I have contemplated starting a blog since the early stages of my wife, Krystal's pregnacy, but put it off until now....the night before our big day. Actually, it is now after midnight, so the day has technically arrived. In a little less than seven hours, we will be checking into the hospital to begin the journey.
This is my first attempt at blogging, so hopefully all goes well. I have several reasons for starting My Fatherhood Adventure blog. One, to share my experiences, thoughts, and feelings with my family and friends. Two, to share experiences and give/receive advice from other fathers. And last, for my children. Hopefully someday they can read about their childhood and all of the adventures we go through together as a family. I am starting this blog as I get ready to experience the joys of my first child being born (her name is withheld until after arrival - sorry Mom, Grandma, Julie, and Barb...you still have to wait!). I also have a wonderful five year old stepson, Kaden, who has been a part of my life for the past two years. I plan to devote space in my blog to both of these children (and any future children of course!). I would expect at times I will share my serious thoughts on fatherhood and raising children in today's society. While other times, I hope to bring out the lighter side with a little fatherhood humor. In all, I guess you can expect a little bit of everything. It will probably all depend on the events that have taken place, and the mood I am in at the time! Hopefully over time, my rusty writing skills will improve and be less of a bore and more entertaining...so bear with me until I get to that point.
That being said, we are now fast approaching the check in time...a little over six hours until we are set to arrive at the hospital. I have experienced some great joys over these last nine or so month, such as learning that I was going to be a father, seeing the first ultrasound, learning that we were expecting a girl, and all of the other things involved with planning and getting ready for the new arrival. The past couple of days, the emotions have been crazy for me. Excited, anxious, nervous.....all three can be used to describe how I have felt for the past couple of days. I am looking forward to what our big day is about to bring us, and hope to enjoy the moment as much as possible!
Before I sign off for the night, I want to share some observations and experiences with Kaden through the whole pregnacy. His reaction to this whole thing has been amazing. He constantly talks about his baby sister and says he sees her playing with him in his dreams. His rubs his mother's belly, while talking to his future sister. He sings to her, kisses her through mommy's belly, and tells her he loves her. It is such a precious thing to watch. I hope he continues to feel this way once she arrives. My wife and I have talked about making sure we go the extra mile to give him plenty of attention, as to not make him feel left out. I believe if we stick to that plan, it will be an enjoyable experience for us all.
One thing that has shocked me with Kaden, he has kept the name a secret. He is the only person besides my wife and I that knows his baby sister's name. We told him we wanted it to be a surprise, and to not tell anyone until she was born. But come on...who seriously expects a five year old to be able to keep big news like that to himself? Well, much to my surprise, he has kept it to himself for a couple of months now. I can't wait for the moment when he gets to see his sister for the first time...I will be sure to capture some on this with the camera and post pictures. This is one of the moments I am really looking forward to the most. Sadly, we will have to wait until mommy and sissy get released from the hospital for this to happen. Due to the H1N1 flu, children under 16 are not permitted in the hospital unless the are being treated. Hopefully the hospital stay will be short, and he will get to meet her within a day or two.
Well...my wife is wanting me to come to bed, and try to get some sleep before our early morning departure to the hospital. Hopefully you found my first post somewhat interesting...like I mentioned before, I will need some time to shake off my rust as a writer. I haven't written anything more than an e-mail since my college years, as I spend my days crunching numbers for a living! I will post some pictures and write about my delivery day experiences as soon as time allows. My Fatherhood Adventure is about to begin.....
Jason
