I wanted to write this in a time while Holden, my newborn son, is still young. I want to write you Holden as it was still fresh, as we embark parenthood and during sleepless nights.
Dear Holden,
You are 6 months old and growing fast. I feel this deep in my heart that you will grow into a fine gentleman, and I leave you with these words. There is no better time than now, and perhaps you have a glimpse into your father’s early thoughts.
Mom and I are anxiously waiting for you to begin crawling. I am equally part scared with this development it will also be the beginning of my demise and watching you possibly hurt yourself with this newfound freedom.
As I watch you grow, I’ve been thinking about the last 5 months and what I have learned. Month 1 was a blur, restless nights, while you slept next to our bed, waking up in the middle of the night just to make sure you were still breathing, something which I still do to this day.
These are a few thoughts of what I’ve learned being a new parent as I navigate through this new chapter of life.
I’m still learning as a parent
Parenthood every day is something new, and try to keep consistency and be open to growth.
Stick to the schedule
without a doubt having a schedule is keeping me sane. Following it is giving us the personal time we need.
Let gravity do what it does best
Don’t fight it. I try to do my best and go with the flow, let gravity work for you. If baby Holden isn’t ready to put his arm inside his sleeve in his tight snug jammies. Try getting his feet in first.
Listen and truly be a present parent
Easy to say, hard to follow through when there’s a smartphone distracting you and me.
There’s always time for a book before bed
Although maybe you can’t understand what I say or the story I'm reading, yet, storytime is our time and our moment to connect. A book before bed also helps with decompressing for the night.
Enjoy parenthood
Keep smiling my baby boy. Your smile warms up our hearts.