A little, new life joins the family

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten and the future worth living for.

-- UNKNOWN

What was it that held my attention so strongly? What was it that so totally captured and captivated me? It wasn’t a “what” at all, it was a who.

Who was this person?

I will answer that question with the first line of a popular song by the group Bread: “And Aubrey was her name, a not so very ordinary girl or name.... “

That song was written decades ago about a girl named Aubrey, but God wrote a tiny little Aubrey into our hearts and lives just one month ago, and we will be singing about her for the rest of our lives.

Aubrey is her name. Aubrey Elizabeth Callaghan, to be exact. She is the second daughter of our daughter, Kelly, and her husband, Ryan, baby sister to 20-month-old Mary; she is our second granddaughter, and the newest member of a large and loving extended family.

She is also embraced by an incredible network of friends, and is sure to have more aunts, uncles and cousins than she can count.

Aubrey graced us all, with her presence at 5:01 p.m., Nov. 5; she weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and was 20-inches long.

God answered our prayers, and not only was Aubrey wonderfully healthy, but labor and delivery were far easier for Kelly than when Mary was born.

Because Aubrey was born on a Saturday, Kelly’s sister, Amy, and Amy’s husband, Tyson, were able make the drive down from Northern California in time for Amy to be with Kelly for the delivery. Amy and Kelly have always had a close and precious relationship, and when we knew that this baby was a girl, I realized that another generation could be blessed with the same special sisterhood bond. After I thanked God for healthy mother and child, the first thing I said was, “Let’s go meet Mary’s future best friend.”

Not long after Aubrey was born, a group of us prayed for her. We thanked God for her safe delivery, and we prayed for her life. Even though she had spent less than one hour outside of her mother, we had all already fallen in love with her and will be praying for her and her family for the rest of our lives.

Mary had been eager to meet the baby for months, and was all smiles when the time came for her to meet her little sister. She instantly wanted to hold Aubrey and is full of smiles and excitement whenever she does so. Mary laughs at Aubrey’s many facial expressions, and often tries to imitate her many little movements.

It was immediately clear that Aubrey would have curly hair, like her parents and sister. Her eyes are now a beautiful blue, she has a dimple in her chin, and she is positively captivating from her kissable head to tiny little toes. Whenever I hold her, I’m mesmerized and happily hypnotized. Each of her features is tiny and perfect, and I am reminded of God’s miracle of life whenever I look at her.

Aubrey is her name. God has truly blessed us, and we will never be the same.

And you can quote me on that.

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at [email protected] or through the mail at 537 Newport Center Drive, Box 505, Newport Beach, CA 92660.

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