Sep
24
So I’m a new father! How does it feel? Weird? Sure, it’s weird. I was the youngest in my family, used to getting some attention. Now I have to direct that kind of attention and more to Samantha. And I’ll spare you the cliche descriptions of how sentimental and overwhelmed with emotions you get when you see your first pop out. While much of this is real and indeed a moment like no other, I’d rather like to reflect on some specific things that made me think “wow, I’m a dad”.
The C Battery!
You remember the C battery? That huge, clunky battery (looks like a AA battery on steriods). Yes, that one. The one that I discovered is needed to operate almost all the vibrating, bouncy, chiming, Fisher Price chairs and swings we got for Samantha. And not only that, some even need the D battery. Remember that one? Even bigger than the C. My first reaction was laughter because I hadn’t seen or used one in so long. Then my next thought was, “they still make these?”. Well they obviously do. Holding one in my hands conjures up all these old images and reminders of many tacky, not-so-well built toys and games from my childhood. I guess its come time to revisit this era. Man, the C battery… I’m definitely a dad now.
It’s all about the Wrap, baby!
Seeing your first child enter the world is a super special time for sure. But over the next few days, as I watched Samantha’s movements and expressions, I started to see this whole experience from her traumatizing point of view. She had spent 9 months inside a cozy womb, well fed, warm, secure and in amniotic bliss. All of the sudden she had been ripped out naked into this harsh unfamiliar world where sounds, food and temperature had changed drastically. No wonder she would get startled even at the movements of her own arms and legs. Poor thing.
It was then during our first trip to the Pediatrician’s office that Joanne busted out the new Didymos baby wrap to carry Sam. She was all scrunched up, skin to skin with Joanne inside this wrap, and I had never seen her so happy and comfortable. For that moment, she probably thought that we finally returned her back home to the womb. This Didymos was not merely a highly German engineered piece of (expensive) fabric that gets a lot of stares on the street, this was her sanctuary. If she couldn’t be returned to the womb, this wrap would have to do for now. Caring for a dependent, whether it be your child or even a dog, requires that you sometimes see things from their point of view in order to fulfill their needs. Wow, I guess I am a dad now.
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