Dear little sis,

It's me, your big OLD sis.

I am writing this in hopes that one day you will be able to read it and know some initial thoughts I had before you were born until now.

Although at first I may not have been the happiest about you coming and changing my life, honestly, I am so glad you are finally here.

The first six weeks that you have been in my life have been nothing but a whirlwind of emotions. From first finding out about mom having you until now, my feelings have changed tremendously. Being the only child at home these past 18 years, and then being told that I was going to be a big sister, was terrifying.

This past year has been a big change for not only me but you, also.

I moved away to college, and you came into this world. A part of me thought mom and dad were replacing me. I didn't know what to think or do about the situation, so I froze. I became distant with the subject of being a big sister and ultimately stopped talking about it. It was a hard and touchy subject until about a week after you were born.

Change is always scary — especially with something that will change your life forever.

I never thought that mom and dad would have even tried or thought about having another child. From the day that they told me about you, I thought I would wake up one day and it would all be a dream.

I always thought that I would be their baby girl forever.

Now that you are here, I am ecstatic to share the spotlight with you. Mom and dad would do anything for you. By anything, I mean ANYTHING! They have sacrificed so much for me and they would be willing to do the same for you.

This is a crazy beautiful world that I can not wait for you to grow up and explore life with me.

You are such a blessing, and I will always be proud of you.

Although I won't be there to grow up with you, I will grow old with you.

I will be there through thick and thin, and if you ever need someone to talk to that's not mom and dad, you will always have me. Whenever you're at your lowest, I will only be a phone call away. Even when I have my own kids to worry about, you will always be my priority.

I have learned so much in my 18 years of life, and I can't wait to show you the ropes. I will always be there for you.

Never lose hope. I know I did at one point, but you have such a big support system that loves you, and I will always be there when you need it. You are so loved by so many people, and I can't wait to see where life takes you.

There are going to be people that will always say, "You can't do it," but those people are wrong. With hard work and determination, you can succeed. Along with that, there will always mean girls/boys; they will try to break you, but never give in! You are so much more than those people. They are not worth it.

I will always be there. If you are having a bad day or you just need to vent about mom and dad, I will always answer the phone — or hopefully, we will be close enough to get to see each other often. I hope you don't grow up and act too cool for your big sis.

But most importantly, I love you.

No matter what my thoughts were at the beginning, you're a big part of my life now and I can't wait to watch my beautiful, intelligent, fierce sister grow up.

I like you forever, I love you for always, my baby sister, you will always be.

Sincerely,

Your big sister