Father's Day

Today was a great first Father's Day for Mike. We showed him a great time, if I do say so myself. First he got breakfast in bed- yum! Then he got his presents: a new picture of mom and baby for him to take to work, and a Nintendo Wii (this was also for his birthday present, since all I gave him that day was his first child...). We had to set up and play the Wii a bit- Mike stomped me in tennis and boxing, but I took the crown in bowling, with a score of 178. If only I could do so well in real life!

Later in the morning, we set out for Cape Ann. We'd never been up there before, but it was fantastic, even on a dreary day like today. First we walked around Gloucester, which had a nice downtown with shops and loads of historic buildings. They also have a big wharf there. Then it was off to Rockport, a super cute touristy town on the water. More cute shops and scenic coastline. We had lunch there with a great view of the water, and then walked around on the beach. We finished up with a walk around Halibut Point State Park, which has a gorgeous lake- an old quarry filled up with water. It also has great views of the rocky coast. So all in all, a fun day.

Now I'm busy packing for my trip to California, Washington and Wisconsin. I'll be gone for 3 weeks, with Michael joining us for the last two of those. It is amazing how much stuff one needs to travel with a baby. I'm a little concerned about handling the first few legs of my trip without Mike, but I'm sure we'll manage somehow. I'm excited to see my dad tomorrow, and wish him a happy belated father's day.

I also want to say, on this fathers day, that I think my husband is the best father ever. He is so totally in love with our baby. He stares into her eyes and tells her how beautiful she is every day. He gets so excited watching her grow and do new things. This morning, she started lifting up her head and neck more than she has before, and he was so proud. He holds her, sings to her, plays with her, changes her stinky diapers without complaint, allows her to spit up on him every day, gets up at 4am to feed her, when I just can't do it, and so much more. He tells me every day that I am the best mom ever and how proud he is of me, and it means so much, especially on those tough days. I tell him that he, too, is the best, and I hope he knows just how much I mean it. I already loved him beyond words, but each and every day I find myself loving him even more. Who knew it was possible to love so much? And so today, I thank you, Michael, for being my everything. For loving the both of us with your whole heart and for taking care of us like no one else. I love you.