A few days ago one of my nephews and his wife welcomed their first child into this world, and as you would expect in this digital age, a multitude of pictures immediately appeared on Facebook. There were shots of the proud and exhausted mom, in bed, clad in a hospital gown, smiling as she looked at her husband holding the tightly-swaddled wonder-girl.
There were photos of the new baby doing all kinds of things: sleeping, yawning, crying, sleeping, squinting one eye closed and looking out at the world through the other eye (good for her, taking the cautious approach. “I’m not committing two eyes to this until I see if I like it here.”) As if we had never seen a baby before, we all marvel at her tiny toes, her long fingers, and all that hair! And yet, even with this limited repertoire of performance, all of us can’t take our eyes off of her.
There is the photo that every family has its version of: the new father, sitting in a chair, head turned to the side, asleep, new baby resting in his arms, on his chest, tucked under his chin. At first, you think, oh my God, he’s asleep and the baby could fall on the floor. But fear not. I know that the baby is there on his chest held by a special Dad-magnetism, heart-to-heart.
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My nephew is a very gregarious guy – a fun-loving, witty man. His FB posts usually have something to do with football, beer, travel, baseball, football, or partying. In fact, soon after the photo of him asleep holding the baby, there was a photo of him in the same chair, holding the baby the same way, awake and watching a football game on the hospital TV.
But very soon the new parents are home. And suddenly, the man who has been known to post a comment after every touchdown or field goal during a football game is on FB posting about having changed his first diaper! And a Greek chorus of a dozen or so of his FB friends responds with comments of their own about strategies for contending with diapers, baby spit-up, baby crankiness, and parental sleeplessness.
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It’s as if this new small family is surrounded by a crowd of other new parents - holding them, protecting them, and giving meaning to the phrase “We’ve got your back.”
I know we are genetically programmed to respond to babies, to want to hold them, and protect them. They are wonders, that’s for sure. When we look at them, we feel such hope. We can’t take our eyes off of them.
Welcome to the world, baby girl.