Where there's a Will there's a 21 month old.

It's funny (or at least I think it is) that there is always one parent that seems to constantly play the backup. I often feel like a good tribute band, sure I'm entertaining when the famous band is on a world tour (or not currently at home), but when their back in town I'm a guy who just can't compete with the real entertainment.

In the early months of our little girl's life the 'playing favorites' took a difficult toll on me. I gave her everything I had and could barely get anything in return. Thankfully, at 21 months she's come around quite a bit. There are still times when she needs her mommy more than me and I've learned two things from this:

1. It's OK. My wife and I are a great team. We work well together and I think (even though we're still new to the game) we're doing a pretty good job with our little one.

2. Sometimes, if it's my wife that my daughter is clinging to it means I get to sit down for a few minutes and take a breath.

It's hard to admit that sometimes you just need a break, but at 21 months this girl is a whirlwind. She bounces around the house from the minute she wakes up until the minute she goes to sleep and I'd be lying if I said it was easy to match that energy. It is fun to see her explore her world, but there are only so many times that I can drink a fake glass of tea. I mean there's no sugar and it's not even warm.

My daughter has a will of her own and everyday we're starting to see more and more of it. It's still early in the game, but I have a feeling that this little girl will have that same determination and strength that I so admire in my wife. We're starting to set more boundaries so that this new found strength and determination doesn't get out of hand, but with each attempted task I find myself amazed by her...Sometimes I don't want to tell her 'NO' just to see what she'll do next.

I've gotten lazy with the blog and I think that has been a major mistake. I miss writing, especially here, as it brings me closer to fatherhood. It's easy to go through the motions of being a dad, but I always want to be engaged in her life because each day she amazes me and I would hate to miss out on any of it.