A new baby is taking his first breaths of life with this new year at Madison this morning. This baby is called Charlie Clyde and he is perfect, has all of his life ahead of him, and he is anxious to learn and to grow. Cicely and Trevor are the center of this baby’s life. He loves them, and they will be the main people that he trusts and relies on potentially forever. His lips and nose come from Cicely, and the size of his feet and long fingers come from Trevor.

As a first time father with a 16-month daughter, I have learned a few things about babies to include in my aspirations for this new year.

Babies are loving. When I come home, I receive a big gum revealing smile. Then she wants me to be a part of her life, and jabbers nonsense to me or pulls me to play with her.

Babies focuses are centered around those closest to them. Hence, parents fulfill multiple roles for the baby (i.e. Best Friend, Teacher, Playmate). Stick to those people that matter the most in your life.

Babies are fast learners and quick adapters. Babies learn to communicate, move, and survive around new people in unfamiliar environments. In the meantime, babies can double their size in a mere 6 months. Growing and learning with all the ambiguity must be STRESSFUL, but babies seem to thrive.

Recently, my baby learned to follow social cues and laugh when everyone else was laughing. Those around her appreciate her social laugh even though I’m not sure she fully understands English yet. 

Babies are fast learners and quick adapters, focus on those closest to them, and are loving. This year we may want to take steps to become more like a baby.

Written by Lucas