God please do not let me miss those moments that I could have spent with my child.  Let me carry her more often and feel her tiny body gently wrapped in my loving arms.  For someday I will not have the strength to pick her up anymore.

Let me hold her close to smell her freshly washed hair and breathe in that wonderful baby scent that covers her delicate skin, for surely she will not smell this deliciously sweet for very long.

Let me enjoy changing her diapers for this gives me the chance to play with her miniature toes, tickle her tummy and make her feel comfortable.  Someday she will ask me to leave and shut the door behind me claiming she can manage by herself.

Let me take more walks with her in her stroller while I can look down at her little face that is staring in wonder at this new world all around her.  Let me do this often, for soon she will be able to walk on her own and leave the safety of my arms.

Let me stand beside her crib at night for longer than a moment to watch her surrender to her peaceful slumber.  These nights spent in a crib will be replaced soon enough by a much less cozy place for dreams.

Let me make her laugh everyday.  For I am sure the precious sounds of her first giggles are apt to change with time.

Let me delight in each and every milestone she reaches.  Before I know it walking, drinking from a cup and other small miracles she has learned will seem ordinary.

Let me tell her how much I love her.  Since there are bound to be times when she will not want to sit still to hear this.

Let me continue to listen attentively to her even after she has mastered the art of talking.  Since people tend to listen less closely to a child once language becomes fluent.  

Let me make time for peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake and other baby games.  There will come a day when she will no longer want to participate in such childish antics.

Let me learn to enjoy the sound of her calling me "Mommy" even if it is yelled through the dripping of tears.  For one day I will no longer be "Mommy" to her, but rather just "Mom".

Let me be the world to her right now because as every mother sadly comes to realize, their babies soon discover the world outside of their mother’s arms.

Let me do these things and so much more, despite being busy, tired or overwhelmed because I would hate to look back and harbor regrets of times gone by that were lost to less improtant things than my own daughter.

Yes, dear Lord, I want my daughter to grow up to be a strong, loving and intelligent woman, but please Lord do not let this hapen overnight because someday memories will be all I have.