As expected, 2013 was a year of firsts.

My firstborn, a son, came five weeks early, on May 22 – two days after final grades were due in for the semester. My wife's labor was fast – she started laboring during the night, and early the next morning we went to the hospital, expecting them to give her some medicine to stop the early contractions. Instead, they told us she was fully dilated, and our son had black hair. She delivered a beautiful baby boy two hours later. Mother and son were healthy enough that they were released from the hospital the next day.

I can't begin to describe how my life has changed since then. Most noticeably, I guess, I have less free time than I have ever had in my life. I've had to cut out all hobbies and recreational activities – between teaching, my doctoral program, and my family, I simply have no room for anything else. On the other hand, my son brings me joy that I never knew was possible. I come in from a hard day of work, and he sees me and his face crinkles up in a smile, and suddenly everything is wonderful. It's a wild ride, being a parent, and it's only just begun.

In other news:

* I have a 4.0 average in my doctoral program so far.

* I taught Victorian Literature for the first time (now added to a regularly every-other-year schedule), as well as both Systematic Theology I & II (first time during the regular semester).

* I got my first nephew as my sister gave birth to her firstborn son a month after my son was born.

* My wife got a part-time job as a Speech Therapist at a local elementary school, so we are now a dual-income family. Hooray!

* My odometer reads 216,800. I drove 1500 miles last year; just under 30 miles a week.