Happy Father's Day! (Day 10)

It hit me several weeks before Baby Flynn's arrival: I am going to be a father by Fathers' Day. At the time, the feeling floored me. I think this moment was the first time I took to heart the reality of Baby Flynn's arrival. Up to now, I've only known one father (in the sense we mean it most directly), my Dad. When I think of what it means to be father, my Dad comes to mind more often than not. Now, I do not want to discount the enduring value Jesus placed on God as our primary father, but all of the reasons I honor my Dad as my father directly reflect the Father's love. And now, here I was, just a few days ago, on the verge of taking up the role of father myself. Now that I've experienced the tip of fatherhood's proverbial iceberg, my celebration of Father's Day was profoundly different than previous celebrations. My family gathered - the whole of us - for a barbecue and I felt a deep sense of pride in my son as we showed him off to several family members who have not seen Logan since the day of his birth (and others who saw him for the first time today). I also felt the deepest sense of genuine appreciation for my Dad that he went through all of the same things I am going through right now with Logan (I just got back from putting him down to sleep for the second time tonight). I took the opportunity to thank him specifically for the late night feedings, the consolation of my tears, and for generally sticking in there when he was 22 and had this being in his arms that he really (if pressed) didn't know what to do with. Today also made me more thankful that I've been in a while that ultimately we have a Father who loves, cares for, and disciplines each of us. May my fatherhood to Logan reflect the best of God's parenting, and my Dad's parenting. If I can pull that off, Logan may just turn out okay after all.

The past few days have been an extension of the last post: reading Logan's signs and responding well. At this point, I can tell if he is hungry (those cues are easy), wet, cold/hot, or just plain done with everything. I feel good that we respond more quickly and appropriately to Logan's needs as we understand them each and every day! So, there's nothing huge really to report in this blog beyond my reflections on Father's Day. Logan's slight jaundice recedes each day, and his weight continues to increase steadily (he's at 7 lb. already), both of which mean that he is feeding very, very well. Logan has himself on somewhat of a schedule: Up at 8:00am-ish, down at 10:30-ish, up at 1:00pm-ish, down at 4:00pm, up at 7:00pm, down at 10:00pm, up at 1:00am-ish, down at 1:30am-ish, up at 4:00am-ish, down at 5:00am-ish, and then we start the whole thing over again. If we follow him closely with this schedule, Logan is a very happy, contented baby (beyond diaper changes). However, when we or he violates it with extraneous circumstances, life gets a little crazy!

Please continue to pray for Logan and his parents as they work out the early kinks in becoming parents!

Peace,

Carl F. Flynn