What Eight Months Have Taught Me

After eight months of being a dad, I can say my life has definitely changed in that short amount of time. Being a new dad has brought many opportunities for me to learn from. I thought I'd gather what I've learned so far and share a bit. Consider these my bits of wisdom.

-When you are changing a diaper, make sure you put the dirty diaper out of the baby's reach. They'll grab anything in sight.

-No matter how bad your day was at work, one little smile will make you forget it all.

-I can't understand how something so cute and small can produce the smelly and messy diapers that she does. I know some will say that she is MY daughter, but there were two parties involved in creating this child. Not pointing fingers, I'm just saying....

-I have never been a fan of reading, but when it comes to reading Avery a bedtime story while she sits in my lap, I have no problem reading the same book over and over.

-The second Avery grabbed my finger in the hospital, I knew I was done for.

-Babies are the perfect excuse to get out of anything. If they only knew how many times we threw them under the bus....

-Carrying around a pink diaper bag is not so bad.

-Baby talk and talking in an abnormally high voice makes babies smile only because they think you are a goober for doing so.

-After carrying Avery around for 20 minutes, I suddenly become grateful and feel sorry for Ash that she had to carry her for 9 months.

-You develop a bit of OCD as a parent. I systematically check on Avery three times after she is down for the night.

-Regardless of all of the advice you get, no one knows your baby better than you do. You can differentiate the types of cries. I think it is that gift you get as a parent. Even though they cannot talk yet, you know exactly what they are saying.

-I think I'll always be Ashley's biggest child.

-I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to spy on my kids when they are with their boyfriend or girlfriend like my mom did to us (ask my lil bro about his recent experience), but I do know I'm VERY protective of Avery already.

-Avery could not have asked for a better mom.

-No does not mean no. In fact it doesn't mean anything according to Avery as she glances back at the couch to see what I'm fussing about and then continues to hit the lower part of the TV. Ash fears she'll push the TV off the stand. I'm worried that the little hand prints will blur the score updates that run at the bottom of the screen.

-When Ave wants to be picked up, she'll crawl to you and lift her arms up. I love that feeling of being needed.

-Sometimes I wonder why I buy toys in the first place. Her favorite "toys" include our rubber phone cases, door stops, Ashley's decorative pot, laundry baskets, and the Huggies diaper box. In some sense, she has saved me some money when it comes to the rest of our kids.

-She lights up when Ashley comes home from work. I know they are going to be best friends and cost me quite a bit in shopping sprees.

These are only a few things I have picked up in my career as a dad. I can't wait for the day when Ave starts talking and we can have our little conversations. I know I'm going to learn a lot from that little girl. She is already eight months and on the verge of walking. Time has flown. I know it won't be long until I'm helping her move into a college dorm. There is no doubt in my mind that I will wish I could go back to the time where my little miss Avery would crawl around in her diaper and smile every time I caught her eye. She will grow up, but it’s that smile that will remind me that she will always be my little girl.