First Father's Day

Today is my husband's first Father's Day. I've been pondering all weekend what exact points I would touch on when writing this post. Probably this has been my hardest to write so far because there are just so many things that I think about when I think of my husband, Jon. Begging him not to tell on me when I scratched his arm in gym class in fifth grade. Flirting with him in our high school math class. All the tears I've shed during his military trainings and deployment to Kuwait. Even more tears that were shed during our many break ups. Getting married. Buying a house together. Camping trips and vacations. Fights, arguments, and making up. Pregnancy, childbirth, and the rocky road of beginning parenthood.

I think that illustrates just a bit of what we've been through together. I don't know for sure, but I am guessing that the first few months of being Amelia's dad was not any more of a piece of cake than being a mother was for me. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure of this when I recall many of our initial battles disagreements of how to deal with her colicky screaming, refusal to be put down, and her difficulty sleeping. I remember reading somewhere that the divorce rate increases dramatically during the first two years of parenthood. I can believe that and congratulate all you parents that have made it past those early years without killing your spouse.

 Add to that Amelia's current insistence that she wants MOMMY when she is upset, and I'm certain that Jon has sometimes wondered if there would be any highlights of fatherhood. I keep telling him that someday Amelia will hate me and only want her dad, but that isn't very reassuring when your baby is screaming and crying with snot running from nose to mouth and reaching for your wife. This despite his efforts to mimic all my tricks, such as rocking, swaying, singing, and shushing. Let's get to the bottom line here, though. For our daughter, if she's upset, and you don't lactate, she's not interested.

Luckily, though, Amelia is old enough that her personality has really blossomed and when she isn't tired and cranky, she has some very special moments with her da da (which she can say already... so not fair.) Sitting on Daddy's lap in the morning while he's on the computer. Going jogging with him and the dog while Mommy goes to the gym. Listening to him read her poetry. His hilarious crawling tutorials. Laughing at her when she says "HEY DA DA!!!!"

So, when I think my husband today on his first Father's Day, these are the moments that I cherish. Seeing my husband look at Amelia with such love and care makes my heart melt into one big puddle of joy. I look forward to all of the Father's Days in our future as special days to reflect on the important bond that our little girl has with her daddy.