Ramblings (a post by Stephen)

Well it is done. Six weeks of childbirth classes and we have been deemed fit parents. Well, no one actually said that but I'm going to assume it was implied. Looking back over our time in class I'm not sure if it did more good by warning us of what is to come or did more harm by warning us what is to come. The take home message for me was expect to do nothing else the first two weeks after the baby is born other than feed your baby, change dirty diapers and try to sleep when he sleeps. So my expectations of what my two weeks of time at home away from work will be like have dropped. It isn't that I had some grandiose idea of how it would go. I knew I wouldn't be playing golf every morning and sipping cocktails on the patio. But the way they have set this up, I envision myself going back to work as a grumpy zombie.

Another favorite phrase that current parents like to tell you is "prepare yourself for no sleep." I have come to realize that I don't understand this phrase. There is no way to prepare myself for waking up every couple of hours. No amount of sleep I get now can be stored up for later. No amount of coffee, Mountain Dew, Red Bull or speed will keep me feeling energized when I am getting 3-4 hours of interrupted sleep per night. So I am not going to even attempt to prepare myself because I don't know how.

I've already decided that after I officially become a father I am going to try and be upbeat when people tell me they are expecting. I'd like to try to stay positive and say things like "Kids are great. They rock. They make your life more worthwhile." Those phrases sound so much better to me than "Oh, just wait. Prepare yourself. Enjoy getting no sleep. Your life will be forever changed. So much for going out. Everything you do will now be for your child. I can't wait to see you go through this." I fully realize that I am not jaded because I haven't had a child yet. But no matter what, I am going to try and stay "glass is half full." Just remind me of that when I've had two hours of sleep and we'll see how I do.

It seems to me that the little guy is having a blast in his current home. He plays all kinds of games with us now. The flashlight game. The tapping game (I push on Carrie' belly in a certain spot and he kicks or pokes back in the same spot). He kicks around when you read him a story. How cool is all of that? I always say "how can you beat those years you were in college?" But I'm re-thinking that. Perhaps the best time is spent swimming around in the womb. College years must be second in line.