101 Things About Daddy

In honor of Father's Day and #18 on my 101 Things About Liz...


101 Things About the Father of My Children

1. He is a year and a half younger than I am.
2. He reminds me of this on a regular basis.
3. He was born in Jersey, but moved to Uruguay when he was 3 weeks old.
4. When he speaks Spanish, he sounds way nicer than I do.
5. He has 4 tattoos.
6. He plans on getting at least one more.
7. He lets me sleep in more than half the time on weekends and in the summer.
8. The first time I had a migraine with him he said, "Show me how to help you." 9. While I was pregnant with Ben, he kissed my belly every night.
10. When I was pregnant with Aidan, he rubbed my feet every night.
11. For my first Mother's Day, he gave me 2 gifts: a tacky Best Mom mug (the "traditional cliche gift") and a pair of red patent leather high heels (the "anti-mommy gift").
12. He's only complained once about needing to treat every lizard in the house as an emergency.
13. It was 2:00 in the morning.
14. He changed the first 10 diapers of Ben's life.
15. He owns 2 suits.
16. He looks spectacular in both.
17. He owns an entire drawer full of cycling shorts.
18. He looks even better in those.
19. When we went to Hawaii for our 5th wedding anniversary, he surprised me with a full-blown vows renewal ceremony on a beach, complete with a minister, a professional photographer, a fancy dinner, and 5 eternity bands.
20. It took him over 6 months to plan it.
21. He still opens doors for me, and is teaching Ben to do the same.
22. He is one of the smartest people I know.
23. He is also a smart ass.
24. People either love him or hate him.
25. He never cares one way or the other.
26. His last two cars have been bright yellow trucks.
27. He once attended a luncheon given by one of my relatives just because it was important to my mother.
28. He makes a mean meatloaf.
29. His students idolize him.
30. Sometimes his students' moms do too.
31. He sings his own version of "Good Night Sweetheart" to Ben every night.
32. He calls Aidan "Mushu Chicken" and "Po-Chicken."
33. When we found out we had miscarried our first pregnancy, he cried on the floor with me.
34. He cried at the end of The Notebook (the book, not the movie).
35. He's been called "macho" by nearly every one in my family.
36. When given the choice between a vasectomy with general anesthesia or local anesthesia, he chose local so he wouldn't have to get someone to drive him home.
37. His favorite books are Tuesdays With Morrie, Angels and Demons, and A Pirate Looks at Forty.
38. He follows Lance Armstrong on Twitter.
39. He wears his hair long.
40. When people ask him if he's babysitting the kids, he says he is "not babysitting;" he is "parenting."
41. He once jumped out of a plane.
42. He can talk politics with almost anyone.
43. He left his position as an assistant principal and went back to teaching so he could have more time with us (and his bike).
44. He wrote a teacher's resource book on Science.
45. He thinks Marisa Miller is hot.
46. He insists I'm hotter.
47. He's a bad liar.
48. When I try on clothes in the dressing room, he sits outside and gives me an honest opinion on every item.
49. He attended every single one of my OB/GYN appointments with both pregnancies.
50. He nearly fainted when he saw the placenta during Ben's delivery.
51. When I fall asleep with my glasses on, he quietly slips them off and puts them on my night stand.
52. He can build just about anything.
53. He hates it when I wear ballet flats.
54. After two years in college, he decided to switch to a "less-fun" college so he could finish and do well.
55. He gets annoyed when the pediatrician is surprised that he knows so much about his own kids.
56. He is always suggesting I go on a girls' getaway weekend with my friends.
57. When we bought our house, he designed and built a "dream closet" for me, complete with a chandelier.
58. He leaves his shoes in a pile on our bedroom floor.
59. His clothes are often found on top of these shoes.
60. His desk at work is immaculate.
61. If I am Type A, he is Type Z.
62. He checks this blog constantly.
63. He is constantly forgetting his cell phone in his car.
64. When he does remember to bring it in the house, he forgets to take it off of "silent."
65. He forgets to give me messages all the time.
66. He has never forgotten a birthday or an anniversary.
67. He's afraid of lightening.
68. His favorite movie is "Gladiator."
69. But he loves a good chick flick.
70. He is better at packing for trips than I am.
71. He has three drawers of absolutely perfectly folded t-shirts.
72. He dressed as a pirate for Halloween 2 years in a row.
73. He plays with the boys way more than I do.
74. As strict as I am, he is still stricter.
75. He gave me diamond earrings when Ben was born.
76. He offered to fly me to New York so I could go designer shoe shopping when Aidan was born.
77. When I passed on the NY trip, he took me for a getaway weekend to the Mandarin Oriental Miami instead.
78. He snuck into my classroom after school was closed and decorated it with confetti, balloons, and banners for my birthday.
79. He did this twice.
80. He only celebrates Valentine's Day because I like it.
81. He gives new meaning to the word optimist.
82. He hates the newborn stage of parenting.
83. If he had a million dollars, he'd pay off all debts and invest so he could work as little as possible for the rest of his life.
84. If he could have any super power it'd be flying.
85. He mountain bikes, road rides, surfs, runs, kayaks, and adventure races.
86. He is saving golfing for when his body won't cooperate as well.
87. He crossed the entire country of Costa Rica on a mountain bike for La Ruta...twice (once with a cracked rib).
88. He offered to be the bartender and waiter and general helper at my baby shower so I could just relax and have a good time with my mom and friends.
89. When he was a little boy, his family called him "Ahora mismo" which means "Right now" in Spanish.
90. He has absolutely no tolerance for disrespect.
91. He once bought me 5 pairs of designer shoes worth more than $1000 for under $300. (They all fit and they were all fabulous.)
92. He can recite almost every line from the movie "Scarface."
93. He can be incredibly intimidating when he wants to be.
94. He can be incredibly nurturing when he wants to be.
95. He regularly makes time for 5 people in his life, and 3 of them are us.
96. He is as much of a mom as I am.
97. He is Ben's favorite person (much to my chagrin).
98. When Ben is sick, he sets the alarm so we can check his fever throughout the night (just because it makes me feel better).
99. He is absolutely the best husband in the world.
100. He is absolutely the best father in the world.
101. He's mine.