I'M A DADDY!!!!!!!

[ElizaB]

Congrats, BigTex!  Will you be bringing Baby Tex to UT law day?

[Xony]

BigTex, can we please see the baby's photo?

[BigTex]

Wow Tex,
I can remember sitting in our LSAT prep class and talking with you about how you and your wife wanted to get pregnant.  It didn't seem like it was that long ago, but it's been a year already!  How things have changed!  In class you were just hoping that you could make it in to UT and now you've gotten acceptances from around the country and you've got a baby!  I'm telling myself that I helped out by recommending the lucky kitchen timer from Wal-Mart. Best of luck to you!

So THIS is you! I heard you were on the board! Yes, that timer you recommended was awesome. When all the LSAT studying is done, it really comes down to stupid stuff like "do i trust my timer?". Ha!

To all, i'll post pictures soon. My wife will be handling all that stuff soon. It's just so hard to get to it. Wow - being new parents is incredibly tough. Hardest thing:

Inevitably, you will get frustrated with your baby: "Why are you crying? We fed you, bathed you, put dry clothes on you, loved you, and made sure you're warm. There's nothing more you could rationally want. Why won't you let us sleep? Why won't you let us put you in the crib for just ONE hour so we can get some rest? Yes, we love you, but why won't you cut us just a LITTLE slack??!!"

You're going to have these frustrations, and for the mom it's especially hard. One of my main jobs is hugging my wife as she's crying and worried that these feelings of frustration mean she doesn't love her baby, or that she will never be a good mom.

Honestly, I don't know how ANY couple survives the first week without a live-in grandparent helping out. My mother is staying with us right now. When we're on the verge of falling apart she swoops in and tells us "you go to bed right now. i know you just fed the baby. he's fine. he doesn't need any more food for 3 hours. You sleep, i'll take care of him in the other room so you can rest and not hear his fussing. Just know he's well taken care of so you can rest comfortably"

Seriously, without grandma there to help out like that, how does anybody make it?!

[zakrob]

Congratulations! 
Your wife is an amazing woman. Not only did she give birth with no meds -  - she is moving across the country with her new baby in support of your going to law school. Pretty awesome, and it sounds like you realize just how lucky you are! Best of luck to you and your new family. Can't wait to see a picture!

[SleepyGuyYawn]

Wow, that's really sweet.  I'll remember that if I have a little one in a few years -- find grandma!

[desmo]

The lack of sleep will prep you for law school.

Seriously, I thought I was going to die during the first 2-3 months of our first kid from lack of sleep.  Most of the time (barring cholic) they start sleeping thru the night in a couple months, then it's a lot easier.

other things to remember

1) you can never baby-proof enough, they will find a way to pull the lamp down / climb on top of the couch / get the box of cereal open and spray it all over the kitchen

2) be thankful they can't walk for a while, once they start, it's harder to keep track of them

3) Veggie Tales Videos when you need a 30 mintue break

4) take him out to eat a lot, he'll get used to it and be better behaved as he gets older

5) remember to tell the wife the cool toys are for the kid and you will never play with them...

6) boys will try to jump over or off of everything.  This includes stairs, couches, picnic tables, front porches, etc.

7) don't video everything, sit back and just watch now and then, you see more and enjoy more than if you spend the time looking thru the camera all the time

pacifiers are great but you'll pay for it when you have to break the habit

9) most baby-food stinks, except for the puddings and some of the fruits

10) disposable diapers

11) it gets a LOT easier around 4-5 - really - chances are you'll live that long also

12) attention more than gifts, toys, videos, or anything else

[Runnin'Thangs]

Congratulations to you and your wife!

[happycat]

I love your posts, Big Tex!  Clearly you and your wife are a super team and your little baby is such a great gift to you!  Have you already heard of the book Babywise?  and another life saver for me was a book called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby.  My husband was out of town 5 nights per week EVERY week when my girls were infants (they're 5 & 3 now) so I had to get things under control myself.  You have to find your own way with parenting, but these books were so incredibly awesome I can't NOT mention them to you as a new parent! 
congratulations to you and thanks for the anecdotes!

[BigTex]

My husband was out of town 5 nights per week EVERY week when my girls were infants (they're 5 & 3 now) so I had to get things under control myself. 

That is totally INSANE!!!! I have no idea how you did that. I could not imagine being all alone having to take care of an infant, let alone a 2 year old PLUS and infant!!! My hat is off to you. I'll also check out some of those books you mentioned.

Thanks again for the kind words everyone. My wife did much better last night. As i mentioned, the night before she kind of broke down crying about everything. Last night, my mom and I stayed up (mostly my mom though) taking care of the baby in the early evening so my wife could get a 3 hour sleep. Then my mom and I went to bed and my wife took over the 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. shift. She was tired and haggard looking this morning, but she wasn't crying or falling apart. So, I think she's getting more confidence. Plus, she said the baby pooped and she cleaned it up, re-diapered him, re-clothed him, picked him up - and then he pooped again. So, she cleaned him, re-diapered him, re-clothed him, picked him up - and, yes, you guessed it, he pooped again! So she rediapered him and in the middle of it he peed like a little firehose and pee went everywhere all over the walls. There are cute little arc pee stains on the wall where Odin did his business.

But the great thing is she laughed about it and was ecstatic that she made it through all of it without crying.

By the way, when you go a long time without sleep dreams work really wierd. If i lay down to take just a 15 minute nap, i will immediately go into deep REM sleep and have a massively complex and ornate dream. I'll wake up and think i slept for several hours because of the length and complexity of the dream. But no - it's only been 15 minutes.

[LaneSwerver]

Wow, that's really sweet.  I'll remember that if I have a little one in a few years -- find grandma!

Looks like you have four of them in your avatar!