#beingadad

There’s no denying that the last three months have been a roller coaster unlike any other. Having a daughter has completely changed my life in ways that I wouldn’t have even imagined. It’s hard to pick out my favourite moments, but here are a select few that I will remember forever. 

Putting Marla in her sheep onesie. 

Years ago, long before Connie and I were even thinking of having a baby, we were gift shopping for one of my nieces. We happened to stumble upon a fluffy sheep onesie and immediately fell in love with it. Despite having no intention to have a baby for several years, we bought it - knowing that it would no longer be in the shops when we were finally ready. Putting Marla in that sheep outfit for the first time was like years of waiting coming to a beautiful end, and the fact that she wore it to come home from hospital made it all the more special. 

Introducing her to the family

Again, only a small memory - but sometimes those are the most precious - introducing Marla to her grandparents was a moment like no other. Seeing family from Connie’s side and mine as they instantly fell in love with their new granddaughter / great granddaughter / niece gave such a magical feeling. Hearing about Connie’s sister trying to change a nappy for the first time was also quite amusing. 

Seeing Marla smile for the first time

A moment like none-other. She would grin when she needed to burp as you would expect but seeing Marla fully light up in response to something you do is without a doubt one of the best parts of being a parent. I can instantly forget even the worst day at work just by seeing that beautiful smile when I get home. 

Marla’s first Christmas

Being only one month old at the time, of course Marla had no idea that it was Christmas, but that didn’t matter - obviously she had WAY more presents than any other person. Connie and I had my parents over to stay which made it feel incredibly intimate too. Sharing Christmas dinner around a table for the first time with our new baby in our new house made me see the true meaning of family. 

My least favourite part?

You might think it’d be the sleepless nights, or maybe even the poop explosions that occur almost daily. You might expect it to be those moments when Marla decides to be sick all over herself seconds after you’ve finished getting her dressed. You’d be wrong. 

I never intended to write a part two to my previous post, but following certain events at the weekend, it seems quite necessary. 

Never have I wanted to punch a complete stranger square in the throat as much as I wanted to on Saturday night. 

Connie’s parents visited us for the weekend, which was fantastic. We hadn’t seen them since the weekend before Christmas, so it was lovely to catch up and even lovelier for them to spend some time with their granddaughter. 

We grabbed a spot of lunch at a little pub called The Telegraph - it seems we only really go there when they come to visit. That’s not on purpose, it just works out for us with the location of the hotel they usually stay at. It’s become a bit of an unintentional tradition. 

Of course, Marla was with us. We had a healthy supply of milk and nappies too - isn’t it crazy that we parents can bring that stuff out with us!? 

At around 4:30pm we headed to a Wetherspoons. There are two in Derby - one which plays music and is quite lively, and another which plays no music and is mostly frequented by people - like us - who just wanted a quiet drink and a catch up with friends / relatives. 

We had a great evening. Marla slept through the whole thing. Were it not for the pram, you wouldn’t have even known she was even there. That was until we stood up to leave. 

It was around 6:45pm and some absolute cow (there’s another C word that I would prefer to use for the woman) decided to loudly pass comment about “bringing a baby here” at such a time. 

Excuse me???

It wasn’t even 7pm. It was only just starting to get dark outside. 

Marla wasn’t bothering anybody, she was asleep. 

Now we’re parents, are we not to leave the house? 

What fucking business is it of hers anyway? 

Even the woman’s partner / owner looked embarrassed. Much like a dog owner who’s mutt had just needlessly snapped at somebody’s ankles. He was mortified. He’ll tell himself that it’s unlike her, but he knows in his heart that she’s done it before, and she’ll do it again. 

It’s probably for the best that she be put down.