I walk up the stone sidewalk slowly and timid.
Walking in the door for the first time,
happy, excited, scared and nervous,
all emotions swirling in my head.

I am overwhelmed with emotion, fear, and joy.

Children crying as they fight over toys.
Children talking as they watch T.V.

Hearing the sound of a radio in the backround.
The mother talking on her phone as she heads out the door.

I go upstairs and see the baby asleep,
slightly moving, eyes closed, breathing softy
making soft and quiet baby noises.

Starts to cry and I pick her up,
soft skin and warm.

The warmth of the bottle soothes my hand.
The scent of baby food brings back memories.
I can taste it in my mouth.

As I feed her the sweet sound of sucking on the bottle
lets me know that I can do this.

Later I smell the scent that never goes away,
that of a dirty diaper.

She falls asleep in my arms and her head in my arm makes it start to tingle.

I lay her in her crib, it is a cheery wood with pink sheets and
as I turn away I take one last look back and feel proud.