Day-ee's Little Girl

When Rob and I were expecting, all we knew is that we were having one baby, not two, who we called "Peanut". We chose to keep Peanut's gender unknown until delivery. Why ruin one of life's greatest surprises by peeking at an ultrasound monitor? The waiting, wondering, and guessing of who our child was going to be only added to the excitement of pregnancy. However, we secretly hoped for a daughter...I guess you could say Rob longed for a 'daddy's little girl' and I had no problems taking a second seat to that.

And I have to say that the view from the second seat, which I have gladly taken, is considered another pure joy of being a mother. From here, I get to watch a father-daughter bond of admiration and love grow between the two most important people in my life. Of course for Rob, it was always love at first sight. No doubt. But now, I see Oia's connection with him growing stronger every day. Oia can't yet effectively communicate with words but no words are needed here to understand her desires to be around her Daddy; pronounced as best as she can, "Day-ee".

Even though one of the first words a child will ever say is Da-Da, it wasn't the case for Oia. For some reason, the word just never came out of her mouth. Until very recently, that is. It's a sweet sound for both of us to hear and needless to say; Rob has waiting a long time to hear it.

She follows her Day-ee around the house as to never loose sight of his whereabouts, especially on the weekends when he's home all day. If he is upstairs, she wants to be too. Her smile is never wider as she sits on the kitchen counter while the two of them prepare a pot of his morning coffee together. If she hears the phone ring during the day while Rob is away at work, she assumes the caller is him and repeatedly calls his name, "Day-ee, Day-ee, Day-ee..." He has always been the one to 'fix' her toys so that she could hold them better, sit in them better, and enjoy them more. He has a thoughtful mind and thinks things through long before I do. A good daddy for sure; it's no wonder she adores him.

I often flash forward in my mind to the father-daughter dances and afternoons of fishing the two of them will hopefully enjoy one day. It seems like a long way away but time is fleeting and this Day-ee's Little Girl is growing up fast. For now, I'm savoring the moments of today and enjoying my view from the second seat. I'm glad to be here. Oia is a lucky girl.



Photo taken May 2nd at the Kidney Walk for The National Kidney Foundation. Yes, Oia walked some of it on her own but why walk when you can ride on day-ee's shoulders?