“Ah Wan BaBa”

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30

My youngest daughter, Olivia, is just shy of two years old.  Her way of speaking is like most little girls her age, absolutely adorable.  Her first word was, of course, “mama”.  Followed shortly by “mine”.  Having two older sisters has definitely caused her to learn to stand up for herself.  But my favorite word of all is what she calls my husband - BaBa.  That’s right, you read that correctly.  It sounds like what you would hear coming from a pasture of sheep.  BaBa.

Olivia started out a definite mama’s girl.  That has slowly been changing over the last few months.  She has been looking to her BaBa for more and more of her comfort and reassurance.  The transformation was solidified this past weekend.

I had the amazing opportunity to attend the She Speaks Conference hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries, leaving my girls to spend the weekend with their daddy.  While the conference was phenomenal, all I could think of while driving home was how much I was looking forward to seeing those three little girls.  I couldn’t wait for Olivia to come running to me with arms outstretched yelling, “mama!”.

As I pulled into the driveway and saw all four of them standing there, my heart leapt.  I jumped out of my car and two little girls came running and wrapped their arms around me.  My little Olivia, clung closely to her BaBa.  Peering at me shyly from behind his leg.  It was official.  She had become a daddy’s girl.

My husband explained that the two of them had been inseparable over the weekend.  They swam, read books, colored and played Barbies.  Yes, my husband is man enough to play Barbies with his daughters.  Each night, he sang her to sleep while rocking her in his arms.  It was an all-around Olivia and BaBa love fest.  So much so, that she wants nothing else now.  She wants to be with her daddy all the time.  To be in his arms, to play with him, to be loved on by him.  All I hear from her is, “Ah Wan BaBa”.

My experience at She Speaks was much like Olivia’s weekend.  I was loved on by my Heavenly Father in ways that I just don’t even have the words to express.  He showed me His grace, His love, His plan for me.  He helped me to let go of a rejection that I have been carrying around for the past ten years.  I can now honestly say that I praise Him for the experience.  He confirmed my gifts and gave me a vision for my calling.  

And now, like Olivia, I want more and more of Him.  I want to be with Him all of the time.  To hear Him speak to me.  To read His word.  To feel His love for me.   

And so, it is official for me, as well.  I have become a Daddy’s girl.


How about you?  Are you a Daddy's girl?  How has He been loving on you lately?  Leave a comment to let me know.

Resting in "BaBa's" arms