The Moment

I should be asleep, but part of me knows that if this doesn't get written tonight it may pass me by. The moment has come, she is alive and sleeping next to her mom. Using words to describe this profound experience is hardly fitting, but the only option really. You run the risk of distancing yourself from those who do not have children, and being cliched for those who do.

But, in the end, this is not about impressing people ... but about remembering the moment. This moment came with its fair share of struggles and a rush of life and joy and flooding emotions. Some images that stand out from this day, the first birthday of our first child, who ushers in the next generation of Cooke's!:

The bravery of my dear wife. She is a stronger person than I, more resolved and determined.

The immediate joy of being in the presence of our daughter, and to be there together.

Alexandra's first bath, she just loves having her hair washed! Screamed like a banshee till she got deeper and brighter red ... but quitened down when her hair was washed. Who would have thought?

When she gripped my finger for the first time, moments after she was born ... i don't know who was holding on to who tighter!

The fragility of a 5 hour old baby ... so young, so tender, so precarious ... and so full of life at the same time.

She was crying, not happy, and I picked her up, put her in the crook of my arm ... and she shushed down and rested with me. Twice this happened, a most beautiful thing. Remember this, oh Bruce, when nought will shush her down.

Mother and child, asleep in two separate rooms, with their heads cocked at exactly the same angle. A most poignant, masterful moment.

That first, tar black, dirty diaper ... mmm, one to store away in the memory banks.

Having friends around, knowing we are loved; yet also being far from immediate family. Texting, calling, and emails are gifts ... but bittersweet ones at that.

She has just turned 12 hours old as I write this blog. 12 hours, it feels like a year of emotions and experiences hurled together. Alexandra Grace Valentina Cooke. She is, God willing, sleeping by her mother's side, with her angel standing guard. A gift from our Father, and ultimately, i hope and pray, a daughter of our Father and a blessing to many. Grant us, grace, Father. And strength!