One Wednesday afternoon, it occurred to me that something within me had changed. I was in fact, correct. I wasn’t yet aware, but at just six weeks, a million cells had collaborated to shape what would in just thirty four more, be my daughter. It didn’t take her long to make her presence known; throughout our first few months together, I had emptied my stomach contents on more than one occasion. I had so many concerns before her arrival. “How am I going to take care of us?”, “How am I going to manage?”, and “What kind of example am I going to set for her?” were just a few of the questions that entwined themselves inside my bustling cranium. I decided to use this opportunity to strive for even larger goals, working strenuously to stroll down the aisle in a blue cap and gown with a diploma in hand, a year earlier than expected. I wanted to be able to participate in the work industry, while also having time to engage with her; this would give me that advantage. I also began scrolling through desirable institutions online, continuously comparing dollar bill signs while my eyes fluttered over links that screamed out “Apply this fall!”
    

It wasn’t until the third month that I had gotten to see her for the very first time. I longed to feel her touch, inhale her distinctive scent, and set eyes upon her fleshy pink fingers, but I knew we still had a long road to travel. All I could do for the time being, was watch the peanut on the monitor, dance around in my womb. The days we spent after that, bound internally, began to disintegrate into the past. From a peanut, she quickly grew into an apple, bell pepper, mango, eggplant, and pineapple. Together, we experienced numerous changes; Things we had learned to cherish since our new beginnings. In the fifth month I felt her first movement, slow and unsure, but as we grew she became increasingly rambunctious. The feeling of her jolts gave me comfort, knowing I was no longer alone in the world. My daughter is my biggest motivation. She inspires me to be more responsible and accomplished even with the feeling of concrete blocks fastened to chains around my ankles. And as I bring this new life into the world, my biggest objective is to protect and nourish it, just as I have done in the nine months prior to her birth. I carried her within me, where she remained close to my heart and even closer to my soul. Any day now, my tiny caterpillar can emerge from her chrysalis as a beautiful butterfly and leave her prints on the same world she had been blinded from before this very spectacular moment in nature.