"Thank you sir, may I have another?"

Ok.. so here it is 2:45 in the afternoon.. just finished feeding the girl and am now watching her wiggle around on the floor like the little ankle biter she is. You know, it's days like this I think, "I can't wait to have another baby!!"... then I remember what last night was like, and I think, "why am I not on birth control???", but I digress.

Last night Ashlyn wanted to make sure I knew she was there by waking up every hour or two.. lots of fun- I felt like she was a newborn again. So it got me thinking, "Is she teething early??? Should I start her on rice cereal??? What kind of high chair should I get??? Did I take a shower today?? Did I take one yesterday?? Yikes! I stink!! I need a shower!! Wait! That's not me- what is that smell?? Crap!! Lunch is on fire!!" etc., etc., etc. Good times.

So Karen, I was reading your post the other day about all the fears we crazy women have during pregnancy- I read one of the replies which indicated that it was hormones- I thought that was amusing, because now that I am NOT preggo any longer (I don't think I am anyway), I have more fears than ever. When Chris goes out of town, I find myself thinking, "What if someone breaks in?? How will I protect my daughter??" I start thinking, "I could throw the pacifier!! pillow, monitor, nah.. what else do I have?"- It might be amusing to throw something from my nightstand- buuuut, I will probably skip that. So then I start thinking.. "I need a GUN"... but then you have all of the safety things buzzing around in your noggin.. but then I think.. "Chris has a shotgun upstairs (he uses is when he fishes ;P), but where are the bullets??" Humm.. gotta figure that out- then I think "OK.. got the shotgun, got the bullets.. do I aim for the head, or the crotch?? Head?? Crotch?? Head?-Crotch? Dunno- tough call." I always have fears; my biggest fear when I brought Ashlyn home was that I was going to drop her and end up on the Peoples Court for bad parenting.

But seriously, I cannot explain the unwaivering love you will feel for your baby- it's incredible and more powerful than anything you could possibly imagine. I stare at her every day and I am in constant amazement of this precious gift God bestowed upon Chris and I. She truly is a miracle.

Anytime I find myself thinking, "I LOVE her, but I WISH she would stop crying and go to SLEEP!!", I think about a song I heard from Trace Adkins, turn off the negativity, and soak up every last moment.

Trace Adkins, "You're Gonna Miss This"

She was staring out the window of their SUV Complaning,
saying "I can't wait to turn 18"
She said "I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules"
Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school
Then she kissed her head and said "I was just like you"

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her "It's a nice place"
She says "It'll do for now"
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says "Baby, just slow down"

Cause you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'
He says "They don't bother me. I've got 2 babies of my own. One's 36, one's 23.
Huh, it's hard to believe, but...

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this"