An update on Bryson
…I have received a lot of comments lately from readers wanting to know why I have not written much about my son Bryson over the past month or so, and quite frankly, I am surprised about, and quite touched by, their inquiries.
At the risk of sounding like I am bragging, I guess there are people who have enjoyed reading my columns about my son and about my foray into fatherhood, and they have expressed their thoughts quite vividly…some readers have even offered concern that maybe something was wrong with the little one and that’s why I have been quiet on the subject.
First, I want to say that Bryson is fine. And second, I want to say “thank you” to those who have offered their nice comments about my columns and to those who have expressed concerns and well-wishes. During the many times I wrote about my son and my new experiences in fatherhood, I was a little concerned that people would think I was writing too much about the subject, and I didn’t want to come off as being a braggart.
The truth is, I decided to write a lot about my son and our experiences of pregnancy, birth and being new parents because we went through such a difficult ordeal to have our first child. After trying to conceive and failing for 10 long years, after being told that our chances of having children were slim, after one failed fertility procedure after another, we were finally blessed with the news that we were going to be parents. And even then, we were constantly worried about the pregnancy, about possibly miscarrying, about whether or not we would be able to deliver a healthy baby.
(And to make matters even more difficult, my wife was carrying our baby at the same exact time that our parents were suffering through one unbelievable and horrible medical ordeal after another. But as I said before, we truly believe that God had a plan, that one of the reasons why my parents continued to fight for their lives was because they wanted to see their latest grandchild be born. And praise God, they did. And even though my father passed away last December, I will always cherish the memory of him being able to hold Bryson in his arms, and tell him how much Poppy loved him.)
Thankfully, the pregnancy went well and, despite a few scary moments, my wife pulled through the difficult delivery and gave us our beautiful, healthy son. Witnessing that creation of life was the most incredible experience of my life, one that I will never, ever forget.
So, I had written about our many experiences, and I felt happy to share the many memories of our emotional, exhaustive and exciting journey. But, as a few readers have informed me, it’s been a while since I’ve given an update on our son, and I guess now is as good a time as any to let you know what the little guy and his parents have been up to.
First, let me announce that Bryson is gearing up for his first birthday already. In less than a month, our little baby is going to be a year old. It is absolutely stunning to us how much he is growing, how fast time flies. We are going through that difficult period that all parents go through, that time when we are realizing our little baby who was so tiny on his first day of life that we could hold him in our hands is no longer a newborn, that he has grown out of his first set of clothes and is on the verge of walking.
But despite that little bit of sadness, we are absolutely elated that he is healthy, he is reaching all of his developmental goals and he is quickly developing his own wonderful personality. And, each and every day I thank God that he looks more like his mommy than his daddy.
He also has an abundance of energy that never seems to end. In fact, every time I change his diaper, I keep checking for his battery pack, because like the Energizer bunny, he just keeps going and going. He loves to dance with us, he loves to read and be read to, he loves to sing and play with his toys, and he is just a happy kid 24/7. He has an infectious laugh and smile that just melts our hearts, and his hugs, kisses and “high fives” constantly give joy to those who get to experience them.
You know, it’s funny. After spending the last 20-plus years with my wonderful wife, I thought I knew what total happiness was, and I never thought that my life could be more complete. But I was wrong. Until this past year, I never knew what it was like to count the minutes at work until I could go home and hold my son in my arms and tell him how much I love him. My love for this child has no boundaries or limits, and every day I am amazed to find that somehow, someway, that love grows even more.
Simply put, being a father is awesome. And each and every day, I am grateful to God that he finally gave me the chance to experience it. (And I also thank God every day for blessing this child with an amazing mom too.)
Oh sure, I know there will be rough times for us as parents. We have already experienced a few trips to doctors and hospitals that were a little scary, especially for us first-time parents. And, I know it will only be a matter of time before our little baby gets older and wears us out as he learns to walk and tear our house apart. (Just last week he tried to climb a bookcase, and he spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to get through the safety gates. Needless to say, we sleep very lightly and with one eye always open.) We are already bracing ourselves for the “Terrible Twos” stage, and don’t even get me started on the nightmares I have of him being a teenager, especially if he turns out to be like me.
But for now, we will try our hardest to take one day at a time, to enjoy and embrace this wonderful time in our lives, and to be the best parents we can possibly be. And I think I can speak for my wife when I say that finally, after all these years, our lives are complete, and nothing else will make it more complete.
Well, maybe one more thing: Baby number two…