Dear Granddaughter,

I have a confession. I didn’t quite believe you were coming.

Yes, I watched your mom’s belly grow—slowly at first—then at a rapid rise pace the final couple months. I felt your powerful karate kicks and full body hiccups—proof that you, an active little being existed inside her. But, I struggled her entire pregnancy to grasp this mind-blowing fact… my baby was going to have her baby!

When your dad plopped you in my arms for the first time, I stared in awe at your flushed complexion and rosebud lips. I pulled up a corner of your hat and stroked your silky black hair that looked just like your mom’s when she was born. Holy moly! I was cradling the proof. My baby just gave birth to her baby!

As I rocked your tiny, swaddled body, I remembered the thunderstorm of feelings that colored my new mom life. Love, worry, wonderment, fear, fatigue, joy, confusion, boredom, contentment, pride, exhaustion, adoration, impatience, patience, and hope that I could survive each day, and keep my baby alive. Good news, I made it, she made it, and now here you are!

Granddaughter, you are blessed to have my daughter as your mother (double blessed as your dad is awesome too!) You are going to reap the benefit of her fierce loving nature. Her determination and discipline in all aspects of her life is legendary, this means she will raise you with mind/body/heart centered consistency—an underrated parenting attribute in my opinion!

You will be immersed in nature early and often as the outdoors feed your parents’ soul. Hiking, picnics, camping, fishing,…sitting outside and breathing in oxygen while basking in the sunshine. You are going to relish connecting with mother earth and learn to crave it on a regular basis!

Prepare also for a life filled with books, music, movement, healthy foods with a few treats thrown in, humor, kindness, and tidiness. Yes, you’ll probably need to keep your room clean!

Granddaughter, parenting is hard. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Your mom will be your guide, your comfort, your therapist, your cheerleader, your chore supervisor, your financial advisor, and a whole lot of other roles that will help you grow, thrive and navigate this wild world.

I have no doubt she will be a stellar mother, but please understand, she will not be a perfect one. No human is. She will do the best she can at any given moment. With that said, sometimes your mom will be exhausted. Sometimes she will feel stressed out and ready to blow! Sometimes she will want to hide away and just read a book or play her cello. Sometimes she will cry and rant and rave. You will understand this more when you become an adult. You will understand this completely when/if you become a mom!

As a perfectly imperfect human, your mom will make mistakes. She will beat herself up mentally even though she knows she shouldn’t. She will ask for forgiveness and try to do better again and again and again. Throughout the course of your life, never doubt that she will love you every second of every day. It’s called unconditional love and it’s our family motto.

Granddaughter! At 4 weeks old, you are feisty, surprisingly strong, and relentless in your pursuit of milk! These powerful traits will serve you well in life. I can’t wait to experience all of your ages and your developing personality. No rush though. I know full well how fast babies grow and the importance of treasuring each moment, even the challenging ones!

As I love your mom, I love you too! This is the beauty of our intergenerational love train. Prepare for the following from your Gigi: thousands of hugs and kisses, frequent giggles and snort laughs, wild dance parties, ice cream, dramatic story reading, ice cream, popcorn, and various shenanigans.

Welcome to the world!

All my love, Gigi