Thursday, August 11, 2011

The poor, long-suffering husband

My husband Chris looks nothing like my children. Before you ask if we're a "blended family', I will confirm - 100% Chris, YES! - that they are also both his children.

The other day I was lamenting to the aforementioned, long-suffering husband that I was bummed that my children didn't have blue eyes. I told him (with a straight face): "It's just very strange to look at both my kids and not see blue eyes...my whole family has blue eyes! That's all I've ever known."

And he responded (without a straight face): "IS IT STRANGE TO LOOK AT YOUR KIDS AND THINK THAT THEY DON'T LOOK LIKE YOU? IS IT?" He didn't really yell or scream like the caps imply..but he was sarcastic as the caps may have implied.

Despite the fact that Chris openly questions the paternity of these cuties, he is an amazing father. He is the one they come to when they want a tickle, he is usually their first choice for the bedtime book and Declan looks around like a crazed animal when Daddy is out of the house "Daddy? Daddy??!!!"

Sometimes I get jealous. And then I act out like a petulant third child, demanding of the poor, long-suffering husband, "Why don't you give meeee allll the atttennttioon??" Dear God, I'm annoyed just writing that. Can you imagine how annoying it is to hear it?

But he is the rock of the family. Rarely (openly) bothered, upset or irritated by the demands placed on him by three people who pretty much worship him. Exhausted maybe, but well, something's gotta give.

I raise my perennially-filled glass to the most wonderful husband, father and man that I know. Not for an occasion (our 8-year anniversary is coming up, honey - apparently I should be expecting something bronze?) but simply because I started writing this after I looked over, and saw that you were covered with two children. One was literally sitting on your face, demanding more tickles while the other one was wondering where her dinner was. And you were smiling.

Lucky us.