I'm a Dad!

Well… I’m a dad. I would like to publicly thank all of our friends and family that have been so supportive over the last month! We greatly appreciate all the phone calls, visits, meals and gifts that we have received! I am not sure how we would have made it this far without you!

I want to take just a moment and share some of my thoughts on parenthood. First of all, I have a whole new respect for my parents! It is definitely not as easy as they made it look. There is no definitive manual for making the baby happy, making them eat, or making them sleep. We have read a number of books on the subject of newborn parenting, and they all say something different. The baby’s doctor even contradicts himself on occasion. Everyone has advice about what works best and what is better for the baby, but it all boils down to the fact that every baby is different and we just have to figure it out for ourselves.

The first question people ask me is, “How do you like being a dad?” What is the proper way to answer that question? I usually say something like, ”It’s great. I love it!” But then the person that asked the question just sits there and waits for you to elaborate. So here is the elaboration:

What I like best: Watching her sleep, watching her wake up, watching her watch me, holding her in my arms, having her sleep on my chest, kissing her soft cheek, playing with her tiny fingers and toes, seeing her smile, letting her hold my finger, taking her on walks, seeing her in the arms of my beautiful wife.

Things I am not as fond of: Seeing a tear in her eye, getting pooped on, buying diapers, going through 4 diapers before I even get her clothes back on, “mustard stains” on all her clothes and blankets, Pampers (they are worthless), seeing my wife exhausted and frustrated, not knowing all the answers, “receiving blankets” that are too small or the wrong shape, leaving for work.

All in all it is an incredible occurrence and a wonderful learning experience. Life will never be the same and we would not have it any other way. I am sure that parenting will provide life’s greatest challenges as well as life’s greatest rewards!

I hope you enjoy these pictures of the cutest baby in the whole world!