Independence

In the middle of Monday night, I woke up with chills, a sore throat, sinus pain, the works. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and found out I had a fever of 102 and an intense sinus infection. Hal had gotten up with Ella that night, while I was feeling awful, and had spent over an hour getting her to go back to sleep. He also kept her on Tuesday morning while I was at the doctor, fed her, dressed her, and took her out to Grandmommy's house-who graciously took Ella for the day so I could stay home and rest.

I was pretty concerned about how Ella would react to spending the day without me, since I didn't even get to hug or kiss her before she left (didn't want to spread germs). However, she did beautifully. She drank 12 oz. from the bottle (more than every before) and was in a great mood for most of the day. She got home around 7 PM, and she was a happy, independent baby, who apparently does just fine without mommy (at least for a day).

This was a strange realization for me for two reasons. First, Ella is truly growing up and gaining independence. She's taking the bottle better, in part, because she's older and more willing. She can spend the day (and even the night) apart from me and she is no worse for wear. Secondly, I will miss attached-to-me Ella. She was just fine when she got home at 7; I was a nervous wreck and had been checking the window, watching for the car to pull up, for an hour before she got home. It turns out that I'm just as attached to her as she is to me. All this time, I've been saying how my daughter won't let me put her down, won't nap unless she's laying on me, etc. Maybe the truth is that I wouldn't have it any other way.

So, she's more independent. Good for her (and for me). The good news is that she still woke up this morning wanting nothing more than for me to love on her--which I willingly did.