Meeting the new cousin
Today I got to spend some time at the hospital, hanging out with the new parents, the thrilled bubbe (grandma) and of course, this very new baby. He’s fairly easy going so far, only crying when his clothes are taken off (he’s very modest) or if he’s hungry. Otherwise, he’s pretty content to just hang out, completely oblivious to the fact that every eye in the room is on him.
I took nearly 150 pictures of him in the first half hour I was there, all the while being grateful that I don’t live in the days when I’m constrained by the cost of film and can keep on snapping until I get some good shots. After that I held him. For an hour. I don’t know if I can properly convey the magic that is having such a new person in my arms for that length of time. I couldn’t stop smiling. It was almost as if I had a contact high from that inarticulable connection to the unknown that all new babies have.
Standing at the foot of Sabrina’s bed, I unconsciously fell into the rhythm and bounce of the baby waltz. I don’t remember learning the gentle swaying and rocking that can sometimes calm babies and keep them sleeping. It just springs from someplace deep within me when I have a baby in my arms.
Finally, around 4:30, I handed him over to his dad, heading home to make an apple crisp for dinner with friends. I can’t wait to see this little person again.
February 11th, 2007 08:42
You certainly got a good shot there. Holding a newborn is one of those experiences that inevitably seems to humble the holder.
February 11th, 2007 09:27
He is beautiful… I really can’t think of anything in the world that is quite as magical as holding a new baby. It’s funny how easy it is to love someone you don’t even know.
February 11th, 2007 11:00
So beautiful, thank you for sharing.
February 11th, 2007 18:09
What a wonderful day you had! What is it about newborns? They truly are magical.
February 13th, 2007 18:47
“I love you like the stream cutting the canyon, I love like the moss upon the stone…”
April 22nd, 2007 23:43
[...] Raina and I had brunch today with some of the Philly family in our cousin Angie’s apartment (she lives downstairs from me). The food was delicious but the main attraction was Derek, who is rapidly approaching his 3-month birthday. He is a peaceful baby who is happy being held by any person in the room. Raina and I both spend some time holding him, feeling waves of baby-lust as he slept in our arms (confessed to each other in low voices as headed back upstairs). [...]
May 18th, 2007 00:32
[...] Sabrina is married to my cousin Dan and is the mother of the adorable and easy-going Derek (who is now three and a half months [...]