A letter to the caboose about her dad

Dear Caboose,

In less than 4 weeks (3 weeks and 4 days to be exact) you will make your arrival via c-section.  I cannot wait, but am terrified and not ready at the same time!  I mean who really wants to be 9 months pregnant in June....the heat index yesterday 114.  I kid you not....feel the love my child!  Anyway as much as I am over being pregnant with the multiple middle of the night bathroom trips, the swollen feet and ankles, the fact that shirts are now riding up over my belly and nothing fits, the toting of the extra 30 pounds and my newest complaint the burning and severe lower abdominal pain around my previous c-sections scars and constant feeling that at any second you are going to fall right out...I love being pregnant with you.  Although I'm no fool.... taking care of you in my belly is a  hell of a lot easier than taking care of you outside, and I do get more sleep with you inside. But yes, even though you are easier to take care of inside, I am ready for you to come on out and meet the rest of the family.

Here are some things I want you to know....You are my baby, you are the one that I had to talk your dad into....although he gives in to most things I want pretty easily, so it wasn't hard at all.  In fact I think the conversation went like this...."I think I want a third baby."  "Well I'm pretty happy with two, but if you want three okay."   See, he's super easy, I'm sure you will figure out the tricks one day to get what you want too.  And I think it was so easy because deep down, he really secretly wanted a third baby too.  I'll be honest when we were dating I told him I definitely wanted three and possibly even 4.  He told me he would think about 1, but was definitely not doing 4.  Well look where we are now....I'm so glad that he loves me so damn much.  Although I asked about the possibility of you getting a little brother or sister one day and he said absolutely not.  That's the other thing with your dad....he has limits, don't push him past them.....and you will know what those limits are.  Three kids is his limit.

But you caboose, along with Meredith and Noah, are damn lucky.  You have been blessed with one of the greatest dads in the world.  He occasionally works very long hours and lots of late nights and weekends when he is on call, but when he's not he tries to be home in time for dinner and to spend some time with you all.  He leaves earlier to start earlier to get home earlier.  And when he comes home he hangs up one hat to put on another and do that job even better than the first.  He walks in and the first thing he does is kiss me and the tikes hello, gushes about how much he missed us and then he asks about you.  He asks what he can help with around the house like dinner and then if there isn't grass to be cut, trash to be taken out, a fire to put out in the kitchen, a dishwasher to be unloaded, he will get right down on the ground and start playing.

After playtime he helps your sister and brother set the table and when we are finished eating he clears the table and does the dishes while I sit with my swelling feet up.  We then play some more or talk about our days and before you know it, it is bath and bed time.  We used to rotate bath nights, but because you have made it increasingly difficult to lean over the tub to bathe the tikes, he has now taken over that duty as well.  Once everyone is tucked tight into bed, I climb into mine.  He then retires to his office to finish up office work he left undone to get home earlier, but he also picks up the house, sometimes does a little laundry, folds laundry I didn't get to and multiple other things I take for granted.  Not to mention refill my water glass a million times a night so I don't have to.  I'm spoiled.

Before he comes to bed he lets the dog out once more, checks on the tikes to make sure they are snuggled in for the night and then crawls into bed feeling like his day is not long enough and he hardly got anything accomplished.  If he only knew how accomplished a man and father he is.  There isn't anyway he could be a more hands on father or a better father.  He has worries and work and deadlines, but we always see his happy face as Meredith would say.  He hardly ever raises his voice and has more patience than anyone I have ever met.   Now I'm not saying he won't get mad at you or correct you....because he will....I'm just saying you are lucky because he normally has a more rational and productive ways of handling things than your very dramatic mother.

So Margot, even though you won't be able to coo and look into your daddy's eyes this weekend, I just wanted you to know how special he is on your first father's day with him.  He is a hell of a guy and you are so blessed along with Meredith and Noah to have his as your daddy.  And I am even more blessed to have him as my husband and  partner through this journey in parenthood and life.

"Happy Father's day Joshua! From me and the tikes!"

Love,
mandi