I’m scared I’ll forget… your first hours

Here begins a little series I’ll add to from time to time. It’s for my daughter when she’s older, really. But if you want to, you can read it too.

From your first hours, I’m scared I’ll forget…

That the first thing I noticed when they laid you on my chest was the family double crown on the top of your head

That your eyes, when they opened, were black

That my mum’s voice on the phone, calling ‘It’s a girl!’ to the whole of the town, was pure euphoria

That the student midwife’s name was Sarah

That as you lay sleeping in my arms in hospital, after everyone had gone home, you seemed to be made entirely of kindness

That I was so thrilled to see you in the world that I didn’t even care that my husband had posted a post-birth photo of us all on Facebook

That on the evening we brought you home, the three of us danced around the room to the Tatok Bamboo Band