Dear Olivia,

So I had this great idea when you were born. I would keep a journal of your life, with the intention of handing it over to you upon your 18th birthday . . . or maybe 21st. I was going to include not only a chronology of your life, but also all of my different thoughts and emotions throughout that time period. I started the journal. And surprisingly kept it up for the first few weeks (and that's with waking up every few hours to nurse you!). Then the next thing I knew you were 4 months old. So I wrote another entry. And now suddenly you have just turned 7. Needless to say, I slacked off a bit. So now I have a new idea. There are so many times something comes up during the day, and I think about the advice I would like to pass on to you when you're older - on everything from make-up, to career, to love. So I've decided I will write it all down here. Right now, you're too young for most of the information, and when the time is right, I may have forgotten my brilliant insight. Plus, not to be morbid, but none of us really know how long we have. So today begins my series of letters to you, that someday I hope you'll be able to read, reflect on, laugh about and enjoy.

I love you!

Mom