We sat huddled around Grandma's table for a family dinner as we awaited news of the baby's birth. The excitment of waiting was almost too much for my 8 year old heart. I was primed and ready for big sisterhood round three.
A new baby.
FINALLY, the phone call came: It's another girl!!!
The whole Couture circus piled in cars and hopped over to the hospital a mere half hour after Julia Christine's birth, ready to embrace a new life with all the joy and crazy we could muster.
We were now a family with 5 girls. Drama and estrogen abounded, even in the young tender years.
As Julia grew, we all developed a sense of protection over her...always wanting to be the one to tend to her, to hold her, to soothe her. When mom had to leave for an event outside of the house, we made the major mistake of playing Julia the video of us all visiting her at the hospital after her birth.
And she FREAKED. She thought mama was trapped in the t.v. It was so pathecially hilarious---our love and tenderness for her grew a thousandfold in such moments.
Always surrounded by music whether by our own making or the many records/cassettes of Christian music my mom would play, we often made little ditties about Julia.
And.....I found the one that we sang over and over and over again. Alicia and Nicole, you're going to crack up.
Now, I cannot convey this major score that a). I remembered some of the original words to this song and b). I could not have even tried to put together a better montage of horrible cheese-covered images if I ammassed all of my powers for irony in one fellswoop.
For your absolute viewing pleasure:
Little creative geniuses that we were, we changed the words to:
" J-U-L-I-A, she's our baby sister,
J-U-L-I-A, our Julia."
I know, I know, it's a thing of beauty but you must hold your applause until the end.
Julia always had a profound sense of imagination, she took every empty box that came her way and transformed it into a rocket ship or car or bicycle. She would spend hours cutting, sticker-a-fying and coloring it with her chunky crayola markers, her little body doused in color. And the result would truly be brilliant.
Speaking of covered in stuff, another of my favorite baby memories was the time she broke into the sticker stash and placed them all over her body, head to toe just completely proud of her accomplishment. Slain by the cuteness, we laughed and cajoled along with her.
When Julia was still quite a young child, our family suffered great pain and division. With the trials we faced, the older sisters found other (not always healthy) ways to cope, but Claire and Julia were too young to escape and as a result faced great difficulty in becoming adultlike children so young. I am truly sorry for this.
BUT, I believe that, amidst the innumerable trials we and she have faced, it has made her the amazing young woman she is today.
Intelligent. Creative. Beautiful. Compassionate. Loyal. Loving. Strong. Dedicated.
As she graduated Cum Laude from St. Mary's Nursing program a few weeks ago, I felt such intense emotions of joy and pride, which of course found it's realization in a deluge of tears.
Baby girl's done gone growed up.
Pain we have had. Arguments? You'd better believe it. We Humphrey girls are a stubborn breed.
But love?
It outweighs the tough stuff.
Julia, I am so proud of you.
I'm proud of how hard you've worked, the distinguished role you undertook in your nursing class as president of the SNA and giving the reflection at your pinning. And I'm so very proud of the nurse you will be. Thank you for your part in caring for me during these last few most difficult days of my life.
I am proud of your strength and courage, how you don't shy away from expressing your opinion and speaking up if something bothers you. Being similar in this, I know it causes some of our head butting. :)
I'm proud of your loyalty, of the lengths to which you will go in support and defense of your loved ones. You are a wonderful sister, friends, auntie, godmother and nurse.
I'm proud of your musicality, your creativity and all things beautiful you gift to the world.
I am proud of your journey in faith, the way you've allowed it to transform your life and your decision-making. It provides a wonderful foundation for friendships, and ultimately from a relationship based in faith grew your love with dear future-husband Tom. We love that guy.
I know that we have our differences, I know that we say things we don't mean, we're dramatic and we fight intensely.
But the love flows deep and true.
From the moment I met you, I loved you, and I am so very greatful for your life.
To me you will always be
"J-U-L-I-A, you're my baby sister, J-U-L-I-A, my Julia."
