I have the best husband ever! And Gwendolyn has the best Daddy! I know, I know…I am completely and totally biased. But this weekend was so beyond wonderful because of him, his thoughtfulness, his sensitivity, his gratitude for his two girls and well, my heart is exploding with so much gratitude right back at him.
It is hot in Santa Barbara. As in H.O.T! We had absolutely zero summer heat; it was overcast with the occasional 70 degree day. But, holy hot flash, the heat arrived on Saturday!!! And oh my goodness — we no likey. Gwendolyn does not do well in the heat. What child does really? But add a plastic mask on your face and a polyester hat and, Whoa!, not so fun. It was so darn hot that her breathing machine, the one we can't live without – literally, started alarming, High Temp! — in big red letters to boot! (And just an FYI when a breathing machine starts alarming unexpectedly it's like an air raid siren.) We had her in front of fans, all the windows open, trying our best to keep our little girl cool, before we headed out to a special birthday party. But to our displeasure her machine kept alarming. We've never had this alarm before and so it left us feeling pretty unsure….which meant we had to cancel going to Cyanne's birthday party — Princess Birthday Party! And Gwendolyn was crushed!
Quick parents…think! So we created plan B. Bill hauled out the portable air conditioner, fired her up for the first time all year, parked the breathing machine and Gwendolyn in front of it and suggested our disappointed peanut get to open an early birthday pressie. Ohhh, now you're talking! Gwendolyn liked this idea. And because our wonderful nurse Laura had just given Gwendolyn a Princess Jasmine doll, we knew exactly which pressie to give her — Aladdin! Our little princess has not actually seen all the Disney movies yet (don't worry, her birthday gifts are about to change that). Well Miss Gwendolyn was in absolute awe — especially when Princess Jasmine and Aladdin sing together. Seeing Gwendolyn so excited, tapping her little fingers together feverishly or clutching her Princess Jasmine doll tightly, was beyond adorable. But the highlight for me was at the end of the movie. We were all snuggled together (okay not too closely — it was 100 degrees, remember!) and Bill started singing to Gwendolyn. “A Whole New World” + Daddy = HEAVEN! Gwendolyn was on cloud nine gazing at her Daddy singing her favorite song. There is no question about it, Gwendolyn is a Daddy's girl. It was adorable.
On Sunday, Bill surprised me with a “Just Because” day at the spa! I know! He's awesome. He booked a massage and a facial for me, arranged for me to go early and relax after we had a lovely breakfast together by the beach. He thought of every detail. We are definitely pulled in a lot of directions right now and this was exactly what I needed to refuel. And while I was rejuvenating, he took Gwendolyn on a day of adventures: a Daddy Day! They went to the carousel where Gwendolyn selected the brown horse with the blue saddle. They walked by the beach to stay cool, looked for seagulls and dolphins, and counted just about everything. They drove through the car wash — delight! They picked out fresh vegetables, fish, and other yummies. And when I got home, rested and reinvigorated, Bill and Gwendolyn were busy preparing a delicious dinner.
Yep, Gwendolyn and I are pretty much the luckiest ladies in town. And we don't take him for granted!