To my Isabelle Mae

My precious Izzy,

We are getting SO close to us welcoming you Earth side (to quote your Aunt Nikki!) and the time seems to be dragging on!  We are all beyond excited to meet you, to see your little face, and to kiss your squishy cheeks.  I have to admit, I am pretty nervous to become a mom of two also.  But, I know God has a plan for our family, and you are a BIG part of that plan. 

I am working feverishly getting everything prepared for you.  I just finished your nursery this week (not that in the grand scheme of things that even matters), Papa and I are practicing our Bradley Method relaxation every night, I am doing what seems like a thousand pelvic rocks and a thousand kegels every day to prepare my body for labor.  I think about you and pray for you what seems like constantly.  I am starting to feel like your arrival really is just around the corner and I am content.  Last week, I was nervous and excited, and now I am just....at ease.  I know you will come when God and you are ready, not when I am ready (because I am ready NOW!).  I know that you will be born in the way that you and God require, not the way I want.  Although I do think about your birth all the time and have started dreaming about it as well. 

I feel more in tune with my "mommy self" this time around (your big brother was the "experimental child" I guess, hehe) and I know what we will do and what we will not do.  I feel more sure about my decisions with you.  I am also very very blessed to have a husband like your Papa who listens to me and his final decision always ends with "What does your mommy instinct tell you, because THAT'S what we need to do.". 

I have been waiting for you my whole life.  I remember being a little girl and daydreaming about my family one day and I always had a daughter.  Now, I CAN NOT imagine my life without your brother, but I never thought I wanted a boy until I had him.  But, I always knew I wanted you.  I always knew I NEEDED you.  I didn't know if my little girl would be of my blood or be from another country, but I felt like God needed me to have a little girl. 

I have so many dreams and hopes for you already.  But, the main thing I think about right now is your safety and your health.  I have been very careful with my pregnancy (as I was with your brother) to keep you safe and out of harms way the best I can.  Am I perfect?  Absolutely not.  But, you are my first thought in everything I do and every decision I make.  I decided to have you at home instead of in a hospital, and your safety was something I thought loooong and hard about, even before I was pregnant with you.  But, I feel 100% safe having you in our home and with the wonderful team we have.  Grammy Gail and Aunt Nikki will be here to help us welcome you.  Erin will be here to document your arrival in pictures that I will cherish for the rest of my life and I hope you will too.  Aunt Stephy is coming to watch your goofy brother for us since Mommy and Papa will be working very hard to bring you here.  I know she is looking forward to loving on you so soon after your arrival.  I have a playlist of songs to play during labor and delivery and I wonder what song you'll be born to?  I know that seems like a strange thing to think about, but I wonder that all the time!

I pray that you are safe and healthy in my tummy and feeling all the love your Papa, brother, and myself are feeling for you.  Come whenever you are ready, whether that's next week or in 5 more weeks.  We are ready for you, but you are worth the wait my precious angel.

Love always,
Momma