Somebody's Baby

Baby!  Baby!  Baby!

Under normal circumstances, Dani's watchcry would have been charming and amusing.  But at this particular moment, her timing was just a little less than perfect.

Trapped in the middle of a church pew during the blessing of our friends' newborn baby, Dani simply could not contain her enthusiasm for the little bundle of joy we were formally welcoming into the world.  Her words echoed throughout the chapel, pealing like bells.  A quiet and discreet exit was not an option.

Baby!

Baby!
Baby!

After the proceedings, I sought out my friend Erika, whose baby girl had been the focus of Dani's boisterous adulation.  I tried to apologize for the disruption, but thankfully she had found her little outbursts adorable, not annoying.

I was so relieved.

Over the past couple of months, Dani has suddenly become increasingly aware of babies.  She is fascinated, curious, and completely in love.  She carries a baby doll around the house regularly that is at least two-thirds the size she is.  She cares for it with all the love in her little heart.

When we leave the house, we cannot go anywhere without her pointing out every baby she sees with the same clamorous excitement. 

Baby!  Baby!  Baby!

Of course, "baby" is a very subjective word.
Anyone under the age of five usually qualifies in Dani's eyes, though she has made exceptions many times for those who could hardly be considered newcomers to this wide world of ours.  Once, she even excitedly pronounced the epithet to a gruff-looking middle aged man driving alongside us in a pickup.

That one made me chuckle.

Although really, he's got to be somebody's baby.
He must be somebody's baby.

(Cue the Jackson Browne track...)



But I digress.

The tenderness and adulation that Dani gives to each baby she encounters overwhelms me.  It is truly beautiful to see.

As we visited my friend Erika in her home a while later, I watched as Dani softly stroked the newborn's head, speaking to her in a soft and sweet little voice.  She turned to me with an electric smile. 

19 months old.  Just a baby herself, and yet the reverence and love she showed this little daughter of God spoke volumes.  Even at so young an age, she recognized that this was something special, something precious.

I am so grateful for my little girl, and the love she freely shares with all of God's children whom she encounters each and every day.

And I look forward to the day, roughly seven months from now (give or take), when she will have the opportunity to share that love with a new bundle of joy in our own family.

Yep, that's right.
I'm happy to report that Baby no. five is on his or her way.

Dani is going to be so pleased.