Now Entering Parenthood...

Simon is now five weeks old! The past month has been amazing, and very exhausting. I took off the first 2 weeks after his birth to focus on this new little person that I helped bring into the world, and it went by in the blink of an eye. During this brief but unforgettable time, I changed a ton of diapers, washed many poop covered onesies, gave Simon his first bath, and even took him out for a few short excursions.

Going back to work after that second week was difficult… I felt like I was going to miss out on the small little milestones he might reach, and I just really missed being away from him. This wasn’t an easy transition for Marta either, as now she was left alone to take care of him. To make things even more difficult, he was beginning to become harder to keep happy for long periods of time. It’s frustrating, to say the least, when your wife calls you at work, trying to hold back tears as she explains to you how tough her day is going, and you can’t be there to help her.

But no matter how hard he can be at times, it’s impossible to let it bother me. Instead I like to focus on how he has grown over 2 pounds since he was born, how much more he is able to look me in the eyes, how he seems to use his hands to adjust his pacifier, and how he is just starting to use his vocal chords to make sounds other than crying. It’s true what all the other parents say… the littlest advancement your child makes can be ridiculously exciting.

We have been focusing a lot on his vision and trying to get him to really focus on things. Marta got online and downloaded a bunch of simple, high contrast “images for babies to stare at”, which we then put on our big screen TV as a slideshow for Simon’s viewing pleasure. While it did resemble a scene from A Clockwork Orange, there was no denying that it was definitely grabbing his attention.

Our support system has been incredible. Loretta has babysit for us at least once every single weekend since Simon was born, allowing mom & dad to enjoy each other’s company in ways that we very often used to do before we became a family of three… going to the movies, eating dinner out at great restaurants, etc. My mom has been over several times as well, each time offering up her amazing house cleaning skills, and even taking care of our dinner (we still have several servings of her Motza ball soup stored in the freezer for those days when cooking seems impossible).

Marta’s dad Tom has stopped by on many of his trips home from Chicago, each time making a quick grocery stop or picking up take out for us to eat. Our wonderful neighbors across the street Wayne & Carol Greve, were kind enough to plow our entire driveway after Tuesday’s big snowfall, and Paul & Jill next door have offered to watch him anytime we “just need a break”. All of this is immensely helpful and we are extremely thankful to have these folks in our lives.

We’re looking forward to Lon & Roxy’s visit next week, and can’t wait to introduce them to their new little nephew. I wouldn’t be surprised if their visit results in us making some funny and/or ridiculous movie starring our little stinker!