It has Been a Great Six Years for Ty and his Son

Six years ago on this day my life changed forever. My wife gave birth to our son, and my life got instantly better. Today, he turns 6, and I am in shock that 6 years of his life have already come. I mean, so much has changed since he was born.

When my son was born, I was way in over my head. I had no idea what I was doing, like most first time parents. I had never, ever been that tired before. I also, besides my wife, never have loved someone with the entirety of my heart and soul. Miles completed our family at the time. He was the easiest baby that I have ever been around. Now, to that point, the only babies I was around were my nieces and my nephew. They were also easy kids, but Miles was easier. He rarely cried, unless he didn't have a bottle. He was on the smaller end when he was born, 7 pounds 6 ounces, but from the day we brought him home to now, that boy loves his food. Besides the food, he was pretty easy in every other aspect of his infancy. He slept through the night at 3 months. He crawled early. He walked before he was one. The only real scare we had was his minor surgery, and that went off without a hitch. It was so clean and well done, we got home that night, and that was when he took his first steps. From there on out, he remains a great kid, and super easy to take care of.

When he was still a baby I was still a 40 hour a week worker. I went to my job everyday while my wife was on maternity leave. This was very tough for me. I wanted to be around my baby everyday. Then, after 12 weeks, my wife went back to work, and we were both a mess. I had to take him to daycare everyday, and it was tough everyday. We had talked about me staying home with Miles before he was born, and at the time he was in daycare, the talks became longer, more frequent and more realistic. When my wife and I sat down and did our books, I was making no money. Everything I made went to daycare, diapers and formula. It just didn't make sense. That night my wife said I should quit to stay home with him and the very next day I put in my two weeks. While I loved the job I had, it was mainly the people I worked with that made me want to go to work everyday, this was the best decision I have ever made in my life. I found my calling. I started to stay home with Miles a little bit before he was 1 and a half.

This was when things truly started to change. I started to wake up with my son everyday and do everything with him. We ate breakfast and lunch together everyday. We worked on talking, walking, running, everything together. I was able to see milestones first hand. I was there for all of his firsts. It is truly amazing to watch your child grow. I will always have that. Then, we started to venture out and do things outdoors more often. We'd go to the zoo, the Science Center, the Magic House, the library and every free thing we could find in Saint Louis. It was awesome, but it also could be lonely at times. Talking to a 1 and a half year old all day can get frustrating.

It was through another dad I knew that I found out about a group of at home dads that get together once a week. I checked it out on Facebook and immediately became a member. Through this group not only was I able to teach my son to socialize with kids his age, but I was also able to talk to dads that were living the exact same life as me. This group was my saving grace. I now have great friends from this group. It is an amazing thing to be a part of.

As Miles kept having birthdays more and more things changed. When he was 2 he started to speak full sentences, and he hasn't stopped since then. Two years old was also when he became interested in sports, trains and super heroes. It was a fun, exhausting and all a blur. Then he turned 3. He was finally able to start playing tee ball and this meant more socializing and a chance for me to coach him. We loved the program he played in, and as you all know now, I am an employee of the wonderful i9 sports.

This was also the same age that my wife and I decided that we wanted Miles to have a brother or sister. He was on board with this idea too, but I don't think he truly cared either way, that is until he found out it was going to be a sister. He said he wanted a brother, but we explained that we had no choice. A sister it was going to be. I'll never forget when the nurse doing the ultrasound said it was a girl and Miles said, "but I wanted a brother", and we all laughed. Miles eventually laughed too. He has always been a funny little dude.

Before his sister was born Miles started preschool at 4, and another milestone was hit. This was hard for me. I had been home with him for 2 plus years, and now for 3 hours a day, he was going to be gone. I needed something to do with that time before my daughter was born. This was right around the time I took up hiking and running. All the hiking and running led to me doing 5k's, 10k's, mini triathlons and even a half marathon. I also lost a big amount of weight(100 pounds to be exact, and I have kept it right around 60-65 total off). Being home with my son literally changed my life. I became, not fit, but in better shape because of him.

When he was in preschool, his sister was born. He was hesitant at first, but what 3, almost 4 year old wouldn't be. Someone new was honing in on his territory. But, after a rough start, he became a great help. He started to become more self reliant. He was still an excellent sleeper. He started to want to help with everything, except changing diapers. He was, and still is, a great big brother. He protects his sister, but he also plays with her. He truly loves her, and it shows.

At age 4, Miles, along with tee ball, started to play football and basketball through i9. He struggles with football, and I get it, that is a hard sport to learn. But, he is starting to love basketball, but I feel like he has loved it from the start. This makes me very happy on a personal level. I played sports with my dad, now my son is playing them with me. It is awesome.

It didn't just stop at sports for Miles. He loves school. He still loved super heroes. He started to love "Star Wars". He was still into trains. He became a dinosaur nut. He started to want to read more and more books. And, most importantly for me, he was potty trained. All this stuff happened between 3 and 4 years old. It is crazy how much growth happens in such a short span of time. He was also in his second year of preschool, and my wife was on maternity leave with our daughter, and we were both home with her. Those 3 months were amazing, and everyday that Miles got home from preschool, we all got to have lunch together. It was amazing.

My wife then went back to work, and it was me, Miles and our daughter. Again, Miles rocked the house. He was not only killing it at preschool, but again, he was a tremendous help at home. He would hang with his sister so I could shower or make a meal or just get a little break.

Then 5 came, and my baby boy was headed to school. No more preschool for him, he was a full fledged school kid. He goes full day kindergarten, and he is doing an amazing job. He loves it. He is in a gifted program there. He does Read, Write, Run, which is a great program. His teacher loves him. He has a ton of new friends. His transition to full time school has been remarkable. He has also become obsessed with Power Rangers and Legos during his fifth year. He has also gotten pretty good at basketball. He knows karate without taking a class. He plays video games with us. He is a real kid now. He is not a toddler anymore. It is so surreal.

Now that Miles is 6, I am just amazed at how much he has grown, and how the time has flown by, and everything that has changed since he came into our lives. I mean, I became a stay at home dad, my wife continues to climb the company ladder, I got a coaching/instructing/marketing job, we had a second child, we got a dog, we moved into a new house and are now looking for a newer house, I lost over 100 pounds and have kept 60 plus of it off, I have made new lifelong friends, Miles interests have only expanded, my daughter is now walking and talking and about to get potty trained, my parents have retired, I started writing for a website, I'm a podcaster, I got back to regularly playing pickup basketball, Miles continues to grow and learn new things everyday, he asks more and more questions, there are countless number of things that have changed in the past 6 years. It has been awesome, and it is all due to the arrival of Miles.

So, for his sixth birthday I wanted to give you all a little trip down memory lane for myself, but I also wanted to highlight the greatness that is my son. Miles, you rule and I love you so very, very much. You made my life so much better and I am grateful every single day that you are here. I love you buddy and I hope your 6th birthday is amazing. Happy birthday big guy, have a great day!

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The Head Editor also wants to wish a very happy birthday to our sometime podcast co-host Miles. Have a great day buddy.

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