Monthly Archives: June 2013

A shift in the Universe

“Having a baby changes everything”, they say.  Well, they’re very smart.  But, let’s back it up about 10 months (because if you even THINK about mentioning that pregnancy only lasts 9 months, someone who has been, is currently, or will be pregnant in the future. . . is going to hit you).  Actually, let’s back it up even further.

“I think we should have a baby.”

(cue record screech). . . .

Now, the concept of having a child in our lives did not come out of the blue by any means.  We agreed before we were even married that we would be enjoying the company of little ones in our lives.  There were just a few things that I wanted to get out of the way before we made the final commitment:

  • Pass all of my Architectural Registration Exams
  • Run another marathon – in less than 3 hours
  • Design and build our house – with my bare hands and no help
  • Learn to play the guitar – and start a band
  • Be 100% financially secure – to the point where I never have to work ever again

I started to realize that maybe my “life goals” were being a little inflated to the point of unacheivability. . . until we were “ready”.  So, either we wait for everything to be perfect, or we decide that we’re doing this. . . . THAT’S when everything changed.  The second we decided that we were ready (or. . . ready as we’ll ever be), I started evaluating every aspect of my life; really, really important things:

  • Do we have enough room for a baby (yes, how much room could a baby take up, 3 square feet?)
  • Am I ready to have a baby and do I really have to change diapers?
  • Should I work out more?
  • I’m kind of hungry.

It’s really easy to get distracted when such an overwhelming decision has just been made. 

So that was it.  I was going to be a dad and I was really excited about it. That may have actually been the moment when I became a dad: the second I started considering what it all meant, the second we stepped into this new territory.

And the journey began…

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From “0 to Dad”

It was not that long ago that I was just another cool-guy Architect wandering the streets with my awesome new wife while we popped in and out of the trendy places in NYC.  Of course some of this could possibly be my own perceived awesomeness, but hey, there’s nothing wrong with a good self image.

Flash forward 2.8 seconds and I have an absurdly large diaper bag slung over my arm (jammed full of an exorbitant amount of diapers, extra clothes, burp cloths, more burp cloths, baby wipes, and more burp cloths – just in case we get stranded for a week somewhere and our baby decides to eat a lot of Mexican food).  I have a pocket full of pacifiers (because somehow, there is a 1 second window where you turn your head and a pacifier turns into a rocket).  There’s always 3 other things I have to bring as well; things that used to be easy to carry like a cup of coffee, my wallet, and a phone; that suddenly become impossible to keep track of and handle with any kind of dignity.  Oh and, where are my keys?

toes

Of course I am exaggerating a tiny bit.  Having our son last November was the absolute best thing that has happened to us in our entire lives – hands down.  And, it may sound like I’m setting myself up to be Superdad, but in actuality, without my wife, this whole effort would be hopeless.  She’s truly the glue, the support, & the never-ending machine that makes this all possible – and you can tell her I said that (please tell her that I said that).

There are times though when we look up for a second and ask each other “What. . . just. . . happened??”.  All of the sudden we need to be experts on infant nutrition, everything in the house is wet from saliva, and Babies R Us has decided to just make us a key so we can come and go as we please.  All of this while maintaining our careers, attempting to buy/build a house, and try to remain as awesome as we know we can be.

Advice?  Sure, I have advice.  Laughs?  Why not?  I’m hilarious.  My hope is that I can relay all of the amazing, confusing, uplifting, draining, and completely overwhelming moments of going from zero to Dad in 1 second flat.