This was the scene at my house this Christmas. My brother sits feeding three-and-a-half month old Lauren while pregnant wife looks on critiquing every move. Oh, that’s mean, you say. Well, it’s true, ladies (sorry if you’re a dooce, I mean dude, reading this).

When we fall in love with our significant others, it’s all about the romance and the stars in our eyes. Most of us have never seen our men interact with babies until that crucial moment when our pride and joy enters our new world. We wonder what kind of effect this tiny creature will have on the person we think we know so well. Will this Diet Coke-guzzling, can’t remember to take the trash out, and sitting on the couch potato watching TV in his pajama pants male actually be able to change his ways and help me change blow out diapers, soothe her to sleep after four colic-y screaming hours, and still have time to love me like the honeymoon never ended? I cannot believe how long that run-on sentence was. Sorry, I’ll try to make them shorter.

I was pretty ignorant about the whole pregnancy. I read one pregnancy book the entire time, and I took regular vitamins instead of prenatal vitamins. I was the moodiest, grumpiest person I never hope to be again. I was worried because Rancito didn’t seem all that interested in the baby. He kept saying, “I will be when she’s here.” I thought, “You sound like you’re going to study for a big test at the last second, not like you’re going to be a dad for the first time. Where is your enthusiasm?” Rancito hated the parenting classes I made him attend. He wouldn’t dress the fake doll and made fun of the other dads in class who couldn’t dress the fake doll. I think he just went for the free cookies. It was like he knew in his mind that he had this daddy thing down even though he had about two hours experience tops with newborn children.

Well, Lauren finally arrived last September 9th. I was concentrating more on getting this kicking, evil crotch pain and swollen feet causing thing out than I was on how we were going to do as new parents. Well, it was all over once I saw those pink lips. I had a C-section around 9:30 that night after fourteen hours of trying to labor a baby trying to go ear first down the chute. Rancito and I slept about two minutes that whole night because we were so excited. I was in the hospital for five days and that man never left my side except to go buy some real food for me to eat. He held Lauren in his arms like she was the greatest gift known to man. He helped me take my first shower in the shoebox-sized hospital bathroom. He helped me get out of bed and he helped me get dressed. It was then that I knew I could rely on this man to be the best dad he could be and that should I ever get old and sick, he would be there to do things for me that I could not. I am proud to not only be his wife, but also his best friend.

So to my brother, Chad, and sister-in-law, Michelle, I pray for you and this new baby boy coming in May. You have no idea what you are in for.