I’ve been planning to start this little series, and the events of the past few days have inspired me to get on it. We’ll start here:

Ready or not, you’re a Dad #1

You’re on the last leg of a two and a half week Christmas trip preparing to tux up for the wedding of one of your best friends. After spending the day before the wedding with your friend, dispensing all kinds of wisdom about how his life will forever change the next day, your wife shows up to bring you the rehearsal dinner outfit. When she gets you alone, she says, “Hey honey, you know how the doctor said it could take several months for us to get pregnant when we started trying…” [your eyes start to lose focus and you half nod to acknowledge the memory of said medical advice] “…well, it didn’t.”

Here’s another to help you get a feel for what I’m doing…

Ready or not, you’re a Dad #213

You’re standing at the toilet taking care of routine business when the boy sneaks up behind you, uses the backs of your pant-legs to pull himself up, plants the top of his head squarely against your backside (in such a position that he can watch the goings-on by looking between your legs without risking any sort of mess) and says, “Hi.”