Meeting Ellie's baby

I expected working from home to be fun and relaxing, but Tuesday was anything but. I couldn't figure out how to access an online server that I needed to complete several work projects, so I found myself stressed out and running late to that afternoon's midwife appointment. I was so frazzled that I forgot to bring some medical charts they'd asked for. By late afternoon, between the unfinished work and the harried appointment, I was a stressed-out hot mess.

In the midst of all this craziness, I remembered that my sweet friend Ellie lives just down the street from my midwives' office. Ellie had her first baby April 11, a beautiful little girl, and she had mentioned that I was welcome to come by and pick up some of their newborn clothes that didn't fit her 10-pound baby. So I decided to stop in "just for five minutes," hold the baby and see how Ellie was doing.

I don't know how this is possible, but even though I went in feeling super stressed, I left Ellie's feeling calmer and happier than I've felt in a long time. There was the most beautiful atmosphere in their apartment—the love and joy around that little one were so nearly tangible that the hushed room felt like a cathedral at Christmas or Easter Vigil Mass. Holding that beautiful little girl made all of my concerns and worries melt away. There is just something about being around a baby that makes clear what is essential and what isn't.

As I held her, I turned to Ellie and said, "I just realized that the next newborn I hold will be my own!" Wow, what an incredible thought.

I'm still not over the happiness of meeting their little one. That sweet baby has this darling trick of crowing like a little bird, instead of crying, when she is upset. She began crowing plaintively after 10 minutes in my arms, so I handed her to her dad, who held her up to face him and began speaking softly to her. Her little eyes and mouth opened wide as she listened, unable to take her eyes off his face. I have heard many times that newborn babies recognize their parents' voices and love to see the faces that go along with them, but I hadn't seen it in action before. It was just as beautiful and awe-inspiring as I had imagined.

I can't wait to fill my own home with that cathedral-like love and joy that a newborn brings, in spite of the crying and sleepless nights. And I can't wait for my baby to meet Ellie's baby—we hope they will be good friends!