Letter to baby from Aunt Tracey

Hey there little cutie- This is your Aunt Tracey! I am SOOO excited to meet you. I have been friends with your mom since high school and she is an amazing person and I know you are going to be too! No matter how far apart we live, or what is going on in our lives, your mom is one of those rare friends that is always there for me and when we see each other, even if its been 6 months since the last visit, its like we just saw each other yesterday. You will see as you grow up how special that is and I am so blessed to have such a true, caring friend like your mom in my life. One thing that really stands out to me when I think back on my friendship with your mom, especially in high school, was how much fun we had together and how random we acted.  There are so many pressures out there related to boys, relationships, and being popular that its easy to miss out on great times with your friends and great memories if you are obsessing over guys all the time or always worried about fitting in. Of course, we had our crushes and our insecurities, but more than anything we made time for our friends and families and had a lot of fun and those are the memories that last. I hope that you will do that too. For some reason we always want to grow up so fast and the very best advice I can give you is to slow down!! Enjoy life, make a difference, be a good friend, do what you know is right, and don't settle! A lot of times we are too impatient to wait for God's plan in our lives and we try to take charge and handle it ourselves to create the outcome that we think will make us happy. I hope when you are tempted to do this you will remember these words and even though its SO hard to do, wait on the Lord and his direction and timing in your life.  It is so worth it when you see His plan unfold in your life. Your mom and I have helped each other through hard times, but also through many great times including starting our careers, marrying our soul mates, and now she is becoming a mother!  I am so happy for her (and your dad too!) and cannot wait to meet you and hold you and watch you grow up. Ive been trying to convince your parents to move back to Michigan, specifically Oakland County, but so far Ive been unsuccessful. Im hoping that you can get them too- Im sure that you will have them both, especially your dad wrapped around your finger from day one, so lets work together on this ;) I love you so much already and cannot wait to see your cute little face! Please remember Im always here for you! Love, Aunt Tracey (and uncle dale!)