Day 91, 5-5-2017;

Hi baby doll! It’s Mommy again today. There is still no new news to report on your condition, which means you’re killin’ it at being a baby. Everyone is thrilled with your progress, and we’re just waiting to bring you home now. Daddy is having a great time on his trip. He said he was “giddy” as he left yesterday. He needed this getaway, just as I needed my own time to reflect and recharge. Grown up life gets tough sometimes, babe. Remember to take a step back, take a breath, and come back to yourself. It’s far too easy to get swept away in the difficulties and irritations of everyday life and lose your focus, especially when you’re facing some pretty big things like we have been in recent months. Mommy is learning how important it is to take care of yourself. I’ll help you and your sister learn this, too.
Yesterday, I told you the story of our bumpy ride here, to today, and explained what a miracle you are. That can feel like a lot to live up to and a lot of pressure for one girl. Today, I want to be very clear, to both you and your sister, about one thing: Your story does not define you. Your journey here does not determine your place in this world. Your stories are yours, they’re part of who you are, and I hope you embrace them and take pride in them. But they do not do make you any more or any less valuable than anyone else in the world. Every single person on earth has their own story, some ordinary, some incredible. They are gifts to us, despite sometimes feeling otherwise, and it is a gift to others to share these stories. But know, girls, that our stories do not determine our worth. You are valuable simply because you are here and because you are you. You are loved simply because you are here and you are you.
It can be tempting to rank our value based on what has happened to us, by what path we take and how we compare to others. There may be times when you find yourself defining your value by the success you achieve, by the size of your pants or your bank account, by the friends or the job you have, or by the mistakes you have made, or, worst of all, by what someone else tells you your value is. As your mother, it’s essential that I help you understand and remember that those external things have absolutely no bearing on your worth. Let me say it again. You are intrinsically valuable simply because you are you.
The only job you really have in life is to be the best you that you can be. You, if you’re anything like me, may find yourself wanting or trying to control what happens around you. You might attempt to manipulate or influence certain situations, you might feel a need to overanalyze, overthink, categorize, or fix the happenings around you. Don’t. You control only yourself. This is a tough lesson to learn; Mommy is just now figuring it out. When you feel the impulse to do this, turn your attention inward. There is a natural design and order to this world, and it is our only duty and responsibility to work to become the best versions of ourselves so we can fulfill our role in it. The more you focus on what you can’t control, the further you get from your wonderful, perfectly designed, authentic self, and that’s a disservice to you and to the world around you. It will only complicate your life further. When you’re doing your work of becoming the you that you are meant to be, you will realize things are falling into place. You are here, with your stories, to be only the best and truest you, and THAT is what makes you valuable. I am so grateful that I get to watch you become who you will be. I love you both endlessly, and we’re so excited to continue to get to know you.