The Things I Never Thought I’d Love

I never thought I would love baby’s breath, or understand why that name was given to such a beautiful and simple little flower.

I never thought I would love sitting and watching someone do not much of anything for hours at a time.

I never thought I would love the bonding that diaper changes afford.

I never thought I would love having my schedule dictated by someone who couldn’t even speak to tell me what she wanted me to do.

I never thought I would love hearing a baby scream cry.

I never thought I would love making silly faces and doing generally silly things over and over again just to get a laugh.

I never thought I would love a bald, toothless, pudgy, drooling person.

I never thought I would love tiny little fingerprint smudges on my glasses.

I never thought I would love having to consider carefully what to wear or not wear, because of little fingers that like to pull and probe and wander.

I never thought I would love having someone lick my leg or arm or neck and leave an extremely wet slurp mark behind.

I never thought I would love the need to keep my house clean (well, the floors, at least) because someone might come along and decide to destroy eat saturate play with everything.

I never thought I would love getting my hair ripped from my scalp pulled.

I never thought I would love being interrupted countless times a day by a shriek or a cry, because that simply means that I am needed.

I never thought I would love giving sponge baths.

I never thought I would love singing to someone, and love having that someone love me singing to her.

I never thought I would love wrestling with a baby to get her dressed or go to sleep or eat.

I never thought I would love having to pack bag upon bag to go to the grocery store.

I never thought I would love endlessly reinserting a pacifier into a sleeping mouth in a sleepy haze.

I never thought I would love being bit.

I never thought I would love the sound of someone playing the arm harp with their mouth.

I never thought I would love loving someone so much….especially someone who cannot reciprocate in ways I can understand.

I never thought I would love having someone sneeze mashed peas on my face.

I never thought I would love doing an extra mountain of laundry weekly……much of which requires soaking and/or pre-treating.

I never thought I would love washing a mountain pile of bottles and bottle parts and nipples every day.

I never thought I would love shelling out money for formula that might or might not be used….or might come back out as soon as it goes in.

I never thought I would get happy and excited over buying clothes for someone else.

I never thought I would love moving in to kiss someone and getting licked instead.

I never thought I would love cold, slimy, clammy hands smacking me on the face.

I never thought I would love getting excited over diaper coupons.

I never thought I would love getting a night off……only to miss the work and the one who causes it when the time came.

I never thought I would love getting unsolicited advice from strangers.

I never thought I would love someone so much it hurts.

I never thought I would love not fitting into most of my clothes.

I never thought I would love stretch marks.

I never thought I would love any of these things, but I do because of what that means. It means that I have a wonderful little blessing – a tiny little person, my daughter – who has entered my life and turned everything upside down so wonderfully. The demands mean that I am needed…..the pokes and prods mean I am adored…..the gazes mean I am someone’s world. I am her world, and she has become such a huge part of mine. Thanks to her, I love life just a little bit more.