My Dearest Ellie

I would like to CONGRATULATE my little sis and her hubby on their brand new, adorable baby girl! She was born yesterday and weighed 7 lbs 5 ounces!

And, they think they will call her Ellie Kate Paul, but haven't decided for sure yet. But, I think she looks like an Ellie and I hope they go with it!

My Dearest Ellie,

I want you to know that you made my entire day today by allowing me to hold you while you slept in peace even though you were hooked up to all those tubes with an IV forced into your beautiful, little hand.

We were so worried when we heard you were sick and whisked away from your Momma. Luckily, your little body worked hard and overcame the sickness so you can go home and be with your family, who loves you oh so much.

Because you were sick, you were tucked away in a private room where I was told (by earlier visitors) that I would only be able to see you through a thick, glass window! But, I was fortunate enough to have arrived just after your parents were allowed to let 4 people go in to see you and hold you! And, what do you know? I was first on the list!

Whew!

So, your Mommy and I tromped down to this mystery room and followed the strict, "keep the baby safe" rules by washing our hands with a hospital hand scrubber for a whole four-minutes! (Which by the way, I would have scrubbed for 30-minutes if I had too!)

And, then they took one of your machine cords off your chest and straightened out the rest so that I could rock you to sleep in a rocking chair just beside your tiny hospital bed. You were annoyed at first but once you got your blue Binky you were content and I got to watch you fall back to sleep!

So, I was officially the first "non-Mom", "non-Dad" or "non-nurse" to hold you and it was superbly fantastic!

I love you so much and I can't wait to spend more time with you! And, maybe the next time I see you, I can talk your Uncle Erik into holding you!

With love,
Aunt Heidi