One Year

March 23, 2026

My kid turned one year old this month.

Not only did we survive the first year, we bought a house, uprooted our lives, and I landed my dream job while juggling the role of newborn dad.

When reminiscing a few weeks back, Cassidy astutely pointed out: we did that all by ourselves. Aside from the grandparents watching 'A' (our kid) a few times when we visited Wisconsin, we didn't have much help available. And we're incredibly proud of what we've accomplished together.

This has been the most rewarding year of my life. I keep telling myself I'll have time to sit down and write it all out. To reflect, record the memories, and put together beautiful, poetic writing that tries to capture my experiences. I now understand that this "time" thing is somewhat of a problem, and this writing will likely never materialize.

But that's okay, because I have all of the memories – special moments seared into my hear which I won't forget for the rest of my life. (And not to mention an iCloud Photo Library bursting at the seams.)

I will mention one small moment that 'A' and I share together frequently. Even though we're a year in, I still find myself in his room, at any hour in the night, rocking him back to sleep after he woke up a bit uneasy. The moment I pick him up, he calms. After a few minutes of rocking, he'll let out a long sigh and fall asleep in my arms. I'm left to stare out the window at the night sky, or close my eyes and let my mind drift. It's serene, it's peaceful, and it's just the two of us.

I understand that soon he'll be too old (or at least too big) for me to rock him back to sleep – this thought is devastating to me. And so for now, I'll enjoy it every time I can.