Finally Home

Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking about the word, "home" and what it really means to me. If you look it up in the dictionary, it defines the word in a few different ways; a place of origin, a place of residence, a familiar or usual setting, or my favorite, the social unit formed by a family living together. Now I agree that the dictionary definition of it somehow seems so unemotional and dry, but the meaning behind it helps me realize what is happening to my newly formed family.

I have moved around, I wouldn't say a lot, but enough to have never really had a city that I referred to as my home. Every two to three years was the average, but I learned to accept new places and new routines over time. What I didn't pay much attention to was that the cities that I lived in didn't just provide people with homes to live in, but instead they provided a location, or a starting point where their families began and continued to live within.

I have had family with me in almost every city that I have lived in and I have always enjoyed their company, but like most young children and teens you tend to take that group for granted. I especially can say that I didn't know what I had because I lost part of mine unexpectedly and never knew how it would affect me. Now, I'm not trying to create a sob story, because what happened was not all for the worse. I soon learned a few things about my family: My brothers were not my enemies but friends forever; my mother was a stronger woman than I ever gave her credit for; and having "lost" a father, I now can appreciate the importance of having one, or even more, knowing the importance of my role in my child's life.

Now that last part, I think, was the greatest influence on me since the day my father left. Even though I am now able to see my father whenever I want, and we have been able to learn about each other and forgive the past, I still tend to long for how my life would have been with my father there for those tough years. But in the same thought, I have to acknowledge that I may not have learned my place now without that experience.

Again, I know that most of you have heard, a least a portion, of my families past and that isn't really what this post is about. It's more just a background to help me explain a little of what's going on inside my head these days. I'm sure that these thoughts are not original, because I'm not the first father to walk this earth, so I know that the other fathers out there understand the levity of having a baby.

Every day is a new challenge, and I can't say that it's all peachy, but when I take a moment to step back and realize that there is a new life that Kari and I created and she is, unknowingly, depending on us to take care of her and love her, and even though that job seems daunting, I take it with pride.

Now there is a peace inside of me that no matter where my family lives, what type of house we have, no matter what job may come or obstacles we will face, I can say that I will always have my family, even better, a permanent home, and now it is our own.

-Jonathan

Baby pics

Here is a preview of what we were doing this morning. I am super excited to get the proofs back hopefully soon!!



We had SO much fun taking cute naked newborn baby pictures at Portraits by Leslie, who also took my Belly pics. The best part of it all, I only got pooped and peed on a total of 6 times! :)

I'll sleep if I want to

Tonight when Jonathan got home from work I was feeding the baby, like usual. She was dozing off and I asked Jonathan if I should lay her down in her cradle. He said, "She needs more awake time, lets just keep her up!" So I said, "Ok, here's a baby for you then," with a kind smile on my face, as I had just been holding her ALL day. He walked around with her for a few minutes as we were making dinner, and I looked over to see this:




I guess he can't always get what he wants :)

Randoms

I was just looking through the pictures we've taken of Amelia so far, and there are some cute ones that deserve to be in a post, but they are all pretty random so I thought I'd just post them all at once. Here ya go:


Cute little hat they knit for us at the hospital

Auntie Elsha

The adoring Grandma's

Grinning while she sleeps

Daddy sleeping with his baby burrito

How does that arm get out of the swaddle EVERY time??

Bath time!

Amelia, like most babies I suppose, doesn't really love to get a bath. Unfortunately for her, she has to get them every once in a while. Jonathan and I gave her one the other night and I took some cute pictures so I thought I'd share. :)

Daddy bathing her


The evil eye


And then the best part~ we blow dried her hair!! Love it

Amelia Phelps

Everyone that reads my blog already knows that I had my baby, has heard the story and seen the pictures, but I was feeling a little guilty having not posted one of my own. I just have to say that Jonathan and I are so blessed to have had everything go so smoothly, and to have the help of Kirsta in the delivery room was amazing.
If you want more of my labor story, read Kirsta's blog :) Thanks Deed!

Here are some pictures of our adventure so far:
Getting cleaned up

Handed to me during my emotional breakdown

First family picture

Vitamin K in the eyes

Mama and baby

Relaxin

Daddy and baby

Baby's first bath

Chillin on her arm

Coming home from the hospital, she's so tiny!!

Cutie


We have LOTS more pictures, but I'll write another post with those soon!