To my Daughter on her first Father's Day

You are 10 months old and you learned how to say “dada” this week, just in time for your first Father’s Day. Your father is ecstatic. He even said “I love her so much more now that she can say Dada”. Your father has a funny sense of humor like that. 

Father’s Day has never been anything really special for me. I only lived with my dad for a short period and even then, he usually worked 12-14 hours/day, 80hrs/week, so he never really played an active role in my daily life. Anyway, that’s a completely different topic.

What I mean to say is that this is the first Father’s Day I’ve ever really looked forward to. This is a day to celebrate your dad, to show him how much he means to us, to spend time with him, to tell him how much we love him, how grateful we are to him. 

For your first year of life, it was your father who stayed home to raise you. I went back to work when you were 2 months old, and daddy stayed with you from 7am-5pm every day to take care of you. He did this with no prior experience, no books or guides to tell him what to do, and without boobs to provide milk to nourish and comfort you. Not very many daddy’s are either willing or capable of doing that. 

Daddy put you down for naps when you were sleepy, and often stayed in bed with you on his chest so that you can nap comfortably and not risk waking you up to set you down and walk away. 

Daddy fed you milk from the bottle, oftentimes struggling because the bottle was not your favorite. 

Daddy changed your diapers, kept you clean, put lotion on your skin when it seemed dry or itchy. 

When you were sick, daddy carried you and gave you your nebulizer treatments, rubbed vicks on your chest, kept the humidifier going, and even though you absolutely hated it, sprayed saline up your nose so that you can breathe better. 

When you had especially fussy days, daddy packed your diaper bag, loaded you up in the back of our Rav 4, and took you on car rides to run errands with him. Usually to HEB, Target, or the random stop to the drive-thru at Delia’s Tamales. 

There exists a delicate balance between spending the time providing for your family and actually spending time with your family. Your father has found it. So often we hear stories about dads that work so much in order to provide for their families. Very rarely do they get home in time to spend awake time with the kids. We are so very lucky that your dad  has figured out a way to make sure that we are taken care of so that we can live comfortably and to also play an active role in your daily life. This is such a gift.

You will have the relationship with your father that I have only ever heard about from other people. He will be your hero. He is the first man that ever loved you. He is your anchor. He is the one man that you can count on to always be there for you. 

We are so very lucky to have him.

xo,
Mama