Preparing for Fatherhood - Again.....

I am either the smartest person or the dumbest when it comes to choosing fatherhood. I say this, because I have a son that is starting his 3rd year of college. He's never been in any real trouble, makes good grades in school, and is in the home stretch for preparing to become a contributing member of society. In all respects, I'm almost ready to put a big check mark in the box of successful/proud parent and prepare to start enjoying my AARP benefits along with a cool glass of lemonade on my front porch whilst watching the world pass me by.

Perhaps I'm dumb for starting over. What am I thinking?!? After all, I've done my time changing diapers, paying for braces, buying Jakob's first automobile, helping pay for college, and the hundreds of other responsibilities that come with being a parent. Why would I want to start this entire process over 20 years later? I'll tell you why. I'm wiser now, more responsible, more secure, and more prepared (translation: OLDER).

One of the biggest decisions to do it again is Dawn. I've watched her around other kids, and seen her caring loving ways enough to know that she will be an incredible mother. It would be a disservice to humankind to deprive her of the gift of being a mother. From the moment she first found out she was going to be a mother, she has done everything imaginable to ensure a healthy baby arrives in September. I really respect and appreciate everything she is doing and enduring to prepare for the big day.

What a transformation my own life has experienced in the last several months. Here is a summary of before and after:

To get my fill of adrenaline, I used to make a few hundred skydives a year. Now my skydiving gear has been sold, and my new adrenaline comes from watching the "I'm pregnant and didn't know it" marathon on TV. What a rush watching 8 episodes back to back!

My weekends used to be spent partying like a rock star. Going out around 10:00pm and staying out until the early hours of the morning, hoping I'd make it home alive. Now I'm going to sleep around 10:00pm on the weekends (usually exhausted from watching baby shows on TV). Instead of spending the rest of the weekend recovering from overindulging the night before, I'm up with the cows, trying to make it to garage sales to get some great deals on baby items.

I used to swap war stories with my single friends about all of the crazy things we were doing, or getting ready to do. Now most of my conversations are with other married people getting advice on car seats, breast pumps, and best brand of diaper.

My sun room which used to serve as the 2nd wing of my home arcade, has now been cleared out, and replaced with more baby stuff that I can count. I don't even know what some of it is or does.

I used to know human anatomy for all the wrong reasons (giggidy), but now my anatomy focus is for entirely different reasons. I now know more about the cervix, fallopian tubes, placenta and uterus that I really ever imagined possible.

And finally, my buddies used to send me cool YouTube videos about hot chicks, fast cars, and men drinking, now I only get videos like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZa7hU6tP_s&feature=player_embedded

Would I change any of it? Not at all. Although I probably don't show it as outwardly as Dawn, I'm just as excited about becoming a Daddy as she is becoming a Mommy. I feel like the luckiest guy around to have Dawn in my life, and in just a matter of 60 days, another son to join our family.

So am I the smartest or dumbest guy for doing this a 2nd time, 20 years later? I think I'm on to something here. I'm definitely the smartest and happiest guy around for doing this. I'd write more, but for now, I've got to run. Got to go clear out the liquor cabinet to make room for the baby bottles.