“A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.” -Billy Graham
2018 has been full of all sorts of firsts for the Lanter family. Today, we get to celebrate our first Father’s Day… And we get to celebrate it at our favorite place, 30A. In honor of our first Father’s Day as a little family of three, here’s a little letter of appreciation that I wrote to my baby daddy.
Matt– today is your day. I’ve always known you would be an amazing daddy, but what I didn’t know is how my heart would burst with love the first time I saw you hold our baby girl. I love the way you love her. You were born to be a father. Things that don’t come natural to so many people about parenthood are second nature to you. The minute she was born, you became the man that both she and I needed you to be. You didn’t hesitate to dig in and do anything and everything. All the things you were so nervous about turned out to be nothing at all for you. Before she was born, you had never changed a diaper, and now you’re the diaper master. There’s nothing that you wouldn’t do for our angel baby and I love that about you. You are our rock and the constant in our lives. I’m so thankful for the man you are, the man God created you to be. My heart melts when I see the way you and MacKenlee look at each other, because I know she’s going to be the definition of, “Daddy’s little girl.”
Your world and your home is full of girls between me, MacKenlee and Soka, and you don’t seem to mind one bit. You said from the beginning of our pregnancy that you didn’t care whether it was a boy or a girl, just as long as it was healthy… But I knew deep down that you wanted a little girl. I know your heart better than anyone else on this earth and I knew that a sweet little girl full of sugar and spice and everything nice, was exactly what you needed. Turns out, I was so very right. In the moments when you don’t know I’m watching, I can see a bond that only daddy’s like you can have with their girls. I love that I get to watch her grow up with you as my partner. I already know that I’m going to be the bad guy while you get to be the hero most of the time (just like with Soka) but I’m okay with that, because you’re so good at being fun. You’re going to be the daddy that all the kids in class think is so cool, and all the moms think is so handsome. And I’m the one who gets to do life and raise this family with you. Us Lanter girls sure are blessed to have you in our hearts and in our lives. We love you so much.
Photos by Kara Coleen Photography.
This is so sweet. You have put into words, so eloquently, exactly how I feel about my husband. Good dad’s are a rarity and our world is blessed to have the good ones directly influencing ours and children’s lives. Two of my babies go off to college this fall and I know my boys will miss their dad the most. Cherish ALL the moments, it all goes so fast.