If you haven't heard on Facebook already, Ethan James Bradley is here! He'd love you to visit his site at www.ethanjamesbradley.com to see his photos and videos. Stephanie and I are truly blessed!
There are a few things I've learned in his first nine days with us:
- When you are peed on by someone and you don't mind, that's love.
- A baby's sneeze is probably the cutest sound... ever.
- You can do anything you want on two hours of sleep... if you don't care if it's done right.
Back to spending time with him...
I'm back. :)
Spring is in the air again, birds are tweeting (and so are a lot of people, including me), and we're only a tad over five weeks away from Ethan's anticipated arrival! The nursery is pretty much ready, the bag is almost packed, and we're playing the waiting game.
It's weird knowing you're going to be a dad but not understanding what it will feel like. I'm a planner, a project manager, a task-oriented thinker and not having the knowledge drives me crazy. I don't care how many books you read, videos you watch, fatherhood stories (and horrors) from friends it's just not something you can wrap your mind around until the time comes. I've accepted that -- being a dad is the thing I've wanted most since becoming a husband. See ya soon, E.
Love, Dad
Until now, I've never shared the image below with anyone except Stephanie. Understandably, she didn't want to take the picture, but I said I wanted a picture that I could look at throughout my life when times were bad, the going got rough, or I was just having a bad day and that this image would put things in perspective for me.
Things are not bad at all now. I mean, ~May 30th we'll have a wonderful baby boy! I looked at this picture because, as chance would have it, my last day of chemotherapy -- probably the hardest day I can remember -- was January 9, 2004. I almost didn't go, but knew I had to, and the eight hour session seemed to take twelve. Just five years later, January 9, 2009, I saw my son on his ultrasound.
There's always a light at the end of the tunnel, and thank God for that.
With Christmas Day just hours from now I know this will be the last Christmas that Stephanie and I will experience being just the two of us. With our little bundle of joy on the way I really can't wait for next Christmas! However, tonight as I ready for bed [hey, Santa doesn't come when you're awake] I have not only our baby to think of -- and the magnitude of change that will come with him/her but I'm incredibly thankful for yet another baby that changed so much for all of us. Let us not forget the "reason for the season" and take a moment to be thankful for all we have and all we are given, because of Him.
Merry Christmas, everyone. Merry Christmas.
-J
If you haven't heard by now, Steph and I are going to be parents in six months or so! I've been wanting to be a dad for quite a while now -- it just sort of 'clicked' one day. Though obviously shocked to hear the news from Steph, I'm now ready for my greatest challenge. I never fully understood "I loved you before I ever knew your name" until now. "Peanut," as we are affectionately calling the baby for now, is always on my mind. I know that Steph and I are going to have our eyes opened to all that having a baby brings.
I know I won't be a perfect dad, Peanut, but I promise I will do everything to the best one I can be. Love, Dad
