Who's the daddy? Me, in 35 weeks!

[Hale on wheels]

My wife told me last night that I am going to be a dad in October. This is our first child. I thought I would be scared, but I am pretty excited.

 

[Fireman Dave]

Congratulations, Cody! And there's nothing to be scared about. It's a wonderful thing - being a father. Nothing compares to it. Enjoy the excitement - it's just the beginning!

 

[loncray]

Congratulations! The single best moment of my life so far was when my newborn son looked into my eyes for the first time - you're going to love every moment of it. If you have the time and ability to do so, try to do all the 'mother' stuff with your baby you can - changing diapers, pushing strollers, getting up at 2:00 am with the bottle and feeding the wee one - it sounds odd but it's the best way to bond with your baby that I know of. And my kid is turning out pretty good so it worked for me.

 

[mberry]

Congratulations! The single best moment of my life so far was when my newborn son looked into my eyes for the first time - you're going to love every moment of it. If you have the time and ability to do so, try to do all the 'mother' stuff with your baby you can - changing diapers, pushing strollers, getting up at 2:00 am with the bottle and feeding the wee one - it sounds odd but it's the best way to bond with your baby that I know of. And my kid is turning out pretty good so it worked for me.

Congrats! It's an exciting time! I went to every Dr. appointment with my girlfriend and did basically everything loncray suggested. My GF and I switched off nights so we both wouldn't be dead tired all the time. My daughter is almost 3 and it's great. She is so much fun.

 

[Hale on wheels]

Thanks for the congrats guys. I am pretty excited. I do plan on going to the doctor appts. and watching the ultrasounds. Lots of stuff to think about between now and then. I have made it 29 years and never changed a diaper before, but I'm sure I'll get my fill of it!

 

[loncray]

Hey, that's how old I was when I became a father! Yes, the more appointments you can go to, the more you'll learn. I still have the two ultrasound pictures they took of my son - his first photos! There are many, many things to learn between now and the birth - and even more afterwards - but you'll be fine!

 

[0013]

that is awesome--congrats bro. kids are definately a gift from God.

 

[Fireman Dave]

29 - must be the magic number - same for me - LOL. Ditto on what loncray said about the middle of the night feedings, diapers, dr. visits, etc... I did pretty much all of it when our daughter was born as my wife was seriously ill at the time. I wouldn't trade it for anything - it definitely was a bonding experience. I remember those cold nights at 3:00am sitting in a chair feeding her - it felt like we were the only two people in the world who were awake. Ours was extra special since she was a little one - only 3lbs, 14 oz. at birth (8 weeks early). She was less than 5lbs the day we brought her home. She looked so tiny in our house. I was a little nervous at first, but it all came naturally. I learned early on there were 3 possible reasons when she was fussy or crying. Hungry, tired, or dirty diaper. Look for those three, and you can almost always find out what she/he needs.



Fast forward 12 years and 11 months and she's in 7th grade! Hard to believe. Time really does fly - especially after you have a child.

 

[Hale on wheels]

I was planning on going back to school and finishing my Ph. D. , but that will have to wait a while now (hopefully not forever). I have some learning of a different kind to handle now. Wow Fireman Dave, 3lbs is pretty small! I'm glad to her she is doing well. Believe it or not, we had some people in our church a few years ago who had their baby at 22 weeks, and he survived! I'm hoping for a lot closer to 40 weeks with ours!

 

[mberry]

Hey, that's how old I was when I became a father! Yes, the more appointments you can go to, the more you'll learn. I still have the two ultrasound pictures they took of my son - his first photos! There are many, many things to learn between now and the birth - and even more afterwards - but you'll be fine!

Here's a few things we learned:



Children's Motrin works WAY better than Tylenol.

Bag Balm works WAY better than Desitin.

Baby Powder is only good for controlling the smell.

Wal-Mart is your new best friend

Costco DOES carry diapers and wipes.

You can NEVER have too many diapers and wipes on hand.

Johnsons baby shampoo works pretty good on adults.

Trim fingernails and toenails OFTEN.

Yes, something that small can make something that smells that bad!

Sometimes they throw up for no apparent reason.

Whoever takes them to daycare in the morning should get dressed AFTER the baby.

Swings will be your best friend, but become your worst enemy.

Don't read "What to expect when you're expecting"

Cabinet and toilet lid locks are worth the trouble

No, you DO NOT have to let everyone touch or hold the baby.

Buy a car seat for each vehicle.



That's all I can think of right now. Let me know if you have any more questions. My daughter will be 3 in April.

 

[loncray]

Here's another one for you - watch how the delivery room nurses handle the baby. They'll be careful but not super-gentle. You can take your cue from them - even a newborn (non-preemie) is a relatively tough creature. I scandalized all the women where I work by carrying my 7-day-old son like a football, but it didn't hurt him a bit, and he's a tough (big!) boy now.

 

[Hale on wheels]

Thanks for the list mberry. Did you mean to trim my fingernails often, or the baby's?



Loncray, I did learn they are more resilient than I had though a few years ago. My sister has 3 boys, and I think I handled each of the younger two a little less like they were a faberge egg!



Last night I went and bought two little camouflage infant outfits, a boys and a girls. Might as well start getting ready

 

[mberry]

I'm sorry. Actually now that I think about it, both. My original meaning was the baby's nails but I have to trim my nails much more often so I don't scratch my daughter when we play. I have very strong nails and scratched her bad a couple of times.



loncray is right. I was terrified of doing anything with my daughter. Treated her like an egg like the example. She likes to play rough. Sometimes rougher than I do. She is a lot tougher than I gave her credit for.

 

[juicedcummins]

I was in the same situation as you 1 year ago. Our first boy is now 10 months and is a lot of fun. I had to work the first 6 months and that just about killed me. Now I took the winter off to be with him and it is well worth it. The next couple of years look real busy for me away from home so I took this chance for us to get acquainted. I hope he takes after her side and not the ruff and tuff my side has been known for.

Get your Cummins in top shape for the ride in. [mine was over 80 miles with her in the back seat]

Good Luck!

 

[Hale on wheels]

mine was over 80 miles with her in the back seat

Wow, I couldn't imagine a more uncomfortable ride! We will be taking the Grand Cherokee, for a ~20 mile ride, so it won't be as bad as your wife had it.