Those times when you think, I wish my dad could see this

Max is really into these Omega-3 supplements he's been getting since he was a baby called Coromega. The neurologist recommended them as a brain booster, and we'd mix half a packet into his oatmeal (they come in mousse form, we get the orange flavor). Lately, Max has been sucking that stuff directly out of the packets. He stood in the kitchen last night holding the bag of them and asking Dave to give him one. "It's healthy!" he announced.

I had one of those "If my dad could see him now" moments. They strike from time to time. Losing a parent when you're a parent is, at times, doubly sad—I miss my dad, who died in 2011, and also regret that he's missing out on my kids.

My dad was into healthy food before it was trendy. I grew up eating oat bran, wheat germ, homegrown sprouts and homemade yogurt. I thought it was all disgusting but, yep, Dad knew what he was talking about. In college and throughout my twenties, Dad sent me newspaper clippings about nutrition ripped out from The New York Times' Health section. I used to tease him by telling him I'd eaten Twinkies for dinner.

When I had Max, my dad was pretty grim about his future. He was a bit pessimistic by nature, but he was also very well read and knew what it meant for an infant to have a large bilateral stroke. Dad encouraged us, as the doctors did, to get Max as much therapy as possible. He thought it was a smart idea when Max's neurologist recommended we give baby Max MCT oils (medium chain triglyceride) oil, good for brain health. Eventually, both Dad and the neurologist recommended the Omega-3s. And here was Max, standing in the kitchen asking for them himself.

I think of my dad during everyday awesome moments, along with the milestone ones. I know he would have admired Sabrina's athletic abilities and cackled over Ben's bossiness ("I said NO!"). He would have adored Ben's naughty grin and Sabrina's auburn hair, and thought Max turned out to be such a handsome young man. He would have appreciated Max's sense of humor, his proficiency with the iPad and their mutual love of travel. He would have been awed by Max's development, a boy doing things doctors never thought he'd do.

And if Max starts telling me to eat more salad, well, Dad will certainly be grinning down at both of us.