Simon, 2

Two years ago today, Diana and I went out for chocolate lava cake around the corner from our apartment in Issaquah, then up to the Microsoft park-and-ride lot in the highlands for some quiet alone time. I was starting my leave, and to distract myself a little, was thinking about the upcoming internal release of Visual Studio 2010 at work, and the media day at Kings Dominion coming in a few weeks. I could barely reconcile that I had just moved and started working for the biggest software company in the world, and yet all of that paled in comparison to the fact that I'd be a father in less than 12 hours.

I remember that weekend like it was yesterday, when Simon came into the world. I can vividly remember every detail about the hospital, the nurses, the blood (there was a lot of blood), the awful hospital food, and strangely enough, the new baby smell. Everyone who has had a baby knows what I'm talking about. I also remember having a burrito'd Simon propped up next to me on the folding bed in the Boppy pillow, unable to sleep because of the warning label about SIDS. I remember the great rocking chair, sustaining periods of simultaneous sleep and awake for hours. Diana was so pale, and she had the weird machine hooked up to her legs to keep the blood flowing. It was the most exhausting 48 hours of my life.

Then we strapped Simon into his car seat for the first time, and days became weeks, weeks became months, and now months have become years. We have a two-year-old little boy. The change has been constant. Every day is a new adventure. Few things could bring so much joy, frustration and love. Of the things I've accomplished in life, they all take a backseat to being a dad.

This is a particularly special time for us, because after some weeks of high frustration, Simon has been very affectionate with us, he's using more words, and as Diana put it, he's enjoyable to be around. Yes, we worry about a hundred little things that probably aren't worth worrying about, but we've got this amazing little human growing up in front of us. It's just spectacular.

Diana, being the excellent mom that she is, executed a perfect Sesame Street themed party for Simon today. People singing to him made him cry, but otherwise, he had a really good time with his playmates, cousins and the grownups.

For me, the biggest challenge is making sure that I spend enough time with him, while respecting my own time. I often second guess every decision, big and small, thinking about how it affect him. I still struggle with moving him away from his near-age cousins and friends in Washington (though honestly, I struggle with that for me, too). He's at that age where I want to make sure he's having a happy childhood without spoiling him or coddling him. It's easy to over-think it, so hard not to.

This morning, he got up entirely too early. At 6:30, still fairly dark outside, I scooped him up from his crib, and he put his head on my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. We sat down in the chair and he gently looked up at me, offered me his Tiger lovey, and cuddled in my arms. If you have to be up that early, it's not a bad way to start your day.

Happy birthday, little dude! I can't wait to see what you do tomorrow.