Johnny = Daddy: Happy Father’s Day!

How was your Father’s Day? I was lucky enough to have a pretty amazing dad who set the bar high for the men in my life. It’s not surprising that I am married to a man who shares a lot of qualities as my Pops: they have integrity, show love and respect for their wives, are hard-working and supportive, love the great outdoors, play instruments and love music, and charm every woman they meet. It was a sight to see John transition from my husband to the father of our son, and it’s been such a cool experience to see him grow as a Daddy. Sure, he makes mistakes. He’ll be the first to admit that. But I don’t give him enough credit; in fact, I’m extraordinarily hard on him a lot of times. So today, a day after we celebrated Father’s Day with 15 close friends (and almost as many kids), I wanted to thank my handsome mountain main husband for his love, support, flexibility, optimism, and patience. Johnny, you’re a wonderful Dada and we are so lucky to be on this wild ride with you!

I thought I’d share some of my favorite memories of John while I was pregnant with Oden- things that told me he was on board for whatever was ahead of us as parents. I also wanted to share some of my favorite moments of John as a dad in honor of Father’s Day! Read on.

Just a few of the many little things that made me know John would be a loving Dad:

During fertility treatments, drawing a heart on my hip to mark where the giant shot should go

Rubbing my slowly-swelling feet without asking

Comparing tummies with me when I felt insecure about my changing body

Toting the gigantic and unruly pregnancy pillow around for me

Wearing the “I’m the Daddy” hat with pride every day

Watching him diaper a doll in parenting class

Kissing and talking to my belly nightly

Doing his best Darth Vader imitation: “I am your father”

Indulging my craving for burgers and fries for our anniversary

Carving pumpkins with the crazy preggo lady

Making me a homemade Oreo shake for Valentine’s Day

Distracting me from the C-section surgery by talking about the camping adventures we’d soon enjoy as a family

Here some moments of John as a Dad that I’ll always remember:

Oden gripping his finger as soon as he was born

Our first walk after Oden came home

Playing guitar for Oden

Rock n’ roll diaper changes

Daddy and baby snoring together

Three generations of Howe boys

Showing OJWH his namesake at Princeton

John taking Oden fishing for the first time

Dipping Oden’s toes in Kauai’s oceans

Picking out George the Tree

First cross-country ski day

Cheersing Oden on his birthday

Boys lost in Home Depot

First backpack hike

There are beautiful memories made between my two boys daily. Someday, Oden will see these photos and maybe even read my words and realize how involved and present his father was in his life from Day One. The man hasn’t missed a pediatrician appointment! Mommies get a lot of the spotlight, what, with pregnancy and giving birth and all…Cheers to the other half of the parenthood puzzle!