I don’t believe you can ever be “ready” to be a parent. The thought of bringing a life into the world and raising it every hour of the day, every day of the year sounds daunting. Until the day that baby finally comes. Everything just seemed to “click”. The cries sounded like words, the laughs sounded like music, and it started to make sense. Each day is a learning experience and Kira continues to amaze us with how much she is learning, what she says, and the things she does.

This past Saturday we took Kira to her first amusement park with her cousins Nathan and Ellie. We were nervous that she might not want to ride on anything but at the same time, not surprised that she absolutely loved every ride she went on. It was a HUGE help to have Nathan and Ellie there to guide her and ride with her on some of the rides. (Hershey Park post to come soon)

Anyway, the point of this post was to talk about how my thought process has changed after her birth. The selflessness of being a parent has become natural. No longer is anything about myself, instead everything is about Kira. It made me think of the times my parents would bring me, my brother and sister to theme parks and how tired they would be walking around and watching us ride every ride in the park, ask to play every game, and eat all the Dippin’ Dots possible. Yes, we were tired. Yes, our feet and legs hurt. Yes, our wallet left empty. But the joy it brought to see her having the time of her life, laughing hysterically, going on rides without knowing what to expect, and feeling new sensations she has never experienced. THAT, is what kept us going, and THAT is all the reward I need. The look of wonder and excitement on her face with each new ride was priceless. Being her chauffeur wasn’t so bad that day and it’s not so bad any other day of the year either. The amount of happiness it brings us to see HER happy is all we need.

Kira will only have her childhood once. She’s growing up so fast that it makes me sad to think about but excited for what lies ahead of her as she grows older. Making the most of each day isn’t easy, but these are the moments we’ll remember when we get old and nothing will ever replace them.

❤ you Kira.
Mommy and Daddy