When you have a new baby in the house, it’s easy to get caught up in the wonder of it all (you probably hadn’t noticed from reading this blog).
Since Ava was born — really, since I’ve been married — I haven’t found myself missing the single life. Yes, now and then I’ll reflect on how nice it would be to take an unannounced afternoon to hang out with old friends at one of the area watering holes, but by and large, family life has been very good to me. I suppose I’d recommend it.
I’m surprised every day by Ava. The other night, she, Leah, and I were lying in bed, reading books and feeding Ava Cheerios before she went to sleep. In a pause between books, Ava rolled over and gave me a kiss, then rolled to her other side and gave Leah a kiss. Then she took a drink from her bottle and snuggled into the comforter to prepare to hear me read the next book.
I take dozens of pictures of Ava each week and write these blog posts to try to capture some impression of what it’s like to have her around, but I’ll never be able to save the magic I feel when I get one of those impromptu kisses. If you’re the kind of person who keeps an eye out for life’s perfect moments, that’s one of them. There is no pretense or dishonesty in that simple little demonstration of affection. The beauty of what to Ava must seem like an almost reflex action nearly stops my heart.