#1 Dad

the mug G got daddy for Father's Day

Dear G,

Father's day was yesterday, and as is your dramatic style...we had to stay home from church for the first time since you were born because you were inconsolable in the morning. It was so bad; we tried EVERYTHING known to man to make you feel better / stop screaming and finally we gave you half a dose of baby Tylenol. Last resort. I was walking around on egg shells yesterday trying to avoid doing anything that might re-agitate you after you had calmed down. Your dad and I truly thought you were cutting a tooth...but still no tooth. Grammy said maybe your shots (first ones ever last Thursday) were getting to you. We didn't think that made sense because it was now Sunday, but I'm now inclined to believe agree with her because you just now had another miserable bout of inconsolable crying. It seemed worse than yesterday, but that's probably just because your daddy wasn't here. It's very nice having him around to tag-team with. I hate seeing you cry, and it's even worse when I've never seen or heard you cry so hard...I was on the verge of tears myself. Stupid shots.
Thankfully your daddy is awesome and is such a great help with you. He has been an amazing husband to me for the past two and a half years, but I'll really focus on the daddy things here.

trying to distract you out of crying, naked tummy time

From the day we found out you were growing inside me, daddy has been nothing but supportive and compassionate. He was a little nervous in the beginning and that's understandable! He had a new job and we were in a new place...and now a new baby! Thankfully that new job came with great health insurance so that we could find the best care for you and me. Daddy came to the first ultrasound, even though there wasn't much to see. It was 2 weeks after finding out about you, and I scheduled it around his lunch break. It was July 15th. You were so tiny--all we really saw was a grain of rice until the sonographer zoomed in. There, on the black and white screen we saw your teeny, tiny, beating heart. Bump, bump, bump, bump. It was around 160 beats per minute. You were healthy and growing. Justin became a father and I a mother in that very instant. We left the office excited, scared, and most of all in awe of the gift God was entrusting us with.

Daddy with your 20 wk sonogram pictures

The next few months I saw the kind of father your daddy was going to be to you. He brought me crackers and water in bed when I was nauseous. He told me I was beautiful when I felt fat (still does). He went on walks with me, and talked about all the things we hoped for our little bear. He said countless rosaries for our health. He came to almost all of our pre-natal appointments. He went to the library and picked out a daddy-to-be book. He read the whole thing. He also did, in my opinion, one of the most selfless thing a man of his age could do. He said yes to doing the Bradley birth method! When I told him all about it, and how I didn't want you entering the world medicated...he was on board. He went with me to class every Tuesday night from 7 to 10, from the end of August until the middle of November. That's why it was selfless. Something like 50 hours of birth class, all because I told him it's what I wanted for us and you...he is glad we did though. We learned lots about pregnancy/labor/birth and successfully gave birth to you the Bradley way in February.
We didnt find out what sex you were until you were born. When everyone asked what we thought you were...he knew you were a girl. I did too (I didn't care what sex you were whatsoever.) and that's why we scrutinized over girl names wwaaaayy more than boy names. You have him to thank for not being named: Georgia, Guilianna, Lucy, or Hadleigh...but you may still end up with a sister of one of those names though ;-)
Your daddy wanted a boy--He knows you will still go fishing with him...he just wanted a boy because he didn't want to deal with her (you) dating and being around boys like him when he was younger.
So, daddy was very supportive of us while you were still in my belly. And when it came time for you to arrive, he was calm and attentive. He counted and timed contractions with me. He pushed in on my back where you were pushing out on my back, trying to make me feel better. He got me water and was my shoulder/body to lean on when I got weak.
You arrived and your daddy was right there to announce, "it's a girl!!!" We were so happy you were finally here! Daddy stayed in the hospital with us and was very active from the start. I think I changed like 2 diapers in the hospital. He snuggled you lots and brought me snacks and water.

Father's Day reading!

Your daddy has always been supportive of me breastfeeding you...so much so that I often say, "we breastfeed," when in all reality, I'm the one doing it.
Something that makes you really, really lucky is that daddy started baby work outs with you pretty quickly. This is what I attribute your strength too.
While some may say that dads don't really get involved with babies until the babies can interact with them...I disagree.
Your daddy was counting with you, showing you his fingers, "one, two, three, four, five," and making you aware of your own fingers at age 4 days old. He reads you stories, and sings little songs to you.
We started tummy time early on and he always gently encouraged you to lift your head...now you never put it down. He also was the one who propped you up first and should get a lot of the credit for your stability. Although you aren't sitting unassisted yet, you're very strong!
Yesterday we witnessed you rolling from back to tummy for the first time ever. I was so excited, but your daddy was over excited! Last night he apologized (not necessary) for pushing you so hard. He's very gentle though, not overbearing or anything. He leads by example, modeling rolling and crawling in front of you on the floor. He just sent me a text message asking if you've rolled over today yet. He is currently trying to teach you to crawl.
He just wants you to be the best, reaching your full potential. I think that makes him a great father, and the love he shows you makes him the best daddy I know.

Ps. things that make him a great husband and therefore a great father by default for keeping momma happy :)

• He is a provider; working 55ish hour weeks
• One of my favorites: cleans the shower
• Takes the trash and recycling, does the occasional load of laundry or washing of dishes.
• Mr. Fix-it for all things mechanical, electrical, and home-related.
• He's pretty good at communicating, and tries to say hi at least once during the day.
• He.is.very.patient. Always.
• Listens to me complain, nag, whine and still loves me & doesn't get mad--because he says he knows I don't mean any harm (true)
• Puts up with my hormonal outbursts & tries to offer other perspectives
• Doesn't mind getting dirty and is our official spider / bug terminator
• Takes you from me if I got spit up on me (or worse), and need to clean up
• Gets me water while I feed you, and sometimes I don't even say please!
• He encouraged me to stay home with you
• Takes us to church. 
• Doesn't play video games (holla!) so therefore we are even luckier because he's not distracted
• He believes and acts like things that matter aren't things. This is so important because he knows a lot of people driving new trucks or owning nice homes...but he has us and especially you...and that's all that matters.

Daddy & G Father's Day 2011