Happy Birthdays!
Happy birthday today to the love of my life!
And happy belated birthday to Adia, who turned a year old yesterday. Time flies.
Dear Adia,
You turned a year old yesterday. It's been 367 days (it's a Leap Year) since you were born on the floor of a hospital in northeastern Thailand, sixteen days past due. Thinking about the time that's past, quantifying it, started me thinking about numbers. About how I tried to quantify the changes you'd bring to our family.
When I found out you would be joining us, I was shocked. Happy, but shocked. Over the following months I thought a lot about the impact you'd have on our family. I'd have two kids. My time would be divided between the two of you, plus John. The money for clothes and toys and other child items would be doubled - or, more likely, halved, and we'd make it work. Your sister would have half as much of the attention that she was used to. You would have half as much attention as she'd had as a baby. We'd have to subtract some of the time needed to care for a newborn from her usual allottment of play time with mom and dad. I often wondered how I was possibly going to make this work, this dividing and subtracting and halving and dividing again. . .
The thing is, numbers don't work well for defining human relationships. I was wrong about having half as much time for myself - it's even less than that! And I forgot to take into account how our love as a family would multiply with you here to share it. I didn't realize that my love for Trea would grow so much by watching her be a big sister to you. She loves and protects you, and she can do no wrong in your eyes. Your dad adores both his girls, and his girls return the favor. You haven't subtracted from anything, only added to the joy and fun we have as a family. We grow together, everyday, and it works.
Turns out I was right about math in high school - it has nothing to do with real life. Thanks for being a part of our family, Adia. We love you.
And happy belated birthday to Adia, who turned a year old yesterday. Time flies.
Dear Adia,
You turned a year old yesterday. It's been 367 days (it's a Leap Year) since you were born on the floor of a hospital in northeastern Thailand, sixteen days past due. Thinking about the time that's past, quantifying it, started me thinking about numbers. About how I tried to quantify the changes you'd bring to our family.
When I found out you would be joining us, I was shocked. Happy, but shocked. Over the following months I thought a lot about the impact you'd have on our family. I'd have two kids. My time would be divided between the two of you, plus John. The money for clothes and toys and other child items would be doubled - or, more likely, halved, and we'd make it work. Your sister would have half as much of the attention that she was used to. You would have half as much attention as she'd had as a baby. We'd have to subtract some of the time needed to care for a newborn from her usual allottment of play time with mom and dad. I often wondered how I was possibly going to make this work, this dividing and subtracting and halving and dividing again. . .
The thing is, numbers don't work well for defining human relationships. I was wrong about having half as much time for myself - it's even less than that! And I forgot to take into account how our love as a family would multiply with you here to share it. I didn't realize that my love for Trea would grow so much by watching her be a big sister to you. She loves and protects you, and she can do no wrong in your eyes. Your dad adores both his girls, and his girls return the favor. You haven't subtracted from anything, only added to the joy and fun we have as a family. We grow together, everyday, and it works.
Turns out I was right about math in high school - it has nothing to do with real life. Thanks for being a part of our family, Adia. We love you.
Comments
Happy birthday to Adia and John!!