Three weeks. Ish.

That’s all that stands between this moment and the moment I officially gain the moniker of “Dad.” When I gain lifetime membership to the fatherhood club.

Whoa.

Ch-ch-ch-ch Changes

My wife, Stephanie, and I could not be more excited to take on the next phase of our relationship and our lives. We’ve been happily married for two and a half years, together for six, and excited about the idea of parenthood since before we first adopted our cats, Sirf and Illy, four years ago.

Now at 36.5 weeks pregnant with a baby boy, it’s no longer a simple “idea” of parenthood. It’s a rapidly approaching reality that will forever change our lives, both as individuals and as a couple.

Sure, there are the big, obvious changes. Like the complete responsibility for another life that is 100% incapable of doing anything outside of sleeping and pooping without assistance. But there are also small changes that will dramatically alter our day-to-day lives, in ways we hadn’t fully considered until we knew the little guy was on the way.

We won’t be able to work out together at Orange Theory Fitness for a long time. We can go one at a time, but the days of rocking out side-by-side on the treadmill are in the rear view mirror for the foreseeable future. Instead, we plan to go on more walks and take advantage of the gym at our apartment complex – all three of us.

Our Tuesday movie dates at the Century Summit Sierra are a part of our history, not our future (for a while). Unless we find a pair of gun-level protection headphones in newborn size, we’re going to be making much better friends with Netflix and Redbox.

One thing that we don’t expect to change (too much) is our habit of traveling. In the womb, the little dude has already been to Boston, San Francisco, Portland, San Diego, LA, Vegas, on top of Rockefeller Center in New York, and a 3-day punk and metal music festival in Chicago. We feel it’s only fair that he get to experience a little bit of that wanderlust once he’s outside to enjoy it.

Ultimately, we know that our lives are about to change forever – that we’re about to change forever. But just because we’re becoming Mom and Dad doesn’t mean we stop being Husband and Wife. With dedication, communication, and a little bit of luck, we’re hoping that we can do both.

I think that we’re up to the challenge.