I can't believe that it has been three years already. When my wife was pregnant, I was so worried that I wasn't spending enough "tummy time" with my daughter to be. I had the best of intentions as an expectant father. I pictured myself putting headphones against my wife's belly every evening and playing classical music each night before bedtime. Or, playing my favorite Beatles songs and Bob Marley tunes so that she would be humming 'Strawberry Fields Forever' or 'Three Little Birds' shortly after birth. Sadly, life got in the way, and boy did I ever feel guilty about it.
Up until the birth, I kept asking my wife, "What if she doesn't recognize my voice". "What if she doesn't know who I am?" I'm sure I was a huge pain in the ass toward the end.
Lennon was born at 4:35AM on May 11th, 2008. My wife had some complications with the birth, so she wasn't able to spend much time with my daughter right after the delivery. I accompanied one of the nurses to the NICU with my daughter to have her weighed and measured. All the way down the elevator and down the hall, my little girl was quiet. When we entered the NICU, she started crying.
I leaned down next to her and whispered, "It's OK honey. Daddy's here." She immediately stopped crying and turned to look for me. She recognized my voice! It was the greatest moment of my life.
The next morning when my wife got the OK from her doctor to go downstairs to visit the NICU for the first time, we were scrubbing in. Before you could enter the room, there was a 10 minute scrub in procedure that you had to follow every time, as if you were about to begin an open heart surgery. In the NICU, there were 24 babies at the time, and it seemed like all of them were crying. There was one cry in particular that stood out. "You hear that baby?" I said, "That one's Lennon." Sure enough, out of all of the infants in the room, I picked out my daughter's cry. It's not that I had remembered it, but that I had instinctually recognized my child out of the group.
Years later, I still feel like the daddy lion sometimes, although, more often than not, it seems like I'm grabbing my cub by the scruff of the neck more than anything else.
Today, we spent the day running around town, having the "Happy 3rd Birthdayorama!" We went to her favorite restaurant for lunch. Saw three quarters of 'Rango' at the dollar theater. (That's right, I said three quarters.) Went to Nana and Buppa's to visit. I must say though, when she doesn't have her nap, she can get like an abusive drunk midget carny at certain times of the day. She'll test your patience, and your ability to drive while having shoes thrown at the back of your head.
Up until the birth, I kept asking my wife, "What if she doesn't recognize my voice". "What if she doesn't know who I am?" I'm sure I was a huge pain in the ass toward the end.
Lennon was born at 4:35AM on May 11th, 2008. My wife had some complications with the birth, so she wasn't able to spend much time with my daughter right after the delivery. I accompanied one of the nurses to the NICU with my daughter to have her weighed and measured. All the way down the elevator and down the hall, my little girl was quiet. When we entered the NICU, she started crying.
I leaned down next to her and whispered, "It's OK honey. Daddy's here." She immediately stopped crying and turned to look for me. She recognized my voice! It was the greatest moment of my life.
The next morning when my wife got the OK from her doctor to go downstairs to visit the NICU for the first time, we were scrubbing in. Before you could enter the room, there was a 10 minute scrub in procedure that you had to follow every time, as if you were about to begin an open heart surgery. In the NICU, there were 24 babies at the time, and it seemed like all of them were crying. There was one cry in particular that stood out. "You hear that baby?" I said, "That one's Lennon." Sure enough, out of all of the infants in the room, I picked out my daughter's cry. It's not that I had remembered it, but that I had instinctually recognized my child out of the group.
Years later, I still feel like the daddy lion sometimes, although, more often than not, it seems like I'm grabbing my cub by the scruff of the neck more than anything else.
Today, we spent the day running around town, having the "Happy 3rd Birthdayorama!" We went to her favorite restaurant for lunch. Saw three quarters of 'Rango' at the dollar theater. (That's right, I said three quarters.) Went to Nana and Buppa's to visit. I must say though, when she doesn't have her nap, she can get like an abusive drunk midget carny at certain times of the day. She'll test your patience, and your ability to drive while having shoes thrown at the back of your head.
2 comments:
Aww, you sound like a great dad. I think kids are so good at reading what is in our hearts, and they just know when someone loves them purely.
Congratulations on your wonderful little girl, and happy birthday, Lennon!
Ha! I could have written this line: "I must say though, when she doesn't have her nap, she can get like an abusive drunk midget carny at certain times of the day." My daughter turned 3 in Feb and that is what happens to her when she doesn't have a nap, too funny! And frighteningly accurate!
Happy Birthday Lennon!
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