hello parenthood

A week ago, I became a father.

And since then, I’ve been learning a lot about love, altruism, snuggles, tummy time, diapers, patience, and so much more.

Patience.

My daughter taught me about patience long before she was born. Ivana arrived 12 days after her due date. Since babies can show up two weeks before or after their due date, my wife, Lerit, and I spent the last month observing and waiting patiently for signs of labour.

Everything around me, including my previous letter, was impacted or had to be moved around during that uncertain waiting period.

Beyond the lesson on patience, Ivana has brought so much joy to my family. Her name means ‘gift from God,’ and she’s been nothing short of that. Every true gift is an addition, and although most gifts need to be taken care of, they don’t require any compensation in return.

So, Lerit and I realize how incredibly blessed and privileged we are to be parents and are looking forward to stepping into this next phase of our lives and relationship.

Over the last 10 months, our lives have revolved entirely around our pregnancy journey. I’ve learned more about how strong, resilient, loving, and gracious Lerit is. My years of pre-med Biology didn’t prepare me enough for the details on female physiology, anatomy, and psychology that I’ve picked up on this year, or maybe it did.

The point is, I’m so grateful to her for embarking on this journey together and excited because our daughter will grow up under the tutelage of a great mother.

I’m also grateful to you, reader.

Writing these letters about nothing routinely, twice a month, helped me create some much-needed balance and structure during the pregnancy. It helped me get words off my chest and into the void or your inbox, and sometimes that’s all one needs. So, thank you.

And speaking of getting more words off my chest, Ivana’s birth has somhehow motivated me to finally finish my next book’s draft, so hopefully, that happens soon.

For now, though, I’ll fill my days with snuggles, tummy time, diapers, and of course, writing to you.

This letter was originally shared as a newsletter. You can sign up to receive letters like this one on a biweekly basis here.