I see you.
I see you struggling to get out of bed, exhausted from a night of being up scaring away monsters and making bottles as much as I was.
I see you getting up before the rest of us, quietly sneaking out in the dark and heading to work.
I see you stopping at the store on your way home to save me a trip out of the house with all three kids.
I see you racing home to help with after school extracurriculars.
I see you coming home and changing out of your work clothes, but you aren’t done working. You trade your white-collar clothes for blue-collar clothes as you switch from a desk job to home renovations.
I see you doing dishes, laundry, cooking, and parenting.
I see you finally sitting down after the kids are wrestled into bed.
I see you with your laptop, working on getting our businesses up and running, working on making our dreams come true.
I see you up until midnight, always working on something, just to be up early and starting all over again.
I may not always thank you. In fact, I KNOW I don’t thank you enough. You make sure we all have everything we could ever want and need. You make sure that medical bills and insurance companies are dealt with. You make sure we never have to sacrifice despite being a one-income household. You sacrifice so that I can be home savoring every moment with these beautiful little monsters who threaten to steal my sanity.
You are the one who greases all of the gears to help our household run smoothly.
You have proven what being a true partner means. We’ve been through a lot, and most recently that meant a very difficult pregnancy, postpartum depression, and now a medically complex child. Somehow, despite wearing so many different hats, you always manage to be my biggest supporter all while never missing a specialist appointment, parent teacher conference or school event.
You do all of the heavy lifting.
I know you don’t ask for praise. You don’t want the recognition. This is just who you are. You will always put your family above all else. You will always put our happiness above your own. You are the embodiment of hard work, perseverance, determination, strength, and intelligence for our children. Pushing all three of them to be the very best versions of themselves and to find their passions, all while you lead by example.
I’m often overwhelmed by the time you get home. Feeling like I spun my wheels all day. Home with three minions, but yet nothing seems accomplished.
You walk in the door and you just get it.
Somehow, the dishes piled in the sink that I haven’t gotten to? They are done before bed. Thank you.
The laundry I forgot to swap? You swapped it and started the next load. Thank you.
The 5-year old I cannot get to sleep? She’s out cold peacefully. Thank you.
The milk we ran out of? You ran back to the store so we would have it in time for breakfast. Thank you.
Another diaper change? You changed it before I even noticed. Thank you.
Baby needs another bottle and they are all dirty? You wash them all and make one before I have a chance to ask for help. Thank you.
The trash that’s overflowing? It’s out at the curb for pick-up in the morning. Thank you.
My list that’s pages long and feeding my anxiety? You completed tasks without me having to ask. Thank you.
I know at the end of the day you may feel unseen, unappreciated, but I promise you’re not. Not just for the tasks you do, but for the person you are: the parent, the father, the friend, the partner.
At the end of our crazy day, there is no one I would rather climb into bed next to, no one I would rather struggle through sleep deprivation with. I love you, and this journey of parenthood and marriage is made so much better because I am on it with you.
Thank you.
