What Will It Be Like?

What will it be like?

After the screams, after the tears of joy,
After the “It’s a girl!” or “It’s a boy!”,
After everything has settled down,
After no other family is around

What will it be like?

Once it just becomes me, Kandis, and the baby lying together in the hospital bed.
And nothing more can be said
After thanking God for another blessing
And we all are peacefully resting

What will it be like?

Knowing that there’s a new life in our care,
Knowing God brought the baby here
Knowing His grace brought me through the storm
And now there’s a baby born

What will it be like?

To see my features in the baby’s face
To finally be in that special place
To have my answer to my prayers

What will it be like?...

I’ll tell you when I’m there

"Then Don't Do That"

There's an old joke that goes something like this...
A man goes to the doctor's office and says,"Doctor, I feel a really sharp pain when I do this". And the doctor says,"Then don't do that."
Pretty simple and sort of funny.

As I glance over at the clock, I thought of a new twist to that joke... A man goes to the doctor' s office and says,"Doctor, I wake up really early in the morning when I worry about things before I go to bed". And the doctor says,"Then don't do that."
Pretty simple and not as funny. (Especially at 4:56am).

Needless to say that I am the "man" in the new joke, and it would be nice to take the doctor's advice. But it's said that the first step to healing is accepting that you have a problem. And there lies the "real" problem. I don't think I "worry". I believe that I "intensely focus on my preparation for future events". (Nothing really to worry about.) And as I "prepare" to be a father, I need to "focus" on what I should do for my family's future. So I started a checklist...
Relationship with God...check
Loving wife...check
Career...check
Saving account for baby...check
401k plan...check
Home...check

But there's more that I need. There's more that I want. But not for me, for my family.

Kandis always tells me,"Hasn't God always provided for us? Why do you worry so much?" And my response... "I'm not worrying, I'm preparing". And now my "preparing" has me up at 5:00am. So I guess the joke should be... a man goes to the doctor's office and says,"Doctor, I don't get any sleep when I intensely focus on my preparation for future events before I go to bed." And the doctor says,"Then don't do that."
Pretty simple. And now I get it.

Shower or Party?

Since we can't rush this process, we can begin to make steps to prepare for the baby's arrival. The first official event will be the "Baby Shower". The "shower" is scheduled for Sunday, July 30th at the Lorain Party Center. I talked to the owner of the Party Center and he's giving me a great deal on the place.

Kandis wants to have a co-ed shower. I'm not sure that men and women should be involved in a "shower", maybe we can call it something else.

I mean, do men really go to "showers"? No. Men go to "parties". And women go to "parties", so why don't we change the event to a "party". How about..."Pre-Birthday Party". At the time of the "event", Kandis will be eight months pregnant, so we could call it a "Great Eight" Party. I really believe that a "party" would be a great idea.

I know, the baby should be the focus. And the baby will be the focus. I mean, the baby will be happy to know that mommy and daddy threw a great party for him (or her). And afterwards we can all take a "shower".

One Beep

People have told me that there is a natural parenting instinct that kicks in to help a person become a parent. Improved seeing, extra strength, and most importantly, a heightened sense of hearing. All to help guide and protect the ones you love. I never knew how this would happen until this morning...

Kandis' cell phone battery went low at about 4:10AM. How do I know?...Because I heard the warning sound this morning...One beep. Just one beep from her cell phone inside her coat pocket downstairs at 4:10AM. And I woke up with thoughts... is it the fire alarm, is it some other alarm warning. I couldn't tell, but protecting my wife and child was on my mind. And it all started from that one beep.

So I went downstairs to look for the alarm. And after I located the phone I decided to stay awake and do some reading. I find myself reading a lot about the pregnancy... proper diets, baby growth charts, mother-to-be symptoms, etc. So I began reading until I heard Kandis upstairs in the bathroom. I then decided to go back upstairs to check on her. After returning to bed, Kandis said,"I couldn't sleep without you". Funny, that's what I was thinking about her and the baby. I couldn't sleep without knowing that they were both safe.

It was 6:23AM. I was still awake until Kandis returned to sleep. I didn't get much sleep, but I couldn't complain...it was only one beep.