Four Hours into Fatherhood

As many of you probably already know, Lila Katherine arrived today at 4:36pm. She's 21.5 inches long and weighs 8 lbs. 2 ozs. Her feet and hands are huge (not a Painter trait) and we already accepting offers for basketball or piano scholarships.

Lila is behaving just as a four hour old should. She's nursing then sleeping, sleeping then nursing. Mom is feeling great after over an hour of pushing. The epidural expressway had to be revisited during the process, but she was amazingly strong through the entire day. Thanks to Cindy Hopson, our nurse, who kept Amanda (and me) informed and calm throughout the day. Kudos to Dr. Metelka for a perfect delivery. The Family Birthing Center here at Blount Memorial is a special place. The wi-fi is a bonus and has allowed me to stay in contact with the outside world on this day.

Thanks to all the friends and family who called tweeted, texted and Facebooked today. We are truly blessed to have such great support.

As I laid bed last night anticipating today's events, I wondered what I would write. This would naturally be an emotional entry, having just witnessed one of the greatest events of my life. How would I describe how I felt when I first saw her face or when I got to hold her for the first time?

When the alarm shook me awake at 6am, the day had the feeling that we were headed on a trip. I had butterflies in my stomach, but I have a long history of not being able to sleep on Christmas Eve or getting pumped up before a big football game. Amanda and I were packing our bags to head to the airport. Abby saw luggage and immediately figured out something was up (why else would be both be up at 6am?). Little did she know it was her last day as the main event at 319 Danielle Court.

As we were driving to the hospital, my butterflies were gone. Perhaps because I realized that I didn't have to get on a plane this morning, but more importantly because I knew that Amanda and I are embarking on a journey, one that will take us to Chuck E Cheese and American Girl doll factories, to the soccer field on Saturday morning and the ballet studio on Tuesday evening. This is truly a new chapter in our lives, and Lila is the main character. I am humbled, overwhelmed, blessed, and speechless at the same moment.

I saw our good friend and jeweler, Starr Bragg, last week. She asked me how Amanda was doing and if we were ready for parenthood. I told her that we had all of our bags packed and the nursery ready and that she was the only thing missing. She responded that I needed to get use to that, because this girl would control my life for the next 25 years. After spending a little less than five hours with Lila, she has me under her spell. I would buy her a convertible BMW if she asked me to.

I commented in my last post about how excited I was to be called Dad. I've often been compared to my father. I act like him, I vote like him, I even share his middle name. But today I'm honored with a responsibility that he took on to be a role model for me and my sister. I'm a Dad, and I'll do my best to make him proud.

KP

10.13.2009