baby blues

I held a baby today, a brand new, two day old, fresh out of the oven baby. She was beautiful and perfect and precious, but aren't they all?

As I passed her from my arms to her maternal aunt's I gave a baby passing lesson. I pulled out my teacher training and mothering instincts and explained how you slide your cradled arm to place your hand under the head to protect it and then with both hands you pass the baby like you would a platter full of food. And in that moment I realized how natural it is for me, how natural it has always been.

I remember when I was 12 or 13 and got my first babysitting job for a 6 month old. The family used cloth diapers because for some strange reason, the father's company paid for the cloth diaper cleaning service. The mom showed me how to put the diaper in place and pin the diaper pins without having the sharp part near the baby's skin. We practiced on a doll. As I remember I did it perfect from the start. I remember thinking that the mother was a bit overprotective to have me practice on a doll because clearly, even at 12, I knew what I was doing.

From then on kids have been my thing and I can't imagine my life without them. Whether or not they will ever live in my house or come from me is still to be determined, but I know for a fact, an absolute, that I would make one of hell of a damn good mother. I got the skillz and I love baby, I hella love.