bundle of sweetness

We received some distressing news a while ago. My son’s best friend and his family are preparing to move. His parents have custody of his six month old niece due to reasons that I won’t go into. The baby was a very robust weight at birth but within a startlingly short period of time she took a turn for the worse and had to be transported to Children’s Hospital. The following months were spent learning to care for a new born with special needs (tracheotomy and other health problems) along with all the other stressors that life throws one’s way. After about three months she was released but still needed intensive medical care around the clock at home. Lauren had visited with them and spent time with "Allie". She said it would break your heart to see tears flowing freely down Allie’s fearfully red face but hear no sound. She assured me that she was absolutely beautiful. The last few months of my life have been a quagmire of emotional upheavals and one potential crisis after another. I wanted to see the baby but just never made it over to their house.
The other day I was cleaning the boys room (I should have ordered a haz-mat suit) when the front door opened. Lauren walked in with a baby carrier. It seems that "L" trusted Lauren to babysit. This is HUGE due to the fact that NO ONE else has been allowed to care for the baby if the grandparents weren’t right "there". The "trach"  has been removed. Little Allie sounds like a baby kitten when she cries but she is learning fast. She really is beautiful. It seems that she is very fond of the sound of my voice. Lauren said that Allie whips her head around searching for me when she hears me talk. It really is comical and very sweet. When I talk to her she watches my face with rapt attention and then she gives me the biggest toothless grin imaginable. 
I must admit that it is nice having a tiny baby in the house again. She is small for her age and is a bit developmentally delayed but not by much. She sees a therapist to help her strengthen her neck muscles. It is going to be hard to let her go. Lauren can’t wait to leave school every day and race over to pick up Allie. She watches her for a few hours in the afternoon to give her grandmother a much needed "breather". It is touching to see the way her grandparents are so completely in love with her and can’t wait to get her back even after two hours. 
I do like sitting in the rocking chair with Allie sleeping in my arms, tiny hands folded, her check resting against my breast. I also like watching Lauren pace back and forth anxiously waiting for her turn to hold the baby again. This little girl may have started out with a few strikes against her but she is definitely loved and that makes all the difference.