I cried that cry that comes over you when you feel the unbridled and overwhelming love of parenthood. I cried that there were days that I denied myself that feeling for her and I cried that I can finally, honestly say that I no longer think about the life we would be living without her. Somewhere along the line, I have discovered that there is no "we" or "us" without her.
Now, I don't mean to cheapen this moment, because it was (for me) somewhat profound. I had spent a lot of days thinking about the things we would be doing if The Geel wasn't here; and to be still for a moment, watching her just be and realizing that I couldn't remember the last time I'd had those thoughts, was a pretty big moment for me. But the reason the title of this post came to mind was what happened in the next moment.
I wiped my eyes, took the comb from her and pulled her to me to hug and squeeze this beautiful little creature that had just unwittingly overwhelmed me. And then I was unwittingly overwhelmed by something entirely different: the stench emanating from her rear. While it was obvious what the issue was, it occurred to me that while I was basking in this motherly glow, crying simultaneously with small regret and great joy, that my gorgeous, wonderful, joyous baby girl was simultaneously combing my hair and dropping a deuce. I found myself laughing.
And so this is motherhood: Overwhelmed by something profound, then the moment passes. Overwhelmed by something so much more pedestrian but requiring no less attention--and as that moment passed I was simply thankful that I had stopped to let her comb my hair before I had changed her diaper and put on her pajamas.