He's got this.

When we found out that Hannah Bear was going to be a she, Brad was a little nervous about how he'd navigate the waters of being a daddy to a little girl.  He wasn't quite sure that he was ready.

I'd beg to differ.

I'm pretty sure he's got this handled.  Especially since he's her most-favorite person in the whole wide world.

She's pretty lucky.

And so am I.

I was waiting for this day to come.

This morning I went out to get my haircut, and Brad stayed home with the little lovelies.  When I got home about an hour and a half later, he had a story to share.  I've read about stories like these, but nothing like this has ever been said by our little ones until today.

Apparently, after breakfast and playtime, Brad went up to take a shower.  When he got out and opened up the bathroom door, he found Hannah Bear lying on the floor, patiently waiting for him to be finished.  She had a great big smile on her face, and she popped up, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Daddy, will you marry me?"

Now later, Brad told me that he'd considered explaining that this wasn't a possibility.  But she was so eager to ask and so happy...he thought it through and decided it was best not to crush her little heart, but to go along.

"Of course, I will, Sweetheart."

Hannah looked up, with an even bigger smile across her tiny face, and happily scampered out of the bedroom and into the hallway.  She apparently had chosen a special piece of her jewelry that she'd wanted to share with Brad, and she picked it up and came back in to present it to him as the bracelet he could wear when they got married.

When I got home, he was wearing it around his wrist.  In fact, he wore it all day, and as I type this post, it's sitting atop his dresser.  I know he'll hold onto it for as long as he lives - or until Hannah asks for it back.  It's no secret that she's Daddy's Girl :)

Not So Soft

Tonight we were all excited when Daddy came home from work.  It's Friday, it's been a long week, and take-out was being delivered any minute.  Hannah and Daddy were snuggling on the couch until she decided to get up to go do something.  So I came on over and started to snuggle into the spot she'd left.  She turned around and looked at me like I was encroaching on her territory when Brad informed me that I'd taken her spot.  I sat up and made room for the both of us, and then I pulled Hannah up and said, "You know...before you were born, I was Daddy's girl...who's Daddy's girl now?"

She smiled a great big smile with her little chipmunk cheeks, giggled her tee-hee laugh, and said, "Me!"

Brad was rubbing on her tummy and remarked that she may even be softer than me.  Since, whenever I ask the question, "Why do you love me so much?" Brad always replies, "Because you're soft," I knew he was trying to tease me.

So I said, "I'm pretty sure I'm just as soft as she is."

And precisely at that moment - Hannah reached up and ran her fingers along the wrinkles on my forehead.

We had a pretty good laugh at my expense, that's for sure.  How can little ones be so perceptive?

If there were ever any doubt

This morning I was getting cleaned up in my bathroom when Hannah came in to join me for a "Bad Blood" dance party.  After busting out a few dance moves, she proceeded to share some of her thoughts...

"Mommy, you're special because you took care of me when I was a little baby.  Daddy's special because he's my favorite in the whole wide world.  Jack's special because he's my big brother, and I'm special because I ate watermelon when I was in your belly."

"What makes me special?" I asked again, just to clarify.

"You took care of me when I was a baby."

"What is it that makes Daddy special?" I asked.

"Daddy's my favorite in the whole wide world."

Oh, okay, Baby Girl.  Just checking.

Daddy's Girl

Lately, our tiny peanut is all about Daddy.  I'm not jealous (okay, maybe I'm a little jealous), but really I'm just so excited to get a front seat to the special relationship that they have.

This morning, I was coming down the hallway when Hannah emerged from her bedroom, and with her sleepy eyes and crazy baby hair, she looked up at me and announced, "I miss Daddy."

Not, "Good morning, Mama.  Did you sleep well?  I love you."

Not even, "Hi, Mama!"

But instead, "I miss Daddy."  

It was super sweet, to be honest, and I texted him right away to let him know how I was greeted first thing this morning.  I know it made his morning, and apparently Daddy and Hannah had some snuggle time before he'd headed off to work this morning.

While we were on vacation, every time we went out to eat, I'd be holding her hand and we'd get to our table, and she'd let go of my hand, hop into a booth, and announce, "I want to sit next to you, Daddy!"

If I ask, "Hannah, do you want Mommy or Daddy to help you brush your teeth/take you to the bathroom/go down the slide with you?" the answer is almost always Daddy.  I'd say 99% of the time.

It's actually become a bit of a game between Brad and I now.  We don't say anything, we don't really talk about it, but we wait anxiously for her response, knowing full well what she'll say, and then we just look at each other and smile.  It's cute.  

Definitely makes him feel loved.

And I'm just so lucky she has such a great dad.

The relationship between a daddy and his daughter is a special thing.  

I would definitely know, and I'm just so happy that Brad and Hannah get to have that, too.

Silent Sunday

Just Now

Tonight, we all read a story together in Jack's room.  Afterwards, Daddy took Hannah into her room, sang her a song and tucked her in, while I stayed and snuggled with Jack for a few minutes.  Then, I went into Hannah's room, and she was a little sad.

"What's wrong, Baby Girl?"

"I'm sad."

"Why are you so sad, Hannah?"

"Because I didn't get to see Brady or Channing at all!"

I promised to schedule play-dates, sang her another song, and nuzzled her tiny, baby neck.  I tucked her in and slipped away.

A few moments later, Hannah started crying.  I looked at Brad and begged, without words, for him to go.  At the end of the night, I'm near exhaustion and sometimes I just don't have one more ounce to give.  He happily went, and all was well.

Until five minutes later,  when Hannah showed up in our room, crawled into her Daddy's lap, and watched the last few minutes of America's Funniest Home Videos.  When it was over, she wanted me to take her back to her room.

I heaved myself over the edge of the bed, took her back to her room, brushed her hair off her neck, and slipped away once again.

A few minutes later?  

Crying.  I looked at Brad again.  I might have put my finger on my nose, indicating, "Not it!"

He was gone awhile, and I started to feel guilty, so I went to see what happened.  I found Brad, snuggled up tight with Hannah on her toddler bed.  I went into her room, kissed her on her forehead, and whispered, "You have the best daddy in the whole wide world."

"I already know that, Mommy," she whispered back.

So I slipped away once more, leaving her to relish special daddy-time and him to relish the fact that he is oh-so-loved.

Daddy's Girl

She is truly her father's daughter!

{Don't mind that orange stain around her neck.  What can we say?  This little one loves carrots, and we're still learning how to eat from a spoon - bib and all!}