What I’ve Learned From Being a Father

1. Carpet and babies don’t mix. Vomit. Spit-up. Pee. Poop. Food. We used to be so particular about keeping our carpets clean. Now we’ll clean them before we sell.
2. The birth of my daughter is something I’ll never forget. You’re probably thinking “obviously,” but I literally remember everything. From the time my wife’s water broke on Thanksgiving morning to the day we brought her home. Every second is seared into my brain.
3. Babies smell soooooo good. I would buy a baby scented candle. Gavi’s mouth smelled like a bag of sour cream and cheddar chips for the longest time.
4. Everything you own will end up in your baby’s mouth. Whether it fits or not.
5. Patience. Probably the #1 lesson learned. Your time is no longer just your time. She may feed for an hour. She may chew her bib between bites of food. Every time you turn on that show you really want to watch, she’ll scream. On the bright side, when your baby starts napping alone you’ll feel like a superhero with how much you can accomplish in 30 minutes.
6. How hard being a mother is. Very. There are times when only a mother can soothe a baby. Whenever I think Gavi is being needy, I just think how demanding she is of Laura. If I’m exhausted, how is she feeling?
7. There are levels to poops. Meconium. Breast milk poop is sweet, “some” would say it smells good. Once food is introduced, that’s when shit happens. And the prizes don’t stand a chance against a box of cereal. Paper bits. A panda ear made from modeling clay. Part of a leaf.
8. Household items are more fun to play with than the toys you researched for hours and spent your money on. Honestly, what sounds better to you? “Designed with your baby’s development and motor skills in mind” or “No! Don’t touch that.”
9. Your baby is only hurt if you act like it.
10. A different type of love. I love her more every day. I could watch her do anything for hours. It really hits me when I’m holding her and feel her heartbeat.
11. Time flies. I already knew this, but still. And it’s happening right before my eyes.
12. Spend time with your significant other before the baby arrives. Stock up like a bear preparing for hibernation.
13. Laundry isn’t a once-a-week chore. If she gets dirty, you’re dirty.
14. I’d rather get punched in the face than see her cry.

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Parent

At 3:21 a.m. I realized I would soon have to practice the promises I’d made myself

After days of laboring, hearing her snore was a beautiful sound

The only thing I wanted more than her was a coffee

24 hours without nausea celebrated alongside 24 hours of life

Bite of food, side of relief with an exhale from sleep

She is more than an idea, more than clothes in a closet, books on a shelf

Before

Birth

No sounds

No sights remembered

But everything I am stems from that day

An amalgamation of atoms and cells

From the love of two parents

And the womb of one

One’s birth is as foreign as the dinosaurs

Knowledge coming from stories

Fossils and relics

Perfectly preserved footprints

In the dirt or a baby book