One month after I joined the team at Houstonia as the custom publications editor, Brian Kennedy, our custom art director, told me he was going to be a father.

I’ve only parented my golden retriever up until this point in my life, but I do know this means that for the entirety of the time I have known Brian and his adorable wife, Michelle, they have been expecting a child.

As the two sole staffers in our department working in the Houstonia house, Brian and I have become quite the team over the past 10 months—figuring out everything from expense reports to how to include our dogs in as many photoshoots as we can. Along the way, I’ve also witnessed him prepare for fatherhood. I think he would tell you that producing this revamped issue of our Kids’ Health Annual has helped that endeavor.

From learning about skin-to-skin—the post-birth trend that eases the transition from womb to world—to taking note of our “Dad Duty” advice on how partners can help nursing moms, it has been borderline comical watching Brian take it all in. Our nutritional tips, media guidelines, and lists of the best educational excursions throughout our vibrant city might also come in handy for him and Michelle down the road. Our main feature stories about some of the toughest kids in Houston became even more poignant throughout the months-long process of putting together this issue, too, as we remembered that the likes of Harvey survivors and cancer patients are all someone’s kids, just like Baby Kennedy, whom we were counting down the days to meet.

As I write this, Brian and Michelle are home with their four-day-old, beautiful baby boy. I hear the first night at home was a struggle, but otherwise all three are healthy and happy. I like to think that maybe it’s due in part to the skin-to-skin methods I know they practiced in the delivery room. Maybe they’re referencing our napping guide.

We hope this magazine is as informative, inspiring, and eye-opening to you as it has been for us. From our Houstonia family to yours, we’re proud to present the 2018 Kids’ Health Annual.