When I met Javier 14 years ago, I had no clue that he would some day be the father of my beloved children. We were young and "just having fun". That fun grew into a committed loving relationship that we soon turned into a marriage. As I was very young and academically motivated, we decided not to have children right away. For us, it was the best decision. Looking back, I can see now that we hardly knew each other really. But we knew enough to build a life together. We matured together, we traveled to interesting places, we did interesting things. And when the time was right 10 years later, we started on the adventure of parenthood. After several months of trying, we finally became pregnant with our twin boys. When we first saw the two sacks during the ultrasound, we had very different reactions. I was immediately shocked, nervous, and scared. The thought of having twins was immensely intimidating for me. Javier's response was a total 180 from mine. He was elated. He immediately started talking about the fun things about twins and how awesome it was going to be. He had waited a long time to become a father and he just found out that he was getting two kids right out the gate. Everyday he spoke sweetly to my growing belly. This was my first clue about the kind of caring nurturing father he was going to be. And then our twin critters were born and I really met Javier, the father.From the very beginning, he was right there in the thick of it with me. An equal parent partner. Up to his elbows in poopy diapers, baby spit up, and sleepless nights. With two babies, there just was no question that we had to become a well oiled team in order to take care of our critters and maintain the household. And Javier had to do all this while also attending Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS). He had homework and papers to write, and he must have found a way to do it, but all I know is that when I needed him to burp a baby or wash baby bottles or go pick up dinner because I didn't have the energy to cook, he did it. Without complaint, without resentment. We took turns getting up in the night to soothe fussy babies and it resulted in us both getting less than 5 hours of sleep every night. Those were some rough days and nights, but together we made it through. And then we moved.
We came to North Carolina when the twin critters were 5 months old. We only had to drive 5 hours south, but it took us almost 9 hours because we had to stop so much. And then we were in a hotel until we found a home. Oh, those were not fun times AT ALL. We finally found a home and Javier started his new job. The twin critters were growing and developing well. Javier found new joy in playing with the boys because they were more engaging and big enough for a little rough play. Any stranger could spend 10 minutes with our family and see what a doting father Javier was. The boys grew into their big boy routines and started developing better sleep habits. Two critters and two adults. Life was good. And then we became pregnant.
Yes, we planned to have another baby. Javier wanted to try for a girl and we wanted all our children to be close in age. We did not get a baby girl, but we were blessed with a beautiful baby boy. Javier was again, a proud beaming father. He loves and dotes on our baby critter just like the twin critters when they were babies, but this time around is a little different. He is more seasoned. He is more comfortable with handling the needs of the baby. But he is also mindful of our older twin critters. They need their father's attention and he gives it freely. And with a deployment approaching, he is even more attentive to their emotional needs.
It's a beautiful sight to behold; this father while he plays with his beloved sons. The boys squeal with delight and seem to never tire of their father's funny games. He is always watchful and protective. He is always showering them with love. Indeed, they will miss him while he is gone. We have things planned to keep them in touch. Thank goodness for technology. And while all the boys are a bit too young to express gratitude for having such a great dad, as their mother, I can express it for them. I can see the love and admiration they hold for their father now. I can see he is their hero and that they will model themselves after him. I can see that Javier is the best father I could ever wish for my babies.
Happy Father's Day, Javier. I love you and the boys love you.
~Latrice
