Well, its coming up on 7 weeks since my baby boy graced this planet with his existence. Many drastic changes have transpired in these 7 weeks; some sacrificial, but mostly beneficial. Here’s a list of 4 thoughts that have materialized in my short season of fatherhood.

1) Diapers aren’t that bad.

• For some reason, this was one of the things I was dreading most about fatherhood. Poop grosses me out. Pee grosses me out. How could something magnificent come out of cleaning my son’s soiled rump? Well let me tell you. Harper is with his mother A LOT. He is in her embrace every time he demolishes her milk supply, which happens ALL THE TIME. Every 2-3 hours. He often falls asleep in her arms after partaking in his meal. Now don’t get me wrong, one of the sweetest sights I’ve ever laid my eyes upon is my boy passed out on my beautiful wife’s chest. I could stare at them for hours. But when its time to change his diaper, I get to carry him to the changing table, undo his outfit and wipe away. Its just me and my boy. He actually enjoys the process, so sometimes I get to see a rare smile, which melts my heart. I must have grown an immunity to his poo, because it really doesn’t disgust me like I was afraid it was going to.

 2) Mothers really are superheroes.

• I’m sure you’ve heard this several times before. I know i have. Its not like I never believed it. My mom is the best. I just have a whole new appreciation for mothers from my new perspective, especially my wife. Its unbelievable how much love she has for our child. She gets up multiple times per night to feed him, without any complaints, while I sleep away. I always knew Tori was a generous person, but seeing her give so much of herself to this little man and myself at the same time fills me with gratitude beyond belief.

3) We don’t need as much sleep as we think we do.

• Before Harper, Tori and I got plenty of sleep. More often than not, we were sleeping at least 8 hours a night. So many parents gave us the warning of, “Enjoy your sleep now!” I’ m not going to lie, it made me nervous. I didn’t know what kind of person I would turn into if I was only getting 7 or less hours of sleep consistently. Would I have no energy? Would I be a grumpy person to be around? I had no clue. Well, after 7 weeks of inconsistent sleep, I’ve learned that its really not as bad as I thought. Granted, Tori is the one that really sacrifices when it comes to sleep, but I have had my fair share of late nights/early mornings, and I’m doing just fine. So to all you parents pregnant with your first child, don’t worry. It will all be okay.

4) We are not in complete control.

• Without getting all religious on you, I’ll just say this: Tori and I feel that our boy was a gift. We were chosen to take care of him and teach him how to be the man he was created to be. Its a responsibility I don’t take lightly. As much as we think we have complete control, we are constantly reminded of the opposite. All we can do is what we feel is right and pray for the best.

Now I know I am still quite an amateur when it comes to the grand scheme of things, but please, PLEASE, try to refrain from giving Tori and I any “warnings” about how tough it will get. We realize our son won’t be stationary for long. We also realize he won’t sleep so many hours as he grows. Just let us enjoy the stage he’s in at the moment. If we are constantly worried about the potential struggles in our future, it makes it really hard to take delight in the present.