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From the moment I awoke to see you holding our tiny bundle in your arms, I have watched you. The special care you give us—your favorite girls—it takes my breath away.

With our most precious gift from God there in your arms, I watch as you lose your heart forever to this sweet little person. I never see terror . . . exhaustion, yes . . . but never terror. You took the whole ordeal of bringing her into the world in stride; positioned right beside me, whispering a steady stream of words of encouragement, inside jokes, and most of all your love for me. So much love.

As you’ve changed diapers, read bedtime stories, and paced up and down the room to soothe our inconsolable, tiny human . . . I’ve watched. You’ve made dinner, taken out the trash, thrown in loads of laundry, done the dishes, and gone back to work way before either of us was ready. You’ve taken in stride this new reality: days off don’t mean time off from these new responsibilities.

You meet each day with a building exhaustion and a deepening love.

In the blur of the last three months, I’ve seen one thing so clearly: your heart.

Your beautiful heart that fights for us, protects us, and never gives up on us. A heart that pours out the strongest, deepest, and fiercest love on his favorite girls. A heart that inspires confidence, that seems to think I’m doing a thousand times better at this than I think I am.

I see a daddy’s love. And my heart holds a simple prayer: that our tiny human we are only beginning to raise will learn to love unconditionally . . . just as God loves us and as you are loving us.

Originally published on the author’s Facebook page

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So God Made a Mother's Story Keepsake Journal

Lydia Veer

My name is Lydia. My husband and I live in central Kansas with our new baby girl. Dry shampoo and Ethiopian coffee are my new-mom staples.

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