Welcome to Parenthood
I’ve been jotting down notes periodically about our new life with Ellie and am now starting to take those random notes and write about our experience. Here’s the first one I’m ready to share.
Day 6
As Elise awoke, at 1:00 am this morning, the third time already tonight since I laid down at 11:00, I got up and went through our usual routine. She’s only been home for 4 days, but we’ve begun developing a new normal together. I’m new to parenting and I’ve already learned it’s trial by far because newborns aren’t the most patient creatures on the planet.
I picked up our precious baby to check and change her diaper. After that, I stared into her little eyes, darting around trying to take in everything around her before becoming fixed on my face. I smiled and kissed her. Her precious little mouth pursed and she stuck her tongue out a few times. She was telling me she was hungry the only way she knew how. So we walked to the kitchen and I made her a bottle. We came to the couch and sat down together, letting my wife sleep so she hopefully felt better the next morning. I turned on my phone and we listened to some chanting of the Psalms as she ate. Once done, I burped her and walked her back to her bassinet. We had been sleeping in our living room to get our two dogs use to the idea of this new furless puppy that they didn’t understand. Christine thought of placing her bassinet in front of our icon wall so Christ along with the Theotokos and the angels and saints could watch over her as she slept. As I looked at her there so peacefully asleep, it hit me, I had been praying for Elise, but hadn’t prayed with Elise.
I knew it was late, we were well past the setting of the sun, but I grabbed our prayerbook and, holding her in one arm and swaying, Elise and I prayed Vespers together. Sure she slept and made tiny human sleep noises in my ear, but I held her close and prayed out loud. I love Vespers, it’s a service that really resonates with me everytime, most likely because of my deep interest in the creation story. I can read the first three chapters of Genesis 1,000 times and still feel like there’s more that I’m not getting it.
This was our routine for a few nights, but the prayerbook became cumbersome and difficult to navigate while holding a baby. That’s when I switched the Dynamic Horologion on my phone. It’s a perfect way to pray with a baby. I can easily hold it in one hand and, now that I wear her in her Boba wrap, I can use my other hand to caress her back. Plus, it has the current service available and all of the variable changes for the day.
I know she’s not old enough to understand what’s going on around her yet, but I can’t help but to feel that hearing the words of the prayers and the Psalms at a young age is just planting another seed we’ll continue to nurture over her lifetime, doing what we can to guide her in Orthodoxy towards Christ.
O God, our heavenly Father, who loves mankind and are a most merciful and compassionate God, have mercy upon Your handmaiden Elise for whom I humbly pray to You to care for and protect. O God, be her guide and guardian in all her endeavors, lead her in the path of Your truth, and draw her nearer to You, so that she may lead a godly and righteous life in Your love as she does Your will in all things. Give her Your grace, and mercy so that she may be patient, hard working, tireless, devout and charitable. Defend her against the assaults of the enemy, and grant her wisdom and strength to resist all temptation and corruption, and direct her in the way of Salvation, through the goodness of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, and the prayers of His Holy Mother and the blessed saints. Amen.
