It happened one day

I believe in many different things. I believe that toast always lands butter side down. I believe you step on a crack you break your mama’s back. I believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If you would have asked me if I believed in love at first sight a year and a half ago, I would have probably laughed and said that was the type of thing better left for books or movies. That changed on October 1, 2007 at 12:38 pm. I am not talking about the cliché of two people making eyes at each other across the room. I’m talking about the day my daughter was born.

I have never experienced that instant love that you hear about described in movies or by starry- eyed married couples. My experience with love has been friendships that grow to love and admiration overtime. The whole time I was pregnant there was no connection with the person in my belly. I never really consciously thought about what is going to happen when I meet her for the first time. My life and beliefs changed drastically on that warm October afternoon. From the minute I saw her I was smitten. Her ten fingers, her ten toes, her button nose (just like mine), her big eyes, and her long eyelashes (just like her father’s); she was perfect! I had never seen a more perfect and beautiful baby. All I could do was look at her and cry tears of joy. Her dark blue eyes looked into my eyes and I knew she felt the same way. Even though we just met, we had an instant connection; it was love.

When we got home from the hospital my priorities in life instantly changed. My life before of watching movies, hanging out with friends, shopping, stalking people on facebook, and reading gossip on perezhilton.com, it all meant nothing. I had no concern for my own needs or wants. I knew it was love because it went against everything my life was before; I gladly got up every 2-3 hours to feed or change my daughter’s diaper. I knew it was love because I was never angry or upset when she would not go back to bed after the 2 am feeding I was just happy to cuddle her in my arms and share that precious bonding time with my daughter. I had no time to watch television or even get on the Internet (gasp!). It didn’t matter that I was tired, hungry, perhaps a little smelly, and uniformed about celebrity gossip; I just had to make sure her needs were taken care of above all else.

Although I still don’t believe in the cheesy “Our eyes met, we fell in love!” story, I have a deep understanding for the instant connection and love a first sight between a parent and child. This is a special kind of love. It is unfaltering. The child can spit up, poop, and pee on you (all in the same day) but nothing can change that strong love the parent has for that child.