Their daddy

We are nearing the eleven year mark together, and I'm absolutely certain that God made this man for me. Eleven years that span a few college shenanigans, first jobs, a wedding, a few moves, new jobs, new degrees, and two beautiful children. My husband and I are both stubborn first borns. We are so much alike that it probably works against us at times. And I wouldn't dream of bickering with anyone else;)

I loved Nate almost immediately after meeting him, a naive twenty year old girl who hadn't felt butterflies like *this* before. I loved him on our wedding day. I loved him in those years before kids as newlyweds. But seeing him as the father of my children is beyond anything I can explain, as I'm sure many of you mamas/wives can understand. He is an amazing daddy. Truman and Cecelia are so blessed to have him as their male role model. I have no doubt that Truman will want to be Nate and Cecelia will want to marry him;) I'll gently remind her that he was spoken for years ago and hope that there is a boy out there who can live up to her expectations of what a man should be.

The day he became a dad my heart melted all over again. What a natural. What a caring, genuine, giving father he is.



And falling into the 'second time' daddy role was a cake walk for this guy.


Because he is the level-headed one. The one who calms me down and talks sense into me when I'm being all dramatic and estrogen-filled and ridiculous. He'll do it with a little sarcastic flair that makes me snap out of my doom and gloom standpoint. Because he is our rock and our leader (as much as I like to think I wear the pants in the marriage) ;)

My boys are the best.








And then she came along and made him a 'girl dad'. I'm not going to lie, the first few months she broke my heart when she wanted nothing to do with the big guy in glasses. A bit finicky, a bit particular, and REALLY attached to the boob. I hated when she would not let Nate rock her to sleep, to calm her, to give her a freaking bottle. It weighed heavily on my shoulders when Nate would say, 'She doesn't want me, she wants you.' I mean, OBVIOUSLY a breastfed baby will want her mother when she is losing her freaking mind (the baby, not the mother---but it's easy to see it both ways on this one). But still---Nate always had a special touch with Truman and I yearned for that with Cecelia, too.

And then? A few months ago something clicked. She started lighting up when Nate entered the room. She allowed him to give her bottles at night. They bonded. And I could breathe a sigh of relief.






And now? She has been looking right at Nate, saying, 'Dada.' I kid you not. She says it appropriately, forces him to make eye contact with her, and then smiles with all of her might. She knows her daddy at just eight months old. And she loves him.


They both do, obviously.


But this is the face she made for me when Nate walked into the room one night. Pure joy. Talk about being wrapped around her finger;)




I love this man with all I've got. I love their daddy because he is so good to them, so good to me, and because he's just Nate. My Valentine for almost eleven years. Their daddy since day one. Our Nate---that sarcastic nerd who never fails to entertain. I think we'll keep him around;)