Fatherhood: Roller Coasters with Bumps and Fire

Being a dad can be a roller coaster.  Being a dad and a football coach is sometimes like a roller coaster that can be a little bumpy, a la Texas Giant (pre-remodel).  Being a dad, a football coach, and a procrastinator is like a roller coaster that's a little bumpy that is on fire.  

Tuesday morning, Jenn had to go to an inservice training all day in Dallas.  She got up at 3 and I believe left the house around 5.  

I didn't start inservice until Thursday, but had started football 2-a-days on Monday.  I came home from 2-a-days at around 11:15 and finally got to sleep around midnight or so.  

So it's Tuesday morning and my alarm goes off.  Just a normal day, right? I'm going to take Baby C to pre-school and M and I are going to work in my classroom.  

Being a smart dude, I wake myself up early and get myself ready.  Then I begin to wake up my beautiful little girls.  First, I flip M's light on and say "Good Morning!," in that annoying morning Dad way!  Then I move to the baby's room and wake her up.  

Weirdly, I am really into the routine of waking up the baby and getting her ready for her day.  I feel like I'm contributing, I guess.  I miss a lot being a coach and being gone, so what I can do I try to do.  (Sometimes I don't do a good job at that, helping out where I need to, but who bats

.1000 in this arena?)

Baby C wakes up with very little problem and I change her diaper and head to the kitchen for her breakfast.  

By this point, the "beast of overwhelming" has entered the room.  There's a lot to do and the "early" that I thought was early, already wasn't early enough!  I've got a list from Jennifer and I'm going to get this done.  

Did I mention I'm running on very little sleep? 

I feed the baby and try to hurry M in her pursuit of getting ready for the day.  If you know M, this can be a bit of a challenge. She lives life at her own pace, which most days softens my heart, because I'm at my own pace, too.  

However, today is not that day!

C's solid breakfast goes off without a hitch.  I make her a four ounce bottle and give it to her, this pacified her while I try to get everything for the day together.  Worth noting, she doesn't drink the bottle. She can just drink it in the truck on the way though. M can give it to her. 

So I load everything up in the truck, there's a ton of stuff because C is going to school and M is bringing activities to occupy herself during the day at the middle school and football practice.  

There's slight stiffness in my neck, chest, and throat.  Did I mention I had woken myself up at about 7?!?

So we head out and I've got to make some other drops after C.  

I take C to pre-school, she snuggles to me as I'm trying to hand her off, which totally melted my heart.  This being the first time I'd dropped her off anywhere since she moved in with us in May.

I jump in the truck and run up to the church to drop something off and I walk out of the church to the truck and I hit a wall. 

I'm tired, real tired, I want to go home.  But here's the dilemma, inservice isn't long and my classroom is a complete disaster.  I have some OCD tendencies involving my classroom and how it's arranged and getting it done.  

I get in the truck and decide I'm too tired and I'm going home.

We get home and as I walk passed the dining table I see C's FULL bottle.  My brain didn't slow down long enough to give her the stinkin' bottle.

  Moms are superstars.  My wife is a rock star!  She takes care of M, C, ensures that M takes care of her dog Sarah, and puts up with my overgrown childish ways.  

This evening I had to juggle changing, bathing, and bedding the baby, whilst prepping food for the dog, ensuring M wasn't afraid to go outside to let the dog go potty, feeding the dog, and getting M ready for bed.  

Being a dad is such a rewarding experience. I am not sure it's cut out for everyone, much like many things.  

In the coming days we will be adopting M and I pray that I can be all the daddy she needs me to be and more. Even in the midst of the bumpy roller coaster that's on fire!