Profile

2 Months, 26 Days

Worn Out By Her Workout

2 Months, 25 Days

Wide-Eyed

2 Months, 24 Days

After church tonight, one of our friends was holding Aletheia and said something like "isn't it just amazing how much love you feel for your children, more than you ever knew you could feel?"

People make that sort of comment to us a lot. Apparently it's a common experience. I should probably just nod my head and say yes, it is amazing. But the truth is, I'm not sure I operate that way. I've heard other new dads talking about crying when their kids were born. But I was completely in business mode--asking questions, accompanying the baby to the nursery (her breathing was a little labored for the first hour or so), making sure that Sandy had what she needed before and after delivery. I didn't feel overwhelmed or full of inexpressible love. I did feel a deep sense that I was responsible for the welfare of this kid. I wanted to know everything I could about her status. And I had no intention of leaving her side for a moment. They moved her to the nursery at about midnight and she stayed there for about 2 1/2 hours and I was there for all of it. She wrapped her hand around my little finger, and I sang her the lullaby that I had sung to her every night for the past five months. And I prayed the Lord's Prayer with her--another routine I had established while she was in utero. Nothing seemed overwhelming. It just seemed very natural--like this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I'm supposed to be caring for this little girl--singing and reading to her, holding and comforting her, and, of course, taking lots and lots and lots of pictures.

What that all adds up to is that I love her, of course. There's no doubt about that. I guess for some of us, that doesn't get expressed as some deep warm emotion. Love manifests itself to me as a great clarity--a deep sense of what my proper place is as this baby's father. Love is experienced in the quiet sense of contentment I feel when I hold her or slip into her room to watch her sleeping. Aletheia is an extraordinarily happy baby. Even in her sleep she smiles and sighs, and when I see that I can fall into my bed and sleep peacefully, too.

There's something else as well. If you've read the Aletheia name FAQ (there's a link at the bottom of the page) you know that Aletheia is a name I chose 13 years ago. I was a college senior in a New Testament Greek class, and every week the professor would read the list of the next vocabulary words we needed to learn. One week he reads "Aletheia, which means 'truth'." I thought the word sounded beautiful, and of course had a wonderful meaning. And I decided in that moment that if I ever had a daughter, I would like to name her Aletheia. Eight years later I married a woman who had also studied Greek, and it didn't take long to sell her on the name. So whenever we talked about our hypothetical, potential first child, we just called her Aletheia. We've been making plans for Aletheia, dreaming of Aletheia, waiting for Aletheia for years. When we moved to our current town three years ago I was 31 and Sandy was 28. People would ask us when we planned to start a family. And I would always say that our first daughter, Aletheia, would be born in the summer of 2006.

So maybe in addition to the idiosyncracies of my own temperment, part of my reaction to this new baby can be explained by the fact that the reality of Aletheia isn't a new thing for us, and especially for me. I started planning for the day that I would meet her long before I knew her mother. The awareness that someday I would share a home with this baby girl has been a part of my life so long that I can't really remember what it was like not to be expecting her. So when I stood there in July watching her being born, nothing about that scene was a surprise. It was just the way I always felt it would be. Maybe I wasn't overwhelmed by my love for her because I had already loved her for more than a decade. It's just nice to finally have her here with us.

Even though we're busy caring for Aletheia now, we haven't forgotten that she is unlikely to be an only child. It's going to be a real delight to introduce you to Alexandra, sometime in late 2008 or early 2009.

Video: Happy But Hyper

Aletheia had just awakened when we shot this. Apparently--and this is some kind of crazy genetic mystery--my daughter is a morning person. I'd be less surprised if she were a Klingon. Hopefully it's just some nutty phase she'll outgrow.

2 Months, 23 Days

Portrait

2 Months, 22 Days

New Format

I am pleased to finally be able to present the new and improved Aletheia Update format. I've been working on this for a while, but when you don't know any html coding these things take time. Items that were on the sidebar have been moved to the bottom of the page, making more room for larger pictures, especially horizontal pictures, which I previously had to post much smaller than I would have liked. If you look at the "Uncle Kasey and Tia Maria" picture, you'll see what a difference this makes. I think I've properly configured Flickr to automagically center future pictures, so it should be smooth sailing from here on out.

Who's The Fairest of Them All?

20060925 Aletheia 013 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

2 Months, 21 Days

Exhausted

20060919 Aletheia 048 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

2 Months, 16 Days

Tummy Time

20060922 Aletheia 020 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

Lying on the floor and holding herself up is a good workout for a 2 1/2 month old.

2 Months, 19 Days

Butterfly at White Sands

Butterfly at White Sands (close-up), originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

Okay, I'm cheating. This obviously isn't an Aletheia picture. But I caught a nice shot of this butterfly while we were at White Sands and I thought I'd add it. This is a close-up. The full picture can be found here.

In the Desert

20060919 Aletheia 055 APOD m, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

Some father-daughter bonding at White Sands, NM. (Yes, a very rare AU appearance from yours truly! Photo taken by Mommy, as you might expect.)

2 Months, 16 Days

With Uncle Kasey and Tia Maria

Aletheia's last visit with Kasey and Maria before they continued their travels. Hope to see you again soon, guys!

2 Months, 17 Days

You're In Good Hands With Uncle Kasey

20060919 Aletheia 019 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

Here's a great moment in uncle-niece bonding.

2 Months, 16 Days

Aunt Lisa and Aletheia

20060918 Aletheia 002 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

Yep, we're back in the mountains for a day.

2 Months, 15 Days

Girl on a Couch

Yeah, it's Saturday. We takes naps on the couch. We get behind on housework. Welcome to the way our life really is. But Aletheia's pretty happy.

2 Months, 13 Days

Trying to Figure It All Out

20060915 Aletheia 032, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

2 Months, 12 Days

Clean Baby

20060914 Aletheia 006 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

2 Months, 11 Days

Clasping Hands

20060913 Aletheia 015 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

2 Months, 10 Days

Flying Baby

20060912 Aletheia 004 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

We couldn't decide which one we liked best. So we're posting both--at no additional cost to you!

Flying Baby

20060912 Aletheia 003 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

2 Months, 9 Days

Asleep with Mommy

20060911 Aletheia 003 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

2 Months, 8 Days

Big Smile

20060910 Aletheia 086 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

We might have the world's happiest baby as well!

2 Months, 7 Days

Watercolor Effect

20060910 Aletheia 024 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

This was almost a good photo, but not quite. I liked it a little better with the watercolor effect added. I'm thinking maybe I should take a photography class if I'm going to keep this up.

2 Months, 7 Days

Ready for Bed

20060909 Aletheia 022 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

Bathed and brushed.

2 Month, 6 Days

And...We're Back!

20060908 Aletheia 025 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

Internet access has been restored at AU headquaters, and I am back from my Jeopardy! audition in LA. If I get lucky, they'll call me for the show and I'll get to win some money for the kid's college fund.

She just keeps getting cuter, of course. Too cute, apparently, for the focus to capture, and too cute for the frame to hold. Color slides right off of her.

2 Months, 5 Days

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties...

Please Stand By.

For the past several days, the Aletheia Update headquarters has been unable to access the internet. We hope to have this problem corrected soon, or, failing that, to shift our operation to our emergency back-up site, Area 5.1. (From whence this post originated.) Please continue checking for future updates.

Contrary to media reports, Aletheia has not left home to accept early entry to Harvard. She decided to wait another year.

Aletheia in the Morning

20060901 Aletheia 004 APOD, originally uploaded by PaterAletheias.

1 Month, 29 Days