THE ONE WITH ONE

Thursday the 14th @ 18:46 I’ll have been a dad for exactly 365 days. More importantly, Cameron is the magic 12 months old.

It’s pretty mind boggling to think the last year has gone so quick. Professionally and personally it’s been a long, hard one but I’ve come out the other side.

I reckon we’ve gone through well over a thousand nappies in the last 12 months on an average of 3 a day. Not to mention formula and all the gadgets and shit that comes with a bambino. I wouldn’t change it for the world though. 366 days ago I never could envision myself as a Dad. I was never the one that was comfortable handling babies. I would dread the thought of visiting friends who had churned one out, as the “Have a hold there will ya” was inevitable. I never thought I could.

But, I, like millions of others, got on with it. Ger had a c-section, so the midwife done the first dirty nappy. After that, it was all me, for the best part for a few days, on the physical side of things. It’s funny how this “Your kid needs you, so wake the fuck up” instinct hits you like a tonne of bricks. It’s pretty mind-blowing actually. Even more mind-blowing was the absolute raw emotion of hearing that first cough from Cameron and what melted my head completely was him opening his eyes, looking into mine.

So it’s funny, to me at least, the way the last year has had an impact. Don’t get me wrong, it’s bloody hard. Personal life can take a bit of a hit. Relationship’s can struggle. You might have to do a feed, in the early days at least, at 2am. But for me, that’s not the hard part. The hard part is the trips to the doctor, the trips to the A&E. That’s the hard part.The great parts though, are endless. The first smile, the first words, the first attempts to walk. That list is constantly growing.

Overall though, I can’t pay tribute enough to Ger who has being amazing throughout the last 12 months. Duck to water comes to mind. As for me,I can change a nappy blindfolded. I can not bat an eyelid at being covered in shit, puke and piss. I can get up after 3 hours sleep and be happy as larry playing with Cameron. And, contrary to my original thoughts, I can be a Dad. And it’s epically awesome.

Enough of my gushing!