Things it means to be a DAD...

"Being a dad means putting your

hand on your child's chest at night to

make sure she's still breathing"

-From the book "1001 Things it Means to be a Dad" by Harry. H Harrison Jr.

Isn't that the truth, I can't count the times my fiancee and I have taken turns checking on our two little baby's just to see if they're still breathing. It's especially fun when you've laid them down for bed and it's dark in the room, you squint and squint, but in the end you put your hand on their chest just to be sure. And, even when you can see their chest rising, their lips moving, heck they can be sucking on a bottle(clear evidence that they are in fact breathing), but you still have to touch them. Being a parent is a stretch on your sanity, but brings more warmth to your heart than anything else. I don't think either my fiancee or I would give it up for the world.

The chaos, the sleepless nights, the obsessive compulsive need to check their breathing by touch(trust me, you can't do it any other way, unless of course you want to be back in the room 2 seconds later to do the touch test). It's all a part of being a parent, but there are even greater things.

• The first smile.



• The first giggle.



• How it feels when they say "Mommy" or "Daddy" for the first time.



• That first day of school, which you dread more than your child does.



• Watching them pull themselves up for the first time.



• Hearing them say "Mommy" and "Daddy" compulsively for everything, because it's the only word they know.



• Watching them learn how to write, from scribbles up to cursive.

I could write this list forever, in fact I could fill my entire blog with reason why kids are a gift. But, I'm sure you've got other places to visit, dinner to eat, etc. And, I wouldn't want to keep you from that, especially if that other thing is keeping you from experiencing any of the things I listed above or a bazillion more.