Dad makes time for play
CRANBERRY TWP — Jeanette Lahm could wait no longer in July 2007 as her husband Eric drove frantically toward Butler Memorial Hospital.
Traveling from their home in Cranberry Township, Eric pulled aside, parking the Toyota minivan at the Butler Days Inn, where Jeanette gave birth to their son Noah.
Her contractions had started slowly the night before, but accelerated unexpectedly.
Not surprisingly, it was rush hour. But things have slowed down for the Lahms.
Eric, 45, a longtime financial services professional, no longer travels frequently on business. More of his time is spent with their children, 14-year-old Ellie, 12-year-old Keegan, and Noah, now 4.
“We try to do things one-on-one,” said Jeanette, 39, explaining each child has exclusive time with dad.
“I like to play with my dad,” said Noah, listing catching fish and tadpoles as highlights.
“Sometimes we go fishing in the pond across the street,” Keegan explained. “We'll have water wars in the backyard. We'll play soccer together.”
Ellie noted her father always has jumped on the trampoline with his children.“(But) he doesn't like it anymore because it's too hard to jump me,” she said.Describing her husband as the laid back one in the marriage, Jeanette said Eric excels at managing chaos. And equally important: He vacuums.To commemorate his role in Noah's delivery, Jeanette made her husband an honorary M.D. certificate, a framed memento in their home.That, and his dedication as a parent, equip him for tending to scrapes and other “emergencies” outside of delivering babies.“I lived overseas for awhile, so when it comes to slivers and stuff, I don't have any problem,” he said.
