Nearly two weeks in... on one hand, I'm a completely different person. On another, I still feel like I'm seventeen.
I've said all along and I will say it again: Julie and I are always welcome to unsolicited advice. There are a lot of people, not just (young) parents, who don't heed advice of others. Sure, we all think we know what's best, but what's better than someone who's walked in your (similar) shoes. (It's hard for a lot of people to walk in my 16s, especially really little kids).
Think of it this way, there are over six billion people on earth. Many of those are still kids, quite a few of which are members of multi-child families. On a low estimate, there are roughly one billion parents on earth. There are at least one billion different experiences out there and I'd love to hear from a fraction of you. The purpose of the blog is interaction... I must say, we have a lot of wallflower readers (with a few exceptions).
Back to the matter at hand, here's my birth experience in a nutshell (abbreviated due to lack of concentration, irritability, eye twitches, hand, foot and mouth disease that is attributed to lack of sleep). Only one of those am I not suffering from... but we're still in the early phases of baby life.
* I did exit the hospital at 10mph for the first 300 yards.
* I did drive the legal speed limit the remainder of the way home.
* I did un-install the car seat the weekend prior and left it undone for the discharge nurse to see.
* I did learn why men live an average of 3-5 years less than women.
* I did gain a newfound respect for my wife.
* I did cut the cord. Twice. (No one told me that they gave you the scissors they issue to first graders)
* I did not have the reaction I expected at the sight of the birth. I expected to be overcome with emotion (read: tears), but I was more in awe than anything and concerned with Julie's well-being.
* I thought it would be cool if Reid came about 14 hours earlier when we had a severe thunderstorm come through.
* I feel so guilty watching Julie day-in and day-out, getting by on no more than ninety minutes of uninterrupted sleep.
* I felt really guilty sleeping nine hours on the second night we were home.
* I have a better sense of purpose in life after becoming a dad.
* I have never looked forward to seeing two faces more than I do each day when I come home.
ac
Aw, reading this brings me back to bringing James home! I think even though everyone's experience is different, so much of it is the same. I remember driving so carefully once we had James in the car. And honestly, I still do because of the boys. Just not with sweaty palms. :)
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