I’ve pretty much let my site rot for the past couple of months. There is, however, a good reason for that.

I’m now a father.

My son Lucas was born on April 15th. As of this blog post he’s nearly eight weeks old, and I have to say life is a lot different with him.

The thing is, though, I was expecting fatherhood to be far more frustrating and draining. It helps that Lucas is so laid back; he almost never cries unless there’s something actually wrong, like if he’s hungry, has a dirty diaper, etc. In fact, our nickname for him is “Zen Baby”. I’ve also adapted to the new chores extremely well. For example, changing his diaper (something I was particularly worried about) is pretty easy, to the point where my father once commented about how quick and efficient I am at it. I’m also the go-to when it comes to burping him. I’m not sure why, but Jennifer and her parents seem to think that I get burps out of him faster than they do.

Jennifer has been a trouper throughout the whole thing, staying up with him and getting up during the night whenever he needs feeding. I usually take the early morning/breakfast and evening shifts, which allows her to take a break. I rather enjoy spending the time with Lucas, especially now that I’ve figured out what his different cries mean. I’ve even been able to take him for a while and anticipate his needs so that he doesn’t even need to cry.

About the only “bad”, so to speak, has been how it’s affected our leisure time. Whereas before Jennifer and I had a great deal of freedom and could do whatever we wanted within reason in our spare time, we now have to take him into account. To give a particular example: one would imagine I’d have been playing Mortal Kombat X non-stop since the game came out. Instead, if anything, I’ve played the mobile version more. It’s easier to play on the tablet when I’m keeping an eye on the wee one. However, compared to how much fun we’ve been having with him, we’re pretty okay with that change. We have been able to get out on occasion, thanks to the fact that Jennifer’s parents relish the chance to babysit. :-)

This is the beginning of a new journey for me, and while I was scared before, I’m really looking forward to showing Lucas the world. I’m also looking forward to showing him my interests (Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, Transformers), and watching him discover his own. It’s a change in my life, and one I’m looking forward to as the years progress.