Our Christmas Baby

It's my Little One's birthday today, yesterday now: the one whom we call Butterfly on this blog. Back then, her mother had been in labour for two days, and I can tell you that it was mighty hard on me! Cuppa was high on drugs for most of the time while I held a day and night vigil amidst much care and angst. In fact, there came a point when the nurses were more concerned about me than either mother or baby-to-be. They were so concerned that they put me to bed in a room across the hall sometime after lunch on the second day of the marathon.

Possibly an hour or so later, I awoke to screams in the hall and emerged from my room, just in time to see Cuppa being wheeled toward the delivery room on a stretcher. I got a final pre-birth hug before they took her in. During the hug, she had another contraction and just about strangled the life out of me in an incredibly powerful headlock.

They didn't let fathers into the delivery room back then, not in our town anyway. In that moment, I was glad of it because I was emotionally wrung out, especially given the screams or bellows (take your pick) that I had just heard coming from my delicate little flower. Being male, I turned myself towards tasks and busied myself by gathering up all of the oddments that we had accumulated over two days in the labour room. It took several trips to the car to evacuate the room, and then I settled into the waiting room: an emotional and nervous heap.

It didn't take long, however. They soon brought mother and daughter down from the delivery floor to the maternity ward. Mother was fine and ecstatic, but I followed baby to watch the proceedings from the window. I fell in love in those few moments as I gazed in wonderment at that little pink bundle that I share with you in the photo below. She stole my heart in ... well ... in a heartbeat, I guess.

She is very much Our Christmas Baby. Not only was she born in that season, but she came home on right on cue — right on Christmas Day. Since then, by fluke or by angelic design, Christmas has always been precious and special to Butterfly. Now that she is grown, she decorates her house early and much. She has two large trees, abundant ornaments, and a love of the season. Joy fairly sparkles off her pretty face in December.

We made a card for her. We usually make our own cards in this house. I do the computer part; Cuppa usually finds a quote; and, then we try to make a personal note that uses the quote in some way.

This is the picture that we put on this year's card. The quote follows.

Great hearts steadily send forth the secret forces that incessantly draw great events.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

She does have a great heart, that daughter of mine. She is a compassionate and caring human being who does me proud. Just as she drew the deer to her in the picture, I believe that other great events will be drawn to her. I cannot predict what these events will be but I do predict that they will be.