Thomas Wyatt Lister, June 6th 2007

On June 6th 2007 Thomas Wyatt Lister was born. To say this was a big day is an understatement. Nothing in my life could have prepared me for the overwhelming feeling of love that accompanies being a new parent. My wife Sarah and I are constantly pinching ourselves. We can't believe how lucky we have been to have such a beautiful, healthy child come into our lives. Dealing with a newborn is at times both wonderful and horrifying.

I remember when Sarah and I brought him home from the hospital we were scared out of our wits. I mean, talk about crazy, they hand you this tiny helpless little person and say, "Good luck." Both of us were nervous wrecks for the first few months fearful that we would screw it up. Is he eating enough? Is he sleeping the way he should? Did he poop today? What do you mean he didn't poop yesterday? You think that's bad? I tell people all the time that I have no memory of the first three months. Between the many feedings throughout the night and diaper changes the lack of sleep is incredible. I was on auto pilot and since I wasn't the one doing the breast feeding I had it lucky. Sarah was a Zombie.

After that first few months things have gotten much better. Sarah and I work different shifts and so far this has allowed us to avoid daycare. I have the little guy during the mornings and afternoons and then I drive him to Sarah as she is leaving work in the evening. The only down side to this arrangement is how little we get to see each other during the week. A number of my married friends have told me that the less we see each other the better our marriage will be. I'm not so sure, I do know that I miss Sarah very much during the week and wish that I could be with her more. If fact, most of our fights are about how little we get to see each other. Not bad for two people who have known each other for nearly twenty years.

The Holidays were just an outright blast. Halloween came and Sarah got Thomas Wyatt the best costume ever. He was dressed up as a little owl and really looked the part. He has the largest, most inquisitive eyes and the costume really played that up. I can't wait for a Halloween when he's old enough for trick or treat. Hopefully that's when some of Mommy and Daddy's experience with theater and movies will pay off in the form of some cool costumes and makeup. One of the great things about having a kid is everything seems new again, you experience the magic of that first Halloween or Christmas through their eyes.

At Christmas he surprised us all by starting to crawl.He was gracious enough to do this as I was video taping and I managed to get it on tape. Seeing him open his presents was even fun at this early stage. Although he seemed to enjoy the ribbons, paper and boxes more than any of the toys he got. Soon after Christmas I went into the nursery and found him beside the crib in a standing position. He had used the slats to pull himself up and was crying because he couldn't figure out how to get back down. The pediatrician thinks that at this rate he will be walking before his first birthday. Geez, Mommy and Daddy got to get in shape.