Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

I can’t help falling in love with babies

- By Tammy Keith

in overwhelmi­ng,wherethe the 8-pound,beautifula­boutwasto we and sound-prooflovet­he I’veI’m ThisShe John personworl­dgot“a and measured,my trooper,”you window discovered­was talkingmor­eto my broughtnew girl. firstto with 10-ounce,and can’t watchborn daughter-in-law,make than loveOf glass grandchild,wouldouras as aboutin unconditio­nalstop course,at Kennedymy her himwe the once.thatin sonby 5:55 thinking 20-inch-long,do son triedmy get nursery,thator reading throughyou anythingI’m p.m.her John Kennedy!life weighedrig­htto kindcan Brandi,talking happy.about Tuesday, communicat­eis love,said.and lipsthefal­l upan of in or in up,in teary-eyed,see.off his 8.10 makingher Withand fingers.andHe blanket,on strokingwa­swe Kennedyhis handall heldso cellphoneg­asped.proud,my her gestures.her wrapped6-4for little showing everyoneto­ughand He face tightlyhel­d typed with son, her to it wouldbunch grandmothe­rscrying,If she andof have waving, relatives:could great-uncles,seenand blowinghav­e great-grandmothe­raunt,a goofy-actingfocu­sed, grandfathe­rs,uncle, kisses greataunts­and she holdingand about months.It videos.was andup the cellphones­waited moment to for take we’d all pictures talkedthes­e herwe she Babykept thumbwas. commenting­KennedyAt prettyfirs­t, we started vigorously,on thoughthow suckingale­rt andher hair come Brandi’s looked from side. red,a grandmothe­rwhich could have on said Later,it was our more son sent sandya pictureblo­nd, andlike shehis washas quite when a he bit wasof hair. born (We— andare allin our about family, babies althoughha­ving some I promise hair we My would son have called loved me her bald, from too.) the nursery thought as she he lookedheld her like and me, said myhe mom sister and immediatel­yhim as babies. noticed Brandi’sthat Kennedywhe­n we has got Brandi’sto hold mouth. Kennedy, Later,we discovered a dimple in her cheek, and we have no idea where that came from. We are holding out hope that she does not have my nose, although it looks a little familiar. Bless her heart, though, she had just gone through a pretty hard journey, and she was swollen, exposed to bright lights, noise and camera flashes, a head-to-toe examinatio­n by the great nurses, not to mention a crazy bunch of people passing her off to each other. I kissed her and left my trademark pink lipstick on her face. I have branded every baby in our family that way multiple times. I believe in kissing babies a lot — because they grow up and make you stop that at some point. I believe in rocking babies a lot, because they grow up and get too big at some point.

She already has her own little personalit­y that her parents will discover day by day. They’ll figure out what every cry means and how she likes to be held. They will be exhausted and overwhelme­d some days, but they’re already great parents, doing all the right things.

I remember like it was yesterday Kennedy’s daddy being born. I fell in love with him at first sight, a free fall that I wasn’t expecting. I did it again 3 1/2 years later with his brother, Scott.

And then it happened again Tuesday. Only this time, I don’t have near the responsibi­lity, just all the fun.

My mother gave me the T-shirt I am wearing today that has printed on the front: “Mimi — a title just above Queen.”

Of course, I know the truth is that Kennedy’s the queen, and I’ll just be her loyal, smitten subject.

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