27, married for 7 years with a 2 year old son. We might try for #2 later this fall.
I think the thing really that gets me is when he is ill (proper ill - not just a cold) - nothing can prepare you for that gut wrenching feeling.
This is SO true! My son was in the hospital for four nights when he was 15 months old because he came down with a strain of
rotavirus. We were out of town when he started acting up so we took him to the local small hospital and we nearly had to have him airlifted to a hospital back home. That was an incredibly terrifying feeling!
Thankfully he responded well enough to the IV and antibiotics that we were able to leave after five hours in the E.R. We drove straight home that night, and it's a good thing we did because the next morning we had to take him back to the E.R. where he was admitted for four nights.
It was one of the worst feelings I have ever had in my life. He has always been so active and happy, but when he had that virus he was so very lethargic. That's what scared me the most.
He was a little trooper though, and after four nights of me sleeping on a cold, hard hospital room floor (I gave my wife the pull-out), and $7000 in hospital bills, he came home no worse for the wear.
But when he calls me dad and runs to greet me - well it makes it all worth the main artery bleed on our bank account.
Spoken like a true father.
The funny thing about kids is that I think most of us have instincts that kick in immediately when we have a child. One thing I noticed was that I always felt so unsure of myself when I held an infant, but the first time I held my son it felt as though I had been doing it my entire life.
I can't imagine life without my son, and it's been an incredible journey so far. But I don't think I'll ever receive a proper night's rest again.