For me, baby apparel that actually goes on my body takes things to a whole new level. That's our friend Meagan strapping a Baby Bjorn to my chest. Sigh...
If you haven't heard already, my amazing wife Miranda is a little over 19 weeks pregnant and for the last few months, the limited free space in our one-bedroom apartment has become more and more limited.
Baby stuff is starting to mount with a very present momentum as our storage space has become consumed by a baby crib, stroller, sink bath tub, and plenty of other baby accessories.
But where am I going to store my camping gear? What about my mountain bike? More importantly, where the hell am I going to put my pool table?
I know what you're saying: Get ready big daddy, things are about to change in your simple little life. So let the freakout begin!
Thank goodness, there is proper prose for men that are in my current situation. Trust me, I have read plenty of the traditional "So you're going to be a parent -- get ready for your life to end" books. They are scattered along my desk at home, they sit on my bedside table and I even have one next to the toilet.
But the best book I have read so far is this one:
"Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads" by Gary Greenberg and Jeannie Hayden has restored my confidence, calmed some of my fears and exposed me to some great tips such as:
- how to change a diaper at a packed stadium
- create a decoy drawer full of old wallets, remote controls and cell phones to throw baby off the scent of your real gear
- construct an emergency diaper out of a towel, a sock and duct tape
It could use an update, however, based on the dated technology references to VCRs and pagers. But reading about that stuff usually makes for a good laugh and proves that fathers-to-be have also been freaking out since as far back at the early 1990's.
Books help. Friends offer great words of encouragement. But the fact remains...
We are having a baby. In the United Arab Emirates. What the hell are we thinking?
Buy the ticket; take the ride.
Our baby arrived a week after moving to UAE. We were living in the hotel, no cot, no equipment nothing! He did just fine, He's 8 months now and his first bed was a box with towels in it while we put the emergency crib purchase together. So far he doesn't seem too traumatised!
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