To Miss Amalia Cadence Beherndt

Dear Amalia,

When I found out that I was pregnant with you, I had never been so scared in my entire life. Just the thought of becoming a mother had me questioning myself. Would I be a good mom? How does one “be” a mom? I babysat when I was in high school, but I did not know a thing about taking care of a baby. I did not even know how to change a diaper before I took a childcare class at the hospital.

The one thing that I did know is that I wanted to be a mom. I wanted to be your mom.

When my water broke at midnight on August 13th and you were in my arms by 3:45am, I knew we had a little lady full of life and gusto. As I looked into your big blue eyes for the very first time, I thought my heart was going to explode because it was so full of unconditional love, a love that I have never felt before. From that moment, every time I looked at you, I could not believe you were mine. How did this perfect little lady come from me?

You have awed our entire family. Your father and I will sit and stare at you for hours as you race around the house trying to find the perfect book to read or climb up on the couch on your very own. You have been curious about absolutely everything, asking what “dat” is or just sticking your little fingers into things to feel the texture. You are incredibly smart and soak everything up like a sponge. Your heart is full of compassion and empathy. You love dogs, all dogs. As we walk to the park to play, just the sound of a dog barking will stop you in your tracks and have you saying “woof woof”.

You are simply the best thing that has ever happened to me. Although you are only 18 months old, you have taught me how to be patient, let go of the small stuff, love the color pink and take a time out when I get too stressed out. Which has not only helped our relationship but it has helped my relationship with others. Most importantly, you have taught me how to be a kid again and love jumping on the furniture together (shhhh don’t tell your father). My heart just sinks when you give me a toothy grin and squint your eyes and I know exactly what you are thinking. You are definitely my daughter.

Thank you for forgiving me as I daily make mistakes in teaching myself how to be a mom. I have never been so sure of one thing, that I love being your mom. I cannot imagine a day without you. I look forward to spending my lifetime with you. You mean the world to me and I hope that as you get older I am able to show you how important you are to me.

I love you always,
Your mom

Jenn was the winner of the Valentine’s Day Love Letter Contest. I’ve been itching to share her letter forever, but I had to wait until we did our shoot — and I’m so glad I did! We had such a great time and I just love these Mommy/daughter (and doggy) moments. Thank you, Jenn, for sharing your heart with us!!