The day I became a dad

I'm still roughly 7 weeks away from officially becoming a father. However, if there is one thing I've learned during this pregnancy, it is this - you become a parent the second you find out your wife is pregnant. It is at that distinct moment that you realize you just took a huge fall down the totem pole. Prior to that fateful day, I was sitting at the big kids' table. I had a plush existence rivaled only by Sophie's. These days, I am lucky to get the scraps that Kitty may have left behind. The big screen TV you've been waiting on? On Hold- that will pay for one week's worth of daycare. Going back to school to get your MBA? On Hold- who can study when you are up changing diapers at 3 a.m.? Taking your wife on a spontaneous, romantic getaway? On Hold- nothing says romance like diaper bags and burp cloths! However, the most telling sign that you are now a dad.....is that all of these things suddenly mean very little to you. The only thing you can focus on is protecting this precious life that you have been blessed with. It is a privilege to take care of your wife in any way you can. It is the highlight of your day to accomplish something that means your baby will be safer, more comfortable, or have the best life possible. TVs are engaging, education is fulfilling, vacations are revitalizing, but babies ...babies are miraculous.

I'm certainly not alone in this journey. I could not ask for a better teammate than Meggan. Aside from actually carrying the baby, she keeps this whole family running. She has kept us on track and made sure we have all Amelia needs. I didn't know anything about babies other than they eat, sleep, and poop... ALOT. So, without Meggan, my only preparations would have been a few bottles, a mountain of diapers, and a hazmat suit. Thanks to her we have the nursery in order, we are personally responsible for the bookstore's need to restock their baby books, and we have taken classes in which we got to see an actual birth. On second thought, that last one wasn't so good.

The days are going by faster now and I cannot wait to see my daughter. I know a day will come when I will be longing for times when I could get some sleep. However, I am ready for this baby - as evidenced by the fact that two days before the Gators play for a national title, I spent the afternoon discussing not football, but the merits of cloth diapers, with a few guys at work. If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is.