They Say...

Dear Baby Girl,

A week and a half until your expected arrival.  You are 6.8 pounds and 19.75 inches - the size of a leek, which is a vegetable that is a cousin to onions and garlic.

Baby Girl,


They say girls rebel during their teenage years.  How about you just don't do that, k?

They say we'll have doubts.  Doubts are normal.  What is important is the process of overcoming doubts which will ultimately build confidence.

They say labor will be painful.  Your momma will say it is worth it.

They say we won't sleep for months.  I can't think of someone I'd rather lose sleep over.  

They say you will hold us back.  Baby Girl, you will propel us to the things we really value in life.

They say you will cry a lot.  We will do our best to understand what your fears are, and teach you how to face them.

They say you will be a lot of hard work.  Hard work ALWAYS results in great reward.

They say you'll change our lives.  You already have.

They say we won't have any more adventures.  Baby Girl, understand that YOU are our greatest adventure.

Love,

Your daddy.

Your Different Stages

Dear Baby Girl,

It is expected that we will finally be able to meet you in about 2 and a half weeks!  You are now approximately 6.3 pounds and 19.26 inches - the size of a Swiss Chard.  A Swiss Chard is a leafy vegetable, often used in Mediterranean dishes.

I am going to take you to spring training in March, your first baseball game!  We'll probably go see the White Sox.  

If you are like your momma, you're likely to be very athletic.  You may take after your aunt Sarah and have a love for football.

We saw a bunch of little cheerleaders, probably 5 or 6 years old, do a dance routine for the halftime show at the Suns game the other day.  I wonder if you will be into that sort of thing.  They were really cute.

I find my mind wandering quite a bit, wondering what you'll be like at different ages and stages.  I wonder if you'll ever go through a mean stage.  I don't think I ever had a mean stage.  

Do you like tennis?  Every once in a while your mom and I play tennis.  We aren't very good but we try hard.

I saw a high school football game the other day and there were high school girls in circles, talking and wearing a lot of makeup.  And the high school boys were really loud and had weird voices. They gave the girls a lot of attention and some of the girls pretended not to like it.  High school is such an awkward age.

We watched a movie last night about a girl in high school who struggled with anorexia.  She just wanted people to accept her.  I think she put too much stock into what people thought of her because when people told her she was overweight, she decided to do whatever it would take to change.  The crazy part was that she found support from people in online forums who were going through the same thing as her.  This helped to encourage her that what she was doing was normal and okay.  I think whatever decisions you face, you'll find support on either side of the fence.  I think it can be dangerous to make decisions based on what other people think.  Just be you, Baby Girl.

Can't wait to meet you soon!

Your daddy.

A Couple of Tips on Being Happy

Dear Baby Girl,

You are now "negative" 5 weeks old.  5.25 lbs and 18 inches - the size of a honeydew melon!  In a little over a month you will make your arrival, if everything goes to plan.  

I've been through so many emotions during the past 8 months.  From being scared of the idea of being a dad, to being excited about the possibilities, to being worried for your well being, to being thankful for your existence.  I also have a feeling of simply wondering if I'm ready.  

Baby Girl, it is important to allow yourself to work through your emotions rather than escaping them.  Our brains are wired in interesting ways.  If you avoid emotions rather than working through them, you will add unneeded stress to your life, allowing things to build inside of you which can be difficult to ever move past.  

The other day, I brought our car in to the mechanic.  It didn't feel like a major issue, it felt like something small that the mechanic could fix pretty quickly.  A while after dropping the car off, the mechanic called and told me I was facing a very large and costly repair.  After getting a second opinion and receiving the same diagnosis, I sat down and felt really disappointed for a few minutes.  I knew it was out of my control, I knew God was going to provide for us - He already had, actually.  I knew it was going to be okay, but I couldn't move past it until I let it sting for a little bit.  So I let it sting.  

It's okay to be sad about things, Baby Girl.  It's okay to be frustrated when life gives you a dose of "bad".  But just know that it is equally important to acknowledge that everything happens for a reason, embrace it, and then move past it.  I think a large part of being happy in life is learning how to deal with "bad".  

In my observations, there are three types of people.  Those made of rubber, glass, and elastic.  Be elastic.  If you're rubber, the bad simply bounces off of you without it really affecting you.  This is problematic because if you never allow the bad to affect you, you will lack the ability to allow it to shape you.  If you're glass, the bad shatters you on contact.  This leaves you vulnerable.  Being elastic allows the bad to take hold for a brief time.  This allows you to see the bad for what it is, learn about it, learn from it, learn how to deal with it.  Then as quickly as it came at you, throw it back to where it came from.  The people who are truly happy in life are the ones who have figured out how to be elastic.

Another component of happiness is in managing your expectations.  Pessimists expect the worst and optimists expect the best.  I think you should always hope for the best, while preparing for the worst.  This way if the worst happens, you are ready for it and you know how to handle it.  But if the best happens, you have reason to celebrate.  And don't forget to celebrate!  Some of the best memories in life are formed when you are able to celebrate.  

I love you Baby Girl, 

Can't wait to meet you soon!

Your daddy.