my dad

it's been exactly 3 years since my dad breathed his last and gave up his spirit...i was with him when it happened, and i will never forget that night for as long as i live...i never knew the meaning of the word 'loss' until that night and in the days and weeks and months that followed...even now, 3 whole years later, i still ache for him...sometimes it all seems like a dream, and it doesn't seem possible that my dad is really gone, and it's only in my dreams still quite frequently (at least once a week) that he IS alive and with me...

sometimes, when i look at cadence, i think that i must be seeing her the way my daddy saw me, and now i can imagine just how much he loved me...i know he would have totally absolutely and hopelessly fallen in love with her...i think that even now, he must be looking down and watching over her...how could he resist?

someday, it will be my privilege to tell my daughter about the grandpa she never met...his story is one worth telling and retelling for generations to come...

badass tatts

so i come home from work, and what do i find my teddy has done with our baby? well, just look at that bad ass tatt on her little arm...next thing you know, she'll be cussing like a sailor!

...yeah, they really think they're bad ass...only one of these tattoos is real...can you guess which one?in addition to her new teeth and new tattoo, cadence has also expanded her menu...after 7 months of being exclusively breastfed, she at a whole bowl of rice cereal tonight! granted, there were only 4 tablespoons of cereal in that bowl, and 3 tablespoons of it was breastmilk, but hey, her tummy's only about the size of her itty bitty fist, you know...*sigh*...i'm definitely not ready to wean yet, and she still went at it pretty good on the boob after the cereal, but it is a big step for her...

speaking of growing...

it was bound to happen...after all, according to googlism, cadence IS growing...well, i came home today and guess what...she grew herself a couple of bottom front teeth! woohoo! now the nursing gets REALLY fun...i wish i had a photo to share, but she's shy about showing off the new additions to the inside of her mouth...they're still pretty tiny, but they must grow quick, cuz my mom just checked for toofuses yesterday and there weren't any there then...

wow...sniff, sniff...she really is growing up so fast...

...tonight, we went over to the bryn mawr historic district for dinner at francesca's...i grew up near there...i never knew that was a historic distrcit until today when i saw all the banners proclaiming it as so and the new fancy starbucks building on bryn mawr near kenmore...anywho, it was dining out for life in chicago, and francesca's was a participating restaurant...i have to say, the food was absolutely yummy...kinda pricy, but it was for a good cause, so i didn't mind...

...off to bed now...

googlism for cadence

well, i don't know how googlism found out what i already have known for months now, but yes, the almighty google concurs that cadence is, in fact, GROWING, and cadence is, in fact, the BEST little girl i could have ever asked for...

happy bday/anniversary!

happy 7 month bday to my cadence joy

and

happy anniversary to my sweet teddy!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo