Now for my 7 quick takes on having a baby and becoming a daddy:
1) First things first. With the angels and saints, and our family and friends who have been praying for us...
"Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Matt 7:7-8)
2) I'm STUNNED at how much my wife has gone through. I'm so thankful for her; I've come to love her even more than I ever thought possible; I'm so impressed at her capacity to handle everything. The years of aforementioned shots... getting a c-section... all the recovery involved after surgery... That's no antihistamine, as Fr. Jerome would say (=nothing to sneeze at, quoting Bullwinkle), everything that led up to the baby being born. After baby? I've hardly slept, and my wife has slept even less. She's amazing, and whatever she's feeling, she's already been an incredible mom.
3) The lack of sleep thing? I had no idea. No. Idea. The way the world keeps time doesn't exist anymore. Day, night, meal times... it's all relative now, until Leo gets onto a more normal sleeping schedule. There was a commercial recently (that I would've included in this if I could find it) that showed two parents. The dad says something to the extent of, "The kids are gone for the weekend. Want to get crazy?" The mom says yes, and the next frame is of them passed out, asleep. That sounds SO AWESOME right now, and I could never appreciate it before having a baby.
4) I've been very humbled with the love & generosity with which we've been showered. Our friends & family have brought us meals, offered help with babysitting, been by to visit, and brought us gifts, too. Several coworkers brought me gifts for the baby, which surprised me a great deal. A simple smile & "congratulations!" would've been sufficient... yet they gave a gift. I feel incredibly loved, and it's hard to figure out what I did to deserve any of it.
5) Leo's birth happened much quicker than I thought it would, and due to the c-section, our stay in the hospital lasted longer than I expected. The learning curve has been steep for me--while not incapable, I've never really been around little kids for extended periods of time. Every new hurdle has started out looking insurmountable, which could be condensed to, what were we thinking? We can't handle this! Then, with a little patience, some time, and some hysterical crying (either mine, the baby's, or both), that hurdle is behind us.
6) My entire life has been reoriented. I've tried to sit down to write this post a few times today, and didn't get the chance last night. And blogging falls behind some other things on the list of importance, like trying to keep up with the dishes (moving to plastic & paper), laundry (good luck), taking out the trash (in process), getting the mail (two days late), and even showering. Who knew showering was such a luxury? I showered last night at 10:30 p.m. and it was awesome! Only my second shower since Leo was born five days ago. This recent commercial is right on point:
7) The "silence is golden" saying has never been so true. It's one of the most beautiful sounds in the world, aside from Leo's adorable baby sneezes and baby yawns. I thought I appreciated the quiet before, in my time as a seminarian. Quiet time was for study, prayer, contemplation, and watching movies on my computer with headphones. Now it's vital recharging time for my ears, my sanity, and my sleep.
For more quick takes, visit www.thisaintthelyceum.org!
No comments:
Post a Comment