Taking recent events into account, I took a good long time to think about adding a new category to my page. So let this be the first post in the “Parenting” category. I’ll be using using this for any of my adventures in parenting.
So, on to day one!
As you’re well aware, Ren was born last week on the 28th of April. He stayed in the hospital with Misa for four days, and finally came home yesterday, making me a full time father.
Let’s start this story on May first. It was the last night that they were to stay in the hospital. Visiting hours ended at 8:00pm. Of course, I wanted to spend as much time as I could with my family, so I left at 8:15, and the security guard complained that I was late again. Luckily, as a foreigner, I was able to successfully convince the security guard that I didn’t understand a thing he said by smiling and saying yes. He was frustrated, but I really didn’t care. I had already fought with the nurses on the first night.
I realized as I was leaving that we didn’t have a bed for Ren, so, as a father, I realized that it was my responsibility to make sure my son had a place to sleep. I had about 45 minutes to make it from the hospital to Babies R Us where we had found the perfect crib for him.
Isn’t it beautiful?
So I ran, and ran. And then stopped to wait for the train. The train arrived at my final stop with just fifteen minutes to spare and a thirteen or fourteen minute walk, so I ran again. Then, stupidly, I ran down the stairs. You never think it’s stupid until you do something that proves it to yourself. Everyone says don’t run on stairs. Of course, I’m stubborn, so I rolled my ankle.
But, does a father let something like a rolled, and potentially sprained ankle stop him from his mission to get a bed for his son? No! A father mans up and walks it off, or in my case, runs it off. Yep, I continued running and somehow made it to Babies R Us with five minutes to spare.
I ran through the store trying to find the crib section, and when I did, I bought it. I, of course, as many dads do, did this without thinking how I was going to get the thing home.
The Toys/Babies R Us guys were nice enough to add handles.
So after having purchased and prepared the crib, it was time for me to get it home. Here’s where I ran into a snag in my plans. I had no way of getting it home other than to carry it. So, I did as any good father would, and started carrying it to the station. It was late, and the shop was closing. It just so happened that Babies R Us was at the far end of the mall, and they had closed off a lot of the mall. I had to exit at a place I’d never been. So, confused, at a red light at the cross walk, I asked the nearest people where the station was. The could see that I was overwhelmed with this giant box, and they kindly gave me directions. We exchanged a few kind words, and told them about Ren. After the light turned green, we said our goodbyes and I continued on my way.
I made it about 200 meters (about 1/8 miles), and someone honked their horn. It was the same couple. The woman got out and offered told me to come there. They would give me a ride to the station. They asked where I live, and when I told them, they said it was very close to them, so they drove me all the way home. It was amazing! They were the Takadas. I didn’t get a first name, but I wish I had gotten some kind of contact info to thank them later.
Anyway, this is the finished product. It’s a little big for him now, but it should be good for a couple years. He seems happy enough in it.
He looks happy!
So now that I’ve successfully written more than seven hundred words without even touching the topic this post was titled for, I think I’ll actually get to the point.
Stories are always told about how difficult it is to take care of a baby, but few people actually take it seriously until they’re in the position of taking care of their own. Here are a couple of things I’ve learned in the twenty-four hours he’s been home.
- Babies sleep a lot. I mean a lot. In fact, they do few things, but sleep is definitely at the top of their list, and when they sleep, they sleep so heavy that you could swear that they wouldn’t even wake up for World War Z… I mean 3. The problem is, that they don’t sleep for long amounts of time. They sleep for about two to three hours at a time before they start doing their second favorite thing.
- A crying baby is super cute, as long as it’s your own (I’m sure this statement has limits). Otherwise, it’s one of the most annoying things in the world. I’m guessing that a cry is like a fingerprint, and that no two babies are the same. Of course, that’s speculation, but after a day with mine, I’m a hundred percent positive I could pick him out of a lineup based on his cry alone.
- Wrap it up! No, this isn’t a call for safe sex. Unlike civilized adults, when a baby has to go, he goes. My pillow paid the price for allowing him full range freedom. Now (after thoroughly cleaning my pillow) we make sure to put a baby wipe around his little boy parts for diaper change time.
- Body fluids happen, and they really don’t have the same effect as they once did. I remember a time, very recently in fact, that certain body fluids would activate my gag reflex. I’m sure that since I’m still in the beginning, I don’t know the full story, but not only did I successfully change his diaper three times without a gag reflex, but I also cleaned up after the dog vomited without one.
- And the final lesson for now, there’s always something to do. Misa and I are both home now and trying to figure the schedule out, but it seems like neither of us have any time to breathe. I’m not sure how single parents do it. Hell, I can’t figure out how I would do it alone in peak physical condition, much less a woman who just gave birth that can barely walk.
So those were just a few things that I have learned in a very short time. As time goes on, I may share these little tidbits so that you can join me in my journey through parenthood.
Thirdly, I’m starting to look for options in publishing. I’m going to start with trying to get published traditionally. If that doesn’t work, I’ll look into self publishing. It’s a little expensive to do that, though, so if anyone is interested in my book, let me know. I will go more into details about the options as I figure more out.