There are very few people in this world that I care about as much as I care about my best friend.

She is one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, both inside and out, and her and I have been taking the world by storm since kindergarten. I was lucky enough to have this lovely lady walk into my life when she moved into my neighborhood and we entered the same kindergarten class and swam on the same swim team. We grew up together, always inseparable, seeing each other through many fights in 5th grade (we were a little jealous and protective of one another), all the awkward stages of middle school, plenty of bad boyfriends in high school, and many mistakes in college.

We were roommates in college our first year at school, and she was the person I told first that I had met the man I was going to marry (I did marry him ). I still remember the day she called me to tell me that her and Kyle (her husband now) were going out (he had been a high school crush, and we spent many days after school hanging out with him and my boyfriend at the time) and then several months later when she told me they were getting married.

She was the first person I called when Sean proposed, and the person I wanted standing by my side as I said my vows.

I will never forget the day that she called me and before she even finished saying “hi” I knew what she was going to tell me. We both shrieked in happiness and excitedly discussed the fact that she was PREGNANT!!

She moved 20 minutes away from me shortly after that, and we spent many nights chatting about pregnancy as we both drove home from work or over dinner at various restaurants. And on more than one occasion we just sat in my driveway in the car for way too long, celebrating that she was bringing a son into the world.

On Monday evening I got the call that she was going to the hospital, and I flew home from work and packed my stuff so that I could be there. I spent all day Tuesday going back and forth between the hospital waiting room and her room, waiting and waiting and waiting for the news that Lance had made his entrance.

After hours of being in labor, on Tuesday at 11:33pm my best friend welcomed her first child into this world. To say that I am happy is beyond an understatement. I can’t even express the joy, the pride, the extreme excitement that I feel for her at this moment. She gave birth to the most precious child I’ve ever seen, and I am so thankful that I was able to be there to witness this little bundle of amazingness.

So to Jennifer, you are my best friend, my sister, and I love you more than I can express. You are going to be the very best mom, and I couldn’t be more excited for you if I tried. You are amazing. To Kyle, you are going to be a fantastic father, and I am so glad you married my best friend. You make her so happy, and y’all produced one good looking son And to Baby Lance, you don’t even know how lucky you are to have the parents and the family that you do. I love your little face so much already.