Emily's Encouragement

Emily is definitely more spunky/aggressive than Lucas, swinging her arms wildly at things that make her mad, squinting her face up, pushing back at Lucas when he tries to take things from her, etc. But she is also more cuddly than him, and she is definitely daddy's girl.

Last night I got to put Emily to sleep, which for both of our kids includes the following (after brushing teeth and putting on pajamas): Reading a book, saying a prayer, giving a kiss, then singing a song as we make our exit out of their room.

When I held her on the way to her room, she did something interesting. She leaned back and moved her hand over my chest, then moved her other hand over my upper arm/shoulder. Then she lay her head on my shoulder for me to go through the usual bedtime ritual.

This left me feeling a little awkward, a little flattered, and above all wondering what she is thinking. Is she just noticing a difference between me and her mommy (harder muscles, different shape, etc)? I remember when I was little being in awe of my dad's muscles (he used to flex his arms so that my sister and I would be hanging from each one). So is she similarly noticing my muscles?

I'm not really sure what's going through her little mind, but I do know how it makes me feel though. It reminds me that I am her big, strong daddy and it inspires me to do my best to stay that way. It emphasizes the fact that she relies on me for her protection, and will do so until she gets married and hopefully has a big, strong husband to take my place.

Now if only I can cut back my work hours and get my butt back to the gym once in a while.