My First Father's Day

364 days of Fatherhood before I truly had my first Father’s Day.  I think for most expectant dads it’s not really official until you can hold your child.  Months before Brody was born I had asked Doctor Thomas (Doctor T) if I could assist with the delivery.  Doctor T knew I was in paramedic school and said she had no problem with me assisting with the delivery.  Jackie was a little concerned with how serious I would be and told me if I made one joke while in the delivery room the deal is off.  The day finally came and I have to admit I was a little nervous about following through with my plan.  I kept on thinking what if I pass out or drop my baby!  Doctor T had definitely not forgotten and called me over to get my gown on and glove up.  When I was ready she called me over and showed me the top of Brody’s head.  He had hair and lots of it!  It was incredible.  Jackie was pushing and I was pulling when the doctor told me to.  Out came the head.  I was holding his head and the doctor suctioned the mouth and nose.  “Just one more push” she told Jackie as she showed me where to put my fingers in Brody’s armpits to pull.  Brody’s bubble butt got caught and with one coordinated push from Jackie and me pulling he was out!  My exact words were “This is awesome.”  Since that day have been some of the most incredible moments of my life.

After the delivery, the nurses took Brody from the delivery room for all his tests and routine check ups.  I got to go along and be by his side the entire time.  But it was a couple hours before I could hold him again. 

Two days later, Brody came home.  We brought Wrigley out to the car to introduce him to Brody.  He was so excited to have Jackie back.  But, he sure was interested in Brody.  He had to be in the same room with him.  This was the first time Brody was in his room.  We rocked him to sleep and just hung out for a little bit.  We spent so much time getting the room ready we had to spend a little time in there.

This is Jackie's favorite photo of the two of us.  Brody was only two weeks old at the time.  I would say life is just about perfect in this moment.

First trip to a professional photographer.  We had to get a 3 generation photo for Papa Clark.  Brody was a trooper and hardly cried.  Abba photography was so patient and let Brody take a naps between photo sessions.

"My Boys"  Yes, even Wrigley has a cubs Jersey.  The Cubs were playing the Cardinals on this day and we had to do 

our part to bring them some luck.

On Sept. 1st Brody had to get his first round of shots.  He was such a trooper during the appointment and only cried for a little bit.  When we got home he went straight to sleep and we thought "Wow, that was easy".  Around 2pm he woke up, I think the pain had finally set in.  And sometimes, babies just need their Mommy to make it all better.  Thank you to my wonderful wife for being such a great Mom.

Happy Halloween!  I had to work that night so Jackie brought Brody to the station in his costume and we went next door to Dee's to Trick or Treat.  Thank you to Krista and Brent for the costume.  Brody was so happy he could be just like his cool cousin Bray!

Oh the days when he just wanted to lay with you.  Now if you aren't doing something he finds entertaining.  He's on to the next cool thing he sees!

Christmas in Illinois.  First time in snow.  For this picture i think we were outside for two minutes and his little nose was already turning red.  Go Bears!!

A great Sunday afternoon watching the Bears play.

Swimming in February is awesome.  Sure is nice to be a Florida boy.  Wrigley was running around the pool for 5 minutes before he finally jumped in.  They play so well together.

I turned 30 this year.  I couldn't be happier with my life!

Thank you Jennydensonphotography for some great photos!!

Our first family vacation.  One week at a beach house in Fernandina Beach.  We were on a sunrise walk and Brody was still a little tired.  Definitely one of my favorite photos!

On the days we didn't go for a walk.  Brody and I went for a bike ride.  The new bike seats allow the child to ride in front of you and see the world.  Sure beats staring at my sweaty back.

And here is my little man looking so grown up already.  Brody, you make fatherhood a joy! 

 I love you

Happy Birthday, Master Brody!!

Many people told us when our little guy was born, to enjoy these early moments because time flies by fast.  Boy, were they right!  You never actually realize it until these little stinkers hit those big milestones, such as their first birthday.  Funny as I think about it, I can now FINALLY tell my first graders that Brody is a year old.  The whole school year they would ask how old Brody was.  I would respond with how many months, they would look puzzled and then say, “Oh, so he’s zero years old?”  Well, no but I guess in some kind of way yes.  (I just didn’t like the sound of that)  Hey, he’s growing this monthly ladder but just hasn’t reached their definition of age worthy yet.

Setting a date for the party was a little more difficult than we planned for.  We thought about Saturday the 18^th.  Well, cancel that because that’s when all the families were arriving.  Imagine that, driving 18 hours to Florida and then being told.  Glad you’re here, but don’t unpack just yet.  We need your help decorating for the party.  Sunday was the next option and I was at the Satellite Beach Rec Center about to put a deposit down on the pavilion when she told me “You know that’s Father’s day, right?”  NO!  I didn’t but thank you for reminding me.  So scratch that day too.  Well, Tuesday it is….the 21^st.  Brody’s Birthday.  It was running smoothly in our minds.  Jackie and I, for the most part thought we had it all planned out in our heads.  Heather however, was not convinced.  She had many questions and well…..we didn’t have answers.  We are more “we’ll figure it out when it happens” type and she was the “why isn’t it written down” type.

So it’s finally here.  It’s Tuesday!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRODY!  We made muffins and had the candle which Brody was a little too fond of.  We all sang happy birthday and after that it was a blur.  Everyone had an assignment and took off for the pavilion while I was in charge of the birthday boy.  On that day he decided to go down for a two hour morning nap!!  THANK YOU BRODY.  I drove to the pavilion and dropped off Brody and went to Publix to get the cake.  We will know for next birthday to call the day before and confirm the cake will be made.  I arrived at Publix at 11:15.  Yeah, the party started at 11!  It was just as we planned it in our heads.  Guess what…NO CAKE!  Due to a simple error, the person who took the order wrote the 21^st.  The 1 was small and the S from the ST was big and the person though it was the 25^th.  They gave us a cake out of the freezer and personalized it for Brody.  They said they could have our cake to us in an hour and would deliver it to the park.  Publix came through and it was all free!!  (Thank you Deb at the Satellite Beach Publix, Where shopping is a Pleasure)  

So back to the Party, we had it all decked out in baseball/Chicago Cubs decor (Who would of thought, the first time Stu chose the more expensive plates and napkins over the cheaper ones). We enjoyed the day with family and friends by the beach.  Stuart's shift from the Fire Department came and sprayed the kids with the deck gun to give the birthday boy a good rinse after smash cake fun.  Brody was ESPECIALLY thankful that his grandparents, Aunt Heather and Uncle Brian, along with his cousins from IL were able to celebrate with him on his special day.  Happy Birthday Brody!!  Mommy and Daddy love you!!

Brody got a little tired while eating his cake, so he decided to spread the wealth.

Brody "talking" with his girlfriends, Isabella and Delana.

Definitely refreshing on the first day of summer

Like Father like son, easily distracted.  Brody playing with the balloon, while opening up presents.  I asked Stu to put it aside.  Then Stu starts making helium voices from the balloon.

Taking a break from the party to hangout with Nana.

 Thank you B-shift for coming to my party!!

The day ended with us FINALLY finding Brody's 1st bday candle.  Fortunately for him, he got to enjoy another yummy treat. 

Thank you to all of our family and friends for making his first birthday so special!

Well, Hello Bloggin' World

A year ago we had a very wise four year-old tell us we needed to start a blog (that’s you, Hadley).  We had a lot of good solid efforts thinking of an “original” blog name.  Since then, we had our amazing son Brody.  And what kind of post would this be, without a picture of this handsome little man?!

Well, time kind of slipped away from us more than usual, as most parents can relate.  I then had a brilliant idea to scrapbook Brody’s first year.  WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!!  Scrapbooking is one of those hobbies that sound good at first, but once you get behind it’s a little overwhelming.  Stuart was doing his idea of “Father/Son Bonding,” ESPN, when Brody crawled into the kitchen and ripped a completed page of the scrapbook.  In my defense, I was watching the Cubs' highlight on ESPN where they actually won.  Which brings us to the present moment, the Blades are NOW BLOGGIN’.   Our goal is to make this a collective effort.  Stuart wants to have HIS perspective on our lives for others to view, but I think he just wants to be able to defend himself when things go astray.