The Only Man in Our Princess' Eyes

My daughter and her Daddy have a very special relationship - even I can't break through. I could feel how close they are with each other that makes me "jelly" at times, but thinking about it...I just love watching them together. 

When I was still pregnant with Charley, my roommate (my husband, btw) loved talking to her. Sometimes, he would read her stories or simply make kwento how his day went. It was one of the first daddy-daughter bonding they had together. Baby Charley would sometimes respond (I think) with tiny kicks in my tummy. 

Roommate has a 7pm - 4am work schedule. Sometimes, he would come home around 4:30 or 5am. There are rare occasions that he would be home by 1 or 3am. However, regardless of what time he would be home, baby Charley (still in my tummy) "knew" that he's home or was about to come home na. I could feel her jump - nope, somersault and do the wave in my tummy. Quite painful at times, these "waves" seemed like a "Welcome home, Daddy" greeting to me. Whenever this happened, I knew that the main door downstairs would open soon. This has happened without fail. 

When I gave birth, we weren't able to see baby Charley right away. She needed to be kept in the NICU until our discharge from the hospital. Yes, that meant three long agonising nights for my mag-ama. My roommate, however, would drop by the viewing room whenever he's allowed to see his daughter. Yes, he would leave me alone in the room - with the IV, catheter, and all - just to take a peek of his precious princess. 

My man and his girl

The first thing my husband did when we finally got home, despite in-law's warnings, was to snuggle, carry, and sway baby Charley. Spoiled her he did! He would do this tirelessly until we, I mean I, fall asleep every night. In fact, I'm not sure whether he sleeps at night. When Charley moves in her crib, he would be the first to check on her. When she cries or even whimpers, he would carry her right away. When Charley loses her one of her mittens, he would get a new pair and make sure they're still bagay to her outfit that time. When my Mom bought Charley her binky (pacifier), he was the only one who felt sorry for Charley wasn't able to cry in full blast. Thankfully, Charley loves her binky now. 

Because of all these, it's not rocket-science why my daughter - whom I carried for 9 months, who gave me all those "battle scars" from PUPPPs and C-section delivery, who was the reason I suddenly became allergic to eggs, who made me gain weight beyond my wildest expectations, who was the reason behind my ugh eye-bags and belly fat - prefers her Dad over me. Simply put, I am but a vessel - a baby carrier for 9 months and a milk provider for the mean time. 

She would cry on me until her Daddy gets her from me as if I'm the kontrabida in her teleserye. She would coo, smile, and laugh more at him than she would at me. She would smile at him and giggle with joy when he picks her up from her crib, but frowns and gives me her legendary death glare when I pick her up. During her 6pm witching hour, she would turn her towards her Daddy whenever I try to soothe her. It is a bit insulting - considering I'm her mother, but really I love watching them like that. 

I love seeing how they just melt at each other. Or how they seem to be each other's stress ball. Or how lovely they just are together. 

Perhaps every daughter has this special relationship with her father. I've witnessed this, too, among my students and their fathers. I adore how Doc Buboy looks at Ella and how this hormonal teenager would become a baby again at the sound of his voice. Or how Ghost Girl is very protective of her Dad in his new relationships. Or how many of my students would write an essay on how their dad is their hero. As a young mommy, it was just a lovely sight to behold! 

Years from now, her Daddy would start teaching baby Charley how to walk, ride a bike, drive a car, and break a boy's neck should he break her heart. She would start talking, calling his name, telling him secrets, then hiding some from him. He would start bringing her to play dates, driving her to endless birthday parties and some sleep-overs, and then soon worry about her going on dates, soirees, and school fairs. She would soon join him in watching UFC and everything Disney, then some chick flicks with her girl friends, then pretty soon some rom-com with her (gasp!) boyfriend! 

My roommate and I know that baby Charley is not ours forever, but he is going to make every moment precious while he is still the only man in his princess' eyes.