What a difference a year makes…. This time 365 days before, as the husband’s inaugural Father’s Day dawned, we were bleary eyed and somewhat bewildered (well, perhaps that was just me) parents to a 2 week old baby boy, struggling (again, probably just me) to adapt to our “new normal”. So much so that I sent my poor husband shopping in search of his own Father’s Day gift – yes, his very first and supposed to be ultra special Father’s day… and here I was, not even able to venture to the shops to lovingly select the present myself! Forget Mother of the Year, Wife of the Year was not out of reach and threatening to be awarded my way.

And as for embarking on an adventure out into the big bad world with child, I’d been far too preoccupied to contemplate that. Yet, with my own Dad making a beautiful surprise visit from Coffs Harbour to see me, an end had to be put to my self imposed hibernation. It appeared car trips could no longer be avoided…

It was a momentous day, complete with a military precision routine rolled out just to get us out the door, and Qantas baggage handlers required to transport all of our oh so necessary baby paraphernalia 15 minutes down the road to my sister’s place. But we did it. And most importantly, I’d survived the outside world with child!

One year on, and the tables have truly turned. For instance, we drove to the Central Coast to mark the day – big progress! And I am pleased to report that not only were this years gifts (yes, plural, to make up for last year!) purchased well in advance for the upcoming celebratory day, but we were in much more merry states than this time a year before (does it sound like there is an echo in here if, for the record, I state that possibly just relates solely to me again?). But lets not get too ahead of ourselves and break out the high-fives all round. I still managed to muck up the timing of posting my father-in-laws gift – so, yes, room for improvement still exists. He’ll now be enjoying an extending Father’s Day this year, his gift likely to land on his doorstep Tuesday instead of Sunday…

Dejavu would have it that its my big sister’s turn to ride the newborn roller coaster this time around, but by the time Sept 2010 creeps off the calendar, she too will look back tenderly at the tiring early days of tending to your new child’s all consuming needs and remark how far they have all come. A year seems to be such a good gauge when it comes to scoring your levels of survival…!

So to the men in my world who make up Father figures to myself, my child and my husband – thank you for being the foundation on which we raise our own son, and for making our worlds lighter and brighter, just by being involved. Big love to you all on this special Daddy’s Day xxx