Dad 2022. Spring Forward.

I love you. Also, I am tired. But not as tired as mom. Today you are one week old and you are everything to us.

After mom finished nursing you at 7:00, I took Apricot for a walk. The sun was rising and the light made Apricot look like golden wheat. It was cool—California cold—and Apricot was trying to sniff every dewy leaf on every single bush. She finds so much to take in, even as we follow the same course each morning. New water on a familiar petal, a different quality of light. A spring in her step each day, without fail. She’s a good teacher, that dog.

You met Nana yesterday. She flew in from New Jersey. I’ve never seen her smile like she did when mom came down the stairs with you in her arms. She held you right away, and cradled you for two hours. She is a strong, smart woman, your Nana. She has a lot of love to give and a lot to share with you about the world. She is an adventurer, a reader, a person who likes to help her community and do what she can to make lives better. You have her devotion. She will be your guide.

You did not meet your grandpa, my father, because he passed away six months ago. He knew about you, though. He knew you were coming, and that made him very happy. On the day you were born, I kept searching for him in the hospital walls, trying to feel him there in the room. I’ll be telling you a lot about your grandpa. We have many stories, and stories are one way to keep people around even after they’ve gone.

Mom is still asleep, which is good. I’m going to pour another cup of coffee and breathe in another new day with you.