Just 2 weeks ago, I figured it'd be a good idea to let my bosses and coworkers know that I was planning to take 2 weeks off when Evvie gets here. We still had 3 weeks to go before her due date (Aug 16). So I sent them an email:
Time is getting short for the arrival of the first contribution to over-population to the planet from my wife and I. This email is to let you all know that I am planning to take two weeks of leave when she gets here. The date the doctors made up for that arrival is August 16, and since Jenni is diabetic, we know it will happen no later than that day. I am sure that two weeks later I will return to the office fully rested and with my full mental capacity restored from a great two weeks of playing with the new baby.
Scott
Our office manager replied, "You're typing this sober, right?"
That was all the way back in July. Early that Saturday morning, August had barely gotten here, and Jenni woke me up at 3:11 am and said, "I think my water just broke." "Seriously?" I asked, groggily. Then I encouraged her to come back to bed. We knew not to get excited, because adrenaline can cause labor to slow down, and we wanted things to progress at a nice even pace. That's as far as I'll go into the birth story. That story is Jenni's to tell. She earned it. I will say I'm incredibly proud of what she did and how she did it, and that the end result is that she and I have our first baby here in the world.
Our first week was full of newness and excitement and fear and joy. One of the things I've learned about parenting so far is that it is full of swift plot twists and mood swings; one second you're full of happiness and pride, the next, abject fear that you're one of only two people on the planet responsible for keeping this kid alive. Often, it still doesn't seem real that she's here. I'm reminded of the feeling I had when we were first married, and couldn't believe that we actually were. That feeling subsided, although it still comes every once in a while. I'm sure we'll get used to her being here. Jenni has already said she can't remember being pregnant.
So today is the first day of my 2nd week off from work. That first week just flew by in a blur of diapers and midnight feedings and moments that would make the burliest lumber jack melt inside. Of those moments, a few occurred when she got her first bath at home, so I will leave you with a couple of pictures of that occasion.
