I appreciate the feedback, J. It opens up more avenues for thought and that is priceless. I agree about the seeds analogy. And I enjoyed reading about your love for your garden and seedlings.

From the dream I felt that I was moving on to the next level and that the new baby would be where I once was. My moving on was a consolation that more than made up for any pang of jealousy because I was ready for the new experience I was going to have. However, it was perhaps a better or better-equipped baby than I had been. And I think it definitely was receiving a refined love. Because through loving me and the experience it gave my dad as I grew, he probably realized that next time he would even give more love to a baby because he saw that it was not harmful to kiss the baby all over (didn't make the baby feel entitled, but rather loved).

I do think that it is progressive how each generation gets more (love) and starts off on better footing than the one before. My parents received less from their parents, and I received more...now the new baby will receive even more to start out with, and so on. Learning to better parent through each generation via practice and mistakes, etc.