To my best friend,

In the coming days you will bring your baby earthside and begin a whole new chapter of your life. Soon you will be a mother. The very thing you’ve been dreaming about, longing for and patiently anticipating will become a beautiful reality. 

My friend, soon you will be a mother and you will feel a love like never before. 

You will doubt yourself more than ever before, feel a gut instinct like never before and be more selfless than ever before. 

You will fight with your husband more. And love him more too. Navigating parenthood together will be the most challenging thing you’ll ever have to face but you’ll see a side of each other you never knew was there. A fierce need to protect and nurture your offspring. That need will manifest in different ways for each of you and will often result in conflict. But it’s only because you both care so much. 

You will sleep less and worry more. Exhaustion will seep from your bones but you’ll keep going because you have to. Because you want to. Because you need to. 

You’ll cry more. Happy tears, sad tears, tired tears and I don’t know why tears. 

You won’t have a clue what you’re doing and yet you’ll know exactly what to do. 

Coffee. 

You’ll hardly ever be alone. In bed, in the shower, in the toilet. And when you finally are alone you’ll miss them. 

You’ll give more kisses, more cuddles, more of yourself than ever before. And some day you’ll get those kisses and cuddles back. You will nibble tiny toes, squeeze chubby thighs and marvel at every tiny feature that grew inside you. 

Your tank will empty quickly and often. But it will overflow too. 

Some days will be hard. And some nights will be even harder. But there’ll be a little piece of magic in all of it. 

Soon you will be a mother. And it will be most fun, difficult, crazy, beautiful thing you’ve ever done. 

Soon you will be a mother. And you will be amazing. 

You’ve got this.