Work Worth Doing

For three and a half years, I’ve been a proud girl dad – reveling in the bond between a first born daughter and a first time father. We’ve done everything together and cataloged quite a few special experiences just for us. In the next several months, I have to double down on those special moments.

That’s because there’s a new member in our crew. May I introduce Luca Jackson!

It’s fairly surreal to have him here. For expectant fathers, the waiting game tends to keep us from feeling the reality of a new baby until the moment they are born. Our mental preparations are different than the mothers.

But now that he’s here, it’s already like he’s always been with us. Even his big sister has taken right to the new reality. I know there will be regressions and bumps along the road, but it’s incredible to watch her jump right in and try to be a part of it all.

Work Worth Doing

There’s been a Teddy Roosevelt quote running through my mind the last month as we prepared to bring Luca home.

TR wasn’t speaking directly about parenting during this Labor Day speech. But it has to apply to parenting just as much, if not more. The gift of life for parents is the opportunity to work incredibly hard at teaching another to navigate the challenges of life, stand on their own two feet, and look this life square in the eye. When our grown children don’t back down, and try to make the world even just a little bit better, well, that is work worth doing in my book.

My daughter, solidly in her toddler era, already shows a bit of that spirit. That’s probably why I’m most excited to see her in this new phase for all of us. I can’t wait to see her take on helping Luca stand firmly on his own two feet – both literally and figuratively. It promises to be a good show.

For now, he sleeps.

I’m not going to hide this from you though – our routines are still under construction. I’m typing this one-handed while rocking my son at 4 AM. A few quiet moments, intermittent at best, will be my creative space for some time now. So, I’ll be posting a bit less on here for this season. I hope to bring some new voices and perspectives to you in the coming weeks – but I may opt for other formats as well. More to come on that.

For now, getting him a few precious moments of deep sleep is priority number 1! After all, if he’s going to keep up with his big sister, and conquer his own life, he’ll need some proper rest. And the rest of us will try to get some too.