A few hours ago, my brother's first child, a beautiful baby daughter, was born. The experience was a first for me. Not because her birth made me an aunt. This baby isn't my first niece or nephew. My sister has a son and Paul's brother and sister both have families too. She is, in fact, our third niece. We're fortunate in having 5 children altogether to call us "Aunt" and "Uncle." It's a pleasure to be indulgent and (sometimes anyway) set a bad example.
And yet, her birth was a first. The other children have been born at a distance -- my sister's son in the midwest, Paul's sibling's children in the UK. By contrast, this time I was there to hear, in person, about the pregnancy less than a month after her conception. I got to attend the baby showers and even was able to throw one. Moreover, I've known my brother's wife since she was 14 -- they started going out in high school. Most wonderful of all, tonight, Paul and I got to be there at the hospital while this baby niece was born. We heard my brother come out and call out that his parents and parents in laws were grandparents. Within an hour of her birth I got to stand next to her, look into her brown eyes and take this picture.
A minute later, those tiny, but long and strong fingers curled around mine.
Being there was such an honor.
