Image by Kelly Canova Photography
Kelly Canova Photography

“I was the first person she saw when she came out.”

This is how my husband, with a twinkle in his eye and a child-like grin, recounts the birth of our daughter. And, despite the fact that I endured 41 weeks of pregnancy and a 24+ hour, less-than-perfect delivery, I wouldn’t want him to remember the experience any other way, because that moment, when he locked eyes with his only child, was the instant he earned his most prized title: dad.

As moms, we earn our “parent” wings when we become pregnant, and the attention rarely moves from our growing tummies until (while angels sing!) the tiny star is born. And then, life shifts to auto pilot. But, if you stop, and look, you can witness another precious gift motherhood affords us that we don’t often discuss or chronicle: the opportunity to watch your partner become a parent.

For me, that transformation has been one of the highlights of parenthood. While the sacrifices my husband has made to support our family are admirable, it’s those moments when I hear him giggling with our daughter or watch him set aside his pride to sing and dance for her that are truly priceless.

And I often wonder why we don’t celebrate these moments more.

It’s easy to get caught on the hamster wheel of motherhood. But every now and then, I encourage you to give yourself permission to take pause and look beyond the bottles, diapers, school bags, social calendars and homework to drink in those sweet, fleeting moments that were created just for you – they are the unsung gifts of parenthood, you’ve earned them!

 

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shelleyouellette
p>Contributor

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Family: Dad, Mom, Baby Girl and a dog named Gator.

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Education: B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida. Yes, I do bleed orange and blue!!

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Mom Acronym: WAHM (work at home mom)

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Your Perfect Day: Staring at a sun-filled blue sky while lying on New Smyrna Beach and jumping ocean waves with my daughter.

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Can’t Live Without: My "crackberry" BlackBerry phone -- yes, I'm a Blackberry loyalist (for now anyway).

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Favorite Pregnancy/Labor & Delivery/Parenting Tip: This one applies to all: JUST BREATHE!

2 COMMENTS

  1. Your daughter is so unbelievably fortunate to have both of you as parents. I can’t wait to watch both her journey and you and Bri’s journey as she grows! Here’s to many more days of Brian breaking out the dance moves and singing at the top of his lungs. 🙂

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