{"id":20223,"date":"2026-09-09T13:01:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/?p=20223"},"modified":"2026-09-09T13:01:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T13:01:32","slug":"after-31-years-of-marriage-my-husband-started-leaving-our-bed-at-night-because-of-his-back-then-i-heard-him-whisper-daddy-loves-you-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/?p=20223","title":{"rendered":"After 31 Years of Marriage, My Husband Started Leaving Our Bed at Night \u2018Because of His Back\u2019 \u2013 Then I Heard Him Whisper, \u2018Daddy Loves You Too\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The faded blue blanket my mother had knitted when our son was born had followed us through three different houses and more than three decades of marriage. Greg had always treated it like a family treasure.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

So when he casually told me he\u2019d accidentally donated it, I knew something didn\u2019t add up.<\/p>\n

We hadn\u2019t taken a single box to charity in months.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Three nights later, I woke to the sound of my husband whispering downstairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaddy loves you too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seconds later, I heard the back door unlock.<\/p>\n

That was the moment I knew I had to find out what he was hiding.<\/p>\n

At exactly 2:04 in the morning, I sat up in bed.<\/p>\n

Greg\u2019s side was empty.<\/p>\n

Again.<\/p>\n

Even his pillow was missing.<\/p>\n

For nearly three weeks, my husband had been disappearing downstairs in the middle of the night. Whenever I asked why, he claimed the mattress in the guest room was firmer and helped with his aching back.<\/p>\n

At first, I accepted the explanation.<\/p>\n

Greg was 56. After 31 years together, both of us had reached the age where knees cracked, backs complained, and sleeping in the wrong position could ruin an entire morning.<\/p>\n

But something felt different that night.<\/p>\n

I stayed silent beneath the covers and listened.<\/p>\n

Then I heard his voice downstairs.<\/p>\n

Soft.<\/p>\n

Tender.<\/p>\n

Almost soothing.<\/p>\n

It was the same voice he\u2019d used decades ago when Michael or Emma woke crying from nightmares.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n

My grip tightened around the edge of the sheet.<\/p>\n

Then came the sentence that made my entire body go cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaddy loves you too.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared into the darkness.<\/p>\n

Our son, Michael, was 30 years old and living overseas.<\/p>\n

Our daughter, Emma, was 28 and lived several states away.<\/p>\n

Neither of them had children.<\/p>\n

I glanced toward Greg\u2019s nightstand.<\/p>\n

His phone was still there, plugged into the charger.<\/p>\n

The screen briefly glowed with a notification.<\/p>\n

So he wasn\u2019t talking to one of our children on the phone.<\/p>\n

Whoever Greg was calling \u201csweetheart\u201d was downstairs.<\/p>\n

Inside our house.<\/p>\n

And apparently that person\u2014or whatever it was\u2014was being told that Daddy loved them.<\/p>\n

I slipped out of bed.<\/p>\n

Before I reached the bedroom door, I heard another sound.<\/p>\n

The downstairs dead bolt turned.<\/p>\n

Click.<\/p>\n

Then the back door opened.<\/p>\n

A few moments later, it quietly closed again.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg?\u201d I called.<\/p>\n

Nothing.<\/p>\n

I hurried downstairs barefoot.<\/p>\n

The guest-room door was open.<\/p>\n

Greg wasn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n

But the old rocking chair we\u2019d used when Michael and Emma were babies was still moving beside the window.<\/p>\n

Back.<\/p>\n

Forward.<\/p>\n

Back.<\/p>\n

A chill ran through me.<\/p>\n

Then the porch light came on.<\/p>\n

I crossed the kitchen and pulled aside the curtain.<\/p>\n

What I saw made me freeze.<\/p>\n

Greg was kneeling in the flower bed wearing pajamas.<\/p>\n

One arm was wrapped around something small pressed tightly to his chest.<\/p>\n

And whatever he was holding was wrapped in Michael\u2019s missing blue baby blanket.<\/p>\n

With his other hand, my husband was digging a hole.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg?\u201d<\/p>\n

He spun around so suddenly that dirt flew off the little garden shovel.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaura!\u201d<\/p>\n

I yanked open the back door.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t yell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you digging a hole in our yard at two in the morning?\u201d<\/p>\n

Then the bundle in his arms moved.<\/p>\n

I stopped.<\/p>\n

Greg pulled it closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re frightening her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer?\u201d<\/p>\n

He carefully folded back the corner of the blanket.<\/p>\n

A tiny gray face appeared.<\/p>\n

Two irritated little eyes stared directly at me.<\/p>\n

For several seconds, I couldn\u2019t speak.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg blinked.<\/p>\n

\u201cA kitten.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can SEE that it\u2019s a kitten!\u201d<\/p>\n

The tiny animal let out a squeak.<\/p>\n

Greg immediately looked down.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay, Susan.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSusan?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou named a kitten after your dead mother?\u201d<\/p>\n

For one ridiculous moment, that somehow seemed like the strangest part of the situation.<\/p>\n

Then I looked down at the hole beside him.<\/p>\n

My stomach tightened again.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg\u2026 why are you burying a kitten?\u201d<\/p>\n

His eyes widened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? No! I\u2019m not burying anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

He dropped the shovel.<\/p>\n

\u201cListen.\u201d<\/p>\n

I frowned.<\/p>\n

At first, I heard nothing.<\/p>\n

Then a tiny cry came from somewhere underneath the wooden garden border.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

My anger disappeared instantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer sibling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg pointed toward a narrow opening beneath the edging.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s a boy or girl yet. They were nesting underneath here. Susan was close enough that I could grab her, but the other one crawled farther inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another faint squeak came from beneath the soil.<\/p>\n

Greg picked up the shovel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to widen the opening without making the dirt collapse on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked from my husband to the kitten in his arms.<\/p>\n

Then to Michael\u2019s blanket.<\/p>\n

Then to the hole.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat exactly is happening?\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg winced.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we talk after I get the other kitten out?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Greg. You\u2019ve been leaving our bed every night for three weeks. You lied about your back. Michael\u2019s blanket disappeared. I heard you downstairs calling someone sweetheart and saying Daddy loved them, and now I\u2019ve found you digging around our backyard in pajamas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t take the blanket.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou told me you donated it.\u201d<\/p>\n

He gave me a guilty look.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was\u2026 not one of my better lies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite everything, I almost laughed.<\/p>\n

Instead, I crouched beside him.<\/p>\n

\u201cTell me how I can help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg hesitated before carefully placing the kitten in my arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep her wrapped up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second that tiny body rested against me, I understood why the blanket mattered.<\/p>\n

She weighed almost nothing.<\/p>\n

Just warmth, fragile bones, and one very offended little squeak.<\/p>\n

Greg returned to the garden.<\/p>\n

About ten minutes later, after moving dirt inch by inch and enduring increasingly furious cries from beneath the border, he finally managed to reach inside.<\/p>\n

He pulled out another tiny gray kitten.<\/p>\n

Relief hit me so hard I nearly cried.<\/p>\n

Greg actually did.<\/p>\n

He sat back in the dirt, holding the kitten in both hands while his shoulders sagged.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou okay?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

He nodded much too quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Something about the way he said it bothered me.<\/p>\n

But first, I needed answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cInside.\u201d<\/p>\n

The guest room made far more sense once I knew what I was seeing.<\/p>\n

There was a small animal carrier against the wall.<\/p>\n

Tiny bottles.<\/p>\n

Kitten formula.<\/p>\n

A digital scale.<\/p>\n

Stacks of old towels.<\/p>\n

A heating pad beneath one side of a shallow box.<\/p>\n

And several printed pages of instructions bearing the logo of a local animal rescue organization.<\/p>\n

I turned slowly toward my husband.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never brought animals home before,\u201d he said quickly. \u201cThe other nights I was taking late feeding shifts at the rescue. Afterward I slept down here because I didn\u2019t want to wake you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat isn\u2019t what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg looked toward the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been volunteering there for about six months.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSix months?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe overnight feeding shifts only started three weeks ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t believe what I was hearing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat exactly do you do there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever they need. Cleaning cages. Picking up supplies. Transporting animals. Feeding newborns sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor six months?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you never thought to tell your wife?\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg rubbed the back of his neck.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, it didn\u2019t seem important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd later?\u201d<\/p>\n

His hand dropped.<\/p>\n

\u201cLater\u2026 it felt weird because I\u2019d already gone so long without telling you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked around the room again.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are bottle-feeding a kitten called Susan at two in the morning while wrapping her in our son\u2019s baby blanket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg glanced at the kitten.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe responds surprisingly well to Susan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found the litter behind the shed yesterday. I called the rescue immediately. They told me to wait and watch from a distance in case the mother came back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd she didn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the temperature started dropping and the kittens wouldn\u2019t stop crying, the rescue told me to bring them inside. I managed to reach Susan, but Steve crawled farther underneath the garden border.\u201d<\/p>\n

I frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cSteve?\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded toward the second kitten.<\/p>\n

\u201cSusan\u2019s sibling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you volunteered our house?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTemporarily.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOur guest room too?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso temporarily.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd apparently our bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg glanced toward the ceiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cTechnically, I volunteered myself out of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

I crossed my arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo your back never hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt actually does now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you\u2019ve spent three weeks sleeping in this room?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n

I covered my face with my hands.<\/p>\n

Then another thought returned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe blanket.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Greg looked toward Susan.<\/p>\n

She was curled against my chest inside the faded blue knitting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy this blanket?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve protected that thing through three house moves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t even let me throw away Michael\u2019s kindergarten lunchbox because you said it had historical importance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt had dinosaur stickers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt smelled like twenty-year-old peanut butter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHistory isn\u2019t always pleasant, darling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg.\u201d<\/p>\n

His expression changed.<\/p>\n

He reached out and touched the edge of the blanket.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first picked her up, she was freezing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI needed something soft and warm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are twelve towels in this house.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why Michael\u2019s blanket? And why was it already missing before tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg lowered himself into the old rocking chair.<\/p>\n

Susan stirred against me.<\/p>\n

Without thinking, Greg held out his arms.<\/p>\n

I passed her back.<\/p>\n

He wrapped the blanket around her with practiced hands, tested the temperature of the bottle against his wrist, then settled her into the crook of his elbow.<\/p>\n

I watched every movement.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

I\u2019d never seen Greg feed a kitten before.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019d seen those exact hands doing the same thing decades earlier.<\/p>\n

First with Michael.<\/p>\n

Then with Emma.<\/p>\n

Support the head.<\/p>\n

Tilt the bottle.<\/p>\n

Rub the back.<\/p>\n

Wait.<\/p>\n

I sat on the edge of the guest bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t look up.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you miss them?\u201d<\/p>\n

He frowned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe kids?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

I searched for the right words.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you miss being Dad like this?\u201d<\/p>\n

His hand went still.<\/p>\n

Susan continued drinking.<\/p>\n

For several moments, the only sound was the tiny pull of her mouth against the bottle.<\/p>\n

Finally, Greg looked down at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re adults. They\u2019re happy. They\u2019re doing well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMichael has a career he loves. Emma finally bought that condo she wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did what we were supposed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

I said nothing.<\/p>\n

Greg took a breath.<\/p>\n

And then, in a voice so quiet I nearly missed it, he said,<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody needs me at two in the morning anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sentence landed harder than I expected.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, small moments from the past few years came back to me.<\/p>\n

Greg checking Emma\u2019s tire pressure whenever she visited.<\/p>\n

Greg refusing to throw away Michael\u2019s old flashlight because \u201cit still works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg standing silently in Emma\u2019s empty bedroom after she moved away.<\/p>\n

I had always looked at our children\u2019s independence as proof that we\u2019d succeeded as parents.<\/p>\n

Maybe Greg had been asking a completely different question.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter Emma moved out,\u201d he said, \u201cyou told me you finally remembered what it was like to wake up because you\u2019d finished sleeping, not because somebody needed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

My smile disappeared.<\/p>\n

I barely remembered saying that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you were happy,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n

And suddenly, I understood.<\/p>\n

He hadn\u2019t hidden the rescue work because he thought I\u2019d be angry about animals.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d hidden it because he was embarrassed by what the volunteering meant to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you think I\u2019d say?\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg adjusted Susan against his chest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked away.<\/p>\n

I waited.<\/p>\n

Finally, he admitted it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you\u2019d think it was pathetic.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart sank.<\/p>\n

\u201cMissing the kids?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cMissing being needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

I sat beside him.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreg, missing that part of your life doesn\u2019t mean you want Michael and Emma to become children again.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded slowly.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you?\u201d<\/p>\n

His head snapped toward me.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod, no. Michael once put a Lego in the toaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

I burst out laughing.<\/p>\n

Then Greg smiled faintly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just miss being the person somebody called when the dark felt too scary.\u201d<\/p>\n

That silenced me.<\/p>\n

I realized how often I\u2019d responded to his sadness with logic.<\/p>\n

The kids were successful.<\/p>\n

They were independent.<\/p>\n

That was the goal.<\/p>\n

All of those things were true.<\/p>\n

But being proud of the people our children became didn\u2019t mean Greg couldn\u2019t grieve the version of himself they no longer needed.<\/p>\n

Still, I pointed toward the guest bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of this excuses lying to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg gave me a guilty smile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou let me believe you were avoiding sleeping beside me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want you to think I was losing my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you were hiding something awful.\u201d<\/p>\n

He winced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked down at Susan.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were so afraid your sadness would bother me that you turned it into a secret that started hurting our marriage instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg didn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n

A tiny cry came from the box nearby.<\/p>\n

He immediately started to stand.<\/p>\n

I caught his wrist.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore anything else, we\u2019re calling the rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n

By 4:30 that morning, both kittens had been examined by the rescue\u2019s emergency veterinarian.<\/p>\n

They were cold and hungry but otherwise stable.<\/p>\n

The woman at the desk recognized Greg as soon as we walked in.<\/p>\n

She looked at the kittens and smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother one with a retirement-home name?\u201d<\/p>\n

I slowly turned toward my husband.<\/p>\n

Greg sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was also a Charlie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apparently, six months of volunteering contained more stories than he\u2019d admitted.<\/p>\n

On the drive home, Greg finally sent Michael and Emma a picture of the kittens.<\/p>\n

Michael called less than thirty seconds later.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad, why are two kittens wrapped in my baby blanket?\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re thirty years old, Mike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStill my blanket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emma joined the call moments later.<\/p>\n

For several minutes, they teased their father relentlessly about naming kittens Susan and Steve.<\/p>\n

Then Michael became quieter.<\/p>\n

\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know you\u2019re allowed to miss us, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg swallowed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emma spoke next.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe miss you too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, without hesitation, she added,<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, my kitchen sink started making that weird noise again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg instantly sat straighter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat noise?\u201d<\/p>\n

I turned toward the window so no one would see me smile.<\/p>\n

That night, Greg picked up his pillow.<\/p>\n

I watched him head toward the guest room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSusan needs another feeding in a couple of hours. I don\u2019t want to wake you.\u201d<\/strong><\/h1>\n

There it was again.<\/p>\n

The same habit.<\/p>\n

The same mistake.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cGreg.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stopped.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk me.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stared at me.<\/p>\n

Then he tried again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you mind if I kept the kittens\u2019 setup downstairs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd would you mind if I came back upstairs between feedings?\u201d<\/p>\n

I pointed at the pillow tucked beneath his arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where that belongs.\u201d<\/p>\n

His mouth twitched.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before dawn, his alarm vibrated.<\/p>\n

Greg sat up.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour o\u2019clock.\u201d<\/p>\n

I opened one eye.<\/p>\n

He hesitated for a second.<\/p>\n

Then he asked,<\/p>\n

\u201cWant to come keep me company?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n

Downstairs, Greg settled into the old rocking chair.<\/p>\n

Susan and Steve were tucked together inside Michael\u2019s faded blue blanket.<\/p>\n

I sat beside him holding a mug of coffee.<\/p>\n

Susan squeaked.<\/p>\n

Greg looked down at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaddy\u2019s here.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time, the words didn\u2019t scare me.<\/p>\n

I took another sip of coffee.<\/p>\n

\u201cSusan is still a ridiculous name for a kitten.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg rocked gently.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has grown into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I laughed.<\/p>\n

When the feeding was finished, he looked toward the stairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack to bed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greg carefully placed Susan and Steve inside their warm little box and folded the blue blanket beside them.<\/p>\n

Then he reached for my hand.<\/p>\n

And together, we walked upstairs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The faded blue blanket my mother had knitted when our son was born had followed us through three different houses and more than three decades of marriage. Greg had always … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,15,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-inspiration","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20223"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20224,"href":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20223\/revisions\/20224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}