As 2008 comes to a close, I look forward to 2009. During this year I’ve bought a house, changed jobs, and watched my little girl transition from baby towards toddler. Her first steps and many other firsts. It snowed in Louisiana!
What a great year it has been! Even through times of trial, God has been faithful and has blessed me with a great family. Here’s hoping next year will be even better! To all who read this, Happy New Year!

This past weekend, Michelle and I celebrated our first anniversary.  We didn’t do anything extravagant; just went out to dinner and enjoyed each other’s company.  It amazes me how quickly this year has gone by.  We had a wonderful wedding last year which was quickly followed by the news that we would be expecting.  After much anticipation, Eliana’s birth finally came, and now we have a happy baby girl.

Our marriage is continuing to grow and mature and I can honestly say I feel closer to Michelle each day.  We are both very quickly taking a crash course in parenthood, and it is great that we have each other to lean on.

I want to post more updates here; Michelle has been posting photos fairly frequently.  She subjects poor Eliana to a photoshoot nearly everyday.  Here is one I’m rather fond of:

I can’t believe how fast this week went by!  Eliana is already 1 week old, and doing great.  She had her first doctor’s appointment today and she screamed through the whole thing.  She was hungry though which made it worse.  The doctor said she is developing very well and she is very healthy.  She already gained 5 ounces which makes her 8 lbs 2 ozs.  Since she’s gaining weight, she doesn’t need to go back until she is 2 months old.  Praise God we have a healthy happy baby who loves to eat!!  Here are some pictures we took of our baby girl at 1 week old.

One of my lifelong goals is now a reality.  I am a father.  I’m overwhelmed with positive and negative emotions – happiness, pride, nervousness, fear.  The good outweighs the bad by far.  My daughter is now a huge part of my life.  She is a reason to strive for excellence.  She is the only person who has ever screamed in my face with me laughing about it, thinking it was cute.

I wanted to write a long post expounding about the wonders of fatherhood.  But the truth is I’m practically speechless.  I’m still brand new at this with only a few days under my belt.  But I am filled with joy and confidence.  We will make sure that Eliana will never doubt that she is loved.