For months I had been hearing people tell me: your life is about to change, your old life is about to end, and so on. And I listened and thought: yeah, yeah, I know.
I didn't have a clue.
I have never been more elated or more frightened. I have never felt more grown-up in my life. The closest thing I can think of to this experience is when I entered a very rigorous 2-year program of volunteer missionary service 12 years ago and overnight my life changed completely. But while that may bear some resemblance, it really doesn't come close in the degree of intensity. The nature of my parenting tasks will change in 2-3 years as my daughter becomes potty trained and learns to talk, but she'll be my responsibility for the rest of my life. She's so cute and beautiful that I agree to it without hesitation.
Not yet 12 days have passed since her birth and I already feel like I have been through a grueling initiation into a really cool, really exclusive secret club. If my eyelids droop from lack of sleep, I still can hold my head up and say, like Ed Fitzgerald scratched on a highway railing outside of Barstow: "today I am a man." I've done something even harder than hitch-hike across the country during the Great Depression.
It's odd being back at work now, doing what I did before and yet knowing that my life is completely different.
And yes, after cleaning up after dogs, changing baby diapers is a cinch.
(See my Flickr photos for more views of her cuteness)
9 comments:
If we knew what we were getting ourselves signed up for, few of us would have been parents. :-) Welcome to the adventure!
She is beautiful!!!!! Thank you for posting the extra pictures on flickr, too! I wish I were there to snuggle her!
Cute as a bug. They're totally worth all the sleepless nights.
Well-put. Those first few months are something else. Thankfully the feeling of being under assault gradually lifts. Meanwhile your child will bring you happiness every day. What a cutie she is!
Aw, she's gorgeous! Congratulations!
A bundle of cute!
The phrase, "It's going to change your life" bothers me slightly. There's a hint of negativity, like you're trapped now and going to regret what might have been. No parent-to-be should have to add that to the uncertainty already filling their head. If anyone asks me now what parenthood is like, I say, "It's an amazing experience."
But your life will change in one peculiar way. Just wait till the day you realize that the majority of your adult conversations now revolve around poop.
There's always a tinge of regret, usually around 2:00 AM diaper changes or experiencing the tyranny of teething for the very first time. The pluses far outweigh the negatives, especially once those first few weeks are mastered.
Kids do change your life, though, there's no point in pretending otherwise. Gone are the days of getting out the door without a half-hour prep time, or of seeing a first-run movie without Logistics being involved. In their stead your days are filled with celebrations and milestones and laughter and tears, and yes, endless poop-talks. I wouldn't trade my kids for anything, though I would have gladly shipped them overseas for age four. Arrgh.
Congratulations on your new baby! So beautiful! Glad to hear all went well. I see you're doing NaNoWriMo, too, and still typing on the typewriter (I got one, too, this summer on the Free-cycle list). Anyway, congrats again! --Teri (from LDS MindSpill... by the way, I'm washbear on the NaNo forum, if you want to add me to your buddy list.)
Thhis is a great post thanks
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