she really loves me

We recently took a trip to Las Vegas for a hockey tournament. Elliot ended up flying out the day after our caravan drove out so Ada and I had a nice casual morning together at the hotel. She was sleeping in the same room as me so when she woke up she was able to just stand up in her pack-n-play and see me, awake, but still in bed. So instead of starting to cry, she started to giggle which of course enticed me to go over and pick her up. However I was still tired so we just crawled back into my bed. This hasn't worked in about 3 months but I thought I'd give it a try, and to my surprise she actually agreed to hang out and play with me. Ada has also really started to show that she understands what we are saying to her, which makes life with a semi-non talker so much easier.

So while we were enjoying our morning, lounging in our Vegas hotel room I asked Ada for a kiss. A fairly common request but usually one that is either ignored, or fulfilled with a blown kiss or a smoosh of her face into mine but no real kiss. Well this time Ada had a treat in store for me. She leaned forward and gave me a real kiss on my left cheek, paused, and then began to smoother me in kisses all over my face and neck. After 17 months of loving unconditionally, this sudden outburst of affection melted my heart and really made me realize the rewards of all of the sacrifices that Elliot and I have made since our crazy decision to throw caution to the wind and make a baby. And then it dawned on me. I smother Ada with kisses on an almost daily basis. So it wasn't so much affection but learned behavior. I have learned that if I try to over analyze Ada's actions they tend to lose their initial coolness, so I immediately put that in the back of my mind. Because that feeling. The one when she was showering me with kisses. That was easily in my top five all time most amazing parenting moments so far. And that, I will treasure for years to come.