Best. Daddy. Ever.

Truly, Caroline Grace is blessed with an amazing daddy. I got into a conversation with a mama at the pool the other day. She is a stay-at-home mom and feels this is very well suited to her. She says her husband is a fabulous daddy, totally a partner, very present when he is home. I believe her! Their son, Sam, is one content, well-adjusted 13 month old! She and I got talking about different temperaments being better or worse suited to staying home with kids and I realized for the thousandth time how beautifully suited to primary caregiver duty Kev is. She thought it was fabulous that he is a happy stay-at-home daddy. And I think it is too.

Right now, of course, I'm the primary caregiver... so I feel more acutely what it means that he does this most of the year. He makes it seem so easy...

No one can make C laugh the way he can... he frequently takes her back to our room if I'm trying to get something done in the kitchen or great room, or if I just want/need space and I hear rolling laughter from the back of the house. He is able to be silly, silly, silly... and present... and she LOVES this.

But no one can correct C the way he can... he is much better at keeping a straight face than I am, and has just the right amount of edge in his voice without yelling. C needs this.

And no one can cook for C (and me!) the way he can... we are so lucky.

And no one can write better lullabies than he can... C and many other babies have been so blessed by his personalized lullabies.


He reports that when I am gone all day she starts asking for mommy at some point in the afternoon and keeps it up until I get home. Well... it took a few weeks, but she started doing the same for him... and at some point this week she started asking for daddy in the morning... and kept it up all day. She loves her daddy!

Last night before dinner she was nursing a bit and started signing daddy. I asked her "What about daddy?" And she picked up her feet. "Daddy has feet?" I asked. She smiled without breaking her latch and then put her feet to her nose and scrunched her nose up as if she were smelling something stinky. "Daddy has smelly feet?" I asked. And she giggled and kept nursing. I relayed this to Kevin and he said that whenever they read "Grumpy Frumpy, Happy Snappy" and get to the stinky feet page she puts a foot to her nose and makes a p.u. face and he always asks, "What about daddy? Does daddy have stinky feet?" And she ignores him... one never knows when an answer will come!

We love you, Kev. And we're so grateful for you. Happy Father's Day!