Ari

Dec 4, 2025

Something that has been on my mind lately is my daughter’s birth and my husband being able to hold her first. When I was getting ready to push, they were asking me if I wanted skin-to-skin immediately after, and I remember saying no, mostly because I was so scared to see her. But another part of me really wanted my husband to be able to hold her for once. All I could think was I got to hold her for 5 months and feel her kick, and he never got that; he never even got to feel her kick my belly, and that made me so sad. So for the first half of her life, she got to be as close to her daddy as she was to her mama. Watching them was the sweetest memory, forever etched in my mind. 

A couple of mornings before I gave birth, I remember being on the phone with a friend and telling her that babygirl was snuggled into my left side and wouldn't move, so I was up really early because of it. And I'll never forget she said that baby girl just wanted to be close to her mama, and every time I think about that, I just cry because it feels like she knew her time was coming close, and she had to get those last few snuggles in. Truly, I believe God gave us some sweet memories amidst one of the hardest times in our lives.