I honestly can't believe how much Willow has changed this month, in fact, we all have! We've taken countless photos, videos and collected a huge amount of memories, looking back in this small time frame we can already see that she is growing, changing and developing faster than we ever expected. I really think I'll miss these tiny baby moments, but I'm so excited for the next stages to come and see our beautiful daughter grow up!
Here are 10 things I've learned as a new Dad:
1. Sleep is a precious gift!
The amount of things we achieved in the first couple of weeks running on zero sleep is astounding. I mean, the drive home from the hospital was scary enough after 36 hours! We managed to survive on little 30-40 minute intervals for a good 2 weeks! It is definitely a testing time for new parents, but if you work as a team, it all falls into place.
2. I love my Wife (post not sponsored by her).
Now this one you would say is a given. Obviously I love my wife, after 7 years together and 2 years of marriage, of course we love each other! What I mean is, there's a whole new feeling of love, appreciation and admiration for the woman who gave me a daughter. It's hard to explain but this whole experience has brought us both so much closer and I'm totally in awe of her an Willow. I have an even bigger sense of pride for Jodie being my wife and life partner, she's given me the most amazing gift in the form of Willow and I couldn't be happier with our little family. Now where can I cash in these brownie points?
3. How to change a nappy (diaper)
Now this one is a given, coming from someone who had managed to go through 25 years of life and never pull the short straw in changing a nappy, the time came soon enough! In a weird way I pride myself on this, the first few were..interesting. But as a new Dad with a wife recovering from labour and pregnancy, I felt a responsibility to help out. I mean, she just grew a human and went through some serious experiences the give birth, the least I could do is make her life as easy as possible! So I am chief nappy changer and it's kind of a big deal! From changing colours to copious amounts of poo and pee, I count myself as an experienced veteran, and somewhat of a professional!
4. FED is best!
During pregnancy it is now embedded in you that breastfeeding is the best way to feed, of course I agree, the science is there and has been for years. But what they don't seem to talk about is that not every woman can breastfeed, and that actually it is okay to use the bottle and formula to feed your baby. There is such a stigma around the whole thing, but you know what? My baby needs to be fed, it doesn't matter how, as long as she is fed. Jodie tried so hard to breastfeed, and we did get a good start in the first 7-10 days but nature decided she couldn't keep up so we took to the formula to keep Willow happy and healthy and haven't looked back since! Jodie did feel disappointed in herself, which she has no reason to be, I think seeing our baby progress and grow since then has helped her realise she did all she could and should be proud! Not to mention I get to help out now as well and give Jodie a break, I love feeding time, although I'm not a fan of the baby milk myself!
5.There's still time for 'us'
It's so easy to get wrapped up in parenting with a newborn, we didn't even want to leave the house for the first 2 weeks. But we are still a couple and a family combined so we decided to bring Willow in on our usual habits. One thing Mrs. Clarke and I enjoy is a good coffee date, the things we have laughed about and the decisions we have made over a cup of the good stuff really have made these dates a favourite of ours. Now Willow has a bottle, she can sort of join in too! As you can see from the picture, Costa is a top choice of ours but really, any hot coffee works for us! There's plenty of love for the caffeine in these early days!
6. It is possible to love another woman.
By woman, I mean my daughter. Willow is literally the most amazing addition to our lives. I have heard it sometimes takes a little while to bond with a new baby but for me, it was instant. I was overcome with an immense amount of pride, love and admiration for my daughter as soon as I saw her arrive into this world. That moment was the most incredible feeling I have ever experienced. I'll never forget it! The moments where we touch noses or she snuggles into my chest really seal the deal for me in being a Dad. That being said, I could use a few less times where i get peed on!
7. Pay attention!
In the modern day and age, recording moments on a small screen a few inches from your face is better than watching live with your actual eyes. But when it comes to parenting, spending less time looking at the screen and more time watching your baby grow and develop should be mandatory. After all, they are watching you too! The first few moments are so precious, of course you want to remember them forever but having some real one on one time face to face with Willow is one of my favourite things to do. Seeing her copy me in sticking her tongue out and smile back at me when I talk to her is an amazing experience, it's basic development and incredibly important. Of course, I've still managed to amass a few hundred pictures and videos in between.
8. Baby clothes are essential, but not easy.
There are thousands of adorable outfits for babies. During pregnancy you buy them in bulk and get gifted them in huge quantities. But what we never paid attention to was how difficult some of these outfits actually are to put on a baby! Willow hates being changed, and I mean HATES it. so having an outfit that requires bows, buttons, zips and a hat is just not an option. Not yet any way, we are still hopeful! An easy button up the front onesie is our go to outfit for home, the occaisional dress and tights is an easy second. Still working on the back button tops.
Okay, okay, sticking an obvious one in there. But seriously, I didn't know what this would be like at all. I thought a lot about what type of father I wanted to be while we were pregnant. A role model, enthusiastic, proud and generally one of the good guys. It's a work in progress but I really enjoy waking up in the morning to see my family and my life has a whole new sense of purpose now, I guess all the rest will fall into place! The pride I feel as a father now has really boosted my confidence in her future being happy, healthy and successful.
10. We're totally winging it, but we're going to be just fine!
Even though we are new at this whole parenting thing, I think we're doing a pretty good job. It's important to be on the same page as each other to get the best outcome with everything. We make good team and get more confident in ourselves every day. There's the odd challenge or long night, but it's all a part of the parenting game and it's so worth it to see our little girl grow and develop every day. My family means the world to me and I couldn't be happier. We have also received an incredible amount of support and made some fantastic friends through recording our journey and I hope to continue connecting with you all and maybe learn a few things along the way.
Thanks for reading and keeping up with our story!
Head over to @astoryfromdad for more daily updates and to connect!
Tim (Dad)
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