oh, cecilia!

I have quite an addiction to perfect little babies . . . it's their smell, of course. But it's also that every handle of their tiny bodies requires such care and gentleness, and it is how we all become a little sweeter and kinder when an infant is in our arms. When I was a young girl, I used to pick up any baby I saw, with or without permission, I didn't care. I'd place the child on my hip and go about my ways, giving the parent a break I know now is all too well appreciated. :) As I grew up, all I ever wanted to do was be a mom. My girlfriends would tease me because I constantly rubbed my belly, without even knowing, because I just could not wait to carry a baby inside. To this day, if a baby is in the room and not even in my arms, I sway, back and forth.

It has been a long time since someone so dear to me and who lives so close to me has had their first baby. Early last year over a bowl of hot soup on a cold winter day, Lauren told me she was expecting this perfect little peanut. Cecilia truly will break your heart. She was born on December 15, 2009, and I cannot get enough of her, and neither can her mama. I get to see all these little miracles all over again . . . when CeCe bats at toys, we stop and stare, and then we cheer her on. We protect her from the wrath of my daughters' dirty hands and sticky kisses. We pass her around on our ladies' nights, saying we want to keep her happy. But really, it's because she keeps us happy.