Hello, World! We are so excited/ecstatic/overjoyed to announce that we are having a baby boy in August! 👶🏼
This has been one of the most challenging journeys of our lives. Little did we know when we first walked 👬🏼 into a fertility clinic more than 5 years ago to start the surrogacy process 🤰🏼 we were getting on one of the biggest rollercoasters 🎢 of emotions anyone can ride. But we have been both privileged and determined enough to keep going despite the many setbacks, challenges and obstacles.
And we have been blessed 🙏🏻 with family and friends who’ve been there for us with so much support and encouragement.
Soon a new adventure begins and our family becomes 3️⃣
What I’m Learning On Parental Leave 35: Baby 👶🏼 on the move. Holden’s learning to crawl FAST - which means being constantly on guard 🛡️ 💂 👀 as he roams free exploring the house 🏠 and causing lots of amazing & fun chaos 🤪
#dadlife #firsttimedad #newdad #parenting #gaydads
What I’m Learning On Parental Leave 34: Bringing your baby👶🏼 back to your hometown ⚜️ is magical…in my case, a whirlwind visit to Montreal for a high school 🏫 event that led to lots of hugs 🤗 for Holden…as we shared many memories of people and places with him. Looking forward to our next trip 🚗 to see more lovely people! ❤️
#dadlife #firsttimedad #gaydads #parenting #montreal
What I’m Learning On Parental Leave 33: FIRST ROAD TRIP! 🚗 Babe 👶🏼 is ok for an hour or two ⏰ in car seat 💺…beyond that, it quickly turns into Baby-pocalyse 💥 Now imagine 7 hours! 😱 But we finally made it to Montreal! 🙌🏻
#newdad #firsttimedad #parenting #gaydads #travelwithbaby
What I’m Learning On Parental Leave 32: Flying ✈️ with a baby 👶🏼doesn’t have to be stressful…our return flight home was awesome 😎 with way less anxiety, crying and chaos…a good sign for the future 🛬 (although we will still limit his plane rides until he’s well past the toddler stage 💼)
#dadlife #firsttimedad #newdad #parenting #gaydads
What I’m Learning On Parental Leave 31: A baby 👶🏼 can thrive on vacation! Most of my family now live in Vancouver 🌊 🏔️ and they rolled out the red carpet 👑 for Holden: getting a stroller, car seat, high chair, playpen, portable crib, toys (thanks FB marketplace!) and 3 days (and nights!) of babysitting allowing dads to also enjoy our holiday 🙌🏻 . Grateful 🙏🏻and blessed ❤️
#dadlife #firsttimedad #gaydads #travelwithbaby #newdad
What I’m Learning On Parental Leave 30: Never Say Never…I promised myself I would *never* *ever* take a baby 👶🏼 on a plane ✈️ because of too much stress & anxiety…and then I did. Watch what happened!
#dadlife #firsttimedad #travelwithbaby #flyingwithbaby #parenting
What I’m Learning On Parental Leave 29: Mission Impossible?!?As baby 👶🏼 gets older, changing his clothes 👕 becomes like wrestling w greasy crocodile 🐊
#dadlife #firsttimedad #newdad #parenting #gaydads
What I’m Learning On Parental Leave 28: Laundry 🧺 duties for a babe 👶🏼 are intense: washing drying separating folding & STORAGE (not including your own clothes which can get stained often if you aren’t careful) Who knew domestication was so much work??? 😂
#dadlife #firsttimedad #parenting #newdad #gaydads
What I’m Learning On Parental Leave 27:
OPERATION PLAYPEN! A babe 👶🏼 starting to crawl 🚼 means it’s all hands on deck ‼️ to protect him, but also plants 🪴 candles 🕯️ furniture 🪑 etc from the exploratory rampage…it comes in very handy but ⚠️ only for *occasional use* cause you want to give him as much free reign as possible 🙌🏻
#dadlife #firsttimedad #newdad #parenting #gaydads
