Father's Day Fun

I woke up this morning to the beautiful sound of my daughter calling out my name . . . "gaaa blsssth owwww sssspp ahhh coooo!" At least that's what she calls me when she's got both of her hands in her mouth and is asking about breakfast. I gladly got out of bed, picked up my salivatingly-smiling daughter, changed her 2 pound wet diaper, and gave her a tasty bottle for breakfast. After a quick nap for us both, she (along with Jen) surprised me with my first Father's Day pancake breakfast interspersed with gift opening between bites.

Then it hit me. This is my first Father's Day. It's always been a semi-special day for us sons and daughters - remembering, thanking, and giving extra attention to our dads - but this time it's entirely different for me. Evie June has made me something I wasn't before - a dad.

Of course with that new status comes perks like getting a free candy bar after church if you're a dad, having every mother and grandmother in a 2 mile radius gravitate towards your baby to pinch her cheek and remark how cute she is, talk to other dads in that cool and understood way about poop and pee, and, most importantly, getting to parent an amazing and beautiful child.

Since Evie got me a Frisbee for this special occasion, we decided to christen it first in the backyard and then at the local park. She let Jen do most all of the the throwing and catching.


We just happen to stumble upon the bmx track and Evie wanted to give it a try.


I think she got like three feet of air on that one.


She also let me continue to hone my fathering skills by changing a nasty diaper, giving her more swimming and bathing lessons, and simply hanging out in my arms. It's hard to put into words how much joy, hope, thankfulness, and contentedness comes over me because of my daughter. What seemed like "extra responsibilities" of having a child before I was a dad are now these ripe, abundant opportunities for me to unconditionally love a brand new person, and in doing so, become the kind of man and father I'd hope to be someday - just like my dad.

Frisbees and pancakes aside, the best present by far that I got on this day honoring dads was simply the gift which made me a father myself.


Thanks Evie June,
Dad

Gotcha Day!

Yesterday we participated in a rite of passage that all adoptive families enjoy--Gotcha Day. Adoptive kids are lucky for many reasons, not the least of which is the bonus birthday celebrating the milestone of finalization. Some families observe the day they first met the child, or got to take the child home. For our situation, it made sense to turn what could have been a mere formality into something special. So, we dressed up (I even ironed clothing!) and headed south to the King County Courthouse for our final hearing.

Here, Evie June and I wait in the lobby with a handful of other adoptive families.

Super Baby looks for signs of trouble on the busy Seattle streets as she awaits her day in court.

We were ushered unceremoniously into the small courtroom where we were asked to raise our right hands. Those of you that know me understand that this was the most difficult part of the day for me. Evie June got it right on the first try. Afterward, our lawyer asked us a few questions, the judge asked a few more, and then whipped out a big stamp, mumbled something official and invited us up for a family photo.

Clearly, our attorney is a better adoption lawyer than he is a photographer.

We took a moment to snap a photo of Evie and her counsel, Albert. He asked her if she wanted him to change her name to something cool (like Punkin or Sweetiebird or Switchblade). Luckily, she had no objections to Evelyn June.

We then spent an anticlimatic hour wheeling Evie June around as we waited for . . . copies.

She was obviously much happier to be outside. We rolled down the steep sidewalks to Pioneer Square and Magic Mouse toys. Jimmy knocked over a display and accidentally walked out with magnetic letters "I" and "L" in his pocket. (Don't worry, he returned them.) His daughter was much better behaved and walked out with a new friend (paid for and everything) to commemorate her first Gotcha Day.

It took a little while for her to warm up to little Al . . .

But we think the girls are going to be inseperable.

Because Evie June will always be adopted, Gotcha Day matters. It matters to us to celebrate her unique story and journey into our lives. But just as she will always be adopted, she's always been ours. Even before we held her just after her birth, she was our baby. Even before we first felt her kick inside her birth-mom's tummy, she's occupied a place in our hearts that is uniquely hers. And that's worth celebrating every day.
Jen

Baby Trip

Nana Jules is visiting, so we took a break from staring at Evie June to head up to Victoria, British Columbia. We rode the ferry through the beautiful San Juan Islands, past a pod of Orcas and into Victoria's Inner Harbor. Evie June was as unimpressed with the grand architechture, museums, and customs officials as she was by her first sailing through international waters. Still, she managed to find a few things entertaining.


Picketing parliament.


A public diaper change along the waterfront.



Playing low-baby on the totem pole (that darn frog gets her every time).


Air-tasting Nana's dessert on ferry ride home.


Sleeping just above the engine room on board. Ah, the peace and quiet of a bio-diesel engine.

All in all, Evie June seemed to enjoy the trip, though I'm a little concerned at the baby "eh" now punctuating her babble.
Jen