Becoming a Dad

From experiencing childbirth, to sitting here typing this while my daughter is sleeping on my lap at two months old, it’s been a whirldwind. I thought I’d make a post to reflect a couple thoughts so far.

Number 1 Lesson Learned

I’ve learned that this takes up a lot of time to do this well. Small efficiency gains go a long way, and are worth investing in. If something can save you 15-20 minutes a day everytime it happens, that adds up to roughly 2 hours per week. Now let’s say your time is worth $50 an hour. If something costs $100 and would save you 15-20 minutes a day, invest in it! A payback period of a week is a no-brainer, and in many cases a payback period of a month or more is usually worth it.

I can’t tell you how many times I’d notice us doing something that could be fixed with a better baby monitor setup, better sleeping accomodations, or even a mini fridge in the upstairs bathroom to help with pumping in the middle of the night. Be honest with yourself on what the actual payback period is for investments in efficiency gains.

Advice I Keep Getting, so it Must be True?

“This is a time you’ll look back and wish you had more of, appreciate it while it lasts.”

When you first enter fatherhood you’re in shock. This is followed by sleep deprivation and fear that you might screw something so fragile up. Eventually you settle into a routine, but realize your life will be different moving forward, and that’s okay. I can’t say at any point I’ve thought to myself that I really need to stop soak this in, it’s been more of a tired “Go, Go, Go” mentality thus far, so it’s nice to remind myself in the middle of the night sometimes when i’m with her that this is truly a special moment, and it makes me a lot more present with her instead of thinking about how sleep deprived I am.

Things I’m Thinking About In the Near Future

When it comes to the things I’m most curious or nervous about until her 1st birthday:

• It sounds like she will begin understanding what we say soon, this is a scary but exciting development.
• I can’t wait for her to get more of a personality and see who she becomes. A lot more smiling and laughing in the past week or so, that’s encouraging!
• At some point I’ll REALLY need to baby-proof the house because she’ll be a lot more mobile, again, scary but exciting.

Adorable Pictures