Parenting is Easy

Just thought I'd throw that title out for the sheer irony of it. I can't even imagine my poor brother and Heather with twins! Turns out this is a tough gig, I mean I knew it was gonna be tough but holy balls! When this kid ain't pooping, she's crying. Moreover, it is absolutely astonishing that even at 4:00 a.m. when I am singing "Bear Down Chicago Bears" to her and she finally calms down and quits crying that it might be one of the most divine things that any human can experience. Every little coo, grunt, or squeak that she makes breaks me down to sheer bliss. On the other end of things, whenever she cries a bit too long or spits up a bit, I'm thinking she could be sick, and I want to fix it. I do my best to not be that over-analytical parent. But, this kid is so important to me, and I just love her so much. I am always worried about her. I have gone from being able to sleep through a freight train crashing into the house, to a slight change in her breathing jumping me out of a deep sleep. While I am on the subject of being the cliché parent, this kid has about 1300 pictures taken of her thus far. I am pretty sure Paris Hilton doesn't get this many shots during the day. In other news, every parent I know told me I would be okay with every poop, puke, pee, etc. that expelled from this little girls body, and sure enough, I was walking around with her on my shoulder and spit up running down my chest when I fully grasped that concept.
I apologize for this being all about me I am, after all, borderline narcissistic. The fact is the only thing I can't put into words about Avery is pooping, sleeping, and crying. Nikki covered the poop thing in great detail in her post, and as for the crying and sleeping all I can tell you is even that is is cuter than snot! Everything else just can't be explained. Really, how can I put into words the way she stretches out real big and lets this long squeal out that turns her reasonably rational parents into absolute mush? The best I can do is take lots of pictures, send them along, then open the house for a visit anytime. As for Avery's Mom, Nichole was like Clark Kent sliding into a phone booth. She became instant Supermom. Nikki was never real big on babies. When our niece Abby was born it took about a year for Nikki to bond, now Abby likes her Aunt more than her Uncle. Even Nikki was worried that she might not feel the motherly gig right away. Turned out to be not an issue at all, it really is different when it is your own. And as much as I love our little girl, it blows my mind that I can love Nikki Marie even more. Even when I walk into our living room and she has a boob hanging out and milk dribbling down, I realize, she is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I can't imagine raising a family with anyone else. I know.... sappy... right? Don't worry I made myself throw up a little too.