We recently made our traditional yearly trip to Boone to choose and cut our family Christmas tree. This being Emmi’s first Christmas, we were super excited to get up there and walk her through the tree farm to find that perfect tree (whether she knew what was going on or not). To make the trip even better, it had snowed the night before, so the tree farm was more like a winter wonderland. Unfortunately, Emmi was not so excited about the idea and after 3 attempts to search out our tree, we loaded up and headed back down the mountain only to purchase one at a local seller. Maybe next year will be more successful. We did get this priceless picture before we left the tree farm, though. Kinda makes it all worth it.
I realized that I haven’t put up a photo of our now happy baby yet. Since here surgery, she has been all smiles. A complete turnaround from the baby in one of my earlier posts.
Things have been a bit crazy lately so I had to bring on some extra help. I think she may already be plotting a takeover.
You never really know how many things will change with parenthood until you are there. Suddenly, you find yourself doing and saying things that you always swore you wouldn’t and finding meaning in things that you never found before.
This happened to me during my commute this morning. Since the day it came out, I have never been a fan of the song “Hero” by the Foo Fighters. Every time it would come on the radio, I would gag while being unable to change the station fast enough…until today.
Driving along, I tuned to a station that was right in the middle of the song – the chorus in fact. Suddenly, all I could think of was my precious daughter and apply my own meaning to the lyrics. I found myself hoping with all of my heart that this is the way she will think of me in years to come – her hero. Not because I need to feel that way but because I want her to feel that I have and will always be there for her to make her happy and keep her healthy.
I will never hear that song the same way again.
As a father and a husband, there’s nothing harder than having to watch your child suffer and your wife weep and not being able to console either one. Over the last few days, I’ve had to watch both and even though I know that I will have to do it again one day, I still have to hope that these occurrences will be few and far between.
On Monday afternoon we discovered that the culprit in our baby’s breathing (and subsequently, feeding) problems has been a cyst on the base of her tongue. So not to prolong her suffering any longer, we scheduled an operation for that evening. The next five hours were spent trying to console a hungry 7 week old (she couldn’t eat until after surgery) that couldn’t breathe very well and watching my wife cry uncontrollably over the thought of having our precious little one “put under” for surgery worrying that she would not wake up from it.
Then came the moment that we had to hand our baby girl over to a complete stranger putting every ounce of trust that we could muster in the abilities of this person and those that would be assisting.
After a couple of hours – that seemed like days – the surgery was over and our little Emmi was being wheeled back into the hospital room still asleep, but in better condition than she had been in weeks.
Now the exhausted, suffering face that you see above has been replaced by a content, bright-eyed one that can finally breathe normally and eat comfortably. It’s times like these that life is truly put into perspective. There is nothing more important than the health of family and when someone in that family is suffering, nothing in this world matters more than getting them healthy again.
