6:10 am.

I hear a tiny little girl crying in her bed, feeling scared. Daddy is gone again this weekend (last time for awhile though!!) and Ana feels off kilter.

We both do.

I go get my baby girl and bring her into bed with me. She can’t stop crying. Poor baby just wants Daddy. She never does this! A few moments later, Ana calms down. We snuggle up in the dark and Ana puts her tiny arm on my back. She sighs.

So sweet.

Almost immediately she falls asleep in the most unimaginable position: lying on her stomach, left knee tucked under her belly with her bum in the air, right leg straight out to the side and into my ribcage.

I wonder how long she’ll sleep.

It feels like only 10 minutes has passed when suddenly her head pops up and she pats my arm with her soft little hand.

It’s 7:50am.

(Daddy’s birthday! No steak for us until Monday, though.)

It’s sweet mornings like these that make me feel like if Analie is the only baby we ever have, she’s enough.

Joey is a fabulous father. I love that he gets down on Ana’s level and plays with her, even if it’s not as much fun for him to put blocks on top of the chair as it is for her. He delights in watching her change and grow. Despite his busy schedule, he makes both Analie and I a huge priority.

Yay!

The other day Joey called me and told me that while he was having lunch with a man in our church, something that man said really jumped out and stated waving at him.

There are no do-overs with your family.

I find that statement flashing in my mind’s eye so many times a day. It gives me so much perspective when I am feeling like being lazy, frustrated, tired of whining, or just want to do what I want to do.

Then last night I read about how President Obama coaches his daughter’s basketball team.

You guys! Is that not fabulous? The president of our country makes sure his kids know that they are a big enough priority that he doesn’t miss a game. His girls must feel like the most important things in the world, and I love that.

Surely I am not as busy as President Obama is. I am challenging myself to make sure Ana knows she is my priority. No matter what.