One Step at a Time
Happy Father's Day! Enjoy this beautiful post from Cathy.
By Cathy Jameson
Daddy works some magic around here for sure--Ronan would not cooperate at all with me tonight. Bath time was difficult, getting his diaper on was difficult. Brushing teeth? Not gonna happen. Once Daddy came to offer a hand, and after Ronan signed "sad change sad" to me several times, Ronan grabs his shirt and puts it on. Then he grabs his pajama pants and puts them on. All with a smirk and all by himself! First time ever. Granted the shirt was on backwards and both legs went into one pants hole, and he sucked the fluoride-free toothpaste off his toothbrush and didn’t really brush, but dang, what a showoff for Daddy! I'll take it :)
That was the first On This Day memory entry I saw on my fb page when I logged in on Friday morning. It was perfect memory to read as I was brainstorming today’s post. I wanted to do another photo essay, like I’ve done previous years. So, here are some Ronan-Daddy stories and images that I’ve documented for family and friends. Most are happy memories. Some retell of a struggle. All include reminders of why we work as hard as we do.
Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads who bring hope, joy and strength to their families.
xo, Cat
---
2010
We put goggles on Ronan today at the pool. He's always loved water but wasn't a strong swimmer…he quickly explored with his new eyes. He's going to be a fish just like big sister and Daddy!
A few days later…
Ronan and Daddy having an underwater tea party on Father's Day!
2011
Ronan's got some of Daddy’s iTunes downloaded to the iPad. This one is playing full blast just a second ago (complete with the f-bomb!). It's the third time I've caught Ronan with the iTunes open [to Mumford and Sons*]. The kid’s got his Daddy's Celtic taste in music!
2012
I love how excited the kids get when Ronan gets to be included with their normal stuff. We're using a new GF pancake mix, so Ronan is partaking in the Saturday Morning Daddy Waffle Fun.
Belgian waffles.
Nom nom nom.
"Mom, now the whole family can have waffles!"
2012
Ronan has the best Daddy.
He saw what I saw, too--Ronan's health decline, his development regress, his liveliness decrease. That Daddy believes in Ronan. He supports me with many tasks special needs moms have to do. He trusts us together to make huge decisions. He is an amazing parent and partner raising all of our littles. Ronan is a lucky little boy and is very much loved.
2015
Ronan was up a little earlier than usual and must have seen Daddy leave a little later than usual today. Ronan used sign language and fingerspelling to tell me something when I was getting him changed:
‘Car Daddy criy.’
Poor kiddo. He was sad. He loves that Daddy of his.
2018
I asked Ronan about his favorite things and wrote them down when we were out at lunch today. He spelled: black fish (from a kids' movie), so smart (from another movie), and Dad! Ronan's dad. He's kinda my favorite, too.
2019
Waiting before prayer time starts - it's the perfect time to relax and catch up. Ronan was leaning on Daddy while the kids started to gather around. The lighting was a little low, but their spirits were high. When the kids said Ronan's favorite words and quotes, oh, how he smiled. Oh, how he laughed! The coziness and silliness when this happens is just delicious.
From 2020
Seizures last night made me cry. Seeing Ronan smile this morning made me happy. Why the smiles today? Ronan’s watching Daddy do some house repairs while his little sister sings to him. I am so thankful when the siblings pitch in. They know exactly what to do to make this kid smile.
2021
Ronan’s low tone doesn’t show just how excited he is, but Ronan is very happy that Daddy is home! Thank God for a safe trip there and back. Thank God for a happy homecoming today. We love those kinds of days the best.
2020
When all he wanted was Daddy or Willem and got stuck with me...poor kid loves long weekends with his buddies. I at least got Ronan to smile a little later by playing one of Willem’s latest videos. Silly videos make for silly laughing.
2022
It didn't matter where they went, Ronan just wanted to go for a ride in the car with his Daddy.
Always there beside him, or very close behind him, I’m grateful for them both.
Cathy Jameson is a Contributing Editor for Age of Autism.
*Here’s that song Ronan was listening to a few years ago. He howled laughing when he heard the part we didn’t want him to hear. ;) Every now and then, we hear him play it again. They’re a great band and have some great songs. I picked a ‘clean’ version of Little Lion Man to share today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oaer6NTF3kchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oaer6NTF3kc
Happy father's day to all the warrior dads out there, not an easy road but we do it everyday. Blessings to all.
Posted by: Gerardo Martinez | June 18, 2023 at 05:30 PM
Wonderful tribute Cathy!
Happy Father's Day to all the dedicated AOA dads.
You make a difference. Our future depends on it.
Malachi 4:6
Posted by: Emmaphiladelphia | June 18, 2023 at 04:43 PM