We are 15 days in and this new dad loves his little guy and all that comes with him!! So many people asked over and over…..Are you ready to be a dad, are you ready for a baby, are you guys ready and excited……my usual response, “Are we ever ready for what God has in store for us?” I now whole heartedly and without hesitation make that statement.
We came home only about 40 hours after Tressan came into this world, I was shocked, as I thought C-section mom’s always had to stay little longer. But don’t get me wrong….an offer for this 6’4” guy to not have to sleep on a circa 1979 pull-out-chair-makeshift-sorta-into-a-bed ….sign me up, if mom and baby are ok of course. I quickly made sure that I strategically grabbed all the items in our room that we would be billed for anyway and tucked them away in my bag, then I buzzed the nurse and said, “I think we need more diapers, and wipes, and towels, etc..etc..”
We were stoked…..all our bags were packed….gifts loaded up….I still had the camera, the one that makes me look like a Chinese tourist, around my neck. I was a bit nervous..mostly about the first drive with this little creature in the backseat and the fact that we were about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. I was also about to have to introduce Lucy, the somewhat special Lab, to the newest part of us, which was ultimately way more important than her. We arrived home safely and Lucy did great….She was quite curious, and still is, but she is doing awesome and still needs attention and walks and feedings etc….we haven’t forgotten her, although, she makes it apparent that she is still here. She often wedges herself nice and snuggly right next to us, making sure that we don’t forget she is around. She’s a needy dog.
As far as Tressan goes, I cannot get enough of him. I took off a few days to get situated, catch up on sleep, and spend some time with Mandy and T before going back to work. Since he has been home he has been surprisingly easy to deal with. He sleeps a ton, makes funny noises, grunts a lot, has cute sleep smiles, makes funny faces with his tongue and mouth, grabs dads finger, likes to bounce around, does squats while in dad’s arms (this is an effort to workout while holding him). I could seriously watch and hold him for hours. Going back to work was tough; I couldn’t wait to get home to see him. I know all this will be temporary and one day Tressan will emerge into an angry, moody tween whose ability to cry for food or sleep or diapers will be matched by his mastery of not talking to me and slamming doors. One day I will be uncool to him, I will be looked at as mean and not understanding, and I of course will have no idea what it means to be young. This is why I am taking a million pictures; I am gathering a gaggle of photo memories that will one day embarrass him to no end. At the moment he gets out of line I will reach for them and heap them upon him and his friends just to show him who is boss . But as for now….I will enjoy his tiny feet, I will kiss his fuzzy head, I will change his dirty diaper with joy (even though it’s not joyful at all sometimes), I will smile at him, I will continue to get teary eyed when I look at him and think “I created life”, I will snuggle with him and bounce with him and hold him tight because I know these days are short lived and I want to remember every moment I can with him.
To conclude here are the 8 things I learned over the first two weeks about babies:
1. Change a diaper - yes I had managed to live almost 30 years and have maybe changed three diaper, and believe me I didn’t know what I was doing. While I am no expert yet (and we have some pee soaked clothing to prove it), I am getting the hang of it. I still need to buy one of those PeePee TeePee’s.
2. Pooping - I had no ideas that babies, even newborns can strain so much when they poop. Tressan’s grunts sometimes are too much to handle. I thought that since he only drank his meals that pooping would be easy….not so…his face turns red at times and the noises commence.
3. Feeding – much more of a process than I anticipated. A….it takes quite a while sometimes and B….you have to add time for number 2 above as this often takes place before, during and/or after feeding. Add in changing a diaper and burping him this time can easily stretch to an hour and a half. Much more than dad, I can down a meal in two minutes if needed .
4. Importance of Mom’s - I am amazed watching Mandy and the natural instinct that comes to her. She nurtures him and I love to watch her…she is more beautiful than ever as a mom.
5. Baby Sleeping - For some reason I thought that babies were up all the time screaming. I think our friends scared us, I thought that we were going to have this ridiculous baby that screamed and cried all the time and we never knew what he wanted etc….quite the contrary. We have a quiet baby, I have heard him cry a whole 2 hours total in two weeks…..he sleeps all the time and the past few nights we have been graced with 5 ½ hours of sleep at a time. All that prayer for months has paid off!!!
6. Boxing Matches - You definitely know when T is super super angry, he starts to throw fists and his hands quiver….he’s boxing with air and it makes me smile!
7. Importance of Teamwork - Not sure how single parents swing it…because it’s definitely taking two of us, especially in the evenings when we want him to close his eyes. I don’t know how long I could bounce with him, but we trade off and makes it easier. Middle of the nights also, Mandy is stuck, as she’s got what the baby wants, and no matter how much love and kisses dad offers, Tressan still wants his food, so helping out by changing diapers, getting things, making sure she is situated to start feeding requires great teamwork.
8. Joy – Need I say more?
Until next time…..
J & M
August 15, 2011 at 5:57 PM
I just teared up reading this. It is written so well, and I can just feel the love you have for your tiny little man and your beautiful wife.