Proud Papa

Mal has been trying to get me to blog as of late, and she's right, I should.  I feel bad enough that I didn't finish blogging in December about the events that unfolded when Kylar was born!  But to my credit, I was aggressively seeking a new job in that same month and put a ton of effort into it.  Turns out all of that effort paid off when I landed a new job with Humana at the end of January.  Since being there for over a month now, I really enjoy what I'm doing but I'm also feeling the effects of being a "salaried" employee.  There are times when, if I can't get things finished at work before I leave for the day, I have to bring my work home and finish it up.  Of course, I was aware of this going into my new career, but I vowed never be that workaholic Dad you see in the movies and on TV.  I usually come home around 6pm, and sometimes still have unfinished work to do.  When this happens it makes it hard to sit down and commit time to doing it, especially considering the following schedule: 1) Give Kylar a bottle around 6:30; 2) Sit down at the dinner table and eat between 6:45-7:15; 3) Give Kylar a bath at 8:00; 4) Kylar goes to bed around 8:30 or 9:00.  This essentially means that I don't have much time to spend with Kylar or Mal during the week.  But while there sometimes isn't enough hours in the day, as I always say, I make it a point to capitalize on the weekends by trying to spend as much quality time with them as possible.  You should see me on Fridays on the ride home from work.  I'm filled with so much excitement knowing I can devote the rest of the evening and the entire weekend to being with them.  On Saturdays and Sundays, Mal even lets me put sports on tv :-)  The bottom line is that I  have a job that I enjoy doing right now and a family that I dearly love spending every minute with.  Kylar's smile and Mal's friendship makes it all worthwhile.

For the second consecutive weekend, Mal has gone out to do some things, and has put me in charge of watching over Kylar while she's gone.  This has built my confidence and made me feel so proud as a father and a husband.  Knowing that Mal trusts me with her while she is gone gives me a great feeling inside.  Plus it feels good to know that I can be a father on my own and spend quality daddy-daughter time with Kylar.  After experiencing this, I know now how Mal feels on a daily basis.  Time really does fly though.  In a two hour span, I played with Kylar and some of her toys, read her a book, watched her on her playmat, put her in her jump-a-roo and snuggled with her.  Those two hours went by faster than when I'm working on databases or reports at work!  I don't think I looked up at the clock one time while I was interacting with her.  The cutest thing for me as a Dad is when she will yawn several times while I'm holding her but refuses to close her eyes.  Then, within a matter of seconds, she falls asleep sitting up in my lap Haha!  Maybe I should become a stay-at-home-Dad.....Nah, I'll leave that part to Mal.