Five Minute Friday: Welcome

Note: This post is my weekly contribution to the Five Minute Friday community that is hosted by Kate Motaung on her blog Heading Home. Click here for more information about Five Minute Friday and how you can get involved! To link up with all the other entries for today's prompt word, click here.

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2007

It is morning and I look one more time at the little white stick on the bathroom sink and read the word in the display window. Pregnant.

Welcome to our family, tiny little bean.

I am woken by violent pains in my abdomen at 4:00am. I turn over and grab my phone off the bedside table to time the pains. After about 45 minutes of consistent contractions, I wake your father and tell him.

Is it time to welcome you into the world, sweet baby girl?

After several hours hard work, you come screaming into the world, head full of dark brown hair, so different from your big sister's peach fuzz, chubby and almost full term. I am immediately in love with every single inch of you.

Welcome, welcome, welcome, darling AB! You are here at last!

I hold you in my arms, kiss your head and face, count your fingers and toes, and trace the sign of the cross on your forehead in blessing. I put you gently to my breast to take your first meal and rejoice that you seem to know exactly what to do. My heart is so full and even though you are but a few minutes old, I cannot recall what our life was like without you. In this moment, I give thanks for this gift of welcoming you into our family and into the world. In this moment, with you snuggled in my arms, I feel a taste of the welcome of heaven and oh, how sweet it is!

What joy to be welcomed into the Father's presence like a little babe first held by her mother!

Welcome.

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