Babies Having Babies

Recently a little red-haired girl had a baby.

I remember so clearly the day the little red-haired girl was born.  Well, honestly, she didn't have a lot of hair, maybe three or four, and they stood straight up on the top of her head.  Dale and I were engaged when his childhood/high school friends had that little girl, and I distinctly remember dropping by the hospital that evening.  Shea Lynn was a beautiful baby.

I've watched that girl grow up.  Just to make her parents mad, I taught her to say "Image is everything" and can still hear her saying that to me in her 8-year-old voice.  From the little girl who wanted me to watch the "Teenate Moocha Minja Minja Turtles" with her to the killer softball player she was, to the beautiful bride in her beautiful wedding, she has been wise and mature beyond her years.  Which is really funny, because she LOOKS younger than her 23 years.  She gets carded renting video games. She gets pulled over for silly stuff (perhaps because she looks too young to be driving).  It's a running  joke about how she looks too young to be married and having a baby, but at her baby shower this past New Year's Day, this one thing was obvious: Shea Lynn is a beautiful woman.

Shea has had a very busy year, to say the least.  Among other things, she found out she was pregnant shortly after her husband joined the National Guard, sent him off for 8 months of training, quickly escalated into high-risk pregnancy status, tried to go into labor too many times to count, and delivered her baby with her parents standing in for her soldier-husband who was not allowed to come home.  There were challenges with the baby's eating.  There were challenges with her own health.  And the weather where she lives was absolutely HORRIBLE this past Winter and Spring.  Still, she's been determined to make it through and help others along the way.  Shea Lynn is a beautiful person.

Last week, she brought her baby to see us. We were thrilled to get to see her and spend some time with her, her dad, and her little man (her husband was away at his Annual Training).  We cried about struggles. We giggled over her little boy's noises. We somberly talked about deployments and support systems.  She rocked, she played, she washed baby things, she changed diapers, she handled teething like a pro, and she was her bright, funny, engaging self.   I watched this woman I have known her entire life, and it hit me square in the face:  Shea Lynn is a beautiful mother.

Shea Lynn, I want you to know that I don't just think of you as my little almost-niece.  You are also my friend, and I am blessed to know you.  I love you, little red-haired girl.