I think I've been dreaming of this moment since I was a little girl. The day that I would take my baby out on the water in her little flotation device and she would smile and splash and I would think to myself "this is it." This year, and the past six months in particular, have without a doubt been the most difficult papa bear and I have ever gone through. Even before Birdie was born there was so much to do and our schedule was packed to the brim. In December we added lack of sleep to the laundry list of complications and we have just been powering through every day ever since. Our bodies were exhausted, our minds worn out and yet when we finally made it to Florida. That first day, when Birdie dipped her toes into the ocean and squeezed a cluster of sand into her tiny fist we felt it had all been worth it. 

Sometimes in life you feel like Gob from Arrested Development constantly saying "I've made a huge mistake." Lord knows we've made plenty along the way, and occasionally all that work seems futile. But there's nothing quite like the feeling of working harder than you ever have and to see the "fruit" of your labor blossoming before your very eyes. Perhaps this is what people that run businesses feel when they see them thrive. Maybe a congressman has the same feeling when a law passes. I may never do any of those things but as long as I preserve that twinkle in Birdie's eye, as long as she remains this curious, excited and joyful about life... well to me that will mean everything. She already is my nobel prize, my academy award, my medal, my everything...