One of the many valuable lessons I learned from my peerless agent, Laurie Abkemeier, is that agents always read the acknowledgments section first. Therefore, I will not keep her waiting. Laurie, I could not ask for a more enthusiastic, tireless, encouraging advocate to introduce me to the world of publishing. If the day you sold my book was the most exciting day in my writing career, then number 2 would have to be the day you read my query and responded in record time. Thanks for everything, and thanks also to Brian DeFiore and the rest of the staff at DeFiore and Company.
To Flannery Scott, thanks for believing in this book and for all the guidance you’ve given me. You’ve made my first publishing experience everything I hoped it would be, and I couldn’t be happier to be on this journey with you. Thanks also to Karie, Kalen, Sam, Rick, and the rest of the staff at Taylor Trade Publishing.
Enormous thanks also go, naturally, to Drew Tappon, for being my partner both in becoming a dad and in writing it all down. Drew, I couldn’t have done either one without your love and support. Thanks for being the most awesome “Other Daddy” in the world.
To Susie Tappon, thanks for your generosity not just in creating our kids but in letting me share your story. If there’s one thing I want the kids to take away from this book when they’re old enough to read it, it’s what an incredible woman Aunt Susie is. (As if they won’t already know.)
To Tiffany Ireland, another incredible woman, thanks for letting us into your life, and thanks for saying “yes.” Thanks also to Eric and Gavin for being part of our extended family.
I also have to thank everyone who allowed me to write about them, even when I wasn’t portraying them in the most flattering light. To Greg Scordato, who doesn’t remember telling me he couldn’t be friends with someone who was gay and who feels awful about it, thanks for letting me put that in anyway. To Jessica, thanks for being a good sport and for talking us out of the wipe warmers. To Eric S., thanks for giving me the last word—until you write your book, at least. To Dr. S—you know who you are—thanks for being just the guy we needed to get us through all of this, and thanks to your entire staff for their professionalism and friendship. Thanks to Katye and Jenn for being such amazing people.
To my family—Mom, Mary, Kathy, Larry, Kiernan, Megan, Bridget, Mr. & Mrs. T, Mrs. Shoe, Matt & Casey, Peter & Ali, Grace, Lillian, and those yet to come, thanks for all the support you’ve given me throughout this journey. The love you’ve all shown me is what made me so eager to start a family of my own. And to my dad, Jerry Sr., who loved kids and who loved to read more than anyone I’ve ever known, thanks for passing on your love of both to me. I hope you get to read this somewhere. I wish you could’ve been here to witness it all firsthand.
Thanks to my fellow Barracudas—Dave Boerger, James Dutcher, Julie Singer, Victoria Strouse, Adam Tobin, and Janice “Sassymama” Bech for making me a better writer.
Thanks to the friends who might as well be family—Tia Lauren, Janice & C.B. Browne, Drew Greenberg, Michael Messer, Robin Sindler, Chuck & Meredith Stephenson, Alex Cobo, Tom Kenney & Dimitry Grushko, Matthew Allan, and Michael Markowitz. To anyone who’s looking at this list and saying, “Aw, man! Why didn’t that jerk mention me, too?,” the answer is because I know you’re too humble to be called out directly. But thank you most of all.
Thanks to Daniel Jones and the Modern Love column for convincing me there was a story here worth telling. Thanks to Richard Suckle for being one of the good guys. Thanks to Melissa Kagan for making me a “mom.”
I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t also acknowledge everyone who’s read, shared, followed, linked, reblogged, aggregated, upvoted, stumbled upon, commented on, or in any other way supported my blog. Thanks to Jill Smokler, Karen Alpert, Sandra Parsons, Paula Turner, Charly Walker, Kelly Suellentrop, Lovely Lici, the Good Men Project, Lifetime Moms, everyone at Raising America with Kyra Phillips, and everyone else who’s been nice to me one way or another. And OK, thanks to @fender_splendor, who tweeted that he wanted in on the acknowledgments action. There you go.