Who is this woman in the house?

Hi friends, this is Mark writing. Tomorrow is a big, big day - a day that marks the end of a very special time. It's Katherine's last day at home before returning to work. I don't remember thinking this was such a big deal when she went back after Ben was born. It happened sooner for one thing - he was only three months old. Perhaps the extra four months were enough to lull me into thinking this was a permanent arrangement. But also, I think Katherine has really embraced and enjoyed the life of a domestic engineer this time, much more so than before.
    Perhaps the least expected accomplishment is that she has become a very good cook. This has always been my domain, and I enjoy it. But it's been a serious blast to watch her gain skill and especially to work together on meals. I'm hoping we can do a lot more cooking together in the years to come. Today for lunch, she made these amazing sandwiches - not just some turkey on bread with the usual condiments and fixings. This sandwich was legitimate restaurant fare: ham, sliced apple, edam cheese, smeared with a concoction of apple butter, dried mustard, and grated onion, sandwiched between cinnamon raisin toast. It was superb!
     You know that statistic you hear sometimes? The one that says women do 70% of the housework, even in families where both parties work outside the home. I used to take pride that it wasn't that way in our house. Well...now it is. It really has been a wonderful gift she's given me by doing so much of that stuff the last few months.
     Most importantly, she's been a fantastic mother to Katie and Benjamin. Katie's been a challenging baby, sometimes pushing me to the point of meltdowns. But Katherine handles her (and me) with skill and patience. She reads the baby books so we know what to expect or why Katie's upset at a particular stage. She is excellent at choosing age appropriate toys for Ben that are engaging without over stimulating. She organizes everything, and actually enjoys the process. How many people actually look forward to reaching into the tupperware drawer? I do now. She does that for the kids' stuff too, including rotating toys Montessori style. Our kids are well loved. 
    One thing I thoroughly enjoy about all this is that neither of us knew this side of her when we got married. In fact, I was attracted to her in part because of how driven she was in terms of developing a career. People change over the course of years, and that's one of the cool things about marriage. We now get to experience this whole new facet of Katherine. Thanks honey, it's been a wonderful seven months!