How Wonderful Life Is

What a week! Two sweet babies have arrived. Welcome to the world, Gavin Lochridge and Millie Elizabeth! What joy your parents have ahead.

Alas, there’s more than joy on the horizon. There’s fear and anxiety, exhaustion and angst. There are countless moments that will make your parents question their strength. Your mom and dad will endure minor breakdowns and major diaper blowouts. Lots of insecurities. Probably a few whispered arguments about how to handle one situation or another.

On more than one occasion, your parents will offer up everything they own in exchange for just one hour of sleep.

Yes, yes, that’s it. Clooooose your eyes … Yes! Yes! NOOOO!!! Oh, please, please, please close your eyes again! Just for a few minutes! I’ll nap right here next to your crib. Standing up. Yes! Yes!! NOOOO!!!!

But through it all, there will be joy. Overwhelming, indescribable joy.

Through their exhaustion, your parents will look at each other with widened eyes, shaking their heads and saying, “We did this.” They’ll see themselves in you, in the shape of your eyes or your perfect little nose.

They’ll watch you adopt little quirks and personality traits. They’ll laugh over how much you like to eat, or how cute you look in your tiny outfits. They’ll talk about your poop — a lot.

They’ll be humbled by their love for you. They’ll rock you late at night and tell you they love you, over and over again.

One day, in the not-too-distant-future, you’ll break into a wide grin and kick your chubby legs at the sight of your mom’s beautiful face. Let me prepare you, little babies, you will love nothing more than looking at your mom’s face. And your mom will feel the same way about you.

You both have parents who have waited a long time for you to arrive, and who have loved you since the moment they learned you were on your way. Soon, you’ll come home to a room that’s been lovingly prepared for you. A room filled with books your mom and dad will read to you and stuffed animals you will one day drag behind you. You have so much to look forward to.

And to your parents, I say this. Even in the most trying times, try not to wish those moments away. They will be gone before you know it. The lack of sleep, the awful-smelling diapers, the feeling of being totally and completely overwhelmed: it’s all part of the wild ride. In no time, you’ll be packing away your baby’s first outfits and wondering, “Where has the time gone?”

Lean on your friends and family. Ask for help. Cry when you need to. Don’t beat yourself up over the dishes in the sink or the stains on your shirt. Look into your baby’s beautiful eyes and know that you’ve done at least one amazing, incredible thing with your life. Nothing will ever change that. Life will never be the same again — it’ll be fuller, crazier, messier. Better.

And to you, Gavin and Millie: No one knows where you’ll go in life. We can’t even imagine all you’ll see and do, or what the world will look like when you’re an adult.

But one thing is certain:

How wonderful life is. Now you’re in the world.