Becoming An Uncle Was Pretty Cool

After a seemingly long wait, we finally have a new member of the family who joined us on July 23rd, 2021. Baby Atlee.

I’m an uncle and it feels amazing!

My sister and her husband have worked so hard to get to this point, and it seems that much sweeter. They originally had several miscarriages that left them heartbroken before finally getting their much deserved bundle of joy, Atlee.

Although I’m just an uncle, it’s a day I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Just being chosen to be the person to pick them up from the hospital was an honor. Watching my sister and her husband walk (and stroll) from those hospital doors before joining me in the car was surreal. I kept thinking, “Wow! My sister’s a mom. One of the newest people alive is now part of our family”.

Being able to see her for the first time, and hold her, was well worth the wait. She’s perfect in every single way.

Being able to experience all of this with my sister, brother-in-law, and parents will be a memory I’ll cherish forever. Watching my sister grow into the wonderful person she is, and becoming a mom, really helps you realize what life’s all about. It’s about family. It was a very special moment.

In a split second you’re now #2 on the priority list. In a split second you love another human being more than anything on the planet. Everything is based around the growth of the new baby. Parents’ purposes are focused on nurturing the child and giving them the most advantages of living a healthy, prosperous, and meaningful life. We’ll give up anything to make sure our child has the best life possible. That’s love that stems so deep, and nothing compares to it.

I can’t think of two people better suited to be parents than my sister and her husband. They’re both wonderful, hard working, caring people. They want the best for their little girl and nothing but. And my parents will be the best grandparents for the job as well. They’re ecstatic and mesmerized by their new grandchild. And, well, I’m the really lucky uncle that gets to experience it with everyone.

My sister currently lives about a 10 hour drive away. There’s talks of them moving within a 1 hour drive away within the next year or two. Obviously I hope this happens sooner rather than later. I want to be able to see Atlee grow as much as possible. Babies grow so quickly and go from phase to phase. I don’t want to miss any of them. My plan is to see them at least every 2-3 months right now while they live far away. If they’re close come a year or so from now, well that’ll be a different story. I’ll be able to see them all the time then.

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always imagined myself having children one day. I’m in no rush but I’m certainly excited for when that time comes. To me, there’s nothing more rewarding or special than having a child. It’s literally what we’re on this planet to do. It’s something that I really look forward to, especially after seeing my sister with her new baby.

Another thing that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life is when my sister and her husband asked me to be Atlee’s guardian if something ever happened. What a special moment. It means so much to me. Of all the people in the world, I was chosen to be the guardian. That’s something I don’t take lightly. That’s a big deal. And it’s an absolute honor. It really meant a lot to me.

With the arrival of Atlee, it helps put things into perspective as well. Things like our time on this planet and who we spend our moments with. I vividly remember being a kid and thinking that we lived forever. A 31 year old seemed really old. I thought it would take forever to get there. But here we are. And now I look back and think about how fast time flies by. And it just seems to go faster and faster the older we get. I’m so grateful for the wonderful life I’ve been given. And I look forward to the future as well.

Becoming an uncle has reminded me to cherish every moment we’re given and to live in that moment each and every day. Don’t sweat too much about the future because you can’t control it. You can improve your percentages of having what you want in the future by doing certain things, but we’re not actually in control of it. Take each day as a gift and enjoy every moment.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing my family and Atlee again soon, and of course spoiling her as much as possible.