About a year ago two very special babies came into my life: our God-Daughter Olivia and our God-Daughter/Niece Peyton. They were born exactly one week apart and I found out about their impending arrivals in the same week too. My best friend Amanda called me in December 2015 to tell me she was pregnant and my sister Tiffany called me the very next day to tell me she was pregnant! How about that? And their babies were born exactly one week apart. I love it.
Olivia was born on August 5th, 2016. I was on pins and needles all day waiting for updates and I was so excited when I got a text from Amanda’s dad that Olivia had arrived at 8:56pm! I went to the hospital the next morning to meet her. It was such a surreal moment to be holding my best friend’s newborn baby. I was totally smitten.
One week later on August 12, 2016 my sister Tiffany was induced. I went up to the hospital early that morning because she had asked me to be in the delivery room when Peyton was born. I was so honored to be included in such a special moment. At 3:22 pm after 8 hours of labor, Peyton Mae entered the world and it was a moment I will never forget.
I didn’t grow up around babies and to be honest, I’m not sure when I had ever held a baby before Olivia and Peyton. But I fell in love with those babies the minute I laid eyes on them. They were (and are) so perfect! I can’t believe it has already been a year since their arrivals. The last two weeks have been full of first birthday parties and I have loved every minute of celebrating these two sweet girls.
Olivia’s Birthday Party
Peyton’s Party
It has made me so happy to be involved in their first year of life. And don’t worry, I plan to be involved in all of the years ahead too! Tiffany and her husband Chris asked us to be Peyton’s Godparents a few months before she was born. We of course said yes! A few months later Chris and I were shocked when Amanda and her husband Andrew asked us to be Olivia’s Godparents too! We are so honored and it is a huge privilege to be an influence in these children’s lives. It is a responsibility that we take very seriously. And that got me thinking: What do I hope to influence in Peyton and Olivia? What do I hope they will learn from me?
- I hope to show them an example of love
- I hope to show them an example of friendship
- I hope to show them how to get through hard times
- I hope to show them how to be positive even when things don’t go your way
- I hope to never be a stranger to them
- I hope to be someone they look forward to seeing at birthday parties, dance recitals, and softball games
- I hope to be someone they can call when they are teenagers and rebelling against their parents
- I hope to cook and bake with them (if that’s something they are interested in)
- I hope to share my love of dogs with them (if they love dogs too)
- I hope to show them that family and friends are the important things in life
To be honest, now that I am writing this, it is so hard to put into words what these girls mean to me and what all I am hoping they will learn from me. Maybe there just aren’t the right words? Overall, I hope to be someone that is always involved in their lives and someone that they know loves them. I look forward to all of the amazing moments ahead with these two sweet girls.
[…] We celebrated our niece and God-daughter, Peyton’s first birthday! […]