Moms and Dads

So many times during my day I think to myself "I wish I was at home with my baby...." I have become a somewhat bitter working mother. I am always trying to figure out how to cram hours of activities and books and quality time and nutritious food and bonding....into the 2-3 hours I have with Sofia in the evenings and the weekends. I feel guilty when I am at work and heartbroken on the days when I walk through the door and she barely notices me. I sometimes (often) find myself envying moms who get to stay home and soak up all of this precious time with their children. I worry that Sofia and I will never be very close or that I am less of a mother because I am away from her during the day....

All this to say, I realized the other day as I was driving to work that I am EXTREMELY lucky that I have a husband who is willing to work night shifts so that he can stay at home with our daughter, and who tries his hardest to do all of those things for her that we both think are important. He does everything I ask (I am kind of a backseat driver when it comes to parenting...I love to "suggest" things he should do during the day with her) and he does it with a smile. He makes her spinach and carrot smoothies in the morning, be reads books to her, he talks to her in Spanish all day long, he makes her take naps at the same time everyday, he takes her to the park, he lets her play in fountains and touch turtles at the lake, he puts her on Skype during the day so her grandma in Peru and my parents in California can watch her playing...he is an amazing father and Sofia is flourishing because of their time together. She usually is waiting for me at the top of the stairs when I get home, and if she isn't it is because she is laughing hysterically at some kind of game she is playing with her dad. She is learning so much from him and we are all so blessed that our lives have led us to this point in time.

And as for me, I am thankful that I can help provide for my family, I am thankful for the weekends and the nighttime routines and summer vacations and Spring Breaks. I am thankful for a job that ends at 4:00 and a husband that cooks and does laundry so that I can spend all of the free time with my baby girl. I am thankful for a husband that has dedicated himself to his children and his family. And I am thankful for my sweet Sofia!