My sweet, beautiful little girl: before I even met you, I loved you. Whilst you grew inside me each day, nurturing you with all I ate. I held you even before I could see you, I showered you with affection before I even knew your name. Your curls grew from the love in my heart, and your lips from the dreams I was stuck in each night. You took it upon yourself to capture my heart. When you first lay eyes on me, your mother, you trusted me blindly: to care for you, to nurture you, to love you. To provide for you and protect you. Every day, I get to wake up to those curls, and those lips. Messy and smiling. To your furry head cuddles, and your wet cheek kisses. The mornings when you climb into our bed at 6am, blurry eyed and looking for cuddles, are my favourite. The days I get to see you learn new things, discover new objects, speak new words, and laugh, live, love. Those are the days I hold onto. Because you can go through some horrific times, and just seeing the smile of you child can make it all slip away.