A blog (short for Web Log) is a way of posting writings, thoughts or just plain inane ramblings to the web in a easy manner. It's easier to keep updated and as my site has proven troublesome to keep updated, I've employed a blog here to help keep things current.

Some of these "posts" may not be explicitly Christian - that is they may not be Bible studies :o) but all of them are written from my perspective as a Christian. It is , after all, part of what makes me... well, me.

Note that the blog pages are subject to a different licence to the rest of the site - see the bottom of the page for details.

first time parents

Monday, November 08, 2004

our Son (first) has just turned one and, like many new parents I guess, I find myself in between a feeling of the last year going so quick and yet it seeming like a lot longer than only a year since we first brought him home.

I guess I tend towards the latter - it's kind of hard to remember life before him.
Before you jump to any conclusions, this is not because of the "dreaded" sleepless nights and nappies but because I just can't imagine getting home from work and not seeing his smile (schmultzy I know but true).

The thing is - and this is for all those prospective first time parents who have been met with choruses of "oooh sleepless nights, nappies... good luck!" whenever they tell anyone they're expecting - all that stuff, all the nappies that make you gag, sleepless nights and hours of worry while you try to decipher what this particualr "waaaagghhhh" actually means and why your attempts to stop it are not working, all those things are made worth it every time your child looks up at you and smiles with recognition. This is why new parents become a bit of a baby bore at work, when your life seems an endless stream of poo and sick the slightest glimmer of hope, like a smile, seems like a giant leap for mankind. But equally when you suddenly see that little parcel of flesh start to do things for itself - like grow or focus or react to your voice - you get a clarity and excitement which cannot be put into words - but hey you try anyway!

So for all you who have been bored by new parents - especially those who know me - forgive us - we're just excited in a way we can't explain and although we know we're a pain we just can't help it.

And for all those who are expecting - ignore everything anybody says to you about long labour, sleepless nights, nappies, sick and crying. All those things happen but so do things like - smiles, turning towards your voice, sitting up, holding a toy, crawling, walking, laughing, gurgling, singing, eating solid food. These may not seem like remarkable things - after we do them all the time - but when you watch another person do them for the first time and you remember that just a short year ago all it seemed they could do was cry because they had just arrived.

Cheers
C
Copyright Ryan P. Cartwright.
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