Why Dave is already a great dad.

In honor of Father's Day, I wanted to post the reasons why my husband is already an awesome dad...

PATIENCE -
We are currently trying to teach the twins to eat, both at the bottle and the breast. Obviously Dave can't feed them on the breast, but he is basically the Baby Whisperer when it comes to feeding them with the bottle. The girls don't quite know how to suck-swallow-breathe yet so feedings can be a bit frustrating. The girls will get excited about eating and suck for a minute then forget to breathe. The monitors will start beeping and their heart rate and blood oxygen levels will drop. A lot of times the girls lips will turn blue and we will have to pull them off the nipple and rub their backs until they remember to breathe. Then once they come back around, the whole thing starts all over again. It is possible to get them to eat their whole feeding from a bottle, but what usually happens for me is that I get really frustrated after a few apnea episodes and then I get the nurse to feed them the rest through their feeding tube. But Dave is as patient as they come. He regularly gets both girls to finish their bottles by continuing to coax them to keep eating after every episode. He wipes their mouths, rubs their backs and then starts out all over again. Like I said - Baby Whisperer. Which brings me to my next reason...

ENTHUSIASM -
Going back and forth to the NICU is pretty brutal. You can't eat in there, can't drink in there, there are alarms going off and babies crying and it is so frustrating that you can't take your kids home with you when you leave. Add that to the fact that Dave is working full time and you can understand how difficult this experience could be for him. But, at the end of the work day, when we are headed back to the NICU at 8pm, I look at Dave and I say, "You must be exhausted." And he just smiles and says, "Nope, I'm just really excited to see our daughters!"

CULINARY PROWESS -
Dave is a kick ass cook. He makes all kinds of stuff from recipes all the time and it's always delicious. He makes his own chili powder. He has tackled tamales, saurbraten and samosas. He loves to cook whole fish. But, his biggest talent in the kitchen is being able to throw together whatever he finds in the fridge and pantry into a delicious meal. He has been making food for me all during my pregnancy and even now that the girls are here and he works all day, he still comes home and throws together something delicious for me before we leave the house to go back to the hospital. By feeding me nutritious meals, he is providing nourishing breast milk for our girls and I know he will continue to cook delicious things for them as they grow up.

So, that's why today for Father's Day, Dave got a brand new iPhone!

Don't get used to it honey. This was just because it's your first Father's Day. Next year, we'll have to reexamine your credentials. But, I expect you will pass the "Awesome Dad" test year after year with flying colors. Keep up the good work!