Nearing the house at 7:15 pm every Monday night means I have to verbally work through The Plan.
Kate is the keeper of all plans, and thoroughly enjoys reviewing them with those involved. Multiple times and in pain.staking.detail.
Monday nights are when I take Kate to tap and ballet, and Maddie stays home with Craig. Craig gets Maddie bathed, and is usually halfway through getting Maddie dressed in her PJs when we arrive home. Our upstairs’ bath is directly across from Maddie’s door, and when Maddie is perched on her changing table, she has a direct view of the top of the stairs. If she happens to spot me during that time, all Hell breaks loose and she wants me instead of Craig. So it’s best we remain covert in our operations.
That’s where The Plan comes into play.
Per Kate, when we arrive home from dance, we need to hide out on the stairs and wait until the coast is clear. Once Craig is finished diapering and dressing Maddie, he pushes her bedroom door mostly closed and walks to her glider to rock her and tell her a couple stories. As soon as he and Maddie are out of sight of the bathroom door, we are free to scurry to the bathroom and start Kate’s bath time routine.
Kate LOVES that she gets to stay out “late,” especially because it’s something Maddie doesn’t get to do. So her coming home on Mondays to Maddie already bathed and in her PJs is a huge deal each and every week.
As we turned into the neighborhood on Monday, I was being briefed on The Plan for a 3rd time to ensure I understood my role. We entered our house, took off our shoes and then found our perch at the top of the stairs. Kate the Colonel was certain Craig and Maddie were still a threat and we needed to maintain our positions a bit longer.
A couple minutes passed and I could tell that the door was mostly closed because Craig’s voice muffled. I peaked around the corner, and sure enough, the coast was clear. We safely made our mad dash to the bathroom.
As I was helping Kate out of her tights, I noticed a different sound coming out of Maddie’s room. It wasn’t the standard-issue Snuggle Puppy 
MELT went my heart! How much sweeter and adorable can you get?! My husband singing some “What A Wonderful World” to his little girl!
Craig doesn’t sing, so it’s totally not his style to do something like that. He never sang to Kate, though Kate never had the daddy issues that Maddie does. Maybe he’s pulling out all the stops so she’ll love him like she does me?
I don’t know, but as I got Kate’s bath started I listened to him sing and imagined him cuddling her in the glider and her all cozied up in his lap, with her head on his shoulder.
Then late I went downstairs and bought the song off iTunes.
Sing it, Louis!
1) That is the sweetest story ever – the part about Craig singing.
2) That is the same song I picked to dance with my dad at my wedding
3) Kate = my Lucas with the detail issues. It’s a 1st born thing I tell myself.
Oh beautiful post. What a sweet story, that must have completely melted your heart, I know it would have done so to mine but I cannot ever imagine my husband singing like that. Lovely
This almost made me cry! I love that song. My dad is a professional wedding videographer & he has put that song on the videos for most of the weddings he has done for as long as I can remember. It brings back so many memories for me!
Such a special time for him & Maddie to have that time together! I love this story!
“What A Wonderful World” was one of my mom’s favorite songs. Heart melting moment for sure!
P.S. I don’t think my husband knows the words to any songs. All I ever hear him sing to Lucas are the A-B-C’s, which always make me giggle.