Tickle Kisses and Squeezy Hugs

The day started with a dance party in the kitchen.

Dad had downloaded new music for his workout and when Baby and I came downstairs, fresh from a morning diaper and outfit change, we were unexpectedly swept into a bumping, bouncing, arm-waving version of "The Club Can't Handle Me." Our daughter's eyes bugged wide with wonder: just what in the world were Mom and Dad up to at 6am? Squealing as her daddy gathered in his arms and danced her feet across the kitchen island, she giggled her way through the repeated chorus while we twirled around like happy idiots. Mid-song, the dog lumbered up the basement stairs, yawning and blinking at the spectacle before him. Just another Tuesday morning at our house.

Our daughter is in love with her father. Her face lights up as soon as he walks in the room. His after-school homecoming is on par with Super Bowl cheers. She coos and laughs and kicks and waves just to get his attention. She is fascinated by his goatee and reaches to paw gently at his face. She talks to him, crabs at him, plays with him, cuddles with him. He (followed closely by our dog) is her favorite plaything.

My husband is in love with his daughter. A friend of ours, then a new dad, once said (in his blunt, state cop kind of way) that he loved his daughter more than his wife. His wife just winked at us as he earnestly shared his truth; unoffended, she patted his arm and kissed his cheek. "He says the nicest things, doesn't he?" she teased. As a married couple just beginning our life together, we were a little surprised by the conversation. Two years later, we both understand his sentiment. The love you feel for your child is just different. It's complete, all-encompassing, primal. I know my husband loves me but our daughter? She's his special girl.

He was the first to teach her something. A few minutes after she was born, he gently gathered the little bundle of her to his chest and walked to the window. "I want to be the first to teach you something, little girl," he murmured. "See that? That's a tree. That's the first thing you learned in your life." With a sweet kiss to the forehead, he turned her to the window, late morning sunlight illuminating both of their faces. From my view in bed, I had never seen anything so literally breathtaking.

I know well their special connection, as I too am a very lucky daughter of a loving and attentive dad. Watching my dad's face in the hospital room as he met his granddaughter was a gift I'll never forget. As I met him for coffee last week, baby in tow, I enjoyed the rare pleasure of a one on one visit. He sipped his coffee while I chattered on, making faces and gently teasing a smile out of my daughter. "Someday, you're going to be a talker just like your mom, aren't you?" he grinned, tickling her side. Rewarded with giggling babble, he scooped her up and put her on his lap. "You are just the prettiest little girl." She certainly has all the men in her life wrapped securely around her little finger!

Squeezy hugs and tickle kisses are Daddy-Daughter originals. My husband likes to put our daughter in the crook of his arm and squeeze her close, hugging her back and forth while he drawls "squeeeeeezy hug" in his best high-pitched interpretation of her voice. No matter her mood, the move is sure to have her face explode in a smile. Couple that with smacking, scratchy kisses from her dad and she is bound to go to bed, take a bottle or face an outfit change with glee. He is her special guy - Daddy can do no wrong.

I watch them quietly as I go about the mom business of laundry, cleaning and organization and privately thrill in their obvious joy in one another. I can't wait to watch him teach her how to tie her shoes, ride a bike (if she's anything like her mom, it will take patience!), shoot a polo ball, drive a car. To see him dance her on his feet, use his big hands to try to put together a ponytail, wipe her tears when she falls. To be there to watch him walk her proudly down the aisle, twirl her playfully on the dance floor and stand awed in the doorway as he meets his grandchild for the first time. I am honored to witness their story. Knowing the two of them, it will be a beautiful one at that.

In a few hours, Dad will be home and full of tickle kisses and squeezy hugs for his baby girl. Perhaps he'll have one saved up for his original girl as well?