Kicking her way to independence

It is hard to imagine a moment of pure joy and utter sadness within the same experience. I experienced one of those moments last night as my wife and I bathed Lorelei. It wasn't just a normal bath night. As we laid her in the baby bathtub with a small amount of water, she began to kick repeatedly. Her kicks led to water splashing everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Water splashed on the mirror, all over the counter, on me, on Ashley, and plenty on the floor. It was pure joy for Lorelei as she realized exactly what she was doing. Oh the laughter that followed those kicks was heartwarming. After each bout of steady kicks, she would pause, look over at us, give us that priceless smile, and then continue her playful kicking.

With every kick and splash, laughter increased for both Ashley and I. We realized how much fun our daughter was having and for that moment I, being the type A personality that I am, didn't have a care in the world. I didn't care that I was now soaked, there was water and soap all over the mirror, my socks were drenched from the water splashing over the sides onto the floor, and time was being spent not getting the job of bathing Lorelei done. Oh the insanity. It was definitely a moment of joy.

And then, reality sat in. As I looked at our daughter, I realized just a few months ago we couldn't even lay her in the actual tub. We had to use the small elevated platform that came with the bathtub. Now, she barely fits in the bathtub itself. So, there is some sadness that comes with the joy of the moment. While, I don't get caught up in the sadness, I can't completely expunge it from my mind. Every new accomplishment comes with a realization that her dependence on us is finite.