Parenting

Lest my previous parenting post suggest that things are all doom-and-gloom at the Steele-haus, here are 10 things I love about my kids. I got to baptize all 3 of them as babies, a poignant reminder that they are beloved children of God. They all love books, which warms my nerdy heart. The way Eleanor (1yo) greets me. It used to be a very excited squeal. Now it’s “Ah! Daddy!” Andrew (4yo) has a great memory for stories, especially Bible stories. I was redoing our fire pit, and spraying it with a hose to cut down on dust as I re-leveled the ground. Andrew: “Elijah put water on the fire, too!” (see 1 Kings 18). Eva (6yo) is smart as a whip. She asks great questions, and I’m looking forward to (re-)learning with her as she gets older. Eleanor’s recently learned how to do an overly-exaggerated “angry eyebrows” face, and I find it absolutely hilarious. She now does it to get a laugh. Andrew loves Spiderman, and he goes back-and-forth on whether or not he thinks superheroes are real. Listening to him as he narrates Spiderman scenarios while running around in his Spiderman costume is always entertaining. Eva will sometimes read books to Andrew and Eleanor. They will then imitate her–Andrew, by reciting stories from memory as he turns through the books, and Eleanor, by babbling to herself as she flips the pages. I can get them all to watch things with me like This Old House, DIY videos, tool reviews, etc. Partially because they’re all curious and enjoy learning about tools. Partially (OK, mostly) because they’re thankful they’re watching *something* on the TV. They’re all still young enough that they frequently want hugs and snuggles.

I love my kids, but I sometimes regret having them. Pardon the clickbait-y title and opening sentence. But are we parents allowed to say that? Are we allowed to feel both of those things at once? We’ve got a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, and an almost-2-year-old. And, no, I don’t actually begrudge them their existence! I want what’s best for their lives and futures. And don’t get me wrong; there are moments of laughter, poignancy, joy, etc. ...

We’re Expecting! In case you haven’t heard the news, my wife Rachel and I are expecting our firstborn child this August! Rachel is currently 16 weeks along, and we won’t find out the gender of the baby (whom I am affectionately calling “Lump”) for another month. The last few months have been quite busy for us since we found out Rachel is pregnant. She works full-time as a Family Nurse Practitioner. I’m a full-time Ph.D. student. We’re both actively involved in our church. Etc. etc. However, the next few months also promise to be busy as well! I’ve got a dissertation proposal to defend. We’ll be traveling for our siblings’ high school graduation. (Lord-willing and baby-waiting) we’ll both be in my sister-in-law’s wedding this Summer (I’m the officiant). And then? Then Lump makes his or her appearance! ...