I know it is definitely a cliché to state this, but the most amazing and important job a man can have is to be a father. I thought I had a pretty full and fun life until my little girl was born about 4 1/2 years ago. With her arrival came the realignment of my priorities and I cannot honestly imagine my life before she came around. I became a father later in life, at least compared to my friends. I was 37 when my first and only child was born. My wife and I had been married almost 5 years and had dated another 3 years so up until our daughter's arrival it was just the two of us experiencing things together and doing what we wanted. If we wanted to get in the car and go somewhere for the weekend we did. If we wanted to go out and grab a late dinner with friends we did that too. As fun as that sounds, and it was, I really do not miss it because of the amazing person we are blessed to have. We still go out to dinner with friends, but now we go out earlier in the evening and maybe our restaurant choice is different from what it would have been without a child. Making those adjustments are really not an inconvenience, it is just something you do as a parent.
With Father's Day coming up I originally was going to share my favorite memory of that day, but thinking back to all of the incredible and fun experiences I have had with, and because of, my daughter has me thinking of my favorite memories so far. A number of my favorites are ones that I am sure are on most fathers’ lists but they were such milestones they cannot be ignored. Of course, the most amazing experience was the night she was born and is on the top of the list. My wife was in labor about 15 hours when it was discovered that my daughter was breech, so an emergency C-section was going to be necessary. It obviously added more stress to the situation but in the end everything turned out okay. I clearly remember standing in the nursery by myself with the nurse as she checked over my daughter (my wife was in recovery from the procedure she had just gone through). My daughter was getting examined and cleaned up and warmed up under the warmer. Until her temperature was brought up to the necessary level I was not able to pick her up and hold her, which I was jumping out of my skin to do. Finally after what seemed like an hour (though it was actually only about 10 minutes or so), I was able to hold her. She was just so small and perfect I could not believe it. She weighed in at 9 lbs 3 oz. so she was not tiny but she was just small and helpless and totally dependent on me to care for her. Even though I could see them for myself, I literally touched and counted each finger and toe to confirm there were ten of each. I remember watching the nurse give her the first bath and swaddle her. I remember looking out of the nursery windows and see my family and my wife's family all looking in. There were so many of them in attendance for my daughter's birth, I think at least 5 or 6 of the windows were filled with familiar faces.
One of my most favorite memories of that night was getting to push my daughter in on her cart and pick her up and gently place her in my wife's arms. I had already had her to myself for about an hour or so and had the opportunity to take pictures and video. I had not seen my wife after going through the delivery so it was an emotional moment for both of us. I remember sitting in the reclining chair in our hospital room watching my wife rest from her exhausting ordeal and holding my daughter in my arms for hours. I did not want to put her down but finally, at around 4 in the morning, I laid her in her cart and wheeled her to the nursery so I could get a few hours of sleep. It had been almost 24 hours since I had woken up the previous morning; the final morning I woke up not being a father. It has been 4 1/2 years since then and I cannot remember a time when I was not a father.
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About Mike Brill and My Springfield Mommy
My Springfield Mommy has been sharing her passion for deals, reviews and giveaways with readers for three years. The goal of the site is simple help Mom's save money so that they can work less and spend more time with their family's. Together Mike, Margie and their daughter Maris are committed to helping you save money, discover new products and have a little fun while doing it...there is no harm in fun...is there?