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6 months a father! A hero for eternity?

Yesterday, my daughter Kitai turned 6 months old. It's hard to believe! Her name is Japanese in origin and means fox. The fox is her motif animal I suppose and she has taken to it really well. She seems rather fiery and wiley I will say. Time is surely flying although some of that time seemed to pass by at a glacial pace.  It seems like just the other day we had her on the changing table and she was endlessly fascinated with the shiny wood paneling on the table.
She also was rather enamored of our library chandelier. So much that we dubbed it her "boyfriend." I'll never forget seeing her for the first time and her little face scrunched up as she was laid on wife's chest right after being delivered. I think I said, "Oh wow, look at that." The midwives said I had a huge grin! Kit didn't cry right away, it took several minutes.  It may sound funny, but I do get the sense that this is not her first time around.  Her birth was like a runaway freight train with not even a 3-hour labor and delivery.  My amazingly strong wife Renee endured a natural childbirth for our daughter.

My daughter sure can cry too. She is not bashful about letting us know if she is upset. She is an active child and we've had no small effort in getting her to sleep on many occasions.   She seems to want to stay awake as to not miss anything.
 My daughter is such a tremendous force and is so smart and powerful. She already has a ripped, muscular frame! I think that is from enduring an in utero experience which saw my wife run and mountain bike.  Kitai is so quick to smile and every time she does, my world melts away.  She has truly stolen my heart.
I love to hear her chuckle and my wife is great at getting those chuckles out of her with making silly faces and brushing her hair on Kitai's belly.

We call her "Kit" usually, which I find really endearing and cute.

Some of her milestones: crawling at 5 months, first word "Momma" at 5 months, eating solid foods at 5 months. She seems to be ahead of the curve in most regards.  Leaning in for a kiss at 6 months. She's more than doubled her weight at 6 months

Like all the parenting books say, at around 6 months you really start to get a sense of your family coming together.  I can say that is the case for sure.  No longer is Kitai just a "thing" to take care of but a person with needs and emotions.  I can't imagine my life without her although much pining has been done for the days before baby.
By the way, I find that most of the parenting books are pretty useless and can be pretty much thrown out the window soon after the child arrives.
Parenting has been a far greater commitment of time than I could have imagined.  I have spent 3 hours with my daughter before work, not begrudgingly mind you, only to wonder where that time has gone.  Kids require a lot of effort and patience (the latter is something my wife has that I do not.) They don't tell you this in the books. They also don't tell you that you'll:

  • Need a degree in Engineering to assemble all manner of kids toys and devices.  
  • Need to stock up on all kinds of batteries!
  • Cherish more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep
In summary I will say, parenting gives one a whole new perspective and really makes one appreciate the sanctity and preciousness of life. Personally, I never imagined myself to be a parent and I've had to learn some hard truths about myself.
I find myself thinking things like, "None of us asked to be here so why don't we make the best of it and treat everyone nicely?" Also, "Babies have high-pitched voices so adults can hear them better and adults have developed hearing so they can hear the cries of their babies. Adults have lower-pitched voices to calm and soothe their babies."

Hiking at Sawnee Mtn. Feb 2017


That's all for now. See you around and thanks for reading!

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