Maddie's Dada

Maddie is in love with her dada.
Here are some of my favorite Brandon/Maddie things...

•As soon as she wakes up in the morning, she starts calling out, "Dada! DADA!" As soon as he comes in her room, she starts jumping up and down in her crib. Then, she quickly grabs her binkie and blankie and puts her arms up in the air for him to grab her out.

•She only gives kisses to her daddy; no one else gets a kiss from Maddie.

We are discovering more and more every day how much Maddie is like her dad. Here are a few character traits Maddie has inherited from Brandon:

•She doesn't eat very much for breakfast, but always has a big dinner. Brandon very rarely eats breakfast, but loves having a good dinner.

•If she could live outside, she would. She has an absolute meltdown when it's time to come inside. I have always said, if there were a bathroom and refrigerator in the garage, I would never see my husband again.

•She likes to eat spicy foods.

•She inspects things to figure out how they work.

•If you are irritating her, she gives you "the Brandon face".

I love my husband so much more now that he is my daughter's father. Here are some reasons why...

1. He is so sweet and gentle with her.

2. He is patient with her as she learns new things.

3. He gets down on her level and talks to her face to face.

4. They go on adventures to Home Depot and the car wash together.

5. He sings "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to her in the car.

6. He is very intuitive of her - he knows when she doesn't feel well, he knows when she's hungry, when its time for her nap, and he understands her babbling and pointing language the best.

7. He watches "The Jungle Book" over and over again and still marches around with her when the elephants come on.

8. He gets up with her in the middle of the night when she doesn't feel well or when she is teething, so I can sleep.

I knew Brandon was a diamond in the rough when I found him at Yucaipa High School when we were 16. What I didn't anticipate was how perfectly wonderful my life would be with him and our family.

Moments like this makes my heart smile and my world complete.