimper in discomfort of a wet, dirty diaper understanding that Mom and Dad will make it better. You melt into our arms when we hold you, a safe place of rest. And I pray that our arms will never fail to be a safe place of rest for your head, for your heart.
Each passing day with you is a blessing, yet a bittersweet reminder of just how fast time truly flies. So I try to soak in every moment, holding you, rocking you, loving you- our greatest gift.
I love you always,
Your Mom
