Appreciation for a dedicated daddy

Ready, set, go. Just like that, our baby turned into a full-blown toddler. He went from crawling and cruising to meandering around the house with those cute, wobbly baby steps. My son has decided now that he is a year old, he’s officially a big boy. Besides the new mode of transportation, he has cut his first tooth and determined that most everything he can do by himself.

Another display of his independence is at bed time. We always had a routine of dimming the living room lights and settling in for a book and a bottle before he’d doze off on my shoulder. But now that he’s such a big boy, he doesn’t need those snuggles with mom to fall asleep. It has been a bit of a relief now that my 7-month pregnant belly has been getting in the way. With one kid rolling around on the outside and another kicking back from the inside, it got pretty exhausting for me.

However, I can’t help but miss when my little boy was small and snuggly. These days I’m lucky if he lets me give him a quick squeeze before he jets off on his next adventure. Don’t get me wrong, it is amazing to watch him grow, and learn and explore his world.

Along the way, we’re hearing more words here and there, but his favorite thing to say will probably always be “Dada!”

Yes, he is definitely a daddy’s boy through and through. Their nightly tickle fights and rough housing leads to more giggles than you can count. When my husband comes home from work, my son makes a beeline to him and clings onto his pants until he gets swooped up into a bear hug.

It isn’t always easy to be a dad, especially one as busy as Led is. After working all day, he often comes home and works on our house or other side projects. He worries about finances and all the many, many irons we have in the fire. There are times he helps pick up the slack around the house when things fall behind.

Through all this, he still makes time for the little boy who is so crazy about him. It warms my heart to watch the two of them together. I hope my husband can see that he is a hero in his son’s eyes. I equally hope that my son grows up knowing how lucky he is to have such a hard working and caring father.