Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/140745
Dadvice B101.5's "CHRIS & DEE IN THE MORNINGS" CHRIS CENTORE Back to the Cradle... Do you remember the day you found out you were going to be a dad for the first time? If you have more than one child, do you remember the second or third time? Was there anything more exciting and scary as what was going to happen next? I know, I know, so many questions to begin this month. Well, for some reason this Father's Day, I went into recall mode and was thinking of those two awesome days and will admit it wasn't like anything you see in the movies or on TV. When we found out Young NC was on the way, I didn't realize how much things were going to change or how immediately things would change. Suddenly it was planning, stopping and preparing from that wonderful November day. My wife and I were driving home from spending Thanksgiving in Boston when she had an urge for McD's French fries, something she had never asked for. Most people would realize this is a sure sign "something" was up and, since we were planning on a baby, I should have seen it. Well, this guy apparently had to be knocked upside the head with a stick to realize what was going on — yep it was time. Now I thought it would be like going back to school in the fall; a few days of easy classes, a weekend, then in a couple of weeks the work really starts. Reality check. It started right then and there. When Little A decided to become part of our family, it was more of a surprise, but this time I was able to figure it out on my own. Instead of French fries it was a bottle of wine, specifically an unopened bottle of wine I noticed in our kitchen. The reason it struck me as odd was that it was unopened for a couple of days. Like a lot of us, we enjoy an adult beverage (I abhor that term by the way) on occasion. We work hard and like to relax after doing what we do. Well anyway, after my wife got home from work and the bottle remained corked, I became curious and asked why. Before she had a chance to respond, the bell in my head went ding and with a panicked look blurted out, "You're pregnant!" She smiled, nodded and I was again scared to death. We had one little boy who was not even two and it was going to happen again. "There's no way I can do this," I thought. How am I going to do all those things that...and then it struck me, "Holy cow I'm going to be a dad again." It's been an adventure and I wouldn't trade a day or moment of the past seven plus years. These guys bring me so much pride and joy along with frustration. I'll wrap this up by telling you that as I sit here watching them play in the yard and write this, they both came over and decided to give me a hug, one of those moments where you say to yourself, "This is awesome." I hope you're having a great summer and that the cicadas didn't make you crazy and your family gets to have a nice vacation together. 36 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • July 2013