Thankful Thoughts

On December 5, 2019, my life was forever changed. My beautiful baby girl made her grand entry into the world around 2:50 am. I was not prepared for the rush of emotions that would hit me as I held her for the very first time. To say that I was nervous would be a huge understatement. There was a sense of relief knowing that there were no complications during the delivery. Then overwhelming joy immediately followed. At last, I was finally meeting my baby girl and she was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

Over the next few days, I quickly realized all the challenges that came along with being a new parent. I felt like every day I was either texting someone or looking for answers on Google to our many questions. There was so much to learn and we wanted to make sure we were doing the right things. The hardest part was adjusting to the lack of sleep that comes with having a newborn. But having support from our family and friends was a game-changer. I seriously can't imagine how difficult it would have been without their help.

As we (my wife Lindsey and our daughter) finished out the year and stepped into 2020, we had no clue how it would unfold. By the second quarter of the year, I changed careers and started working at my local church as a Creative Director. A little over a month after that, we began to hear about COVID-19 cases in the US. Within a few short weeks, we began to hear about cases in our area. Like everyone, we didn't foresee that the normal way of living was about to change. And we definitely didn't anticipate a global pandemic happening.

When I hear most people talk about 2020, the majority of them automatically chalk it up to be a bad year. Rightfully so, many negative things have happened. But 2020 has provided a positive gift as well. It has provided the gift of time. Amid the chaos, the world was forced to pause. That "pause" created a season that enabled us to spend more time with our daughter. Being able to witness more moments and capture more memories has been the biggest blessing of 2020. Here are a few of my favorites.

HER FIRST TIME IN THE OCEAN

Every other year we like to visit Key West, Florida to go see family. This was our first year to go as a family of three. While we were there, we spent a day hanging out at Marvin Key. She loved sitting in water and kicking her feet in the sand. She was still learning to smile at that age, and we loved every moment.

HER FIRST HALLOWEEN

For some odd reason, we had the hardest time trying to pick a family theme costume. Lindsey had this clever idea to put a twist on Little Red Riding Hood. Instead of the big bad wolf, meet our little good wolf pup.

HER FIRST STEPS

Once she turned 10 months we would often catch her standing up in the middle of the living room. Each time Lindsey and I would call for each other and pull out a phone to record. She would look at us, laugh, and revert right back to crawling. Then one day we were at a friend's house for their birthday and like all the other times, she randomly stood up while we were hanging out in the living room. Lindsey casually pulled her phone out of habit, but neither one of us really expected her to do anything. That was the moment she took her first steps. Five steps, in fact. We were speechless.

This year has reminded me to give time to what is important. I am most thankful for that extra time my wife and I were able to spend with our baby girl.