In My Daddy Era: Confessions from a First-Time Father
In My Daddy Era is a place for me to slow down and say the things I don’t want to forget.
Each episode is a short reflection on becoming a first-time father. The moments that catch me off guard, the feelings I didn’t expect, the fear, the joy, and the quiet in-between. Sometimes it’s something big. Sometimes it’s something small. But it’s always honest.
This isn’t a parenting podcast or a guide on how to do things “right.” It’s more like an audio journal of me talking through what fatherhood is teaching me in real time, while I’m still learning it myself.
The episodes are short, lightly edited, and recorded whenever life makes something feel worth capturing. Just reflections I want to remember… and maybe something my daughter will hear one day and understand how deeply she was loved.
In My Daddy Era: Confessions from a First-Time Father
This is a Big 1: Happy 1st Birthday & A Shoutout to the Village
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Have a story or advice? Send me a note here!
My baby girl is officially a toddler. We went all out for the first birthday, Elmo tutus, Cookie Monster shirts, and enough balloons to fill a Sesame Street set. She won’t remember it, but I’ll never forget it.
In this episode, I’m reflecting on the milestone of year one. I’m sharing the "extra" details of our party planning, the 'no baby drop' rule, and a conversation with my grandmother that changed how I look at our village. It’s a thank you to everyone who shows up, even when they don’t have to.
In this confession:
- The Smash Cake Chronicles: Why we went 100% extra on the Sesame Street theme.
- Grandma’s Rebuttal: The perspective shift I needed regarding the people in our lives.
- The Village Map: Why family isn't just about blood, but about who shows up for the moments that matter.
They say the first birthday is for the parents, not the baby. Looking around a room full of family and friends, I realized they were right. But it wasn't just a birthday, it was a celebration of my daughter with her village. Hi, I'm Rick, and this is in my daddy era confessions from a first-time father whose infant just became a toddler. Where does the time go? Even though she won't remember a moment of it, we made a big deal of her turning one. It was time to decorate and invite friends and family over to separate, keeping my daughter safe and sound for a whole year. Woo! That no baby drop rule in full effect. No drops, not on my watch. For her first birthday, we went with her favorite, Sesame Street. We had all the characters on the walls, balloons, and even a themed photo backdrop for the photo booth. And of course we had a photo booth. I created her invitation, which of course looked like a Sesame Street poster that read, This is gonna be a big one. You see what I did there? Her invitation had a picture of me, my wife, and my daughter AI'd to look like a Muppet. I had pictures from each of her monthly photo shoots hanging up so that you could see the progression of her growth. My mom made her a cake with all the characters on it. My daughter even got to taste some icing for the first time, even though she really wasn't feeling very smashy when we gave her her smash cake. To top it all off, we dressed her up in a onesie and a tutu that had Elmo on it. All of the media family wore shirts with characters to match. I was Cookie Monster, my wife was Abby Kadabi, my mom was Zoe, and my dad was Oscar the Grouch. I picked that one out. Love you, Dad. My daughter's aunt was the Count, and her godfather went rogue and made a sweatshirt with all of the characters on it. We've been told when we were doing that. Yes, I know what you're thinking, and yes, we are a bit extra, but we had to go all out for my baby girl's first birthday. There would have been a bounce house outside too if it had been warmer. From the beginning, I've understood how important having a village is to raising a child. I also learned that a village may not look exactly like what you would have thought. I remember lamenting to my grandmother about the people that weren't there in my daughter's baby shower, and she rebutted, She got everything she needs and so much more. And I explained to my grandmother, the reason I was disappointed wasn't for lack of gifts, because at the end of the day the gifts didn't matter. But I wanted to see who was in my daughter's village. I know everyone isn't always gonna be able to show up for every moment, but I'm so grateful for those who do, and those who try, and those who can't and wish they could. Thank you to everyone who's shown up in any way for my daughter. Family is important, but the village is important too. The people that can teach her things we don't know, and the ones that can show we don't have to be blood to be family, and love as such. I want my daughter to see that we don't have to all be the same race, age, or religion to love one another and treat each other with respect. I need her to know that we can be different and respectful, and that everyone is not always gonna be the same. I feel like these lessons are especially important in today's world. Again, I want to say thank you to everyone that loves my daughter. Whether you've made every event, just one, or wish you could be there. It means so much to me to have you in our village. I'm still figuring out a lot of this. I would love to hear your stories and advice. Just click the link in the show notes and send me a message. And if you want to help keep the diaper fund stocked, you're always invited to join the village by clicking the support link in the show notes. As I continue my journey in my daddy era, I'm still learning, still growing, and still showing up. Because the moment I get it down pat, that's when everything changes. Until next time.