Fatherhood at Seven Weeks
Seven weeks ago, I experienced the second greatest moment of my life. (First was the day I married Lauren.) On June 19th, my son Miles Edward Thorp was born at 5:20am in St. Louis, MO. He was a strapping 8 pounds 4 ounces.
Probably about 10 minutes before Miles was born, I just started to bawl my eyes out. I knew that I was witnessing a miracle that was going to change the course of my life forever. Every emotion was rushing through my body at once and it just didn’t know what to do. Ha!
Well, we’re now at seven weeks into fatherhood and I thought it was about time to sit down and reflect about the last month and a half.
It’s very focusing.
After having a kid, when stupid shit comes along, it’s as if it stands out even more as being a massive waste of time. Instead of doing whatever it is that doesn’t move the needle, I could be spending time with my family. Should I be doing whatever I’m doing or should I be at home experiencing this little miracle that my wife and I created.
It’s so straightforward but so complicated.
The kid only has so many needs. He needs to eat, burp, poop, sleep, and be loved. It’s fairly straightforward but it’s unbelievably complicated. There’s no means by which you can reasonably communicate with the kid to find out what need he needs at any given time.
You can start to reasonably guess needs based on timing of his last feeding or the last time he pooped but that’s still no guarantee. Last week Miles hit a growth spurt so he’d been eating much much more often then he’d otherwise be eating. That’s fun. Heh. *tapes open my eye lids*
It’s amazing.
It’s the greatest feeling in the world, when the kid is fussing, looks up at you and stops fussing. He feels secure with you. It makes you feel like you can do this, no matter how tired, frustrated, or exhausted you are.
My new favorite thing is when he passes out laying on my chest. He’ll have his arms out wide, like he’s giving me a hug. It’s the best.
It’s exhausting.
Especially if it’s your first kid, nothing really prepares you for the sleep deprivation. You and your wife are going to be getting up every 2–3 hours, if not more often. Plus, after 5+ weeks, you start to crack.
I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a single parent. I couldn’t do this without having such an incredible partner in crime.
My wife is amazing.
As I was saying, I have an amazing wife. As if giving birth wasn’t enough of a testament of how amazing she is, she’s such an incredible mom. It’s so cool to see the bond and the love that she has for Miles. My son is going to have such an incredible perspective on women in the world because of the example that his mom sets.
I’m truly blessed to have such an incredible family. Praise God!
