First is the worst, second is the best...

Some things in life are a given. We are born. We breathe. We eat. We drink. We sleep. And we all love Dave more than Eve. It's true, for some reason (or rather, many) everyone tends to prefer Dave to me. He's funnier, smarter, less annoying, cuter and all around nicer than I am. I've come to accept this. I've come to accept the fact that everyone tells me how lucky I am to have Dave yet he rarely hears the words 'You're so lucky to have Eve.' I understand that although this is the case, Dave appreciates me and knows that he's very lucky to have me too.

Daphne sharing her first smile with dad

One thing that I was certain of when I married Dave was that when we had kids they too would love him more than me. Maybe "love's" not the right word, maybe we should stick with "like" -- it's a little more fitting. Yes, our kids will definitely like Dave more than me. I mean he's really awesome at being that silly/funny/cool guy that kids can't get enough of. I've seen it on the times we've spent with our nephews and I now see it with Daphne. Don't get me wrong, Daphne loves me and I'm pretty sure she even likes me, but when her and Dave get going there's no mistaking that she definitely likes Dave more. She cries when he leaves the room or when he enters it and doesn't pick her up right away (even if I'm holding her at the time) and when he gets home from work and she hears his voice her face lights up as if it's Christmas morning. Sometimes she's so excited to see him that she falls over, it's the cutest thing ever. She also laughs with him a lot more than she laughs with me (which is fine by me as long as I can hear her laughing 'cause it's also the cutest thing ever). Anyway, you get the point, Daphne loves Dave, big deal. Well here's what the big deal is, at least for me. The whole time that I've known that I would be second place to Dave only one thing has kept me going: I get to be the mom. I get to be Daphne's mom and any subsequent children we have, I'll be their mom too. Moms are the ones who spend all their time making sure that their families are happy and healthy. That worry more than any one person should. Moms are caring and nurturing, loving and kind. Moms aren't always the most fun and sometimes they can seem pretty mean, but one thing that separates a mom from everyone else is the way they are able to comfort their children. I don't know what it is that gives moms this special ability, but there's something almost magical about the healing properties of a mother's embrace. It's this bond between mother and child that makes me okay with the fact that I will almost always be second place. Yes, Dave is the best father in the world (it's a fact), who will come up with some pretty imaginative ways to cure Daphne's ouchies, but when push comes to shove, I know deep down that on those rare occasions where Daphne needs to feel extra secure it's me that she'll come to, and I'll be waiting there with open arms. How do I know this? Because it happened just the other day.

Dave, Daphne and I took a little trip south to Whidbey Island (this amazing little place on the pacific coast of Washington state).  We had planned to pick up Dave's new french horn, do some shopping and possibly spend the night in a hotel (depending on how much we had to declare!) We were a little bit concerned about how the 2 1/2 hour drive would be as Daphne's not the hugest fan of her car seat right now. She was doing alright until just after we crossed the border into the US. She started to get a bit fussy, but she wasn't crying, she was just whimpering (which is very unlike Daphne). Anyway, I felt her head and it felt HOT, like fever hot. I then kicked myself 'cause the last thing I saw before we left home was our instant read thermometer and I decided not to pack it 'cause I figured the chances of her coming down with something in the next twelve hours was unlikely. I guess I was wrong. Anyway, being a mom (and a hypochondriac) I started thinking of all the horrible things that could be wrong with Daphne and being Mrs. Frugal I started thinking that I really didn't want to have to deal with insurance claims and the cost of having Daphne treated in the US should anything be really wrong. So I had Dave stop at the Walgreens where I bought not one, but two thermometers and some infant Tylenol. We took her temperature and it was high, like freak out high, so of course I freaked out! I almost made Dave turn the car around, but we were now only 30 minutes from our destination, so we gave Daphne some Tylenol and decided to see how things were when we stopped. Luckily, by the time we got to Whidbey Island Daphne's fever had dropped down to mild, so we felt okay finishing off the trip.

We had planned to go to this place called Toby's Tavern in Coupeville for lunch. They were supposed to have the best mussels ever so I was pretty stoked. We parked the car and headed in and we were greeted by a waitress who looked at us and said 'no minors' and forced us to leave.  Bummer, I hadn't realized that an infant was considered a 'minor' in that respect. I was pretty upset as I had my heart set on having mussels but luckily we stumbled upon this place called Mosquito Fleet Chili and decided to check it out. I'm not kidding you when I say that this was the best lunch I've ever had, it was awesome. I had the grilled cheese and tomato bisque and Dave had a yummy salmon and asparagus quiche with the best clam chowder in the world. Anyway, I digress. It was here at Mosquito Fleet Chili that my dream came true. Our little Daphne, who's normally loud and obnoxious (yes, 8 month olds can be obnoxious) was quiet and subdued. Her cheeks were flushed and she kept fidgeting while Dave held her. I offered to hold her when his chowder came and she sat there in my arms and laid her head down to rest on my shoulders. At that moment in time, the only thing that made Daphne feel better was me. Her mom. I held her for as long as she would let me and I squeezed her as gently as I could and cherished the moment and how special it was, for I knew that even though this was one of many, my job is to ensure that my little girl has as few of these moments as possible.