Thursday night around 11:25, my very first niece was born. She weighed in at 7 lbs 11 ounces and was 20.5" long.
I managed to resist asking the nurse what her Apgar score was for about two minutes. I felt vindicated when Dad also asked what her score was and why she was deducted two points. Welcome to the Tholen family, little girl.
If I've learned anything in the last two days, it's that people easily wax poetic about babies and it's hard to keep from getting saccharine about this new little person in the world. The best teacher I ever had once said that babies are so beautiful because they're so fresh from heaven. The fact that the family's first grandchild was born one day after my late grandfather's birthday was lost on no one. We have been overly sentimental about little Ellen Rachel, but it's hard not to be. When you hold someone so little, so light, and so new, it's hard not to wonder at the (sorry about the cliche) complete miracle of her being.
At some point this morning when I was helping Cyndy and Dave pack up the hospital room to bring Ellen home for the first time, I looked at both of them--parents now, for the rest of their lives--and realized that if nothing else, one thing is certain: in the most beautiful way possible, life would never, ever be the same for them.
2 comments:
She really couldn't be cuter. That picture of her tiny little foot is adorable!
And as my mom said to her, "You have such long fingers. Are you going to play the piano when you get older?"
I love the photos, especially the foot! So cute! Congratulations! Did I use enough exclamation marks!!??!!?
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