Choosing Favorites

Last Friday was an anniversary. On February 22, 2007, I started a little thing called “Baby Blog.” In that first blog, I started off by saying what I wanted to do. I talked about keeping friends and family up to date on the birth of Finley. I even posted a few ultrasound pictures and talked about Heather being at -2 station (Extra credit for those of you who remember what that is!). It all seems much longer than a year ago.

As of today, we are fifteen days away from Finley’s first birthday. What an amazing year this has been. It’s hard to fathom how small she was back then and how much she has grown physically and mentally since. She’s on the verge of free-range walking (see below). And she’s babbling more and more. It’s quite hard to imagine what the next twelve months will bring.

And as much as every little thing she does brings a smile to our faces – even her little forays into areas and objects we try to keep her away from – there’s one thing that’s beginning to happen, of which I’m not too fond.

I’m sure this probably happens to most dads out there and I’m sure it will swing the other way over time, but I’ve noticed lately that Finley has been favoring the Momma over the Poppa.

Now, I know it sounds like I’m whining and I probably am, but when she’d rather be held by Momma than me, it’s not a good feeling. I know it’s mostly because Momma spends a little more quality time and the whole girl bonding thing happens, especially when Heather is doing her hair or putting on her dresses. Not to mention the biological advantage of breast feeding (Not a lot I could do, there). The Poppa? He’s basically a jungle gym.

Sure, I’m a lot of fun and on average I say “no” to the baby a lot less, but at the end of the day, she wants to snuggle with The Momma. Heck, at the end of the day I want to snuggle with The Momma, too!

Don’t get me wrong. Every now and again, she’ll give me one of those baby open-mouth kisses on the cheek or come and lay her head on my lap. And when I pick her up at daycare, she lights up and has to get to me as fast as possible. But, when we’re both in the room, I don’t have a chance. Okay, so Heather would say it’s not so bad, but she’s not on the back end of a baby snub.

I think it probably comes down to one decision that was preceded by our little girl’s growing up. As I mentioned before and I know I will mention again and again, she’s becoming more and more independent. I used to give her a bottle every morning while Momma got ready. Now, she wants to hold it all on her own, which cuts back on our Daddy time.

The one thing I really have to keep in mind is that she has the mind of a one-year old. Her decision process is constantly bombarded with interruptions and newer, shinier things to draw her away from whatever it is she was deciding upon. I think at this point, she knows that food and comfort are in Momma’s arms. Being tossed in the air and funny voices are in PoppaLand.

Over time I know our little delegate will swing her vote back to the Grand Old Poppa. And I also know there will be days when she won’t want to have anything to do with me. But for now, I have to enjoy every snuggle and kiss – how ever small they are – because there will be the day that she won’t want to be around either of us. Until that happens, I don’t mind being the runner up. It’s not much fun, but I don’t mind. I happen to think The Momma is number one, also.