Memories of Holding a Baby

The last time I held a baby was November 2013. The baby was my wife's cousin's child, a boy just a few months old.

My wife's cousin was in town for a reunion, and there was a mini-party at her parents in Connecticut. When her twin baby boys woke up from napping, they were passed around to adoring uncles and aunts and cousins.

I was thrilled when I had a chance to hold one of them. I was slightly terrified, but I had been hoping for a chance to try. Did I remember how to hold them right? Would the baby start crying?

The heft of the child was incredible. How does 8-10 pounds of baby feel so heavy? The little boy grabbed one of my fingers, and began to gurgle. I made some coo-ing noises. He began to squirm. I put him up on my shoulder. I felt like I might cry.

"I'm getting emotional here!" I said, smiling before handing him back to the father.

I remember that my daughter was recording some of the festivities on her iPod that day. My daughter! Fourteen years ago I held her for the first time, when she was born.

This past week, I asked her if she had video from that party in November 2013. She found it on her computer. We watched a few seconds of my wife holding one of the twins. No video of me, though (I looked for it later). The memories will have to do.