Life with a baby turns regular activities into entirely new and wonderful experiences.

It’s hard to believe so much time has passed. My son, Seth, is now ten weeks old, and so intelligent he’s bound to make a future Prime Minister. (Not that I’m biased!)

Recently, I reflected on my experiences during Seth’s birth. A heap has happened since then. He’s grown, developed skills, changed appearance, and I’ve learned there is more to being a dad than meets the eye! My wife will testify to the fact that being a good dad means being a good husband too.

I have found myself making countless cups of tea to help sustain her, as well as taking on extra kitchen duties. I guess there’s not a lot of room to be selfish. Seth wouldn’t do well if mum decided to sleep rather than feed him, and mum wouldn’t do well if dad didn’t chip in and help.

Swift Developments

I recently went away for two weeks to South Africa — a trip that had been planned for some time (even before we knew about the pregnancy). Fortunately, my wife’s mother lives locally and was only too happy to stay in my stead for the duration of the trip. I had thought two weeks would fly by, and I’d barely have time to miss my family. Man, was I wrong!

Whilst the trip was worthwhile, these were the longest two weeks of my life. I knew I would miss my wife, but was startled at how much I missed Seth. When I returned, it was amazing to see how much he had changed. He’d matured in appearance, and had become so alert! I missed seeing his first smile and the first time he rolled over. He had also started to coo. I couldn’t believe so much could happen in the time I was gone!

In addition to all his development, Seth was also diagnosed with a hernia while I was away. This needed to be operated on ASAP. I prayed a lot for my tiny son when I found out, and was thankful he didn’t go for surgery until after I arrived home. God answered our prayers, and the surgery was a complete success. Seth arrived home from hospital in 24 hours with two bravery awards and apparently minimal discomfort!

New Priorities

My outlook on day-to-day life has changed since Seth came into my life. Now one of the first things I look forward to when I come home is spending time with Seth. We have good quality time even now – never too young to be educated in sports!

Currently, the cricket is on television. On the weekend I had about 20 minutes of quality time watching cricket with Seth. It wasn’t the cricket that made it special, it was the way Seth responded to me when I was telling him what was happening.

Of course, he doesn’t understand yet, but his gaze was fixed on me when I spoke, and he offered his goo’s, gaa’s and smiles at all the right times. It’s a wonderful feeling to be a dad, and I look forward to watching as Seth continues to grow and mature. One day we’ll have a real conversation about cricket!

____