Takin' a Deeeep Breath

BEFORE

AND

AFTER

Wow! We haven't blogged in like half a year, and there probably aren't any readers anymore, but we'll try to slowly get back up to speed just in case.
The big changes have come, actually THE Big Change as in our daughter, Esther Helen Crane born January 22. There is nothing that anyone said beforehand that fully prepared us for this job called parenthood. Medical school has posed a significant challenge, but it is cake compared to the days when it is just dad and Esther all day together with no breaks. It is the sweetest thing and the toughest thing. It is exhilarating and demanding. It is more fun than biking down the Porcupine Rim trail, yet more frustrating then breaking your chain in the middle of the Slickrock trail. It is more enchanting than hiking through Buckskin Gulch, yet more stressful than being 14000 feet up in the San Juans with storm clouds brewing. Is anyone really truly prepared or cut out for this?
I find it amazing that to do or be anything in this world you must get specific training or schooling, sometimes for many, many years before you are awarded the degree, certificate, or license that will allow you to perform a certain job or wear a certain title. Not so with the title "parent". Any man with a functioning erection can obtain the most important title in the world with no pre-requisites other than the said functioning erection. There are no required parenting schools or licenses or degrees for the most life-changing, society-impacting title. Wow, there are a lot of tangents to go off on here...but at the end of the day I guess we can sum it up by saying it is no big deal to reproduce (in most cases), but one of the biggest deals in the world is trying to truly be and become a parent. We're a long ways from figuring it out and stumbling a lot, but we continue to laugh at our mistakes, cry with joy over the new developments, pray for the future, and cherish every up and down moment because like every person we meet says, "It goes by so fast." Indeed, Esther seems to change daily now, so everyday is an exciting reminder of how awesome life is. We hope yours is awesome as well, and don't worry, not every blog is going to be about Esther. I mean, we love her more than our dogs, they are no longer in the center of the pictures, and that's saying something. But Esther is still not our identity. We have other things to talk about too, like the mountain biking in the valley of the sun, backpacking in the Superstitions, med school ups and downs, Mesa city league softball, our impending move to Flagstaff, our visit to the Rez, and the exciting ending to the Everett Ruess mystery! It's nice to take a deep breath and try to figure out what has happended, try to get caught up, and figure out where to go next.