Terrific 2s: The Hospital

1. The First time I held her: She was asleep in her little plastic crib when we arrived. Candy (birth grandmother) took her out and handed her to Janelle. After a few minutes (at 9:38, give or take 30 seconds) Janelle handed her to me and I held my daughter for the first time. Until that moment, holding newborns absolutely freaked me out. It was always awkward. I was afraid I would drop the tiny fragile thing I was holding onto. In that moment, I couldn't think of anything more natural. She seemed just as tiny and fragile as any other newborn I held, but this time she was my tiny and fragile.
2. The Handoff: We were in a hospital room next to Emily's. A little before 6:00 p.m., Emily rolled the tiny baby in on her bassinet, picked her up, handed her to Janelle, and through tears said, "Here is your daughter." Emily and Candy walked out of the room. I walked over and put my arm around Janelle, put a hand on Katylynn, and tearfully let the moment sit.