Friends...

Hey there tough guy,

Yep, I just called you tough guy, but I'll explain that in a bit. Sorry that neither mommy nor daddy wrote you a note yesterday, it wasn't anything personal I promise. It also wasn't that we weren't thinking about you, quite the contrary actually. Yesterday was supposed to be one of those "quiet" days we keep hearing about from other parents and the doctors. I'm beginning to think that those "quiet" days are something like the illusive hole in one in the great game of golf, you see them happen, you know people who have experienced them, but you never quite get to the point of being a part of one. So yeah, yesterday was anything but quiet.

That isn't to say that we didn't have our quiet times yesterday though, we sure did have some time that was kind of quiet. And I use the phrase "kind of" simply because even though you were quiet it wasn't exactly quiet in your room. You see, for the first time in quite a while you and your daddy had some quiet happy Connor time while you were awake. You weren't upset and you weren't fussing and you weren't even a little bit worked up so you and daddy listened to some of your favorite songs.

I know that children's songs are normally things like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star but since you seem to have a slight more mature taste in music we were listening to a playlist your daddy put together from songs that made him think of you in one way or another. Songs like Beautiful Boy, or I See Me, or one that means the world to your daddy and your Gigi, The Baby. We listened to those songs for more than an hour and believe it or not daddy actually sang most of them to you. Your face was so full of expression and curiosity and it filled me with so much happiness and peace that it was like the rest of the world didn't even exist that whole time.

I know they tell me that you technically can't be smiling just yet but you do this thing with your right eyebrow that shows me a kind of happy in you that we haven't seen much of just yet. And when the songs would change you would just look around like you were trying to ask "what happened to that one?". It sounds kind of silly for a grown man to get so excited about seeing a curious look cross the face of an infant when the chances of that face having anything to do with those songs is minuscule, but I smiled so much my face hurt. That was the best hour I have had in months I think. Thank you son.

But back to the tough guy part. You have had to have a lot of stuff done the last few days, and retaping that tube of yours has been a constant battle every day. Now you normally get some sort of sedative or at least some Tylenol or something when you have it done but tonight you faced it with no help at all. You were tough as nails and barely even raised your heart rate after all that. Daddy was pretty impressed, and so was everyone else in the room watching you. 

Now there is one more thing daddy wants to tell you about tonight before I get too tired and have to go lay down for some snooze time, and that is the power of a friend. You probably don't know it yet but you already have lots of friends from all over the place. Those friends would probably do anything in their power to help you out in a bind, especially if you asked them to. But you will find that it is the unexpected acts of kindness that will catch you off guard and leave you speechless. One of those moments happened for your daddy tonight. 

One of daddy's friends, a man by the name of Scuba actually, caught me off guard today. See daddy and Scuba have been friends for a long time now and we have known each other as acquaintances, teammates, coworkers, buddies, all kinds of things. We have been through some really good times and through some really really rough times and through it all we have remained friends. Scuba and daddy may not be the kind of friends that go back to grade school or even high school or college, and we probably aren't even the person that either of us would refer to as his "best friend". But we are the kind of friends that will do anything for one another, and Scuba proved that today.

Today we got a package in the mail, it was addressed to me but it was really for you, and it was from your friend Scuba. He hasn't had the chance to meet you yet but he went out of his way (really far out of his way since he lives an entire ocean away from here) to get you a really special present. I don't have a picture of it now because it is getting washed in preparation for Saturday but I promise I"ll get one on here soon. That present was a pair of Texas Longhorn booties (it still freaks me out to use that word just so you know) and a Texas Longhorn plush blanket. Scuba knows that is your daddy's favorite team and he wanted to show his support for you and your daddy (and mommy too) by getting you that present. 

Kind of like some of the other presents we have gotten, this one took your daddy's breath away. I was just talking about Scuba last night and mentioning that we hadn't talked in a while and then today his present to you showed up and reminded me that sometimes even when friends don't live close to you they are close to you in other ways. So lets join together and tell Scuba thank you Connor, for the great presents and for lifting your daddy's spirits when he really needed it. Thank you Scuba. 

Now your mommy and daddy are going to tell you goodnight and try to get settled in and hopefully you will do the same so you can get some good rest and get back to healing. Sweet dreams little man, think of happy things and your favorite songs. 

I love you Connor.

- Daddy