Jack and I went into Philadelphia tonight to meet our
new niece, Kiera, who was born yesterday. She’s perfect;
a precious little face, beautiful skin, a bit of dark
hair, and big, curious eyes.
As I snuggled with this sweet new soul, I experienced
the most magical thing there is about holding a new baby:
that scent that can only come from heaven. I love it
because there isn’t another place on Earth we can find
it … This wonderful scent reminds me what a true miracle
a baby – a new life – really is.
It’s amazing how tiny a newborn is. Every time I see one,
I have a renewed sense of life’s progression. Typically,
my 4-year-old looks small to me; but compared to my new
baby niece, he’s a giant! He has grown unbelievably in his
4 years, learning to walk, figuring out how to manipulate
toys (and me!) and “mastering” a language. Children are
brilliant, resilient, enchanting, amazing. They truly are
a gift from God. I know, every time I encounter that “scent
from heaven,” that life is a fragile privilege, granted to
us as infants with the freedom of choosing who we will be
as we grow.
… Okay, newborns are also AWESOME because they don’t
talk back! (Hee hee hee … Sorry, I was getting a little
too philosophical, too earthy-crunchy, too “je ne sais quoi”
if you will … I had to throw in something to keep it real).
But the “heaven scent” is truly a miracle (by the way,
raise your hand if you thought my spelling just sucked when
you saw the title of this post… Ah, ha! It wasn’t a
mistake — it was a play on words. Gotcha!). I highly
recommend inhaling deeply the next time you hold a
newborn … There’s nothing quite like it.
The World of Author/Mom Alicia Murphy! 
Kiera loves you!! Xoxo.