the Chattanooga Aquarium

A couple of weeks ago we drove down to Chattanooga to meet my (then) two week old niece, Millie, and help my sister as she started out life as mom. Chattanooga has an amazing aquarium, so we took the kids. 

That sentence sounds so weird to me. My sister and I each have a kid? But we are the kids. We are our parents' kids and now we have kids. 

Anyway, there's nothing that makes you feel like a good parent like paying $50 to get into the aquarium to show your baby some fish. The whole time I was aware that Liesel couldn't tell the difference between the aquarium window and our computer screen at home, but we took these pictures so one day she'll know that we spent some money to give her an enriching experience.

This shark scared her, so I could tell she was paying attention. That's my girl. Soak in the enrichment that is something other than me smiling at you and talking in my baby voice to you. 

Millie just slept the whole time. It's a good thing her admission was free.

I always thought that child-centered outings would be such a drag, but this was really fun. I'm learning that when you become a parent, you start to view the world through your child's eyes and suddenly everything is more exciting because you know it's the first time your child has seen these things. 

And then an impromptu newborn session started to happen and we just went with it.

Sweet Millie girl. When I got pregnant my sister was all "that's great, you have all the babies because I'm not ready yet." Five months and three positive pregnancy tests later, Millie was on her way, and Meg and I got to go through the insane road of pregnancy and birth together. I think it's safe to say that we're coasting now, which feels so good. Just coasting downhill, pushing our strollers along together.

Father's Day 2013

It seemed like the third time in as many days that we had to backtrack, break down the miscommunication, apologize to each other, offer reassurance, make a new plan, and then try to invent humor or romance out of dry air to move forward with our evening together on a positive note. This from a couple who usually never fights.

Unaccustomed to my happily ever after being shaken up, I wanted to know what the deal was.

"I'm trying to be everything I need to be here. It's hard."

I suddenly saw him as I first saw him, and realized in a moment how much he has had to change for us. The first time I met him he was 24 and still wearing his college wardrobe, almost hyperactively trying to impress me. His business was just taking off and he had more money than he knew what to do with. He cut his own hair, spent all his time with his friends, and had more light moments than serious ones. He could get his work done in one sitting without getting interrupted. His most important family role was to be a good son. He was always available when a friend needed him and he saw all the new movies when they came out in theaters. His actions affected only himself. His highest degree of responsibility was to his clients. There were no life or death situations. No one depended on him to be able to eat. He spent every day fending off boredom, and he did it well.

Everything since then has changed, and I suddenly felt sad for asking this of him. As I went along marrying him and making him a father, I didn't really think about how I was also urging him into heavier and heavier responsibility. Before me sits the complete package: loving husband, dependable provider, joyful dad, constant companion, dream chaser. He works so hard for us to be all that he is.

"I'm sorry you had to give up your easy life for this."

And then the same boyish grin and sparkling eyes I saw at my front door on the first night I met him smiled at me and said: "I'm not."