I have a distinct memory from my childhood of a time when my mom was out of town & my dad was helping me get ready for church. We couldn't find my church shoes so naturally he put me in my hot pink hightops & then proceeded to "fix" my hair. If only we had a picture of what I looked like that day, but the mental picture I have is quite clear & even at about 6 years of age I can remember showing up at church mortified. At times watching Tyler be a dad has reminded me of that moment in time with my dad. He loves Ruby like crazy but dad's just don't do things quite the same way mom's do. The other night he ran to the store with Ruby to grab a few things & carried her in with boxes of Similac on top of her. Something I never would have done & yet she had a look of indifference on her face:
On the rare occasion that Tyler has to get Ruby ready I have to admit that I feel a bit of anxiety. Will he get her bow on right? Will he do something crazy with her outfit? One never knows with a dad. But what I do know is that she's a lucky girl to have this guy in her life because he's as good as it gets.
He texted me yesterday morning and asked if I would send him some pictures of Ruby because he missed her. When I called him so he could hear Ruby laugh he put me on speakerphone & called over his co-workers to listen. Yes, he's that guy & he's proud to be. He loves to hold her & talk to her & still has a hard time sharing her. I love watching this boy be a dad. And I know Ruby will love having him as her dad. She is one lucky girl. One lucky girl who will continue to be tortured by prickly kisses, who will be riled up before bedtime & might someday have a few experiences like the one I had with my dad. That dad of mine who never missed a single soccer game (even the ones he got kicked out of...another story for another day...), who would come & find me if I was out past curfew, & who I saw cry for the first time when I came down the stairs dressed for Prom.
