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First Time Dad



July 25, 2017

I am a first time dad. There’s absolutely no beating around the bush on that.  I’m not going to pretend I’m an expert or that I have it all figured out.  In fact, I am your stereotypical first time dad, and if you talk to me about it, I’m sure you’ll hear all sorts of cliches and very few original thoughts come out of my mouth.  With that being said, there is nothing better than being a dad.

The top three questions I get from people when I meet with them (in no particular order):  1) What’s it like? 2) How’s it going? 3) What has the biggest adjustment been?  Again, I have no original thoughts or genius ideas on these, but I am willing to answer these openly and honestly.

For starters, being a dad is amazing. Jenna and I talk about how amazing it is that such a little human can enter your life (in our case at 7lbs 12oz) and make such a profound change.  No longer can we go where we want, when we want. No longer can we solely focus on things WE want/need to get done.  Our entire world revolves around one little baby-girl blessing and doing everything we can to raise her.

Secondly, so far, being a dad is going great. Like anything, some days are better than others.  It was MUCH easier before teeth when she would sleep through the night, but all-in-all, we have a pretty easy baby who is happy just rolling around on the floor or watching her puppies wrestle.  We will soon get to the point where we “baby-proof” our house, and we are already having to keep a close eye on the dogs, mainly because Isla has not quite learned her own strength when grabbing at their fur.

Finally, when it comes to adjustments, without a doubt the biggest relates to priorities.  Before January 21st, I was convinced that Baby Watley would become #1 on my priority list, and then I would fill the rest of the list with running, housework, reading, etc.  What I did NOT account for was the fact that I would have #1 (Isla), and then nothing else! There is one thing that I am focused on, and nearly everything else I do is a matter of helping me accomplish #1.

Anyway, I’m sure if you are reading this and have kids, you might totally disagree with me on many points, and that’s OK! These are just a few of the things I have learned for me personally, and I realize the experiences of others might differ.

Isla is already growing up so fast (maybe too fast), and I am emphatic that I am not going to do anything to miss out on that.

I am a first time dad. And I love it.

Logan

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Update from Dad – 5.17.17



May 17, 2017

I actually went back and looked, and I have not posted a blog since January 31st. I had all intentions of posting a “Part Two” of Isla’s birth story, but as any parent can attest, it’s far too easy to somehow just lose minutes in a day; those minutes turn to hours, hours to days, days to weeks and weeks to months and before you know it, it’s May!  Anyway, Isla is nearly four months old now, and I feel like we (Isla and me) are just starting to develop an understanding.  Really, it doesn’t take a rocket-scientist to make the connection that if she’s screaming her head off and it’s been more than an hour since she ate last, she’s probably hungry.  Likewise, if she’s screaming and she DID just eat, then it’s probably a diaper change.  And somewhere in-between, I am able to recognize her heavy eyes that tell me it’s maybe been a little too long since she’s napped.  At the same time, Isla somehow knows when exactly I need to see that silly little toothless grin; usually first thing in the morning when she wakes up or late at night when she’s not quite ready to go to bed.

Somewhere between work and fatherhood, I’ve managed to find some time to increase the amount of time I spend running.  The big difference between running now and running six months ago, though, is that I don’t want to spend nearly as much time running because it takes away from my Isla time.  Even so, Jenna and I both realize that I will go crazy if I just stopped running completely, and having the opportunity to meet up with friends and run is invaluable.  I’m trying to enjoy the age Isla is now (because she will never be this little again), but at the same time, I am looking forward to the day when I can push her in a running stroller. Not only will I be able to combine two things I love, but it will be an opportunity to bond with my baby girl over some one-on-one time.

All of the running I did this spring culminated with the Lincoln Half Marathon on Sunday, May 7th. I had realistic expectations while training up to the race (goal of 1:18), but the three weeks leading up to the race did not go at all as I had planned. I ran total weekly miles of 12, 22 and 26 miles and didn’t do a single workout outside of long runs. Because of this (lack of) training, I considered dropping out of the race completely, but in the end, several friends talked me into running the race just to do it, and I settled on a goal pace of sub 1:22. I could detail how the race unfolded, but the end result was 1:21:21 (6:13/mi pace). I left the race completely happy, knowing that I got more out of the race than the work I felt I had put in. It also served as a motivating tool to return to some type of running routine and reminded me why I like running so much in the first place.

I am definitely looking forward to the summer weather and all the things to come in the next few months:  a weekend trip to KC, Weddings in Columbus and Dallas, Okoboji Trip in July, sprinkled with trips to my parents’ lake house in Ashland. If anything is certain, the summer will go fast, but there are many great things on the horizon, and I cannot wait to continue to “do life” with those close to me.

 


Logan

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Sharing the News



December 19, 2016

When Logan and I found out we were having a baby, we could hardly contain ourselves!  We couldn’t wait to share the news with our families and friends, and immediately started brainstorming some fun ways to share the big news!

The first to find out were the dogs (of course).  We showed them the ultrasound picture as soon as we got home from the first appointment and one was definitely more excited than the other.

And then we made them pose with the picture … poor dogs.

The first humans to find out were the grandmas and grandpas!  For my parents, we purchased some children’s books about grandmas and grandpas (my mom is an elementary teacher, too) and wrote a note to them from the baby.  We were celebrating birthdays that weekend and it was right around Father’s Day when we told them, so a present didn’t seem out of the ordinary.  My mom immediately “got it” and started crying, but my dad took a little bit longer.  Finally, after what seemed like minutes later he said, “Wait, are you pregnant?” Haha, gotta love dads!

Logan’s parents were already grandparents times three, so we wanted to think of a different way to tell them.  We were meeting them for dinner right around the same time, so they had birthday presents for us and we had gifts for them, too!  I found these cute mugs on Etsy, perfect for repeat grandparents!

Next up, were our siblings.  My little sister, Elena, has been bugging us for a couple years to have a baby, so we knew she’d be excited!  I ordered a onesie off of Etsy that said, “I (heart) my Aunt Elena” for her to unwrap.  Her reaction was pretty priceless, but you’ll have to head over to our Facebook page to check out the video.

A couple of weeks later, we headed down to Dallas to celebrate the engagement of Logan’s brother, Paul.  We wanted to share the news with him in person, but didn’t want to take away from his excitement, so we waited until the last night to tell him before flying out the next day.  I printed off a fake wedding R.S.V.P. card and we told him and his new fiance we’d filled out our card a little early.  They were both very surprised and excited to know we’d have a baby in tow for the wedding!  We weren’t quite as creative in telling his other two siblings, but they were very excited as well!

We head to Lake Okoboji every year over the 4th of July with all of my extended family who we are very close with, too, so we knew that would be the perfect time to tell them!  I put together some little gift bags with candy and fireworks that said, “Our hearts are going to explode with love – Our little firecracker due January 2017.” (Find the printable here)  Everyone was very excited – again, the girls caught on much more quickly than the guys, but some seemed to have an idea already 🙂 We had gone out for lunch a few weeks before and instead of ordering my typical sandwich or salad, Baby was wanting a giant chicken friend steak with mashed potatoes and green beans, haha!  My aunts and cousin said they had a hunch after that!

After we’d told all of the family and our close friends, it was time to share the big news on social media!  We hired Kristin Polking to take some announcement pictures with us and the dogs so that we could document this exciting time in our lives!

Thanks for stopping by today!  How did you share the big news with your family and friends?

XOXO, Jenna

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Welcome to January & June! We are Jenna and Logan, husband + wife, Nebraska natives, dog lovers and parents to be. Follow along with us as we begin this new chapter in our lives, sharing everything that inspires us along the way!

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