Watching my brother and sister-in-law with their new baby has reminded me of what it felt like to be a new parent.  Sleeping with my hand in the bassinet so I can feel her breathing, watching her sleep for hours at a time because I thought it was the only thing keeping her alive while the housework caved in around me, letting others hold her but suffering a silent panic attack every time she whimpered in their arms.  At the same time trying to deal with an overwhelming surge of love for this tiny human being who, at least in the beginning, only cares that you keep her comfortable and fed.  It was the first time I understood the meaning of unconditional love.  Such a wonderful and scary time of life.

I'm very proud of these kids (yes I still think of them as kids).  They are going to do a great job.  There are some men in this world who are okay without raising kids of their own, some who have the title of 'dad' thrust upon them, some who learn as they go and end up doing a great job, and some who just go through the motions.  But then there are some men in this world who were just meant to be dads, and I've always thought that to be the case for all my brothers.  Even as teenagers they were great with younger children.  As they got older, they all made wonderful uncles to my and my sister's kids.  And now that they all have kids of their own, I've been able to see how they all have fit into the role of 'dad' like it was a comfortable mold.  Something I'm sure they all learned from our own dad.