5 Things I've learned during my little girl's first year

Today is my daughter's first birthday.  Wow! Time flies by quicker the older I get.  My grandparents always talked about time speeding up when I was a kid, and with each passing year I realize that they were right.

As a dad to three boys before my baby girl was born, I thought that I had a pretty good handle on this "kid thing."  Little did I realize the changes that have occured in the decade since Andrew, my youngest son, was born. So, I thought it would be fun to outline some of these differences in honor of Isabella's first birthday:

1. I am a decade older!  This should be obvious, but was not something that I had considered prior to her birth.  Play time on the floor, rides on by back in the backpack carrier, and getting a baby in and out of a carseat were things that seemed simple a few years ago.  Now however, my knees crack, my back tightens, and my joints ache.
2. Products have changed.  While diapers and wipes haven't changed much, car seats, baby food "pouches", and safety gadgets exist that were not "necessary" previously.
3. Having a girl softened my heart.   Raising three boys comes naturally.  We wrestle, throw the ball, play with cars and trucks, and watch super hero movies and cartoons.  Perhaps the natural progression of raising boys, watching "manly" movies like Gladiator and Top Gun, and becoming somewhat callused as a result of life not going the way I always assumed it would, had hardened my heart.  However, on this day one year ago, my heart melted and it will never be the same.  When my daughter cries, my first reaction is not "brush it off" like it has been for the first fourteen years as a parent.  Now I have learned that sometimes the appropriate response is to pick her up and give her a hug assuring her that everything is going to be ok.
4. I am born to protect.  I've known this for a while due to my role as a husband, but there is something different once you have a daughter.  There is a deep desire within me to make sure that my daughter feels safe when I am around.  Although this instinct exists with my boys, the intensity is greater with a daugther.  I am like a lion ready to protect her from the "troubles of this world"
5. It's important to slow down.  Some of this lesson comes with age, but most can be attributed to the fact that I realize it's ok to enjoy life.  Climbing the ladder, meeting a deadline, getting that next promotion means nothing if those around you never see you enjoying the life God has provided.  Too often we try to multi-task our way through life.  Checking email, twitter, Facebook, while driving to the next appointment, and all in the name of efficiency.  Children, especially girls, do not operate this way.  Isabella Grace is fully engaged in one activity at a time.  She gives her full attention to the task in front of her.  She moves on quickly, but with each moment that toy, that cartoon, or that food in front of her is the MOST important thing at the time.  We all could learn from this determination and devotion. 

Ultimately what I've learned during this first year is that all my children are different.  They all have needs and I get the blessing and honor of trying to meet some of them.  I will not always do the right thing.  I have made many mistakes, but my love and dedication to the well-being of each of them cannot be questioned.  The most important things in my life can be summed up in one picture:

 

So whether it is teaching my 3 boys to treat people with respect, walk with honor, and make the world around them a better place, or teaching my daughter that she can do anything she sets her mind to, that she is NOT defined by appearance alone, and that she is worth more than gold, I will live my life each day striving to be better than the one before.  I will never stop trying to provide a better life, but most of all, I will never stop teaching them of the love and grace of Jesus who makes all the lessons I've learned worth it!!  Happy Birthday Isabella Grace!