Tristan Gabriel
I am a father.
It's been exactly a week since Nicole gave birth. Tristan Gabriel de Vera was born on September 16, 2012, two weeks early from his due date, which should have been October 2--a fitting anniversary present, I had thought.
One week in.
On one hand, I can't wait for him to reach the stage wherein he would become more interactive...where he would recognize our faces and laugh and play along to the foolish sounds that come out of our mouths. On the other hand, I can't help but hope that he doesn't rush his growing up...I know in the blink of an eye, he would be introducing me to his latest girlfriend or borrowing my guitar, or the car.
Nicole has been fortunate enough to be on maternity leave for a substantial amount of time...enough time for her to spend bonding with Tristan, and she deserves each and every second spent with him...she literally shed blood, sweat, and tears for him. All I really had to endure was a painful back from crouching over Nicole whilst coaching her on her breathing.
It's been back to work for me, though. I must admit, I do enjoy hearing Nicole go "Hi Daddy/Daddy's here" whenever I come home from work. And God bless Nicole for allowing me to sleep through most nights. Though at times, I can't help but get up in the middle of the night/morning to hold my son in my arms and sing to him (mostly Beatles songs, though I've tried some Elbow, Radiohead, and even the Star Wars Imperial March). It's personally gratifying to finally be able to sing to him or play my guitar for him--something I've been fantasizing about since we found out Nicole was pregnant.
Do I feel any different? No, not yet. I still feel as old as I do, and just as wise (or stupid, depending on how you look at it). I know this new chapter in my life is still gaining momentum, but for now, let's hold that ball back just a bit and take it slow. Let's cherish this time and avoid looking too far into the future. If there was a perfect time to live in the present, then this must be it. Besides, Tristan's shit doesn't yet stink, so let's enjoy it while we can.
It's been exactly a week since Nicole gave birth. Tristan Gabriel de Vera was born on September 16, 2012, two weeks early from his due date, which should have been October 2--a fitting anniversary present, I had thought.
One week in.
On one hand, I can't wait for him to reach the stage wherein he would become more interactive...where he would recognize our faces and laugh and play along to the foolish sounds that come out of our mouths. On the other hand, I can't help but hope that he doesn't rush his growing up...I know in the blink of an eye, he would be introducing me to his latest girlfriend or borrowing my guitar, or the car.
Nicole has been fortunate enough to be on maternity leave for a substantial amount of time...enough time for her to spend bonding with Tristan, and she deserves each and every second spent with him...she literally shed blood, sweat, and tears for him. All I really had to endure was a painful back from crouching over Nicole whilst coaching her on her breathing.
It's been back to work for me, though. I must admit, I do enjoy hearing Nicole go "Hi Daddy/Daddy's here" whenever I come home from work. And God bless Nicole for allowing me to sleep through most nights. Though at times, I can't help but get up in the middle of the night/morning to hold my son in my arms and sing to him (mostly Beatles songs, though I've tried some Elbow, Radiohead, and even the Star Wars Imperial March). It's personally gratifying to finally be able to sing to him or play my guitar for him--something I've been fantasizing about since we found out Nicole was pregnant.
Do I feel any different? No, not yet. I still feel as old as I do, and just as wise (or stupid, depending on how you look at it). I know this new chapter in my life is still gaining momentum, but for now, let's hold that ball back just a bit and take it slow. Let's cherish this time and avoid looking too far into the future. If there was a perfect time to live in the present, then this must be it. Besides, Tristan's shit doesn't yet stink, so let's enjoy it while we can.