My next door neighbors Stacey and Brian had a baby this spring. She was a premie and I fell in love with her right away. I was so excited to see her that I tried to get into the NIC unit for a sneak peek right after her birth. Apparently, they take security very seriously there and since I love their gift shop I thought it best not to get “escorted” out of the building. I started begging, I mean asking right away if I could babysit. She is so sweet and tiny and ya’ll know there is nothing like snuggling with a newborn that isn’t yours. HA! I tried not to stalk them because I know settling in with a baby is hard but I really wanted to help. When my babies were born I was off away from my family and there were times I prayed someone would just take them for a few hours. I promised myself then that I would always come to the aid of any new mom I could help. Now before you think I am some noble and amazing creature I must confess that since I got my hands on her the first time my motives have been completely selfish. I think there is something so amazing about knowing someone from the day they were born and I can’t wait to watch this precious little girl that I call Riley baby grow up. My kids are fast approaching the end of all the simple things in life but with Riley baby around I will have someone to watch trick or treat, buy baby clothes for and surprise with ice cream when she is old enough. No matter where we end up I will always remember watching out the window at night wondering if she is sleeping thru the night, being jealous of her mom when she gets that sweet smile that I so rarely see from my teens unless there is a VISA card involved and how tiny her diapers were when she first came home. There is a magic where she is concerned because she is helping me to remember when my babies problems were solved with a cracker or a bottle and I was in control of their world. Those days go by so quickly. So if you read in the Detroit News about the snuggle stalker being nabbed you’ll know it was me.