NewPlew

Man, I can’t believe how fast time flies. Thalia is approaching a month old!

These last two weeks have been mostly about routine - feedings every 3 hours, followed by colic. We’ve tried out a few different things: new burping techniques, sleep “wedges” to aid digestion, special bottles designed to reduce gas - somewhere along the line, I think we found something that’s helping. The past few days have been easier than last weekend for sure.

I went out without Thalia and Joanna for the first time last night - went to see Transformers: the Movie. While I had a good time, I couldn’t stop thinking about my baby and wife sitting at home without me. It really is true - there’s no place like home.

As I was heading back from the film, an old Bob Dylan song came on the radio. I was struck by it’s lyrics:

And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I’ll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm.
“Come in,” she said,
“I’ll give you shelter from the storm.”

It may not have been Dylan’s intention to elicit a feeling of calm in a new father’s heart with his prose, but that’s what it did for me. My daughter is shelter from the storm outside - all the stresses of modern life lifted from my shoulders with one coo, one smile, one fluttering of eyes.

What a way to live, fatherhood.

Time flies! Thalia is already 15 days old, can you believe it? This was a big week for our little girl - she lost her umbilical cord and had her first doctor’s visit! I was surprised at how calm she was at the doctor - no crying at all. Of course, no needles were involved either. She weighed in at just over 10 lbs and measured 22 in - she’s grown so much already!

It was a big week for me as well. My first father’s day with my daughter. It was so fun taking her to grandpa’s for burgers and time with the family. I never really understood how important father’s day was until I woke up that morning and couldn’t shake the feeling that it was Christmas and I had just received the greatest gift a man could ever get. It’s enough to reduce even the toughest guy to tears of joy and gratitude.

I can’t believe how proud she makes me feel, how happy I am when she’s in my arms rocking away, drinking down yet another bottle. I’ve never felt more at peace.

Another development this week - the proliferation of nicknames. Between the two of us, Jo and I have probably called Thalia at least 20 different things in the past few days. Just off the top of my head:

• Stinker butt
• Stinker pie
• Stinker girl (see a pattern?)
• Punkin butt
• Punkin face
• June bug
• Jooney
• Stinker bug
• Tolley girl
• Tolley bear
• Monster butt

Yes, these were all said with the utmost affection. I’m particularly fond of “June bug” and “Tolley bear”.

One of the nicknames has garnered it’s own song:

Stinker Pie (to the tune of Warrant’s Cherry Pie)

She’s my stinker pie
mountain of dirty diapers
10 miles high
smells so bad makes a grown man cry
sweet stinker pie

Stinkin’ up the front porch
stinkin’ up the lawn
stinkin’ up ya diaper
(when daddy’s not home)
Stinkin’ to the left
Stinkin’ to the right
If ya stinkin’ up ya diaper
daddy’s runnin’ outta sight

…Et Cetera

Jo says I have issues. Thalia will probably agree when she’s older and reads weird stuff like this, but I’ll remind her that the mind goes a little haywire when baby’s colic-y and you’re running on little to no sleep.

Thalia met her Grandma this week, too. After a few weeks of struggling with pneumonia, she had finally recovered enough for us to visit - it was great to see her holding her first grand daughter in her arms. Granny will have plenty of time with Thalia in the future - she’ll stay there during the day while Jo and I are at work.

Great Grandma got a visit from Thalia as well - we stopped by after our whirlwind tour of Jo and my workplaces to introduce Thalia to our office families. GG Joyce was in the best health she’s been in for years, and was able to hold the baby on her own. I nearly cried, it’s a huge accomplishment for a tough lady who’s been thru a few heart-attacks, the death of her husband, and a stroke all in the past 5 years. She’s such an inspiration.

The one thing we didn’t do this week? We didn’t take Thalia to her second cousin’s birthday party. dumb-dumb daddy didn’t read the date correctly and thought it was this Saturday instead of last Saturday. D’oh! We were really lookin’ forward to it, too!

What can I say? Week one is at a close, and I’ve already learned a lot:

Childbirth is a bloody, wet, painful, sickening thing - and I’m so humbled and grateful Joanna let me be part of it.

Diapers are damn expensive and babies can burn through a gross of ‘em in no time.

The NICU has all kinds of alarms, bells, and whistles - it helps to get to know them so you don’t freak out as much.

I now realize how insignificant the smell of a shitty diaper is; it’s natural, and it needs attention. No big deal.

Sleep is a luxury which should be treated with great respect. If you see a napping daddy/mommy at your work place, do them a favor: turn the light out and close the door.

I now understand why new parents often look like zombies: they haven’t truly slept in a long, long time.

It’s OK to get by with a little help from friends/family. Let them pitch in.

Baby swings are the single greatest invention in the history of mankind. Screw the internet, the wheel, the saddle, or the frickin’ refrigerator. Baby swings.

I have much more respect for single parents - it’s tough enough with a team!

Getting pissed on is no big deal - that’s what wipes are for.

I know what it is to love unconditionally. My love for Thalia is unique to my existence. I’ve never felt love so deeply, so intensely, as I do when she’s asleep in my arms. It’s impossible to explain - it can only be understood by other fathers.

There is so, so much more I can write, but I think I’ll quit now. This post is the first in a series I will publish under the category “Thalia weekly” - weekly updates of Thalia, mommy, and daddy. Thanks for reading.