… was just like any other day before Little Bug came into my life.

We were anxiously awaiting “the call” from Tracy saying she was in labor and headed to the hospital.

That morning I slept in. I had absolutely no idea how sleep for me was about to change!

And I am not talking about the typical interrupted newborn sleep. The kind where you sleep in 2-4 hour increments and, if you happen to get a 5 hour stretch, you feel like you are in heaven.

I am talking about the way I sleep now. Little Bug is a good sleeper. It is not that I am up at all hours of the night trying to get her to go to sleep. She sleeps and sleeps well.

But I constantly have one ear tuned to listening out for her.

I guess it is just a mother thing because Dave certainly doesn’t have this problem. One night recently Little Bug did wake in the wee hours of the morning and it was because of teething. I was up about 1.5 hours before she went back to sleep. I asked Dave if he heard us up in the middle of the night and he said, “No.”

My ears are constantly in tune with her cry because I am her mother.

There is nothing in my life now that I do or don’t do without first considering Little Bug and how it will affect her.

Errands are run around her eating and nap schedule. We are sure to be home in time for her to get to bed at 8pm. I clean my house in a way that enables me to have my focus on her when she is awake instead of focusing on the house.

We believe a home does not revolve around the children in it, however, we also believe that Little Bug’s eating and sleeping needs must be respected. So, we are always mindful of eating and napping times. It is a season of life. One day Little Bug won’t need to eat at the same time every day and she won’t need to nap twice a day and our schedule will become more flexible.

The day before Little Bug was born, I slept in and then cleaned my entire house real good! Perfect timing or mother’s intuition, knowing the time of her birth was drawing near?

I find it interesting how God gave me motherly instincts for Little Bug before she even left Tracy’s womb and was technically my little girl.

That evening we went over to my parents’ house for dinner.

As we were pulling into our driveway at around 10:30pm my cell phone rang.

Immediately, my heart began racing as I scrambled to find the phone in my purse.

I knew the time had come.

It was Tracy and she said her water had broken and she was headed to the hospital.

Dave & I went inside, took our showers and then headed to the hospital around midnight. Those hours were surreal. I was elated and nervous all at the same exact time.

Seven hours later, our lives forever changed with the birth of our Little Bug.

I had no idea at the time just how much life really would change.

Of course, everyone and their sister had told me life would change, but you just don’t really understand that I suppose until life really does change!

Now, as a year has passed, I can barely remember life before Little Bug was such a HUGE part of it.

She is such a tremendous blessing and I thank God he gave us Little Bug a year ago tomorrow.

Dave and I often lay in bed at the end of day and laugh at the cute things Little Bug did that day. We become overwhelmed with our love for her and it is hard to imagine that there was a time that we did not know Little Bug.

God in His great mercy has blessed our marriage with the most precious daughter. She is not half me and half Dave, but we realize now more than ever that it so doesn’t matter.

It just so doesn’t matter.

What does matter is that I am her Mama, Dave is her Da-da and Little Bug is our beautiful little girl.

- Elaine