My Brother, the Daddy

Yesterday, the boys and I took the trek to Stockton to meet our newest little bundle of love, Patrick III.

In a family filled with Patricks, this one is a cherished and welcome addition. He was born on the Fifth of July to my brother Patrick and his beautiful wife Sokanha. I would have willingly gone to the ends of the earth for five minutes of baby snuggling, so the four hour round trip was well worth the effort.

I was prepared for the instant rush of love I felt when I first held Patrick in my arms and introduced his cousins to each of his tiny fingers and toes. I was prepared for the heart swell that rose in me when I fed him a bottle and he fell asleep in my arms. I was even prepared for the sadness I felt when I had to hand him over to his maternal auntie, who too had driven to visit him and wanted her turn to hold him.

What I wasn't prepared for was the pride and joy I felt in the company of my brother, who seems to be on target for next year's "World's Best Daddy" top five.

Patrick II (Patrick III's Daddy, not to be confused with my own Daddy, Patrick I or my lovable other little nephew, soon to be first grade Patrick), is my younger brother. The "middle child" of our family, he holds a special place in his older sister's heart. Patrick spent his formative years tormenting me by doing his obnoxious kid routine for my high school boyfriends. He went on to lead a colorful and larger-than-life young adulthood. With my family spread across the country, he's my only remaining relative in California. He's a great guy with a fantastic sense of humor. I'm so happy to see him settling into his new home and family life.

So anyways, I new that I'd love that baby, but what really amazed me yesterday was watching my brother. He is seriously already a great daddy, and after only a few days of practice! He changed every diaper while I was there (and yes, there were a few of those yucky ones), prepared the baby's bottle (which he does whenever Mommy's not nursing), swaddled the baby, tended the healing umbilical cord, and shone with pride each time he looked at his new son. In the backdrop of all of this were the words of his wife, my sister in law Sokanha, who lovingly shared what a big help he's been with a baby who appears to be working the night shift and sleeping during daylight hours.

Welcome to the world, Newest Little Baby Patrick, and congratulations on having such a great Daddy - but hey, that shouldn't be any surprise: my brother studied under The Best!