The Slovak of My Dreams

The Slovak alternately complains about being mentioned and then about not being mentioned on my blog. I forget which it was yesterday, but it came up.

He gives me a really hard time a gentle nudge to write more when I am on a blog break. He has mentioned a few times how I refer to him as "the Slovak" but his only suggestions for more appropriate nicknames are "the Stud" and "Krull the Warrior King". I compromised on "the Slovak of my dreams", usually shortened to "the Slovak"...

He loves reading my blog and other writing, as hinted above. He is my biggest fan.

He was extremely patient and supportive when I was learning Czech. When we got married I didn't speak all that well but he would do "Czech conversations" with me and tell me how great I was doing. Over time, my Czech has improved and his warm-fuzzy comments have decreased in inverse proportion. He now claims I speak crappy Czech any time I make a slight mistake. He does this because, as he says, "you can handle it now". I take this as the compliment it is.

He started keeping a notebook when we met of all the English words I used that he didn't know. I think I've been good for his vocabulary.

He tells me and the children how much he loved us and where to find the necessary paperwork for after he dies, every time he runs a temperature.

He speaks Slovak, English, Czech, Hungarian, French, Russian and Spanish, in decreasing order of fluency. The last two are not very fluent but he would be offended if I left them off.

He will also be offended when he sees how low I ranked his Czech in the fluency list. Look at it this way - his English is JUST THAT GOOD. (And his ř is not)

He never refers to taking care of his own children as "babysitting".

He loves books and history and sometimes says things like this:

"I am the pater familius."
"Pater familias."
"Whatever. Oh you of lesser importance."
"But greater intelligence."
"Yeah, but lesser importance."

And later:

"Do you love me?"
"Surely I am bound to obey you as my pater familias without regard to my personal feelings."
"Good point, but...you also have to love me."

Or this Facebook exchange from when our son was born:

Me: "I've now done my duty as a 14th century wife and given you an heir, my lord husband. Can I have the estates you promised to endow upon me now?"
Him: "For certes I shall endow the estates upon you, as long as I shall receive the dowry promised at the time of our plight troth."

I always refer to my husband as "my lord husband" in private. I also defer to him on all important life decisions.

Well, I have the highest respect for him, at any rate, and he shows his respect for me as well. Marriage can't work without it, man.

He jumped on board wholeheartedly with raising our children bilingually. He held the Slovak standard (as only Slovak speaker in our life) for two and half years in England.

He coped with me being K's favorite parent for quite a while (intense mommy phase when we moved back to Prague) and is now reaping the rewards: she is going through a major Apo phase at the moment. He is eating it up.

He is really smart (I will not say he is smarter than me, I will not do it...) and wickedly funny.

He is always complimentary of my cooking - every time I introduce a new dish: "HOW IS IT POSSIBLE that we have been married __ years and you're just now cooking this for me?" Although sometimes it comes out more like this:

him: "Wow, I can't remember the last time -- I mean, this is one of the best meals you've made."
me: "YOU CAN'T REMEMBER the last time I cooked something this good??"
him, backpedaling: "I meant it was delicious!"

He stands up for me to anyone from a stranger on the street to his own mother if necessary.

He talks me down off the ledge when I need it. I do the same for him when it's his turn.

He prides himself on taking good care of his children and hates when people take a knowing look at K's mismatched outfit (when she was two or so; we let her pick out her own clothes from early on) and say, "Ahhh, Daddy must have dressed you today."

He is the best partner and co-parent I can imagine.

He will try to play it cool but secretly love this post to bits.