Dear E.,

It’s me, your Aunt Alyssa… Do you want to know a secret? I can’t keep it from you any longer because I’m bursting out the seams! And truthfully, I don’t really want it to be a secret. Okay, here it is… I love you SO much and I haven’t even met you yet.

I’ve watched you grow in pictures for 18 months. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to hold you… to hug you a little too tight, to hear your giggle, to make you smile, to know you. But the thing is, E, I might not know what makes you laugh, or your favorite color, song, or toy. I might not know the color of your eyes in the sunlight or the texture of your hair. I might not know how to soothe you when you cry or the trick to help you fall asleep, but I do know one thing and it’s that I love you more than I thought possible.

Maybe one day when you’re older we’ll talk about why you don’t really know me yet… why we’ve been robbed of our time together… why I can’t be the aunt I’ve always wanted to be… But what’s important is that you will, and even though it might be for a short little bit of time, I’ll never forget it, even if you do, and that’s okay.

I can’t wait to love you and tell you how much I do and always will. I can’t wait to know you, E.

Love forever and always,

Aunt Alyssa