Letter to Luke

To my darling boy,

It's like you knew. With all of the swirling craziness going on around you, you decided to just be awesome and remain calm. Four pounds. Six weeks early. The odds were stacked against you, but you decided to thrive. It's like you knew we needed some part of this journey to go right - and you could hardly wait to show us, "It was totally worth it". Just by being you - the precious, darling boy who sleeps for 5 hours straight and eats like a champ - you let peace and snuggles and kisses float in to this house like rays of sunshine. We have waited such a long time to hear your little squeaks and hold your little hand. Every expert in the world would tell me to lay you down when you fall asleep, but I just can't. I could hold you in my arms forever. It helps that you only weigh 6 pounds right now, but still - watching you yawn and smirk and dream just makes my heart happy. I've never held a baby so precious in all my life and I spend every minute of my day trying to capture the stillness and perfection of your darling, sleeping face.

I love that you already snore like a little old man. I love that your feet are 3 inches long. I love that you already know my voice. I love that your eyes flutter when I wash your hair. I love that you are instantly happy when we give you a bottle. I love the crazy, voracious way you eat. I love that your burps stink but your diapers don't. I love that you have an entire closet full of clothes that don't fit you yet. I love that your entire forehead wrinkles when you raise your eyebrows. I love that you attract attention everywhere you go. I love that you are gaining weight every single day. I love it when people comment about how tiny (and lucky) you are. I love that you didn't cry during your first doctor's visit, your first airplane ride, or your first Catholic wedding, but you cried at the sound of Carrie Underwood's voice on the radio. I love that you make squeaky chipmunk sounds when your mouth finds your pacifier. I love that your entire body shakes when you hiccup. I love your tiny little baby sneezes. I love telling people your adoption story. I love it even more when people already know your story and they know how much strength and courage and love it took to get you here.

You are a miracle, Luke.

And we've only just begun to show you how much we love you.