Baby Smells

There are some baby smells we don't like, in fact, we cringe at certain smells that come from our babies...I don't have to tell what they are, you know the ones I'm talking about! But tonight I got to enjoy one of my favorite baby smells. You might be thinking it's that "baby fresh from the bath" smell. Nope. Maybe you're thinking "baby lotion" smell. Nope. Maybe you're thinking Maddie was covered in chocolate cake...I would LOVE that one! But, nope, that's not it either. The smell I'm talking about is that "I just fell asleep" sweaty baby head smell. :) Doesn't that just put a big smile on your face? I don't get to smell it frequently because Maddie usually goes to sleep after I've put her in her crib. Tonight she woke up crying really hard (probably a scary dream) so I ran up to comfort her right away. She continued to sob while I rocked her and sang to her and then I reclined the chair and she rested her head on my chest and peacefully fell asleep. I couldn't see her eyes. Her breathing pattern didn't change. She wasn't even sucking her thumb! I could just tell by the way her smell changed that she had fallen asleep. It's one of the most comforting smells ever. For those of you who think I'm crazy to love the smell of a sweaty baby head...you've obviously never experienced it yourself! It makes me want to start letting Maddie sleep with me! That's how comforting it is :) Don't worry, Mom...I won't!

It's time like this that I don't see how a parent can complain when their baby wakes up through the night. Well, maybe if it happens too much... But since it happens so infrequently for me and Maddie, I sincerely enjoy spending those extra few minutes with her. It's the sweetest, quietest way for mom and baby to express their love to each other.

In other news...it's now been three weeks since Eric went back to Nigeria. It's also been three weeks of Maddie asking for Daddy every morning when I go in to get her out of her crib. She asks for Daddy a lot...when the phone rings she says "hawoo" "Daddy". When I tell her Daddy went bye-byes on the big airplane she says "Daddy" "hi". She wants Daddy to come back and wants to tell him "hi" (that's my interpretation). This Saturday marks 4 weeks til he comes home again! I pray that she'll continue thinking of Daddy just as much in that time, that she won't be shy with him when he comes home this time. I'm sure she'll be cautious with him since he's been gone for a long time again but I know how much she loves him! It's amazing that such a little person can hold so much love :) It's funny though because when she's saying "Daddy" and I ask her if she loves Daddy she gets a big grin (the kind that lights up her entire face) and says "yes" without hesitation. Then I ask her if she loves Mommy...she looks at me like I'm crazy and says "no" (also without hesitation). Maybe she thinks she can only love one of us at a time!