In all honesty, finding out I was pregnant at the age of 15 was the hardest and scariest thing I've went through. I was scared to see how my parents would react. I knew it was going to be hard to raise a child and still continue with my education. I wasn't ready in any means to be a mother but I took on the responsibility that most wouldn't have. The first time I heard her heart beat at the doctors, I fell in love. It was unbelievable to think that I had another human being growing inside my stomach, that what I ate - she ate, what I breathed - she breathed, what I felt - she felt. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I wasn't gonna give up on something that I had created. It was hard to listen to the disappointment in my mothers voice when I told her I was pregnant. It was hard to walk through a store and have to take in all the looks that the other people would give me because they saw my belly and could tell that I was very young. It was even harder to walk through the hallways at school next to my friends ( the ones that accepted my pregnancy ) and see all the other kids that were once my friends, talk about me behind my back. The love I had for my child was more than enough to be able to forget about all the hard stuff. The closer my pregnancy came to end, the more excited I was to meet this little thing I made. Through 48 hours and 36 minutes of labor, all I could think of, was how much I was ready to finally hold the love of my life in my arms. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever saw. I never thought I could love something as much as I did her at that very moment that I held her in my arms. As the days went on, my love for her grew and grew and grew, as did she. She went from needing me 24/7 to crawling, and then pulling her self up, then walking to running and talking now. It's been an amazing journey the past 2 years. I wouldn't take back one day of my mother hood. It is the absolute best feeling in the world. I still can't believe how one itty bitty thing has made such a HUGE impact on my life. She has made me the better person I am today. Mommy loves you Rilee Payton<3
