Pure joy can come in the smallest forms

As Bennett turns 6-months-old, I’ve taken some time to reflect on what a whirlwind life has been.

Before I get into my own life changes, let me give the biggest shoutout to my smokin’ hot wife Rachel who endured quite the time during her pregnancy. Nearly 9 months of morning sickness, followed by a 26-hour labor. And her epidural didn’t even work! They tried it twice on her (stuck her 6 times!) to no avail. But we did have a wonderful nursing staff and OBGYN there with us the entire time.

After Bennett was born, Rachel and I both came to find we BOTH had the thought go through our minds “We’re never having children again” during the birthing process. Bennett’s big ole head was lodged up against her tailbone for hours on end, causing excruciating and constant pain. And me? Well I just hated seeing her go through that. And 105 minutes worth of “PUSH!!! PUSH!!! PUSH!!!” really has you questioning your life choices.

But once that little, beautiful 8 pounds and 4.5 ounces baby was cuddled in our arms at 1:17 a.m., it was all worth it. He was perfect. He still is.

When babies are just born, it takes a few months for their emotions to really show. But that doesn’t mean they can’t make you laugh still. One thing I dearly remember, and honestly miss at this point, is how he used to smack his lips when he was hungry.

Every night around 2:00 a.m., Rachel and I would wake up to the sound of “smack, smack smack,” turn over to each other, and just laugh. It is such a ridiculous noise but you immediately know what it means. Nowadays? He just screams his head off when he wants a bottle.

Let’s not forget when he also used to literally bite at the bottle, shaking his face left and right like he had never had an ounce of milk before. That’s why we began calling him our “Little Lion.” It was so cute.

But when he was first born, he didn’t show any emotion. Something he has plenty of now. It has been such a joy to see his personality shine. Now he smiles every time I walk in the room. How can a 6-month-old baby make a grown man feel like the most important person in the world? He can.

He giggles. He farts extremely loud. He burps extremely loud. Yes, sometimes he pulls mommy’s hair.

Not that I’m claiming to be a “pro” at this daddy thing, but there is some advice I’ll share for whoever wants it.

“Just remember. He/she is just a baby.”

You’ll be surprised how many times this line will pop up in your head as the early months of parenthood go on.

“Why won’t he take the bottle?” “Why won’t he sleep?” “Why won’t he burp?”

Remember, your baby is just that. A baby! It is always important to try and find the root cause of issues if things persist. But for those one-off times you’re just exhausted and you’re getting frustrated your baby won’t burp? Remember, they’re just a baby. This is a character-building experience you’ll go through. It teaches you patience, it teaches you grace.

I’d recommend having someone just a text away who can answer quick questions. For us, it was my brother-in-law who is a pediatrician. We’re really lucky. But all those times we thought we had “stupid” questions, but they were just bugging us? Hey, lets text Brad. And he was always able to give us sound advice and ease our anxious new-parent minds.

So would we like to have other kids? Absolutely. But Bennett has set the bar extremely high! We’ll love our kids all the same… but man we love this little guy with everything we have. So good luck kids #2 and beyond!

I think some of the best things I’ve seen on a daily basis is the joy Bennett brings to others. His grand-parents, aunts/uncles, cousins, and even just our friends on social media who get to see his smiling face. It’s contagious!

Bennett, I’m excited to see the man you will become. My goal in life is to support you in anyway that I can. To be your #1 fan. We love you and are thankful for you!