I have rarely (if ever) felt “one-year-older” on my birthday, but this year was different. I swear I felt my body turn 30.

The likliest culprit for this feeling is probably because I am now a dad and deeply sleep deprived. But last year was also the most exhausting year as a teacher yet, and as the school year begins anew, I find myself now in the median range of teacherly experience.

So many of the teachers around me have only taught for a year or two, while this is my seventh as a fulltime teacher and my eleventh in education. I am finally in a place to be more of a mentor, and it is a very new experience.

One experience made me feel particularly old though. At student orientation, I supervised a few activites as well as cleaned up the event space. As we were cleaning, a few of the leadership students were struggling to figure out how to put away one of the popup tents. I pointed out the steps and helped them put it away. It was simple, but it reminded me that someone’s dad showed me how to put away a popup tent for the first time when I was their age.

Now I am that dad.

My baby is 3 months old already, and it is crazy to me how much he has grown. I am so glad that because I am a teacher, I was able to spend his first 10 weeks almost entirely at home with him.

I feel like I have really gotten to know him. I helped give his first half dozen baths. I was there when he learned to smile. And I even orchestrated his one-month-old photoshoot.

My back hurts all the time, and I have never been this tired in my life, but I feel so blessed to have a beautiful healthy baby who recognizes my face and voice.

It has been a wild 3 months, and it is still hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that this is literally just the beginning. But my baby is adorable, and I love to hear him laugh.