This weekend, Squish met her Australian cousins for the first time, and the experience was as fun as we had anticipated, for babies and parents alike. To set the scene, let me tell you a bit about my family.

The lesson we learnt is not to worry too much about our child’s milestones, especially if they’re within the broad, acceptable ranges. Every child is different and might bring their various skills together at odd times and in odd combinations.

Being the father of a toddler came at me fast. Before the next big phase arrives, it’s time to slow down and reflect on four simple things I have learnt during Squish’s first year about some parenting basics.

It happened so quickly, I barely noticed the change. But all of a sudden, our little bundle of joy needs to be disciplined. Every moment of the day, she is finding ways to test boundaries and assert her independence.

Our little Squish is fast closing in on her first birthday. Where have these last 12 months gone? My first year of fatherhood has been better than I imagined. It comes with plenty of challenges, of course, but so does every path we choose in life.

For the last two weeks, Squish has been surrounded by all four of her grandparents. It was the first time Squish had met my mum and dad, who flew in to the United States all the way from Australia.

Dr Nielsen’s work at Wake Forest has concluded that women perform better in what they refer to as the 3Ms = Money, Men, and Mental Health, if the father-daughter relationship is strong.

As a husband and father, I couldn’t agree more with Harrison Butker — whether on leadership, cultural chaos, masculinity, responsibility, and men and women’s complementary roles as husbands and wives.

I am convinced that a love of the outdoors is innate in every child. It doesn’t need to be taught, but if it isn’t nurtured, it can fade fast and be crowded out by all of the artificial environments we have created in the modern world.

Lorenz suggested that a baby’s cute features trigger a nurturing response in adults, encouraging them to care for and protect them. Research has confirmed Lorenz’s theory many times over in the decades since.

Last week was our toughest yet as parents. It all began when Squish endured a few days of unexplained fevers and interrupted sleep. We eventually found a rock-hard lump on her leg that was clearly the source of her pain. Our baby needed surgery to drain the infection.

The title above could just as easily read “My First 9 Months as a Dad”. I don’t think of myself specifically as an adoptive dad — I am a dad — to a beautiful, curious, vibrant little nine-month-old baby.

My new after-work ritual marks a big shift for me. No longer do I get to veg straight away, as in my bachelor days. This is a sacrifice, but it is one that I am willing to make.

I have previously written about how children are wired to need both a mother and father. This is a fact that has come into much sharper focus for me as our little Squish has begun regularly calling out our names.

Here are some important lessons that Angie and learned from our first flight with Squish. Take time away to be with your family. Don’t let the fear of flying with your baby stop you from taking that important time away.

Listening to ‘Unplanned’ made my wife and I deeply grateful for Squish, and deeply grateful to her birth mother and father for staring down every challenge they faced to give this beautiful baby the gift of life.

It has dawned on me in recent weeks that the time to model “the good life” for Squish is not when she starts talking or begins school or reaches adolescence — but today.

Sanity has prevailed in the case of a gender dysphoric child currently before the Family Court, with the judge allowing evidence from an expert who believes that rates of gender dysphoria are on the rise due to social contagion.

It has officially begun: Squish is eating solids. Watching her navigate her first few mouthfuls of food, after months of a milk-only diet, was predictably entertaining.

Singing these two carols to Squish has helped me think about Christmas through the eyes of a child for the first time in decades. And it’s a beautiful thing.