Cory and his wife Christine recently had a baby; they named Cora Sage, but call her "Sage". This baby is so incredibly cute & calm. I had never seen her cry...until last Sunday.
James was holding her and sitting in the chair next to me. She stared at me with those big blue eyes and I was hooked. I was like putty in her tiny little hands.
Maybe I was just making it up, but I could have SWORN that she was reaching for me. As she sat on James’ lap, it looked like she wanted ME to hold her, so I asked James if I could. He obliged. He handed me her tiny little body and I pulled her close to my chest.
I can’t remember the last time I’ve held a baby. It’s been a while. Additionally, I’m not sure that I’ve ever held a baby that young: 4 months old just the other day.
We sat there face to face only inches away. She was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Her tiny little arms seemed to be embracing me as much as possible. Out of curiosity, she began to grab and play with my beard; so tiny and gentle.
As I held her, I asked Cory “does she EVER cry?” He told me that she cries when she’s hungry or tired...and that’s about it.
Apparently she began to get hungry. It happened in an instant. One minute she was staring wide eyed at the people surrounding the table, the next minute she was squirming, arching her back, and letting out a wail. On the outside I may have looked composed, but on the inside I began to panic. This baby was giving me a bad rep! She was perfectly fine while everyone else was holding her, but 3 minutes after I get her she starts crying. What do I do!?
Christine to the rescue. She asked me to continue to hold Sage and Christine whipped out her baby bag faster than you could say pampers. She pulled out a bottle as if from a holster, grabbed a bottle of Dasani, found the powered formula (already measured to perfection) and mixed a batch of fresh baby milk.
I was fully ready to hand Sage back to her mother as Christine finished preparing the bottle, but as she tightly closed the lid, she said “You’re welcome to feed her, or I will if you don’t feel comfortable.”
Uh oh...I hadn’t planned for this. I was on the spot. Sure I could have wimped out and handed Sage back to her mother, but I gave myself a pep talk...I knew I was better than that. I decided to finish what had been started. I was up for the challenge.
What seemed somewhat overwhelming at first became nothing short of another beautiful experience. I asked Christine “Ok, What do I do?” to which she replied “just put the bottle in her mouth...Sage will do the rest.” And she did. The crying stopped instantly. Sage had gotten what she was asking for.
So there I sat, a 4 month old baby resting in the crook of my left arm and a fresh bottle of formula in my right hand. Sage did the rest. A newly found peace returned to the table. I just stared at this little life form in my arms in complete awe.
What an incredible miracle a human life is! I never think about it with adults or even small children, but with a baby, it’s different. This thing is new. She’s only 4 months old. A human created from humans by the power of God. 4 months ago she didn’t exist except in the womb. 13 months ago (9 + 4) she didn’t exist at all! Incredible.
How many different things have to line up in order to create a human life? Countless. Without going into details, it seems that everything has to be perfect in order for a baby to be created. That’s a miracle in my book.
So, Sage drank the bottle in what seemed like no time flat. Now it was time to burp her. Christine offered again but I wanted the whole experience. I asked for some tips and promptly got to it. Apparently you’re supposed to rub her back (much more firmly than I thought was safe, I might add) and top it off with the occasional pat. I was doing my best but it didn’t seem to be working.
“How do I know if she’s burped or not?” I asked. “When she burps, you’ll know it.” Cory replied. “She’s not going to spit up on me is she...it’s ok if she does.” I inquired. “No, the formula makes her spit up sometimes but not right away.” Christine added.
More back rubbing. More patting, then finally, a burp. It was small and unassuming. I wasn’t entirely sure that she was done. I asked if I should continue but Christine said Sage was probably finished. Victory!
A sense of satisfaction came over me as I looked at her tiny little baby eyes. I had the sneaking suspicion that to some degree we understood each other. It was beautiful.
Then she sneezed on me.
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