Dear Emma,

Take a breath. And another one. You are 35 weeks pregnant and wasting your energy huffing about not having enough energy. Sometimes you just have to let things go, sink into the couch and allow life to swirl around you.

I know you aren’t good at that by nature. There are things to be done, standards to be upheld, habits to be formed and maintained. You can see the ‘best’ way to do things, and the way that everyone deviates from that if you aren’t there to command order.

In a few short weeks, you will be holding a miracle of life. I know that you can’t really comprehend all the incredible work that your body is doing in spite of you right now, but trust me, it is all worth on this side of the divide.

Sure, you struggle to breathe every morning and the thought of walking more than ten paces is exhausting in itself. You feel like you need a crane just to get yourself out of any chair and the bed starts looking irresistible around 9:30pm each evening. It won’t be like this forever.

I know that it seems like there isn’t enough time to get everything done. There is. Time is deceptive like that. It’s funny how priorities can shift in an instant, and getting the crumbs off the floor of the minivan won’t really be at the top of your mind mid-contraction.

Life is a messy, beautiful, fragile gift. Breathe it all in, take the photos, laugh at the crazy moments that surround you. It won’t always be this way.

Love Future Emma

PS. Thanks for organising that wine delivery – it is going down a treat!