Dallin's Birth: A Father's Perspective

One learns a lot about life having a child. I knew things were going to be different when our son came into the world, I just hadn't internalized how different. I'm sure I'm only beginning to grasp the significance of fatherhood.

Life does not wait for you to be ready for things. At around 4am on Wednesday, May 2, Skye woke me up and informed me that she had been having contractions for at least three hours. My heart leaped. Luckily, Skye had done her homework. She read books, BabyCenter articles, and even received some tutelage from her good friend, a new mother, and a nurse. Between contractions, she explained to me what was going on in her body, when we would need to go to the hospital, and what would happen when we got there. We drove to the hospital around 9am and were immediately checked in to labor and delivery. Skye undertook the whole process fearlessly and serenely. It was a textbook nativity without complication. At 4:09pm, Dallin came into the world with the cutest wee cry ever. I clipped the umbilical cord and after a brief moment in his mother's arms, the nurses whisked him off to the corner of the room to measure him, check him, clean him. Throughout the experience, 6 lb. 7 oz. little Dallin gripped my pointer finger with his tiny hands.

The whole experience was miraculous. The experience was a whirlwind of emotion for me: fascination, anxiety, pride, and gratefulness were some prominent actors in the stage of my mind. I asked so many questions about the science of birth that the nurses and midwife stopped waiting for me to inquire and just gave a step-by-step narration of their every activity ("This is a Vitamin K shot to prevent rare infant blood clotting." etc.) One nurse even suggest I drop out of law school and become a midwife (mid-husband?).

I was surprised by the immediate bond that I have developed with Dallin. Perhaps most fathers know what I am talking about, but to explain it to one yet to have the honor might be like trying to explain the taste of salt to someone who has never tasted it before. When Dallin first grabbed my finger only seconds after birth, love and pride filled my heart. What I have always known, that family is the most important, is now ingrained stronger than ever. As I aspire to be a good father, I feel more aware of my faults than ever before, but also a renewed strength to push beyond my limits, to acquire the kinds of habits and traits that will let me be a help rather than a stumbling block to Dallin as he pursues his infinite potential. I am thankful Skye and I have had such wonderful parents.

Being a parent is a joyful thing. Sure,  Skye and I may be sort of zombie like (I'm exaggerating, Dallin really isn't that bad at night)-- but how could you ever have a bad day when you come home and know you get tummy-time with the most handsome little baby in the world? The Psalmist had it right when he sang, "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."

A little about Dallin: He is cute. That about sums it up right now. He's got big blue-gray eyes and just about everything else is as itsy-bitsy as can be. He tracks movement with his eyes albeit a little delayed. He has a number of facial expressions in his repertoire already. Skye loves this one where he raises his eyebrows and rounds his lips as if to mouth, "oh." He is also strong and active. He grew out of swaddling at age 2 days and likes his limbs free to move about.

Skye between contractions

Proudest parents ever

Look at those handsome eyes

Tummy Time!