So, five weeks ago my son Henry took his first breaths of air and my whole world kinda changed. Sure, it had changed from the moment that we found out Mary was pregnant, but when his head started to enter the world it made a new cosmic shift. At that moment I was no longer just responsible for my life, but also his.
[yes you could say that I bore a bit of responsibility for Mary and my congregation, but it sounds better this way]
A New Life = Change in the old one
Like I said, its been five weeks and life has been different than it used to be, the food I eat is many times colder than I prefer, and the times it is not only I am eating, and then Mary's food is cooler than she would like. Prior to Henry's arrival I had never changed a diaper, currently I have no clue how many I have changed, but I know it is a lot, several at a time when he decides to continue doing his business while I am in the process of changing him. I do a lot more laundry and dishes now, because the kid seems to go through a billion bottles a day, and even though his clothes are quite a bit smaller than mine and Mary's he seems to go through them quite a bit faster than we do, I mean I get a few uses out of my jeans before I wash them, Henry, not so much.
In addition, while I have never been the best sleeper, since Henry decided to come out for a lifetime I now think fondly of those days when I would get 6 straight hours, of course this is a bit of an exaggeration since Mary and I take turns dealing with Henry in the night. Usually we do every other night, unless one of us isn't feeling well, and she does take every Saturday so I can be well rested for the drive to church. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that it takes much longer to get ready to go anywhere, sometimes this gets to the point that Mary and I take a lot more solo trips out then we used to, it is just a lot simpler for one of us to go shopping and the other to stay and watch Henry.
Even with all of these changes I have to remind myself that it will get a little harder for me before it gets easier. This is because Mary goes back to work in two weeks [those six plus vacation are zooming by] and at that point I will become Henry's primary daytime care giver. What this means mainly is that the current state of being able to take a nap the next morning after a rough night, thanks to Mary, will be a thing of the past.
I realize that I have been talking about changes and by and large it seems to be on a negative slant. That is not my intention at all. I love my son immensely, sometimes it seems more and more each day. And while there were times before his impending arrival where I was unsure of my desire for children, since I learned of his coming some 10 months ago I have been looking forward to his arrival, and since that day I have been basking in the glow of 'daddyhood.' To that end I want to end this post with my...
'Top Five Things I Currently Love About Being A Dad' - in no particular order
1) It might seem strange but, the way Henry sucks on my finger when I attempt to check to see if he is hungry: I assume that I sucked on my finger quite a bit as a child, they almost all seem to, and I have sucked on my finger from time to time through the ages, usually when I have hit it with a hammer, and gotten a paper cut, but having this new little person suck on my finger is just a bit more AMAZING.
2) Henry has started to follow my finger when I place it on one side of his head and move it to the other: Again this might seem like a really simple thing, but just a short period of time ago I was a blurry thing to this little guy and now he can follow my finger with his eyes. He is already gaining weight and getting longer/taller, and I am just so happy to be along for the ride as he continues to grow and develop.
3) There is absolutely nothing in this world that quite feels like a baby sleeping on your chest: Now this doesn't happen all the time, because sometimes I will pick Henry up and he will be a wiggle-worm, but the times when he gets in the right spot and cranks his neck at an angle that would put mine in pain for the next week and falls soundly asleep on me is, again, AMAZING. In those moments I truly realize the unique gift that God granted when he created a species that could reproduce. To think it all starts with some sperm and an egg is astonishing sometimes.
4) Henry, unbeknownst to him, occasionally smiles: Yes, I realize that he is not consciously smiling, but in the times when he curls up his mouth my heart melts. My Henry is a really cute kid and his smile is going to get him out of a lot of trouble at home, I just know it.
5) There are times when he just wants to be held: Now, I'll admit that sometimes this can be a minor pain, like when I am hungry or need to use the restroom or just want to change the channel and the remote is on the couch which is where I left it before I got up to change his dirty little diaper. But there is this whole other time frame when it is adorable that the kid just wants to be with his mom or me. Just holding him in our arms makes him feel safe and secure and to some baby extent loved. I also am well aware that there comes a point when your child will not want to be held and loved as much as he currently does, so I am trying to soak it up now so I can think fondly of it later when he wants to borrow the car but won't give me a hug.
To sum up, Henry has brought a lot of changes to my life, some good and some bad, but for what little bad he has brought is more than made up for by the pure joy that he has brought into our lives. I love my son.
Peace and Love,
Pastor K
No comments:
Post a Comment