Is this really to be? A son, soon to be born and soon to stay. Another child of ours.
A family. Our family. My family. Not that we weren’t before, but now we will be, which makes complete and no sense at all.
The tiny kicks are not so tiny now. The stretched, swollen belly has started to contract. In earnest, then not, so days may come but not another week, then he will be here.
A little crying, sucking, pooping thing. Helpless and sleepy, but wordlessly able to steal your heart and draw in your love.
A father again. The air is crisper and the stars closer. It’s real and it’s not.
I wonder how can I possibly love someone else as much as I love my daughter. We’ll see soon.
My precious little Anya. Our living miracle is now sticky with rice. A good girl, she just turns two today, and being surrounded by three languages has not slowed down our precocious talker.
Being a father is so wonderful. There are the terrible twos, which are harder and easier than I thought.
But there is nothing like the little pat from tiny hands. I’m so fortunate.
Aw, wow! I can’t believe how Anya has grown, and look how happy and lively she is! And just look at that little arm wound trustingly around her proud Papa’s neck as she snuggles into your shoulder. And now she’s going to be a big sister!
TokyoWife looks all aglow. I hope it’s an easy birth and a quick recovery. Is it too early to start the clamor for pix of the little baby? I should wait until he’s actually out, shouldn’t I?
[Inigo Montoya]I hate waiting.[/IM]
Another one? Holy cow, congratulations dude! Seems like yesterday we were sending sticky thoughts for your daughter.
She’s two now, eh? Just wait till next year; I fought my wife as long as I could on the ear-piercing issue, but recently they sneaked out and did it anyway.
Looks like those sticky thoughts were long-lasting and stuck around long enough to stick another one! Let’s hope they unstick easily so we can get to meet TokyoSon!
I was thinking about it being Anya’s Birthday (it’s the same as my nephew’s) And another little one?? How wonderful!
Edited to add, Holy Crap she looks so much like you!!!
Thanks everyone! Yes, she just turned 2 yesterday. How fast time flies by.
I don’t know if you noticed, but you can see her reflection in the mirror. You can see her other arm is around my right arm as she lays against my chest.
I’m really happy to have time to be able to spend with her. Toddlers are fascinating to watch as they grow and learn more about the world. It’s so fun to see her increased understanding. She’s recently started to identify everything by owner. Anya’s socks. Daddy’s socks. Mommy’s socks. She could even help me folding the clothes by telling me the difference between Mommy’s and Aunt’s underwear!
Growing up in the dysfunctional hell we called home, with an abusive, psychotic father, I grew up with an extremely skewed view of the world. I’ve worried that my issues would be transferred to my children.
With all of the negative training, and no positive role model, I’ve also been worried that I would react poorly to the stresses of parenthood. How would I handle a child telling me “no” when that was an offence which could have been fatal in my childhood home? Even if I didn’t abuse my daughter, would I unknowingly do something to screw her up?
As all parents know, it’s not easy to raise kids, so where do you learn? You read books, talk to other parents and teachers and pay attention to what words and what doesn’t. It’s taken a while for the realization to settle, in that I’m a good enough parent. Even though I grew up in a constant state of fear, without love or a basic acceptance by my parents, I have managed to break the cycle and provide a loving, healthy, secure environment for Anya.
I still vividly remember the time, when I a small child of 5 or 6, that as my father gave me a good night hug and patted my back, I patted him back. What a horrible mistake! For it is, as my father yelled at me, the role of parents to pat their children and not children to pat their parents.
What a lonely, miserably sad life he must have led, to miss the joy of the little pats from your young one.
I think this is one thing I’m most happy about, that Anya has a father she can trust and pat without fear.
Anya is a happy, easy child. She’s basically good, and is pretty good about getting used to new rules, especially when applied consistency and firmly but gently. While it’s tempting to take credit, we have yet to see how her younger brother will fare. I suspect that the easiness is mostly a product of her good nature.
At the same time, being a typical toddler she’s discovering that her mean parents don’t always let her have her way. Bedtimes are still bedtimes, despite a world filled with unread books, up-played toys and unwatched videos. The other day, I went to take her upstairs to tuck her in, and found myself on the receiving side of a new emotion. Although hate is too strong of a word, she did not want to go and deeply resented her father for imposing his will on her. How dare he!
We’re really excited about our soon-to-be son. He looks like he’s under the same sticky spell Beta-chan had, so while there’s been a couple of rounds of false labor, he’s keeping his hold tight. Who knows how scary that outside world may be?
Makes it easy to keep track!