Father's Day!

Hi all!

It is my first Father's Day so I thought I'd post a Father's Day Blog. I've cleared my schedule for the day so I can spend time with Elsie and Sarah, but haven't yet decided if we're going to go out and do stuff or just relax and stay in. Whatever we decide to do, I'm sure it will be fun. Elsie is nearly 6 months old, and while there are lots to choose from, here are my top Daddy moments so far (in no particular order).

Top 10 Daddy Moments

Mommy - Sarah is THE BEST MOM IN THE WORLD (no offense to other mother's out there). She does SO much for Elsie every single day and as mother's usuually do, she has a special way with her that nobody else does. Seeing her relationship with Elsie grow has been very, very special. Sarah, you are a truly great Mommy and Elsie and I love you so very much!

First Laugh - first time I made her laugh I was laying on my back and she was standing on my tummy. I kept going "BOO!" at her and she started snickering. It was adorable!

Foot in Mouth - Elsie was laying in bed with us one weekend morning. Sarah and I got up to get ready and when we turned around, Elsie had her foot in her mouth! Her eyes were SOOO big, like she'd really discovered something. Luckily, the camera was close by, and the rest is history...
Motorboating & Squeaking - you've all seen the videos so you know what I'm taking about, but the random motorboats and squeals are hilarious. Many times it is almost as if she's sqealing in approval. Like we'll say, "Elsie, what do you think?" and she'll go, "brrrrrr ahhHHHHhhhh!" and then smile. Another time I was holding her and just staring in her face and she started motorboating and drooling on me. Gotta love it!

Bathtime! - giving Elsie a bath is really fun. She likes splashing around now (thanks to the pool) and it is one of those things that Sarah and I both enjoy doing with her. Last week I was giving her a bath, and Elsie was splashing and playing with Ducky and when we came downstairs Sarah started laughing at me because the front of my shirt and shorts was soaking wet! That is pretty much the norm now. We've also learned that if you give Elsie a mohawk after the bath, her hair curls up really nice the next day. :)

Playing on the Floor - just hanging out on a weekend afternoon after all the chores and homework are done, it's really a special time to sit with Elsie and play with her and her toys. Right now she likes playing cups, but she also like her little ball or anything else she can get in hr mouth. She's sitting up all on her own and grabbing anything in sight. Her coordination has improved SO MUCH in the last month. It is truly amazing...

First Day at the Pool - The first time we used her baby pool was a great day. It was a Saturday evening and we'd been planning for it all day. Watching her splash around and try and figure out what was going on was really neat. We also got some great pictures and videos. The best was a video we got where she splashed reallly hard and it hit her in the face. She just stopped and started licking her lips with this "what the heck is going on?" look. Precious!

Exersaucer - This is Elsie's most prized posession. It's like her own little personal spaceship! She LOVES playing in it. She bounces around and grabs the different toys and spins in circles and squeals with joy when she is in it. It's also great because it helps teach her how to stand up. Watching her play in it with big smiles is awesome.

Smiles! - The first time that Elsie smiled at us was a truly amazing moment. The first couple were fast and you wondered if you'd really seen it, but then gradually she started smiling more and more. Now she smiles all the time, and I will NEVER get tired of it. It gives me so much joy to see her happy.

December 30th, 2008 - The day Elsie was born was absolutely amazing. To finally get the chance to meet this little being that was growing inside of Sarah for the last 9 months was something truly wonderful. A few seconds afterwards, when I got to see her up close, the nurses were getting her cleaned up and taking blood and she was under the heating lamp crying. I reached out my hand and she grabbed my finger so hard! All I could think of at that moment was that this was the FIRST of many times that I will hold her hand. It was like she knew exactly who I was, like she was thinking, "That's my Dad!"

In a little less than six months she's gone from this...

...to this, which is AWESOME!

I love you, Elsie!

Daddy