It will be two years this December when my little girl came into our lives. She has brought us so much joy. With her birth also came anxiousness and all out fear. The fear of somehow screwing it up, the fear of not doing it right, and the fear of not being her hero. As I have learned, anxiousness and fear is normal for all new parents and will mostly disappear with more experience, only to be replaced with new fears and anxiousness. 
My role as a stay-at-home dad is rarely seen. My responsibilities go beyond “normal” husbandly duties. My day typically starts when my little girl wakes up, and the evenings are spent working on editing photos. I admire single parents that do it all everyday. I am incredibly grateful to have my wife by my side on this incredible journey. Even with long nights and early mornings, our reward is watching our daughter grow up and being there to witness her growing curiosity and developing personality.
There have been a lot of missteps along the way with diet and sleep schedules, but for me, dealing with clothes and hair was the most difficult. Even with my lengthy experience in retail, I still get a bit confused with girl clothes. Which leads to obvious stares and whispers from moms at the playground and grocery stores. In my defense, I think some clothes should come labeled to indicate whether it is a shirt or dress. It is also very difficult to practice combing a little girls hair when they are kicking, screaming, and running away from you. This leads to her having straggly hair when we go out… I’m personally convinced that the kids in the tutorials on youtube are robots…
It is obvious I have more to learn, but my daughter teaches me something new every day. The biggest lesson she has taught me is to ignore all the “noise” around you, and just enjoy life. It has been so rewarding to watch her grow up. With “number 2” on the way, I can’t wait to see her become a big sister.
