Child of My Heart

From the moment that I knew about you,
I loved you.
For months I carried you under my heart.
Watching you grow,
And waiting for the day when I would finally meet you.
When they placed you in my arms,
I loved you even more.
I held you snugly to my breast and stared into your eyes with total amazement.
Then as you grew and went through life's many stages,
My amazement grew to awe.
You are a part of me and yet you are not.
You are who you are.
And all that you have been, all that you are, all that you will be,
Makes me love you even more.
You are my child,
My legacy,
Through you I will live forever.
For as you grow and as your children and their children will grow,
You will each carry on a part of me.
Though I love you not for the immortality that you give me,
But for the child of my heart that you are.

Source: Stephanie J. Ergenbright-Smith (TheLaborofLove.com)