The Baby Tree

Before our daughter was born, my husband and I had no idea how amazing parenthood could be or how incredibly cute our offspring would be. As we began chartering new territory, we learned something about our parenting style: we LOVE to rhyme!

Within a few short months, we had a handful of phrases, songs, and chants that we would randomly bust out with our daughter. One of our favorites was “You’re the cutest little baby we ever did see! The cutest little baby on the baby tree!” we would recite this to her as she bounced up and down in excitement.

My conscience got the better of me though, and I started to feel bad that we were basing everything off her looks. Mom guilt can seriously be ridiculous in those first few months! But I didn’t have to feel bad for too long because we soon created a second verse to our little song: “You’re the smartest little baby we ever did know! The smartest little baby to ever grow!”.

As a lover of words and an aspiring author, I couldn’t resist turning our song into a story. With a whimsical nature and fairytale feel, I hope that our (now toddler) daughter will be drawn to this story as she ages and that it can teach her of her value in a way that is easy to understand. I hope that she can feel our love envelope her like a warm embrace and know that no matter what happens, she will always be ours.

If my daughter knows nothing else in this world, I pray she knows that she is loved, cherished, and wanted. Though this book may seem lighthearted and fun to others who read it, it will always carry fond memories and deep, everlasting meaning for us.

ENJOY!

The Baby Tree By Whitni Kostboth

In a faraway land with a faraway tribe

It’s a little different how babies come to be alive…

One little girl in this unnamed place

wanted to know where she came from.

Her name was Kace.

She asked her dad and she asked her mom

“Where oh where did I come from?”

“Well, you see,

We got you from the baby tree.

On the tree where the babies grow,

That’s where all new parents go.

Kace thought, she thought, and she thought

“Why was I the baby that you got?”

“When we got to the baby tree,

You were the cutest little baby we ever did see!

The cutest little baby on the baby tree!”

“But not just that, oh no!

You were the smartest little baby we ever did know,

The smartest little baby to ever grow!”

“But what of the other babies on the baby tree?

Why not take them instead of me?

“The tree is picky about who it grows

And every parent just knows.

You were ours, and the others were not

We’d choose you again from the whole lot.”

“So, every parent just knows

Which baby is theirs when it grows?”

“Yes, that’s the way it has always been

Someday you’ll go back and get your own baby then.”

And years later, back to that very tree, Kace did go

She went because she knew that’s where her baby would grow.

When she saw the tree, she knew

Just where her baby grew

She held her child

And smiled

“You’re the cutest little baby I ever did see

The cutest little baby on the baby tree!

You’re the smartest little baby I ever did know,

The smartest little baby to ever grow!

And as we see what life has in store

I vow to love you each day, more and more!”