Just recieved some very exciting news...

[ALSportsJunkie]

My wife is pregnant with our first child! We have been married four years now...been trying for the past six months. I still don't really know what to think...the prospect of being a father still hasn't completely hit me yet I think. We are emotionally and financially as ready as we can be - but I cannot imagine how much life is really going to change in the next 8 months. If any of you have any advice for a soon-to-be father let me know...hopefully the pregnancy will go smoothly and the baby will be fine.

:toast:

 

[KillaRSox]

Congratulations!

 

[bigbet1234]

life as you knew it wont exisit. Congrats!

 

[C.P.]

First off, congrats....

yrs ago...my wife and I tried for along time...

then finally had 2 awesome kids...

I remember our 1st...I kept wanting a girl....and my wife was amazed..

as it turned out I got my girl...(then my boy)

As the saying goes...."you're not a MAN, unless you have a girl""

just embrass the moment...kids are very cool...

I will say you're second kid..(usually happens)..will be less pampered,spoiled...thats for sure...

Again, congrats...

 

[BigAltheShoeman]

Congrats ASJ,

This is an exciting time in a young marriage.

Best of Luck to you and yours.

 

[C.P.]

Oh, I forgot to mention about the pregnancy....1st went w/o a hitch...

2nd...was scary...C-section...w/ my Son having a HOLE in his Heart...

All is fine now....but.....Listen to YOUR Doc's...

 

[Coldweather]

Congratulations!

:toast:

​

 

[taylor13]

congrats.....i have an 18 month old girl. best thing that ever happened to me. dont listen to all the bs about not doing being able to do stuff and being expensive. as long as you plan out the things you want to do, they will be done. my wife works part-time now, and i work in the evenings and wkds off. so 3 days a week, i watch the kiddo till she gets home and then i go to work. one day on the wkd i play golf, and if i'm lucky i get to play on thurs. golf actually went from 2 days a week to prob about 3 times every 2 weeks, but thats ok.
my wife and i are clean freaks, so thats def a pretty hard challenge to keep the house picked up. pick up the house when she goes down for a nap, she wakes up and spreads all her toys out again, constant battle lol.
the first 5-6 months were the toughest for us. she wasnt a very good sleeper there for awhile, now she sleeps from 8 to 8 and a nap in the afternoon.

anyways, congrats on the news and good luck with the pregnancy (toughest part imo)

 

[texansfan]

Congrats! I married my wife and she had a four year old son. I knew I wanted kids and we had a girl in 99, another girl in 02, and finally a boy in 04. If we had another girl I was prepared to try one more time.

It's the best feeling in the world when you see your child for the first time. You just can't imagine how much you can love someone until you hold him/her. I remember when we had our 1st child, I couldn't wait to get home to see her!

The kids are now 7, 9, 12, and 18. Where does the time go?

I would start buying diapers before she has the baby. You won't believe how many they'll go through. Don't skimp on stuff like the car seat or stroller either. Having a nice stroller with room to carry stuff comes in handy.

You might want to get a bassinet that sets up next to the bed so you can watch and hear the baby for the 1st few months. Trust me, every little sound they make will have you checking on them, so it's easier if the baby can sleep right next to the bed. Once they move to the crib permanently you can just use those baby monitor things where you can hear them.

Enjoy the experience because your life will change forever.

Congratulations!

 

[ALSportsJunkie]

Thank you for all the kind words guys. Hopefully things will go well work wise and my wife will be able to take a good bit of time off to care for the baby when it arrives. I am not worried about not being able to do stuff...the only thing that I do now that I wouldn't bring my kids with me would be going to the casino and I am sure that will slow down for quite a while now.

 

[gmenknicks]

CONGRATS!

We just had our first child about 9 months ago..i can give you a couple of pieces of advice

1. Do not go crazy on the baby books if at all possible. You can save time and money by reading only 1 book. They all basically are the same and you don't need to spend the money to figure that out.No book on the planet can prepare you for what you are about to go through,Plus some of them can actually scare the wife which you don't need.
2. DO NOT trust every single thing the Dr says all the time. For example our Dr told us everything was good to go and the baby was head down about 2 weeks from delivery date. She said she did't need to perform another ultrasound bc she was "sure". Turns out baby was breach and we needed a emergency C section. Trust your instincts and don't be afraid to give directions. Remember you are in charge and the Dr works for you!!
3. DO figure out what hospital you are going to have the baby in and make sure you reserve a private room. I can't stress this enough!!! We ended up sharing a small room with 2 other couples for 3 days and it was TERRIBLE!!
4.Start conditiong yourself to work on less sleep. How do you do this??? Record sporting events and watch them late at night for as long as you can. Trust me this will come in handy later.
5. I am not sure if you drink but you should start now if you don't. I dont mean the get hammered type of drinking. I mean a glass of scotch every night just to put you in a more tolerant and agreeable mode when the wife starts going crazy.
6. After the 4th month or so go to the baby store and buy 1 small thing each week. Turn it into a ritual. We had a lot of fun doing this and it built up the excitement as we went along.
7. Be as sympathetic as possible to your wife but also don't lose your manhood in the process. I have seen men become castrated during the process and never get it back. Still have poker night with friends or go to the bar to watch sports every so often.
8. Get ready to be lonely. You may always have people around but the husband usually fades into the back as the woman gets all attention. Embrace it because once he baby is here that will end fast.


Will post a few more as I think of them...Get ready for a wild ride!!!

 

[bigtendominator]

Congrats.

Great posts by CP13, Taylor and Texansfan. The wife and I are in the process of trying and I am scared shitless. I have lived a very carefree life. About 10 out of 14 college football weekends are spent in Vegas in the fall. Listening to some of your advice and suggestions, has been incrediblely helpful. My friends who have kids are not exactly similiar to me in lifestyle. My friends who are single, live more like Seymour and that what my life was like until I got married. Still is minus the women, but hearing you guys talk about it really helps. Thanks

 

[texansfan]

I was lucky, my wife breast fed all the kids and I never once had to get up in the middle of the night to feed the baby.

 

[texansfan]

One thing about kids, I'm not sure if there's ever a "right time" to have them. Of course you don't want to be living in a box in the alley, but you have them and you'll figure it all out. Of course your life changes, but I don't miss any of that stuff I used to do. I look forward to seeing my kids and there's nothing I would rather do than spend time with my family.

 

[ALSportsJunkie]

Lots of good information in this thread fellas...cannot believe that I will be the one buying diapers, strollers, toys, etc. in the near future. Due date should be some time in March - it will be before we know it and I feel like we have so much to do!

 

[ALSportsJunkie]

One thing about kids, I'm not sure if there's ever a "right time" to have them. Of course you don't want to be living in a box in the alley, but you have them and you'll figure it all out. Of course your life changes, but I don't miss any of that stuff I used to do. I look forward to seeing my kids and there's nothing I would rather do than spend time with my family.

I think we are in a good spot. We are both 27, have two pretty new cars (both paid off), and have less than a couple thousand in debt not counting our mortgage which is not bad at all. I am already thinking about cutting back my wagers and putting the money into a fund for the kid...need to go to the baby store and price out some stuff - I have heard it gets expensive.

 

[gmenknicks]

oh 1 other thing as i look around the house filled with baby stuff...the most important thing you can buy is a swing with a motor in it. this will help you put the baby to sleep when all else fails./

 

[C.P.]

oh 1 other thing as i look around the house filled with baby stuff...the most important thing you can buy is a swing with a motor in it. this will help you put the baby to sleep when all else fails./

+1....+1....+1

 

[NickPappagiorgio]

Congratulations!

Get some sleep, youre going to need it.

Start practicing not laughing when you hear something funny. I cant tell you how many times I have to leave the room because one of my kids says something hilarious when they are being disciplined.

 

[texansfan]

It can be expensive if you go overboard on fancy cribs and stuff. It all depends if your situation. If you plan on having more than one kid then buy something that will last so you can re-use it. If you have a room set aside then start fixing it up a little each month.

Paint the room, clean it up, get everything setup, and before you know it the baby will be home. You can save a ton of money if your wife will breast feed the baby, but a lot of women don't like too. Formula is expensive and you have to get it ready.

I can help out more with suggestions but you have time...