Why didn’t someone tell me that having a kid is SO awesome?!?! Just kidding. I have been hearing friends say how great their kids are, what an experience having their first child was, how it changed their life, and so on and so on…. I remember multiple times hearing “having kids is the greatest thing ever” and thinking… yeah and not having kids is pretty great too! My wife, Emily, and I get to go on trips at the last minute, eat at whatever time we like, work ’til crazy hours of the night and sleep in when needed. I have not been in a great hurry to have kids. My life is pretty full with being a husband, running a business, having a couple other side businesses, being apart of our local church, traveling as much as possible and everything else going on… there is not much lacking for fulfillment. I have always wanted to be a dad and to have kids one day, but life goes so fast that just did not know how to fit that in too. But here we are… our little girl Aubrey Claire was just born this week. Game changer.
I had no idea that I could love something so much. After talking with friends, I totally agree to this: I think moms have a chance to begin to bond with the child inside of them early on and begin to love the baby before they meet it. And a dad has a bit of a different experience. It is not until that baby arrives and a dad holds that child for the first time that the unbreakable love really enters the relationship. I was hit like a ton of bricks in the delivery room when this screaming, blueish colored baby came into the world. With emotions of fear, anxiety, excitement, unbelief and who knows what else, I became a dad. The realization began to sink in that this was my daughter… this is what I am here on this earth for… this is my life now. Even my love and appreciation for my wife has deepened and changed. It is all different.
This picture was taken seconds after Aubrey arrived. They put her on my wife’s chest for a moment as they cut the cord, wiped her off and wrapped a blanket around her. Then the nurse handed her to me. Whoa. After introducing myself to Aubrey and telling her that I am her dad, (that was crazy to say for the first time) we took this selfie pic. I will never forget that moment.
The truth is that so many times friends have told me how great having kids was and what a joy they bring to their lives… NOW I get it. Being a parent is the greatest blessing I have experienced so far aside from salvation. This is just week one for me, if I take the other advice I have heard from other parents over the years, they all say it just gets better. I cannot wait to see.
My Spill 