Daddy's girl

"It's a girl!" Right after she was born, my dad said to Spencer, "Hold on, because it is a wild ride."

When J graduates and moves out, my parents will have raised four girls, even though I'm sure at times they wanted to give us away (especially during those teenage years). There was never any trouble at school with fighting, only "talks excessively" on the report cards. (Don't worry, I won't say who that was). My dad never got to teach a boy his old wrestling moves, but he has learned a lot about coaching girls in softball (and a lot of state championships to prove it!). We never had Ninja Turtle action figures, but we had enough Barbies to start our own little world (only we had very few Ken dolls).

So naturally, I am pretty comfortable with the fact that we have a little baby girl. One would think Spencer would be way out of his element. All his life he has known boy things: ranchwork, football, brothers, trucks, trailers, etc. But, he's not. He tells her he likes her outfits (especially this cheetah number), he says her hair looks pretty, and he dances and sings with her. And she loves him oh so much. She squeals when he walks through the door after a long day of work. He takes off his boots, squats down, and says "come here my little girl!" and she comes running. They embrace with infectious smiles on their faces.

It's beautiful.

My dad always used to ask us, "Who's the girl?" and my sisters and I would race to say, "Daddy's girl!" the fastest. I love my mom more than I could ever possibly express in words. She is my best friend. But a girl and her daddy have a special connection, too.

I get to witness firsthand this special connection. It will develop over years and I will know just how Ella feels every time she gives her daddy a hug. It won't ever make me jealous, because I have that connection too, with my own dad. So love away you two!

Because you always have love for your mama :)