Baby Story

Not surprisingly, I have no problems talking about Kaylani. Some way or another, Kaylani works her way into pretty much every conversation I have. It's like I can't even have a conversation without bringing her up. Does my life even exist without her? I'm thinking no. Here are a few recent examples:

Example #1: Today at a client meeting (one of my last...sigh), my client was talking about her 2 American Bulldogs that she had to pick up from the vet. She came to the decision with her fiance that he would drop them off, but she would pick them up so that way she wasn't associated with the "procedure" that they were being left to. That's a perfectly normal story that had nothing to do with me. What did I do? I said I felt the same way when Mommy makes me hold Kaylani when she gets shots at the pediatrician (but on the losing end of course since I'm the one who actually has to hold her). Related? Sure. But was it really necessary to bring Kaylani up?

Example #2: I have a coworker, Amanda, who likes to use words that only people who got an 800 Verbal score on the SATs wouuld know. She came in to my office saying she had just taught Danika a new word. What did I do? I told her she should teach Kaylani some new words because she only knows how to say "mamamama", "papapapa", and "ishhhhh" real well. Could I just have called her a nerd and moved on? Oh wait, I did call her a nerd. Couldn't I just have moved on?

Example #3: I was at the Yankees game the other day watching Derek Jeter tie the all time Yankees hit record held by Lou Gehrig. As soon as he did it (in the 7th inning), we all stood up and went wild cheering. Then I said to the guy next to me, "Holy cow Derek Jeter is the greatest Yankee of all time! Did you know my baby has 2 teeth and poops twice a day?"

Okay, so example #3 didn't actually happen (she only poops once a day so I would never lie and say twice), but the other 2 are examples that have actually happened in the last 2 days. I'm sure there were plenty more, but the point is, Kaylani has consumed my entire life. As another point, this blog has allowed me to express my adventures with Kaylani. If you add them together, that means that this blog is my entire life. So if you read this blog regularly and run into me sometime in the near future, just tell me you already know everything about Kaylani and I'll just sit there quietly instead of telling you stories that you already know. Without Kaylani, I might not be anything at all, but with her, I'm the happiest Dad alive. And that's the only story that matters.

The Birth Story of Kaylani Isabel Tam

Since today is Kaylani's 1 month birthday, I'm going to post Kaylani's birth story, written by our doula, Stella Nieves. We found Stella through a combination of a web search and a recommendation from our midwife, and knew she was the right person for us once we met her. Not only was she personable and friendly, but she also spoke fluent Spanish (being from Columbia). That was pretty important to me since I was convinced that 1 of 2 things was going to happen: either Brendalys was going to switch to Spanish mid-labor and I wouldn't know what she was saying (I read that it happens!), or she was going to constantly curse at me in Spanish and I wanted to make sure that I knew what she was calling me (neither happened). And as an added plus, Stella's also a licensed massage therapist at Hillsborough Massage. If you live in the area, I highly recommend a visit. Brendalys has gone 3 times and I've even gone once, and it was the best 90 minute nap I've ever taken!

Stella was great during the whole thing and gave us the support and love that we needed during the labor. She came to the hospital quickly, and at the perfect time since Brendalys was starting to waver on her pre-labor "no meds" feeling. But with her help, we got through the labor as natural as can be in a hospital, and I know I've said this a thousand times, but it was an amazing experience.

I thank God and my wife everyday for my beautiful daughter, and I thank all of you for allowing me to share our lives with you. Click here to read The Birth Story of Kaylani Isabel Tam.