Joel and Jubilee...

You forget a lot of things about having a new babe. Things like how fussy "fussy hours" are in the evening, how much energy it takes to feed and care for a newborn, etc, but there are wonderful things that you forget too. How it feels to have a tiny babe snuggled into your neck. What it feels like when they start to smile at you and how sweet they look right after a bath. My favorite thing that I forgot though, was how fast and hard Joel falls in love with his children. I mean, I really truly forgot. I forgot how he becomes such a papa bear immediately after they are born, so protective. In fact, while I was still in the operating room, my awesome nurse came back in and said what a papa bear Joel was. It started coming back to me. But it wasn't until I saw him with Jubilee, saying the sweetest things to her so freely and unabashedly that I truly remembered. What joy! Then when she came to stay in my room finally and he would be up there, he just wouldn't put her down. It was when he said, " I wish I would have brought the sling, I hate putting her in that plastic thing (bassinet)", that I think my heart fluttered in recognition. It was such a gift to me when the twins were born, how quickly he bonded with them even though they were so premature. He loved them in a way that took me longer to. With Jubilee, it was just a sweet sight to see. My favorite thing I forgot by far.

All for now, Jen
P.S. How about Jubilee's little elf hat my mom made? Love.