Happy Father's Day

Up until last year, Father's Day was just another day to me. My dad hasn't been in my life for quite awhile so it just came and went. But, last year I finally got to really celebrate Father's Day since we finally had our little one. 

I'm so grateful that our E has such an amazing dad. Before we had him, J had only held a baby maybe once in his life for about 5 min where he was too scared I move. So he was definitely nervous about becoming a dad and afraid he was going to somehow break him. But once the little guy was here, he quickly became a natural. 

Their first pic together remains one of my all time faves. It shows how he instantly became a dad, totally in love with his kid. He seems so at ease holding him.

Not only is he an awesome dad, but he's supportive of me and helps with all the parenting decisions we make along the way. He embraced babywearing and wore E just about everywhere til he started walking. When I suggested baby led weaning, he let us give it a try even though it kinda freaked him out. He was my rock through the early struggles with breastfeeding and he's the calm one to tell me everything will be ok when I have those normal mama worries.

Even though he's a super busy dad with a full time job and going to school full time, he takes every chance he gets to spend quality daddy/son time together. They take trips to Home Depot, work in the garage, and wash the car. He does the bathing and nighttime routine. And he'll be the one taking him to swim classes next month. 

I'm super bummed that he's overseas this year for Father's Day and we aren't able to spoil him like he deserves. E is definitely missing his dad and gives him tons of kisses through the phone (thanks FaceTime!). We can't wait for him to get home. I'm excited to see what the future brings and how he handles being a dad to a little girl. 

Also a shout out to J's dad/E's grandpa. So happy that he has such an amazing grandpa as well. E just loves him and gets so excited when we get to see him, either in person or on FaceTime. These 3 guys are soo similar it's scary. That Mincher gene is strong I tell ya.

Toddler Travels

Every 6 months of so, my husband has to go overseas for work. It normally lasts 2 weeks to a month so I usually use this as an excuse to go see family. Neither of our parents live anywhere close to us so it makes sense that since he'll be gone, we might as well get some family time for the little guy. Well, that may come to an end after the last 2 trips. Unfortunately, he is so used to his room and routine at home, that the change completely throws him off. He seems to have a harder time adjusting with each trip.

The hardest part is his sleep. He has barely been sleeping at all and nothing seems to help. He's only been sleeping maybe 8 hrs a night instead of his usual 11-12 and his napping is almost non existent. He only napped about 30-40min today. Not nearly enough. Even with that little bit of sleep, he wouldn't go to bed tonight. I think a big part of it is that he's just more aware now. He's used to his dad doing his bedtime routine and I'm sure now he realizes that his dad isn't here. So, he's extra attached to me like he's afraid I'm going to leave also. He's NEVER been the type of baby who wants to sleep in bed with us. We've tried co sleeping a few times and he has wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. But, the last few days, he can't/won't sleep unless he's in bed with me. And the second I move or get up, he freaks out.

Obviously, this lack of sleep ends up with a super cranky baby. During the morning and early afternoon nothing makes him happy. Luckily, by around 4ish he starts to deal and get happier. But it's making for a super stressed out me. I haven't really gotten any time to myself. Normally, I have a few hours after he goes to bed and nap times to get things done. The mornings and afternoons are the hardest since I'm exhausted and just want him to take a nap and he's unhappy. At night, he totally makes up for it and is super duper adorable though and it makes me feel so bad for being frustrated with him during the day. Each night, he holds on to me tight, smiles at me, stares into my eyes like he's trying to tell me something, and "sings" along with the bedtime music.

Hopefully as the days go on, he'll get a bit more used to being in a new place, but I'm not getting my hopes up. This is gonna be a long 3 weeks and I can't wait until the hubster is back so we can get back to normal.