This weekend has been one of big, beautiful, emotional first-moments. Yesterday the skies were white with the promise of rain that never fell. Gusts of wind rustled the trees, mulberries dive-bombed into our pool and I requested we go for a family walk. Our daughter’s first outing. Mr Dzedze agreed. We lit a candle, dropped to our knees, prayed for her journey into the world, and bundled her into the pram. As we walked the neighborhood with her, the jacaranda trees flirted, dressed in their best purple blossom. The bumpy ground trembled through her kissable cheeks and she gazed up at the sky with sleepy eyes, calm. “Baby, this is Melville, in Johannesburg, in South Africa, in Africa, on Planet Earth. A beautiful world that you will see so much of in your lifetime. Welcome,” we spoke, smiling.

Knowing both our bellies were grumbling, I suggested we check out a new nearby food spot that locals are raving about online. Breastfeeding our ever-growing chunky child has had me ravenous the last few days. Nyaniso agreed to finding food and we walked to 27 Boxes. On the corner, beats blared and party beings bragged their beauty dressed in summer clothes. We almost turned back, feeling overwhelmed by the boom of social life. The food spot, Chopstix, was quiet though, so we opted to stick to the plan. Baby sleeping, I picked up the menu and breathed heavy, feeling emotion swirling in my cheeks. It was my first time “out-out” since birth. First time in a setting like this with our baby. Was she too small to be out in the world? How did my parents travel the world with me at this age? What might people think? Was she still safe? Protected? My husband’s presence allowed me to rest into it all.

We gobbled egg-fried rice and dumplings, spring onion and soya sauce burst our mouths open. Our little one woke up and her Dad pulled her from the pram into his arms. She sat on the table, wide-eyed and wobbly holding her own head up. The owner of the restaurant, Mr Charlie Chen, came to us and exclaimed, “A tiny baby!” It felt like he was receiving the blessing of a sight that is rare. We walked home happy and full, and snuggled into watching Squid Game before sleep.

Today my dear friend Nombuso arrived with her two kids. Spiritually sensitive, she had seen my pregnancy before I announced it and has felt a connection to our baby ever since. It was her first time meeting our little one and they took to each other immensely. Our daughter smiled and chirped endlessly. We laughed at her smirks and fell into comfort together immediately. Her teenage daughter expressed excitement for the days she can run and play with her. “She’s taken my heart already” she beamed. Her son swam in the pool outside, buddying up with Mr Dzedze who accompanied him. Ethiopian for lunch. We bundled our baby into the car for her first-ever drive and journeyed to collect our take-away. Child in my arms, wrapped in a blanket, I watched waitresses aghast and broody as we walked in. “So this is the new addition. We wondered why we hadn’t seen you for a while.” I shared that it was her second-ever outing and they held me gently in it all. After eating ourselves full at home, we all fell asleep, only waking after dark. Friendship is beautiful when we can all fall asleep, we agreed. They set out into the night gentle and warm.

Every first moment is as full as the last. Our first kicks when she was in the womb, our first time meeting her face and smelling her. First time dressing her in clothes that she swam in and no longer fit her now. First smiles, first visits from family and friends. First outing… Her life will forever give us these first moments. Moments that welcome a new expansion of awe for life itself and the life that is our baby girl. I smile, thinking of how our journey together will keep on giving and giving, and giving and giving… And giving.