Daddy Dave.

Probably one of the most important blogs I’ll ever write: the realism of becoming a dad.

It’s exciting, scary, beautiful, but then not at all the trajectory of feelings and thoughts I imagined it would be.

The cliche of it being a rollercoaster ride is an apt description; even though the ride for us hasn’t even really started yet. We’re only just walking into the theme park, thinking about jumping right in.

Well, jumping in I/we absolutely shall be.

How do you prepare yourself for your life to be beautifully turned upside down, and then some, by the impending arrival of a little mini-me entering your world?

It’s a question I’ve been asking myself since finding out that’s our future, and baby Callaghan is now en-route.

The near nine months have felt like a mere nine minutes. That’s not me being dramatic either; I asked a doctor and they said that’s an accurate assessment of the speed of pregnancy. It might have been Doctor Dre, and in a rap song, but I’m accepting that as a medical and factual answer.

At times it’s been difficult yet amazing, all consuming yet the the only focus we needed to have. We’re going to be parents, little old Kel and I; two star crossed lovers who started off by catching each other’s gaze across the sweaty, sticky hot mess that was Worcester Uni’s Dive Bar.

Yes, Dive Bar by name, Dive Bar by nature.

From university to travelling the world, setting up shop in different countries, working together, living together, numerous holidays, a couple houses, a lion for a dog, and now a child. Some journey, that. And yet, right now is where our biggest journey starts.

What will our baby look like? (Yes, we all hope Kel). Will they sleep well, eat right, put on weight, be happy and healthy? But more so, we will be the best we can be for them? This paragraph might sound like words of worry (well it is), but all natural questions to be internalising as we get closer to D Day.

A few hundred words won’t capture everything I want to touch upon. How could it — we have a lifetime of responsibility and setting the right path for our kid in front of us. If I said everything in a few hundreds words, there would be no one more concerned about the welfare of my child than me.

The fear of the unknown is huge. But it’s also very exciting. I mean, who the hell wants to know what exactly is going to happen in the future? That’s why it’s the future; to keep us on our toes, keep us guessing, and enable us to be swift enough to dodge out the way of baby shit.

It’s one of the biggest challenges anyone will face, but boy, what a challenge it is. I’m sure any fears I currently have will soon be washed away once they’re here and smiling up at us. The only other immediate fear over the next couple of years will then be to ensure they don’t copy their dad’s accent too much. Or trainer collection. But I’m in charge of that, oopsie.

It’s something I’ve always wanted but always been scared by the thought of. I know even writing pre-baby, I’ll re-read this again in a couple years and shake my head in embarrassment and laughter, knowing I had absolutely no idea what was in store, as it was better than anything I could have worried about or imagined.

I mean, what is there to worry about really? They’ve got a brute for a dad who would go to war on a school playground, and a beautiful mom who would pick up said dad once he’s been reprimanded by the Headteacher for causing a riot. With six year olds. There were no other parents at the scene.

At least it would be a story to tell on their 18th birthday though, right?