Pope Pages

Today is Addie's 6-month birthday! Right about now 6 months ago I was sitting in a room at St. Elisabeth hospital still in shock that I was going to have my baby that day. That was a scary day. Looking back at those first few days of recovering from surgery and Addie's stay in the NICU seems like a foggy dream. Today is a day to celebrate because Addie is a healthy, happy and beautiful baby. She's no longer an infant.

There's a BIG difference between an infant and a baby. I'm not sure when she made the switch, but she now is a little person that is involved and responding to the big, new world around her. It's wonderful to watch, and frankly, it's just a whole lot more fun for us parents! : ) I'll be the first to admit that I'm delighted to have those days of pumping, nursing and bottle feeding every three hours behind me! I love sleeping through the night. But most of all I LOVE seeing Addie becoming more aware and enchanted with life. Her eyes light up at the sound of our voices. She KNOWS us! She is amazed by her own hands. She has no idea what to think of the cat. And now that the wood stove is going she has her very own fireworks show to observe. Everyday she discovers something new.

Last night I was thinking that I was home with her for the first three months of her life, and now Dennis has been home with her for last three months. Back when I was home with her I remember Dennis coming home from work and saying to me "Addie knows you more than me." He felt that she responded more to me than to him. Last night I had that same feeling when I was playing with Addie. She knows Dennis more than she knows me. On a selfish level that makes me sad, but for Addie's sake that makes me so happy. I LOVE how in love she is with her daddy.


Which leads me to say how much I love her daddy. Dennis is just the best, and I don't deserve him. He has done an amazing job taking care of Addie. I never doubted that he'd be a great dad. In fact that was the thing I was looking forward to the most about having a baby was seeing Dennis be a dad. But he's out done even my best expectations at taking care of both of us. Like all this week - I wake up and there's a fire going, he has breakfast made and he's started on the dishes. Addie's diapers are washed (and so is my underwear for that matter!), the bills are paid, there's firewood stacked in the shed, and super will be ready when I get home tonight. It's incredible. Addie and I are so blessed to have such a wonderful daddy and husband.