4 Years as a Dad
It has been the best 4 years of my life.
On a morning like this one 4 years (1460 days) ago I woke up early like today and headed towards the hospital with Lucy.
I was anxious and I remember how the night before I wrote about the night before Daniela.
I had the privilege to spend some quality time with friend and family members. Their presence kept me calmer than it would have been if I were alone.
After many hours of waiting Daniela was born and I remember I took this first picture of her as they wheeled her past me.
It was the first time I looked into my daughter’s eyes. Little did we both know what the next four years had for us.
Many couples wait till the perfect moment to have a child. In my opinion I am not sure if the perfect moment exists.
In our case we a few months before our previous house foreclosed. We were also doing our best to run a business. We can say that her timing was perfect because it helped me focus on what is important and what I needed to focus on.
As new parents we started making changes in our lifestyle to spend more time with Daniela and make sure she is as healthy as possible.
We started eating healthier in that first year of hers I transitioned from Vegetarian to Vegan. There are many other positive changes in my life that I can tie to my daughter arriving in our lives.
Time Flies
As I look back to the blog posts of previous years I realize how quickly time has gone by. Here are some of my public recaps of Daniela (the privates one’s are in her own website).
Little Daniela
It has been an amazing experience to see how Daniela continues to grow. Now her questions are more difficult to answer. She is well aware of her surroundings.
Her independence is clear when she can spend hours painting and creating her own art with less help from mom and dad.
She likes to wake up early and go to bed late. Like her father she is not a fan of taking naps and sometimes her body gives up on her when it is time to sleep because she would keep on going.
Daniela also enjoys cooking and baking with Lucy. I still need to learn how to cook maybe it’s something I can start in 2015 ( I said the same for 2014 although it’s not finished yet).
High Energy But Always Aware of Her Surroundings
I have learned also how to enjoy the great energy of my daughter and many times she is stopping me to enjoy the moment.
This highly energetic brilliant little girl owns my heart and I can’t imagine life without her.
Everyday I focus on my next steps to ensure her well being. I realized that little by little we have to start getting her ready so one day she can take care of herself.
I remember a few years ago sitting during SXSW with Aaron Manley Smith and talking about parenting. It was one of the best conversations I have ever been a part of.
Aaron told me that his main goal with his newborn baby boy was to make sure that one day he would be able to handle himself. One of the most practical and knowledgeable parenting advice I have received.
So I have to say everyday I work towards Daniela saying one day. Dad relax I got this…
