One month.

  Dear Charlotte,
   It already feels like a lifetime ago.  And yet it was just one short month ago.  I was  kicking back in a hospital bed, cuddling you close and reveling in the joy and relief that labor was behind me.  Oh and probably ordering up a calzone.  I must say, I am much happier to be here than there, now that you're starting to sleep a little bit more and my energy level is slowly regaining ground.
 
   I well remember the waiting, the wondering, the anxious impatience for you to just COME already.  My due date came and went.  Another day passed, and then another and another, until a whole week had come and gone.  That week held so much emotion and frustration.  I could just hardly wait to meet you!

   And then suddenly, you were here.  With your eyes just like Daddy and your Graber feet.  You were so strong for one so small.  I like to think that all that activity in my womb, what with all the kicking and tumbling and flailing around was strengthening you for life in this big old world. 

   Now that you're here, the responsibility weighs heavily on my mind.  For not only do you depend on me for food and clean diapers and clothes to wear, but you need someone to show you how to be a lady, and teach you how to be a woman after God's heart in a world that at times would seek to destroy you.  You need someone to help you find your way, and encourage you to always pursue your wildest dreams, no matter what the obstacles.  You need someone who can be strong when you need guidance and correction, and be a listener when you just need your heart to be heard.  There are so, so many needs. And I want you to know, I am honored and privileged to be the one that was chosen to meet some of those needs for you. 

And unfortunately, I will fail at times.  I might let you down. 

   But, hopefully I will admit when I've been wrong, and be ready and willing to learn myself.  I figure we'll both have a lot of learning to do on this journey, and I'm looking forward to every step.

I love you, darling daughter.
~Mama