I wish we could celebrate Father’s Day more than once a year. Honestly, I do, because my two children have an amazing father. Even when times have been incredibly tough, Tall Dad has been a steady anchor in our family, and for that, I am incredibly thankful to have him in our lives.
The Beginning
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I have always loved Tall Dad.
Always.
Always.
From the moment I first saw his dimpled face on match.com I was in love. Even on our first date where I awkwardly blubbered on and on about seeing Star Wars Episode II on opening night – and how loudly I cheered for Yoda during his epic fight scene with Count Dooku – I knew I loved him!
Somehow, even with my outlandish nerdy tendencies, he loved me back.
I have loved him when times were tough, when we had disagreements, or when one of us was going through a difficult time.
But when my husband become a father, my love increased. A whole new level of love was accomplished that I didn’t even know existed. It was like he went from being a Pokemon Charmander to the epic Charizard! (I told you I was nerdy!)
Year 1 of Being Tall Dad – and Our Anchor
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Do you want to know a secret?
Tall Dad didn’t dream of being a father. It wasn’t that the didn’t want kids, it’s just that they were never really in his life plan.
He liked traveling with me, staying out late whenever we wanted, and having me all to himself.
Then we had our son, and our whole world changed – in many ways.
Our adorable, loving, sweet son was a very difficult baby. He cried incessantly, would take hours to be calmed, and eventually was diagnosed with severe colic.
Colic, means your kid cries a ton, for no apparent reason, and eventually they grow out of it. Additionally, our son wouldn’t sleep at nap times, nor at night.
We were all severely sleep deprived, emotional, and at our wits end. The screaming from our tiny baby and sleepless nights got so bad that I ended up spiraling into severe postpartum depression (read about it here.)
But through it all, Tall Dad stayed strong for our family. He would come home from work and take our son for a walk so I could shower in peace. Tall Dad would wake up in the middle of the night to bounce our son on a yoga ball (sometimes for an hour) so that I could stay in bed and catch up on missed sleep.
He came to my therapy appointments with me to learn more about postpartum depression. Tall Dad made sure I was eating, even when I didn’t want to. My husband was the anchor in our family when I felt like mentally I was slipping out to sea.
Then things got better. I got better. Our son outgrew his colic and finally started sleeping through the night. Our son morphed into a darling little boy. Granted, he was still loud, but instead of screaming and crying, he began talking and saying “momma, and dadda!”
We made it through the storm of our first year as being parents. Our family was not only full of love, but also great joy, and it’s all thanks to Tall Dad.
Year 2
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The second year of being a parents was a lot less stressful. Our son was sleeping through the night, my postpartum depression was over, and Tall Dad and I were in love with being parents.
We soaked up every moment of cuddly goodness with our toddler that we could. Laughter filled our house and abundant love filled our hearts.
It was then that Tall Dad truly began to love being a father. He could interact with our son, play with him at the park, and even talk with him.
My love for my husband grew exponentially during this time. Watching the love and bond between he and our son grow was incredibly heartwarming. Even thinking about it now makes me want to cry happy tears.
Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I could love my husband more than I already did. But I could – and I have.
Watching him grow into a father has been the most amazing and lovely experience.
Year 3 – Sailing To New Lands
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Our third year of parenting has been beautiful chaos. I was pregnant, very ill, and our rambunctious toddler has brought to our house tons of laughter as well as constant messes.
Tall Dad’s bond with our son has strengthened even more. They are best buddies, and have their own special bonding activities.
Early each morning, Tall Dad gets up when our son wakes – which is around 5:45. They go downstairs, eat breakfast, play, and often do a workout together. (Tall Dad is really I to P90x, and our son keeps him company by jumping along next to him. And yes, it’s just as adorable as it sounds!)
After work, our whole family ventures out into the backyard for fresh air. Tall Dad and I take turns holding our little lass or playing with our son on his new big swing set.
Tall Dad is an amazing father.
He has goofy tickle wars with our son each night, and also sings our daughter to sleep. He hugs me when my hormones have me crying because of a touching commercial on TV. My love and admiration for him grows with each passing day, and I’m so thankful that he is the father of my children. They are so lucky to have him.
Tall Dad’s main focus in life is now making sure that our tiny family is safe, secure and happy. He is our anchor when things get rough. We are steady and strong thanks to his love and support, and for this, I wish Father’s Day was every day.
Our Father’s Day Plans
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This year we will be celebrating Father’s Day in our new home with our son and our newborn baby girl. We plan on having a picnic of sorts – depending upon the weather (cross your fingers!)
I have a few special presents lined up for Tall Dad, from myself and some from the kids. (none of which will be a typical Father’s Day tie!)
One of the gifts I’ve gotten him is the Nautica Voyage Gift Set from Macy’s.
The scent is really masculine, with hints of crisp apple and woody amber.
I’m really looking forward to celebrating Father’s Day this year. I hope Tall Dad feels extra special and extra loved, because he deserves it! Honestly, I hope he feels loved and special every day – because he is the greatest father I know!
I don't have any children, but my father was always a light in my life. He was the best role model and standard for all men to follow in my life- and we got very nerdy together playing DOOM on networked PCs till late in the evening!
That is the coolest! I do the same thing with my nephew. I've helped raise him since he was a baby, and we love getting geeky together. We're currently playing all the Gears of War games together.
Father's Day is a little hard on me since I lost mine a little over 10 years ago. Fortunately I now have 2 daughters who help make the day special.
Oh my goodness this is the sweetest post ever!!!! You are so lucky to have a great guy that is such a good dad. (Thanks for reminding me that I have to go get a gift for my husband for Father's Day!!)
What a beautiful story! It is so special to have a husband who is so involved with the kids from such a young age. He truly is your anchor!
What an incredible post! It sounds like your husband is one really awesome guy. I hope the weather held up and you guys had a great Father's Day this year! #client
Great blog you've got here. It's packed full of lots of information!
Colic in Babies