Babies

Several months ago I realized that hanging out with little kids could be very good for my health. Their squishy little hugs and wonder-filled spirits are some of the best medicine around. So I asked God to give me lots of opportunities to play with little kids. I can't say I prayed with particularly faithful expectation, though. The previous year had been a dry barren baby snuggle wasteland, and I wondered where the babies would come from.

But like manna from the sky, water from the desert rock, and oil from the widow's jar, they came. Babies started showing up at my work, just to say hi. They showed up on moving day last month. They showed up on vacation. They showed up at Bible study. My life is full of babies, and I am in heaven.

Two weekends ago I drove out to the desert to spend time with dear old friends, J and A, and their baby girl, H.

J, A, and Baby H, this time last year

Everyone, meet Baby H!

I know A from a father/daughter camp my dad and I attended the summer before I went to college at APU. She was in my cabin and her dad was in my dad's cabin. Our dads hit it off, we girls hit it off, and then we discovered the BEST NEWS: A would be a junior at APU and her brother would be a sophomore. I wouldn't be friendless my first day at college after all. A and her brother were my first tribe at APU, and I've cherished their friendship ever since.

I met J when he snatched A up for his wife (smaaart move, J, smaaart move) and I've grown to love him the way I love his wife. They are some of the most hospitable, hard-working, gracious, generous and others-focused people you will ever meet. Their baby girl is the happiest baby I have ever known. She is known at her pediatrician's office as "the smiley baby."

She is almost always smiling and laughing.

Sometimes she ceases her smiling to investigate the big world. She's especially intrigued by the pieces of fuzz she finds when she scootches across the floor. She loves trying to pick them up in her tiny little fingers. I wore a pair of fleece pajamas during my visit that left a trail of fuzz in my wake, and H was very happy about it.

I stayed with J and A for the whole weekend, and think I held baby H the entire time. We played in the garden, had a little piano lesson, and lounged on the couch. We also took about a million selfies.

I am a bonafide baby hog and I ain't 'shamed 'bout it. Not one bit.

What a glorious weekend.

Also, I've not had a drop of caffeine in ages, but I drank decaf coffee while I snuggled that little baby, and GLORY HALLELUJAH, I'd forgotten what coffee tastes like. It is evidence of God's goodness. My body did decently okay with that little bit of caffeine, so I'm praising Jesus for baby steps forward as I work my way up to 20, 30, 40% of normal.

I set baby H down long enough to capture this momentous occasion

Happy Thursday, friends.

Cheering for you,

Sarah




© by scj