Look at that smile! This is one of those pictures that I will never forget. The excitement and happiness on her face is exactly what brings me joy as a parent.
In the last 4 months this little girl has taught and showed me so much. She has reminded me that its the little things in life are what matter most. She doesn't care about the traffic we sit in on the way to the store. All she cares is if the lights and sounds on her toys are working. She doesn't care how much Sophie licks her face as long as she has a tuft of her hair in her hand. She thinks its absolutely amazing that her daddy can blow raspberries and tries to mimic me(shes getting really good at them now.)
I've watched her go from this ball of crying and poop, to a child that can recognize her parents when they walk into a room, grab her own pacifier and place it in her mouth when she wants it, belly laugh when mommy or daddy are funny enough(tough crowd sometimes), and the peaceful look on their faces when they are sleeping. These are the things the greatly outweigh the 2 am feedings, the crying that just wont stop, and all the dirty diapers.
Since she was born, Mandy and I have grown leaps and bounds as well. We've learned some new things about each other. We've learned new strengths and weakness that we didn't know existed in each other. You come to find out how someone reacts to some of the most stressful situations put in-front of them. You have to deal with things that didn't exist before. For instance personal time is for the most part non-existent. Now we do a decent job of allowing each other a few spare minutes to collect our self's, but sometimes that not always possible. Sometimes my job keeps me away from the house longer then we'd both like, and Mandy is left to tend to Adrianna for long periods of time. Sometimes Mandy needs those extra few hours of sleep and I'll deal with the middle of the night/morning crankiness and feedings. Now these are just a few examples of things but they reach into every facet of your life.
The change from husband and wife to father and mother can really put your personal relationship to the test. You are now care givers to another life and your not able to some of the things together that you used to, and these changes are not easy. Luckily our love for each other greatly outweighs any obstacle that has been thrown at us so far, and as far as I can tell future ones as well.
To all you new parents out there, relax, it wont be like this for long
OMG, you made me cry! And you really nailed it with Darius. I had heard that song not long before I came to NC and thought of you guys and I think I even quoted that phrase to the two of you a time or two. What amazing growth in your family, and in my heart.
ReplyDeleteAnd to think its only been 4 months!
DeleteAbsolutely spot on. The vast difference between crying ball of poop and small human who can show appreciation for all of your hard work is amazing. That last paragraph especially, because everything else tends to eventually just fall into place (like baby developing some semblance of a schedule).
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing to get used to is the idea that no longer are we capable of just running out the door at a moment's notice because we decided at 10 pm that we wanted to go get frozen yogurt, or pick up and drive to San Fransisco for a weekend stay. Putting someone else first is a big change to how life used to be. But once you're over that, you can overcome anything.