letter to Lydia

On Saturday night I had a bunch of contractions, and Abe and I thought Lydia was coming soon. So I suggested we write Lydia a letter before she gets here, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to say other than that I love her and want her to come soon. I didn't need to worry. Abe had no problem writing a letter to Lydia; pretty much the only thing I did was change the way he signed it. (He signed it, " Love, Abe and Lily." I had to remind him that Lydia probably won't be referring to us by our first names!)

Before I paste the letter, here's a quick update on steps we've taken to encourage Lydia to come soon. I've continued to douse my food with red pepper flakes in the hopes that spices will get things going. We also went for a walk with Abe's parents yesterday at the Baha'i temple. My mom went into labor with both my brother and me on the steps of the Baha'i, and I was really hoping Lydia would follow in that tradition. Sadly, she didn't come--but we still had a wonderful afternoon. We are also hopeful because the doctor said it's likely she'll come in 24 hours. He said that yesterday morning after the plug came out (sorry for the TMI!!) and my (false) contractions were coming at regular intervals. We are hoping!!!

Also, one more quick shout-out to my little brother. Yesterday he spent hours laboring over a Mark Bittman recipe I gave him, and the result was soooooo tasty. Not only was it great food, but I felt so loved because of all the effort and time he put into cooking for us! I have the world's best family. Abe and I felt so happy last night as we said our prayers and thanked God for being part of such a beautiful network of people. His dad and stepmom arrived yesterday, and we enjoyed spending our afternoon and evening with them and with Clark. We love them, and we can't wait for Lydia to join us.

Here's the letter we (and by we, I mean Abe) wrote to Lydia:

Dear Lydia,

We love you. We are so excited to see you! Your mother has carried you for nine
months, and we just can’t wait for you to arrive. We have so enjoyed reading books to
you, picking out clothes for you, talking to you, feeling you kick and listening to your
heartbeat. What a great heartbeat! We can already tell you will have a lot of energy,
which is great! You will be a bundle of excitement in our home.

I don’t know what clothing is like in the pre-existence, but you have sooo many cool
clothes awaiting you here, so don’t feel bad if you have to leave your favorite pair of
spirit slippers behind. We have all kinds of great clothes, in many colors, but mostly
PINK. We’ve decided that will be your favorite color. (Of course you can change your
mind if you want.)

We already know some great things about you through prayer and blessings. We know
that God has long planned your birthday. We know you will have musical skills. And
we know you will be a special spirit. We intend to raise you up unto the Lord, to find joy
in Him, and in the people around you. We want to guide you back to Him, so that we can
be an eternal family. We are so grateful for you, and can’t wait to see you!

Love,

Mom and Dad