Originally posted on 01/20/2015:

Congrats, D2D!

Being a dad has been the greatest experience. Your little one becomes the center of your universe--you can't prevent this and shouldn't. Being a good father is instinctual and you will excel.

I remember when I announced that my wife and I were expecting and the flood of well wishes and
advice came rolling in. Some of the advice was great, and other advice was not, such as Brock Lander's,
which was essentially, do not lose your pre-baby identity and still do what you want (not verbatim).

I feel compelled, because I have always liked you as a poster, to offer a few pieces of advice that I believe
are solid--some of these you probably already know or are planning on doing.

First, take your paternity leave. Those guys that do not take their paternity leave because of "macho"
reasons are complete idiots. Your little one is only a newborn once, and they change fast. Slow down
your life as much as possible and take in all of those once in a lifetime details.

Secondly, buy a classic baby swing over one of the those new fancier ones, that look nothing like a
swing. Our little one never took a liking to the mamaroos and we have friends who have experienced
the same thing. Some do, but the classic baby swing is one of the most valuable items you can get.

Thirdly, eliminate all expendable activities that cause stress or cause you to take your attention
elsewhere. Obv not talking about work here, but for us gamblers, I strongly recommend taking a break from gambling
and watching sports, poker, and casino visits. We want to win, we have compulsive tendencies, especially if things
go south and it's only a few clicks on the internet until we're back in the game. It's better to go cold turkey for a
period until things normalize.

A part of this point is that while everyone told me that I was going to be sleep deprived, actually being sleep to the point
that you are hard pressed to remember what normal sleep is like, is not something that you can prepare for. It takes its
toll and for a period, you will be something different than your normal self. Of course, this also puts a strain on the relationship. All things considered, for me, taking a break from gambling and sports was necessary and not even that much of a sacrifice--focus shifted to the new center of the universe and gambling and sports became Pluto. Hopefully your little one will do a better job of sleeping through the night than ours.

Finally, the one activity that I recommend you pick up, if you aren't already doing it, is going to a gym. The gym has always
been a key in my life, keeping me strong mentally and physically, which I believe gives me an edge in putting obstacles in their proper context--letting a lot of silly relationship stuff roll off my back easier.

There's obviously a lot more that can be offered--don't put the diapers on too tight, pacifiers are okay, despite the new school criticisms towards them--this coming from my wife and her aunt, who are essentially doctors, and a few other tips and tricks.