To My Little Valentine

Friday, February 14, 2026: 6:55AM

Dear Maggie,

It’s a day where we celebrate love and family, and I wanted to take the time to thank you and say how much Mommy loves you. 

My sweet girl, you were a bringer of beauty from the very start. From the moment we saw those two lines on the test (which were so faint at first, your Daddy didn’t believe me), to the moment we told your big sister and big brother and reveled in their surprise and glee, to our first time seeing you and hearing your heart beat, you have given us great joy. 

We loved you from the moment we knew you were in my tummy, and we couldn’t wait to meet you. 

I am so glad I got to see you in the ultrasounds- watching you be so wiggly filled me with excited anticipation, looking forward to when I could feel every flip and squirm. I couldn’t wait to bring your siblings’ hand to my stomach so they could feel your kicks, your hiccups. 

I am so glad I got to feel you kick inside of me those last two weeks I carried you. I will never forget laying in bed one night, and suddenly you were there- that familiar twitch and flutter in my stomach. It was like we were having a conversation and you wanted me to know you were with me and were having a blast. 

My favorite ultrasound picture of you was three weeks before you died. I got to see you in various positions, and your siblings were there to marvel as well. My favorite picture of you is one I will never forget because it brought me such joy and peace that day, and it continues to.

You were laying down with your hands behind your head, legs crossed- just chilling. It was as if you were at the beach, listening to your favorite song and having the time of your life. And every time I worried or wondered how you were doing and growing, I would look at that picture and know that you were content and secure. 

Even though you didn’t end up being safe from death, I know you were safe in the arms of Jesus the whole time. I wish I could have carried you longer- to the finish line- and have gotten to see your personality in action. I wish I could have held your breathing body, rocked you and fed you, watched you grow into the young woman God created you to be. 

We miss you here, sweetheart. I desperately hold onto those moments I felt close to you, those times I felt like I learned more about you.

Although your life here was short, you are forever part of our family. You will always have a piece of my and your daddy’s hearts. Just like your older siblings, you have changed our lives. 

Thank you for the joy you brought us. Thank you for the dreams you gave us. 

Thank you for all the special moments of snuggling with your big brother, his hand placed on my stomach with excitement and a gentleness I know he would have maintained as a big brother to a newborn. 

Thank you for the overflow of prayers you inspired in our family and community. 

Thank you for the courage you gave me to try again- to hope and dream and trust. 

Thank you for the ways you grew me and stretched me in my faith. 

Thank you for the ways you helped me prioritize my health and my family in a new way. 

Thank you for all the moments of sweetness along the way. 

I miss you. I miss your kicks. I miss the dreams of our future here together. The tug toward Heaven feels like a rope that has thickened by another beautiful thread since you died. But I know you are not lost and that someday I will be with you. 

I can only imagine your current reality. I bet your Valentine’s Day is far greater than class parties, sweet outfits, and candy. I am so thrilled for you, even as my heart is breaking. 

We love you, sweet girl.