My First Father’s Day

To celebrate my husband’s First Father’s Day, I invited him to write a post on what this special day means to him and how it has changed since the arrival of our baby boy: My First Father’s Day

In honour of father’s day, Natalie has handed over the reins so that I can offer a father’s perspective on what it means to finally be a dad.  This will be my first Father’s Day as a dad, which gives me a whole new outlook on the annual event. My First Father’s Day

Father’s days over the years have passed by with relatively little fanfare.  I genuinely thank my father for all that he has done for me and wish him a happy father’s day. We usually get together as a family and give him a modest gift.  It is nice, but not over the top.  This year offers a whole new perspective as I get to celebrate being on the other side with 8 month old, Charlie. My First Father’s Day

From the first time I laid eyes on Charlie, I could not stop smiling.  I knew this little guy would change our lives forever and after Natalie had provided his first skin to skin hugs, he was laying on my chest, skin ti skin in the hospital room, sound asleep.  The first hug for me was indescribable and finally allowed me to connect with him. Natalie had told me about the importance of the Huggies Hug Plan but finally having him on my chest gave us a connection that I couldn’t have even imagined. Until then, all I had felt was mild kicks throughout the pregnancy.  From the first hug, I didn’t want to let him go and I now take every opportunity to wrap my arms around him.  Now that he is a little bigger, he’s even able to hug me back! My First Father’s Day

I love spending time with Charlie, playing, wrestling, tickling and doing just about anything I can to illicit hilarious squealing laughter from him.  Between laughs, I even asked my dad, “did you do the same thing with me?”, “Absolutely.” My First Father’s Day

From the moment we’re born, our proud father’s know almost every move we make, they watched us grow, played with us,  tossed us in the air,  applauded at every minor milestone that we surpassed as babies, infants, toddlers.

Make no mistake, mothers are incredible.  From carrying him for 9 months, giving birth, constant late night feeds, no sleep and now absolute patience as Charlie learns and grows, I am constantly impressed and amazed at the job my wife does.  But I have now developed a new sense of how much time, effort and love that it took from my father to help raise me (I wasn’t an easy child, from what I hear).

So what does father’s day mean to me now that I am part of the fathers club?  It’s not getting a “happy father’s day” wish, a gift or being celebrated.  It is that I have gained a whole new appreciation for my own parents and my own father. My First Father’s Day  

It means that I need to truly thank my parents for the love they have given me.  If it’s even a fraction of the love and hugs and attention that Natalie and I give to Charlie, I am incredibly grateful and hope that I can continue to pass it on to our son.

I’m so proud to be Charlie’s Dad. 

My First Father’s Day

*Sponsored by Huggies Canada