were bottles on the kitchen counter, tiny socks in the laundry, blankets draped over the sofa, and stuffed animals scattered across the nursery.

Evan became an expert at making Lily laugh.

She loved music and often kicked her feet whenever a familiar song played.

She smiled at strangers in grocery stores.

She grabbed our fingers with surprising determination.

And whenever I held her against my chest, I felt a kind of love I had never known before.

Lily was not a problem to solve.

She was not a comparison to