Cole turned 10 months last week. It is hard to believe he is closer to 1 year than he is newborn. We have been having lots of fun lately. His personality is emerging and he seems to be a funny little guy. My opinion on the good and the bad these past 10 months...
The Good: I will try to keep this section short as the “good” deals with all the obvious, cheesy aspects of fatherhood that I’m sure all new fathers say (trailer park caliber Dads notwithstanding). Overall, I love it. Fatherhood has really been a blast. Cole is easy going, sleeps well and smiles a lot. I have probably had it pretty easy. Almost everything about taking care of the little guy is enjoyable in some way. Recently, Cole got sick and I had to spend a good portion of the night sleeping with him in a chair. It was quite uncomfortable and I was waking up every twenty minutes, but when it came time to try and put him in his crib, it was hard to leave him. He just looked so comfy in my arms.
I also have it easy because Kristin does all of the parent-type reading, so I don’t have to figure too much out for myself. The toughest part for me is dressing him in the morning. If we have been on top of laundry and everything is folded and put away there are a lot of options, and Cole usually ends up looking pretty stylish. But the more likely story is that his drawers are empty and I have to gather random pieces. To add to the headache, I never know what the weather is going to be like and end up checking my weather app and texting Kristin to find out the temp. I have heard some complaints from Kristin and her mom, when Cole ends up wearing "team" gear, but they can suck it. Cole will always wear Brewers, Packers and Badger outfits. They can learn to deal.
The Bad: Fatherhood isn’t all fun and games, even for someone like me who has no real intentions of doing any responsible parenting. One of the biggest issues for me is time. I thought I had no time before Cole came along, but now I have even less. It is impossible to keep up with house chores, much less house projects, of which we have many. Kristin and I used to hit up the IPic at Bayshore for movies or go out for dinner and drinks and hang out. Not anymore. I also don’t see friends nearly as much (if I still have any). In the end, I would much rather hang out with Cole than go to a movie or do anything else, but these things are all still missed.
Another “bad” element is, of course, money. Wow, babies are expensive. I thought being married to Kristin was expensive with her extravagant taste and need to always have the "latest and greatest," but that is nothing compared to baby expenses. Thankfully, we have all improved our spending habits lately. Although, I do wonder if we could trade in all of Kristin's jeans for a car seat or a couple years worth of diapers.
Finally, there are the illnesses. Cole is obviously very prone to illness. I am an idiot, and as I think I've mentioned before, I did not think a little baby could get a grown man sick. I am not as tough as I thought because I have at least 2 or 3 extra illnesses since Cole came along. I hate being sick!
So there it is – 10 months in, my take on the good, the bad and the ugly. Make your own decisions as you’ve been warned. Condoms are in aisle 7 at Target..stock up.
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