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Esther and I BC - Before Cristian — Esther and I BC – Before Cristian

Parenthood is a life-changing experience, I love being a Dad. That said any parent, or more specifically this parent is letting you know your life is going to change because you WILL make sacrifices along the way. I knew this coming in—at least I thought I did.

If you are thinking about starting a family this is a must read—it will give you some insight on what lies ahead.

Pregnancy – You want a sneak peek on parenthood, pregnancy is a good place to start. There’s weight gain, sleepless nights and moodiness—and that was just me. Prepare for a rollercoaster ride of Lamaze Classes, baby registries, and unsolicited advice from all sides. I don’t know what was rougher dealing with my better half’s hormones or agreeing on the baby’s name. Don’t worry about the sleep deprivation—you’ll catch up once the baby’s born.

New Baby/Clueless Parents – The first days are a blur of, baby bottles, dirty diapers, and caffeine (mine not the baby’s). Bonus points if you survive without getting peed on. After a week of this your friends and family will want to see the baby. Hopefully they will do more than post selfies with your child on Instagram. Helpful hint, don’t be shy when someone asks, “What can I bring.” It’s a limited-time offer so forget the chicken nuggets and go for the big ticket items like surf and turf.

The Baby Tour – Once the baby’s older you’ll be required to take him on tour. This is done for the relatives who couldn’t make it to your home or were afraid of the cranky old man, otherwise known as me. Packing the car with the baby bag, separate clothes bag, laundry bag, (all stuffed with individually packed zip lock bags), stroller, playpen, and hopefully the baby is time consuming. I’m an experienced logistics guy who coordinated corporate events in every major convention center and hotel in North America, it was less stressful than loading the car for a twitchy mommy wanting to show off her pride and joy.

Air Travel – Is the Baby Tour on steroids. Imagine packing everything listed above in addition to your own luggage and spending at least three hours in a cramped airline seat with a squirming toddler in your lap. Sure the baby flies free but would it hurt the airlines to throw in a few free drinks? When things get rough go to the parents’ secret weapon–Benadryl. Travelling with a baby makes you long for the days when you travelled with just one backpack.

Before, the toys are neatly stacked while the baby sleeps.

House Looks Like a Natural Disaster – Do you like an orderly home? Does your bathroom have cute little soaps and towels only guests are allowed to use? Does your living room come straight from the pages of Better Homes and Gardens? Toddlers change that in a hurry. Once they start walking your immaculate home will look like the Jersey Shore after Hurricane Sandy. If you’re lucky you may qualify for a FEMA reimbursement.

After - The baby wakes up. Imagine what the rest of the house looks like. — After – The baby wakes up. Imagine what the rest of the house looks like.

Sleeping the Night – Scratch this one off the list for a few years, there’s no rhyme or reason to a baby’s sleep patterns, don’t try to understand it, just manage it–like a pregnant woman’s hormonal outbursts. Haven’t you been reading this blog? If you’re lucky the baby only wakes up once a night. Of course teething can change that quickly. Don’t worry, you’ll learn to function on four-hours sleep.

Lazy Sunday Mornings – Sunday mornings used to be about selfish pleasures, a morning run, an IHOP breakfast or lying in bed with Esther reading the Sunday paper. A baby changes this and those simple pleasures become luxuries. Sunday mornings are now about watching PBS Kids and chasing the baby around the living room.

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Another time-honored part of parenting is showing the latest pictures of their son or daughter to friends, family and anyone else who look at them. Bringing stacks of pictures to summer cookouts, Thanksgiving dinner and cornering coworkers in the company break room is part of the tradition.

It’s been this way throughout history—you can trace it back to the caveman. The paintings on the Lascaux Cave walls were primitive baby pictures. Visiting guests endured an hour or so of the latest images of Junior before settling down to a meal of sautéed wolf paired with a nice Sauvignon Blanc. White wine served with red meat—now that was primitive.

My parents were guilty too. Christmas Eve 1969. I'm the little guy on the right. — My parents were guilty too. Christmas Eve 1969. I’m the little guy on the right.

Pilgrims arriving at Plymouth Rock, brandished selfies and baby pictures taken aboard the Mayflower. They shared them with members of the local tribes during the first Thanksgiving Dinner and a tradition was started.

Technology improved over the years, film was replaced by digital cameras and Al Gore invented the internet. Then came the iPhone, turning everyone a photographer. Before you can say selfie stick a new phenomenon was born—social media.

It started with MySpace, the social media equivalent of the cave painting. Before long it was replaced by Facebook and Twitter. Soon distant relatives and complete strangers were posting, tweeting and pinning the most intimate details of their lives with reckless abandon for all to see.

Talk about building a better mousetrap. Facebook and Instagram gives users a virtual means of cornering family, friends and virtual friends, with the latest family pictures that are draining the storage from their iPhones. It’s found a home for all those blurry, underexposed iPhone images of today’s lunch, the latest pictures of their dogs or cats, and their children’s everything.

I always said I’d never be one of those parents whipping out and showing off baby pictures to anyone within site, whether they wanted to see them or not, before I became a parent. According to (multiple) family members that ship sailed long ago. So far there’s been no intervention, yet.

Cristian is a Social Media Baby—he was born in the Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/You Tube era. His birth announcement was posted on Facebook and Twitter. Since we have family and friends (real and virtual) all across the Americas and Europe, it was the best way to get the word out. He’s had iPhones or digital cameras in his face literally since birth.

Used for Cristian's Baby Announcement — The Image used for Cristian’s Baby Announcement

I’m a Stay at Home Dad who blogs—sites like Facebook and Twitter is essential for promoting I’m Not Grandpa. Blog posts and social media posts are made with an eye towards not embarrassing the baby. Cheesy pictures of him could have repercussions. He’ll probably be taking care of me in my golden years and payback is a bitch.

Many fellow bloggers are careful regarding their children. Pseudonyms replace their children’s names and some are careful regarding how much they share because you never know.

The flip side of the argument is this. Facebook has allowed me to keep distant relatives in Spain and not so distant ones on Long Island posted on all things Cristian. Esther and I are amazed at how many follow our posts. In November she took the baby to Puerto Rico, giving family members a chance to meet our newest addition. She was surprised how many told her they checked their feeds daily looking for new pictures and updates.