My children’s book, Luke, the Horse Who Wanted to Be a Unicorn, has been in development for several years. It has taken me a lot of courage and perseverance to finish it.

I often think of the process as being likened to bringing a real child into the world. A seed or an idea has been planted in my mind and it slowly started developing and growing into what it is today.

As with ordinary pregnancies, I oftentimes felt sick and nauseated (morning sickness), and I felt nervous about the entire process of getting the story into book format. Sometimes, I felt butterflies in my stomach when a new milestone was reached or when a part of the story had been finalized.

The birth of this book had been a long time coming, and I have been preparing for it all along – just like the perfect mother would do. I made sure that it would feel at home by designing a webpage, drawing illustrations, and composing music to go along with it.

And all the wait will soon be over, because the birth is very soon – just around the corner really. This makes me both excited and somewhat nervous at the same time. Just as a normal mother, I am longing for it to be born and to see it complete for the first time, but somehow the entire childbirth process makes me really nervous.

As a real mother, I had been through two childbirths already – both of them were nothing but easy. The first one was a caesarean section and the second one lasted one whole day and night. And now I am wondering, how will this birth be? Will it also be as hard?

Even to this day, I keep thinking about how it will be like when the baby is finally born. Will it be a good baby? How will it look? Will it cry a lot and require my attention frequently? Will it keep me up at night? Will it get colic and demand extra care? Or will it be like a wonderful, sweet baby who starts smiling even on the first day?

And what about me – the mother? Will I be good enough to the baby? Will I be able to provide for all of its needs? Will it feel warm and safe enough in my loving arms?

The birth will take place soon, and I think I am ready for it – no matter how it turns out to be. In the months running up to its birth, I have created a place of love for it and made sure that it would be well taken care of once it arrives.

It will always be welcome in my house and have a place to call home.

Finally, after all is said and done, all I know is that I really enjoyed putting this book together. The pregnancy has been amazing so far. I welcome the book as my baby into this world and will do my best to give it all the loving care it needs to grow up in this world.

I will continue to help it to inspire young children and do good to adults, because the message it brings is such an important one:

You are beautiful just the way you are! Be the magic you are!

Picture of my first pregnancy