A Very Merry Christmas (2009)

Wow, three months since my last blog post. Must do better about that. :)

It's Christmas Day 2009 and I sit here on the couch this evening overwhelmed by God's blessings. This year has brought a five-year cancer-free checkup, continued stability in my job considering the current economic situation, and the birth of our son. Temperatures are in the 20's tonight with windchill in the teens yet we have heat to keep us warm, a roof over our heads, lights shining brightly on the tree, and my son is sound asleep in his crib. My beautiful wife, who works tirelessly to see to care for Ethan, care for this house, and tolerate her husband, is getting ready for bed.

There are times throughout the year when work brings on various levels of stress, when you can't make everyone (or anyone) happy, when the bills pile up, and when nothing can go right.

Yet, here I am a week from year's end and I look at her, and I look at him, and I realize that the stress was handled, you can't make everyone happy (and trying guarantees failure), that those bills got paid, and everything is just right.

Merry Christmas!

Ethan's here!

If you haven't heard on Facebook already, Ethan James Bradley is here! He'd love you to visit his site at www.ethanjamesbradley.com to see his photos and videos. Stephanie and I are truly blessed!

There are a few things I've learned in his first nine days with us:

1. When you are peed on by someone and you don't mind, that's love.
2. A baby's sneeze is probably the cutest sound... ever.
3. You can do anything you want on two hours of sleep... if you don't care if it's done right.

Back to spending time with him...

Change is in the air

I'm back. :)

Spring is in the air again, birds are tweeting (and so are a lot of people, including me), and we're only a tad over five weeks away from Ethan's anticipated arrival! The nursery is pretty much ready, the bag is almost packed, and we're playing the waiting game.

It's weird knowing you're going to be a dad but not understanding what it will feel like. I'm a planner, a project manager, a task-oriented thinker and not having the knowledge drives me crazy. I don't care how many books you read, videos you watch, fatherhood stories (and horrors) from friends it's just not something you can wrap your mind around until the time comes. I've accepted that -- being a dad is the thing I've wanted most since becoming a husband. See ya soon, E.

Love, Dad