parenting

My son, Dylan, turned 11 weeks old on Monday.  Wow! I can't believe it! I'm flabbergasted at how quickly he's growing and changing. 

He's moved into the stage where he's very awake and wide-eyed, taking everything in.  He's has a smile that melts my heart and makes us giggle.  Of course, I'll do anything to get a smile out of him, including la-la-la-ing, bo-bo-bop-ing, and dancing a jig.  It usually works.  I get a huge grin and a coo out of him and I'm satisfied for at least 5 minutes.

Being a father is such a joy!

I always knew I wanted to be a father.  Cancer put a bit of a damper on things in my 20's.  There was a possibility that the chemo would make me sterile, a challenge many young men face when they decide to go for chemo or radiation. 

I remember after being diagnosed, I decided to make a deposit at the sperm bank.  Wow, that was fun! 

BTW (gentlemen) - don't let your mom take you to the sperm bank! Ask ANYONE else to take you!  NOT your mother.  My two cents.

In my 20's I thought preserving my sperm was a pretty stupid idea.  I'd figure something out later, I thought to myself.  Plus I had to pay $200 a year to store my stash, a lot of money for a student.

In hindsite, even though I never had to use it, the deposit was money well spent.

I try to spend some quality time with Dylan everyday.  He brings us more joy than I ever thought possible.  I used to think parenthood was a burden.... and a lot of hard work.  Well, it is a lot of work, but most people forget to tell you how much fun and rewarding it is. 

If you're a young adult with cancer, I hope you get to have kids.  It makes the battle worth while.

Namaste,

Michael

I'm a Dad!

Little Dylan Jacob joined team Lepage on July 28th at 5:53pm, coming in at a stealthy 7 lbs, 10 ounces.  Whew!  What a relief!  Juanita and I had spent an impatient week 'waiting' for the little guy to arrive.  He was due to show on July 20th, so he ended up being a week late.  That was a tough week, even though the stats say most babies are late.  Waiting around for babies to arrive takes huge patience and faith.

What an experience!  The birthing process is an unbelievable event!  My thoughts are that we are born out of a sort of chaos, where things can turn and twist in every moment - it forces you to practice patience, acceptance and being open to whatever happens.  In preparing for birth, Juanita and I took a course called Hypno-birthing and used extensive relaxation techniques during her labour to help channel her energy.  It worked really well and I highly recommend it.

So there he is - a few photos for you.  He is beautiful and we love him.  Nothing compares to holding your child.  And for me, having Dylan has greatly deepened my love and amazement for my wife.

Namaste,

Michael