Baby Fix

Let me just start by saying that there is nothing as sweet as a newborn baby.

I got my "baby fix" last week when I went to Las Vegas to visit my youngest sister, Darci, and her baby girl.

My newest little niece, Kensie Marie, was born September 16, 2010 at 9:19 p.m. She was 6 lbs. 13 oz. (sooo tiny compared to my 9 pounders!) and 19 inches long. She is BEAUTIFUL!

I just loved every minute I spent with her -- holding her, rocking her, watching her sleep, and watching her cute and funny facial expressions. It brought back lots of sweet memories of when my own four "babies" were new.

I loved every minute I spent with Darci, too. She is a beautiful new Mommy, and she is a "natural" at mothering. It is so much fun to see her filling this new role. I joked with her that she came to help me when I had my first baby, Tyler, who is now 19. She was only six years old at that time, so she came along with Mom to stay for a few days and help after he was born. Now it's my turn to help her with her first-born! I really love how that works :)

Oh, the memories this experience brought back for me! First of all, how overwhelming and exhausting it is to care for a newborn amidst sleepless nights, the never-ending cycle of feeding, burping, and diapering, healing from childbirth, towers of laundry, full pails of dirty diapers, trying to solve the mystery of the different cries of the baby, adjusting to a new identity, juggling previous responsibilities that still need attention, etc, etc, etc. Yet, amidst all the chaos, the sweet miracle of bringing a new little person into the world has the capacity to turn the sheer exhaustion into exhilarating exhaustion; having a baby who depends on you for her every need, a little person who is very much a part of you, someone you love so much you cannot express it in words, but you feel it so powerfully that it brings tears to your eyes....these are a few of the sweetest blessings of new motherhood. Intense, yes. But "this too shall pass," and pass quickly it does!

I'm so grateful I was able to spend a few days with Darci and Niel, and that I had the opportunity to bond with sweet Kensie. Thanks to my family (especially my awesome husband) and my good friends who made it possible for me to take a few days off and enjoy this little gift from Heaven.