Such a sweet sound...

I’ve heard many comforting, happy and exciting sounds in my life. Church music usually stirs some warm fuzzy feelings that remind me of when I first found God. Certain songs remind me of the special people I’ve connected with in various seasons of my life. But no sound has made my heart feel so full as it did when I heard Go To Sleep playing over a hospital intercom.

My sister Elisa had been in the hospital for countless hours. The drugs to induce labor did little to rush Antonio’s delivery along and the drugs for the pain offered Elisa little comfort. My family remained excited and restless as one lady after another in the maternity ward delivered a new baby into the world, but Elisa labored on. The doctors and nurses sensed our growing impatience as the hours passed and grew increasingly impatient with our constant questioning. After over a full day in the hospital and still no baby for us to behold, the hospital staff finally told us that they would be sure to let us know exactly when Elisa’s baby arrived by playing a song over the intercom. I don’t think anyone on the Hernandez or Klein side of the family heard more than two notes of Go To Sleep before the lullaby became inaudible through the sounds of packing up and rushing down the hall to meet the newest member of the family.

My nephews’ arrival marked both an end and a beginning.

Antonio’s arrival marked the end of a long period of waiting. My sisters were 28 and 29 when they had their first children. They finished college, had excellent jobs and found husbands that met their expectations before having their babies. I learned of both Susie and Elisa’s pregnancies immediately after they found out that they were expecting. Nine months doesn’t sound like much but nine months seemed to drag on and on and on as I waited for the arrival of my nephews! Susana delivered her babies, David and Richard, just *eight days* before Elisa delivered Antonio. To go through the same joy, excitement, and anticipation for two sisters in the same span of time was wonderful if not a bit overwhelming. It felt both like an eternity and like only a moment elapsed between seeing David and Richard for the first time and seeing Antonio for the first time.

I just wanted to see the babies with my own eyes. I wanted to count their fingers and toes. I wanted them to follow me with their eyes. I wanted to hear their little bitty sweet voices. Most of all I wanted a doctor to tell my sisters that they would be ok and that their babies would be ok. That moment had finally arrived.

David and Richard’s birth marked the beginning of an abundance of joy in my family. Elisa and I were thrilled to finally be Aunts. My parents were ecstatic about being grandparents. And in the first week Susie was already proving herself as a caring and intuitive mommy. It’s a good thing that babies are fragile when they are so new – as it means we can’t grab a baby out of another’s arms and instead have to patiently wait for our turn to hold, admire, marvel.

The first year has been amazing. Seeing my new little family members for the first time was such a beautiful experience that I know I’ll never forget. I’ll never forget the feeling of soft little fingers grabbing my hand, the gentle warmth of holding a baby in my arms, or the silkiness of baby hair as I brushed it for the first time.

So many moments that involve the babies are so vivid to me. I doubt I’ll soon forget the seriousness with which Antonio looked at me when we met for the first time, or the glow I felt when I first saw David’s dimpled squinty-eyed smile, or the excitement I felt holding Richard as I watched the presidential inauguration.

So much has happened since those moments. The boys went from eating milk, to formula, to cereal and now all kinds of food. They went from weighing 5-8 pounds to 10, 20, 25+. They went from saying only oooo to saying “mama” and “ball”. They went from complete immobility and sitting up to crawling, crawling up the stairs, and walking across a room. They never cease to amaze me. They never stop making my heart feel full. They always give me something to be excited about and to look forward to. I feel so blessed to have these three wonderful new people in my life.