-No one really teaches you how to be a parent. Sure your parents are an inspiration for how you'll do things, but I can't remember how they treated me when I was an infant. You just kind of have to learn that stuff as you go. Family and friends that give you the room to figure it out while simultaneously nudging you in the right direction are the best. I appreciate the willingness to help me and Erin out and the trust that we can get the job done. It helps your confidence as a parent when people who have been through the trenches know you're capable. It's also nice to have the safety net of someone that has dealt with raising kids to back you up or help out.
-My wife is the best mom that I can imagine. She has so much joy in her heart, and she doesn't hold any of it back. She is truly my daughters' favorite person, and I have no problem admitting that I come in a close second to her. The way Grace and Ana light up when they see their mom is really only matched by how much Erin lights up when she sees her girls. Her excitement and joy is only matched by her love. She gives the girls all of her heart, and still has some of it left over for me. It really seems like she loves more than a normal human being. I'm lucky to have her as a partner in this adventure, and the girls are even luckier.
-Erin has hipped me to some of the blogs that she follows. Quite a few of them are written by moms with kids that have health issues or have gotten through them. I have to say they are stronger than I'd ever be if the shoe was on the other foot. I can't tell you how thankful I am that my girls have been healthy. We knew going in that twins have their own set of potential issues. Trust me, reading a few parents of multiples books will ultimately just scare the bejesus out of you. It's like logging on to WebMD when you have the sniffles. "Okay so according to my symptoms I have…OH MY GOD! I have two days to live?!?" Those books oftentimes put it into your head to expect the worst and hope for the best which is no way to prepare for kids or deal with a stressed out pregnant woman. You should be happy and antsy but in a good way. Being in the NICU those first few days really opened my eyes to how lucky we are. We saw some parents in much more difficult situations, and it really helped me appreciate what Erin & I have. The worst we've had to deal with is acid reflux for Ana, but it didn't stop us from thinking seizures were the real issue (Thanks a lot books that conditioned us to fear everything). Thankfully that wasn't the case. They keep getting bigger. They keep hitting those developmental milestones. They keep amazing me every day. I'm thankful for all these things.
-I've said this to Erin many times, but I'm also thankful that we didn't have ugly babies. You may think I'm a little cruel writing this, but we've all met a baby that we didn't think was cute. We've all lied our way through it and told the parents he or she was adorable or breathtaking (thank you Seinfeld). And we've all immediately commented to our significant other or whoever would listen that the kid wasn't winning a beauty contest any time soon. Maybe I'm just another blind victim of people being polite, but I think my girls are beautiful and appreciate the people that say the same. Like I've said many times before, they get the cuteness from their mother.
-Mostly I'm thankful I get to experience all these wonderful things. I love being a dad. I love these little wigglers.
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| I'm also thankful to come home to these smiling faces every day |
2 comments:
great post. there are a lot of dads who fail to really be grateful for their kids, as if they are just a granted part of life. there's magic in parenting and there's even more magic in being a dad. you are number 2. ... me as well. But that's sometimes the most important role. When people admire a structure, they often forget to admire the foundation holding it up. that's a dad. you're the foundation. you're the support for the beautiful structure that is your family. the fact that you appreciate your role, you enjoy it, you're proud. ... that's a good sign that your structure will last for an eternity. something tells me, in the years to follow, your girls will look back and be even more thankful that they had a dad like you. keep up the good work, it's a joy to follow along with you.
thank you babe. really.
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