THE BUNNEE BUMP: WEEK 26

Dear Bunnee,

I was hoping that for Father’s day, you would give papa a gift and say hello to him.  But you know what’s funny?  Every time papa touches mama’s belly when you’re squirming and dancing around, you stop moving.  I laugh and tell papa that he has a “calming effect”  on you. But it may just be true!  Your papa is very gentle and patient.  Hopefully you’ll get some of his qualities.

xoxo Mama

*Correction; At 11:30pm on father’s day tonight, Matt finally felt Bunnee moving! Happy father’s day she says. 🙂

Dear Ellie,

Today is Father’s Day. It’s a day to celebrate how special your daddy is to you and me. Actually, he’s special to a lot of people Ellie, because that’s the kind of person he is. Do you know how lucky you are to have him as your daddy? You are without a doubt, a bona fide daddy’s girl. He’s the one who helps you get changed in the morning(for a while, people assumed mama picked out your outfits because you were so well dressed and didn’t think a dad could pull that off), makes you breakfast(including Muno shaped pancakes), lunch, and dinner, plays choo choo with you, chases you, plays hide-and-seek with you, dances with you, draws Foofa and Plex for you, “cooks” and eats with you in your kitchen, let’s you help him in the kitchen, takes you to the playground, Japanese class, music class, swimming class, play dates, walks, grocery shopping, he gardens with you, and even took up sewing class so he could learn how to make clothes for you too. He even climbed into the crib with you one time to help you fall asleep for your nap. And above all that? He LOVES you. So. Much.

You’d think that I’d be jealous of how much you love your daddy. After all, I had him first, and I’m the one who carried you for almost 41 weeks and labored for 24 hours. But nothing warms my heart more than knowing that your first love is your daddy.  Watching your eyes sparkle at the sight of daddy and hearing you squeal with joy hurts my heart with so much joy and love.

You see, when I met your daddy in college and before we even started dating, we were talking together one day and I remember thinking to myself “He is going to make a great husband and a father some day.”  And I was so right.  So, you’re welcome.  Mama has good taste and a good eye, don’t I?

My hope is that one day, when you start dating or when the right time comes when you decide you want to be with someone, you find someone who has the same amazing qualities as your daddy.  Someone who’s kind, compassionate, genuine, sweet, patient, funny, smart, strong but not afraid to be vulnerable, passionate, honest, loyal, trust worthy, respectful, respected, and loved. Someone who treats you with respect, someone who you respect and admire, someone who is not afraid to be themselves, someone who inspires you, someone who values your feelings just as much they value their own, someone who truly listens, someone you can laugh and have fun with, someone you will never run out of things to talk about, yet are able to cherish the silent moments with, someone who pushes you to be a better person, someone who makes you feel good about yourself, someone who is a partner, someone who is not afraid to whole heartedly love you and be with you.

As a matter of fact, I hope that those are the qualities you are always surrounded by. Your daddy is leading by example. Watch daddy and he’ll show you how to love, and be loved.

Do you know how lucky you are to have him as your daddy?  He loves you, and he loves mama too.  Today is a day to celebrate all the special daddies out there, but most of all, I hope you celebrate yours and let him know how special he is to you.

Let me count the ways… Ellie and I love you, and am so grateful to have you in our lives. Happy father’s day, Matt.