Jeff and Kallie

I love babies. I don't think I've ever seen a baby I didn't want to hold and kiss and cuddle. I see them at the store, in the mall, at church, and want to snuggle each one of them for just a minute. Thing is, I'm not a gawker, and all of my baby-loving feelings tend to stay inside of me...sometimes a mom doesn't want to pass her little one to a stranger and I'm okay with that. :) So I don't ask (unless I'm prying the child from my mom's arms...I don't mind doing that at all). But I would much rather not ask to hold someone's baby, even though inside I am DYING to.

Lucky for me my life has been full of babies that I got to take care of. The first one I really remember caring for was baby Jake, my youngest brother. I was 9 1/2 when he was born (his birthday was yesterday by the way - Happy Birthday Bro!) and when he was 6 months old it was my job to babysit him at our house in Boise while my mom and dad spent the days getting our new house in Star all ready for us to move into. I loved being with that little guy all day, and I have fond memories of babysitting him as a baby, toddler and young kid. Then came the cousins...Brock, Malary and Madi all at once. I loved spending time at Marq and Melody's house. They let Chelsea and I cuddle their babies whenever we were there. A few years later came Max and Mitchy...they're the ones I remember best because I was much older when I tended them. I loved so much that Mitch would call for me when he woke up, and how Max sometimes just needed me to wrap him up in a blanket and cuddle while we watched cartoons. And what about baby Mitchy asking for a bottle with rice milk in the sweetest little baby voice you've ever heard? And what about the twins - what a treat it was to have 2 babies at once in our house! I didn't live at home for long after they were born, but I got at least a couple of years. They were such sweet and fun babies, and have turned into sweet and wonderful girls.

My problem is all those babies are grown up, and I suppose even if they were still little, I live far from them. I miss them more than I can say, and I'm always so surprised when I see them - Brock is graduating from high school this year - what happened to the baby who loved nothing more that to watch Rescuers Down Under? Jake turned 17 yesterday - what happened to "Wet's Do it!" and the baby who only ever liked to wear a diaper around the neighborhood? Malary and Madi are in young womens and are babysitting babies themselves...I love them dearly and love thinking about them as beautiful babies. Max and Mitch are KIDS...not even little kids anymore...they're big kids. In my mind I think they'll always be babies. :) Tessa and Angela are more grown up every time I see them. I wish I were around to see more of that.

Pretty soon I will have my very own baby...some days that seems real and some days it doesn't. But ready or not...here he comes! And he's my baby...I don't have to ask if I can hold him and cuddle him and kiss him. I can do that whenever I want to! I am so excited to have him here. And I know that someday I'll look back and miss the days when he was little, and I'll miss his baby voice and his baby ways, but for now I get to look forward to that and then live it! Lucky me!!