The List - overarching principles

The following is a list of items I want little George to know and believe:

1. The love story of Jesus; how he relentlessly pursues us and how he is at the right hand of the father with our names on his lips, interceding for us. His love cannot be earned and his grace is overflowing. 

2. His name means farmer or earth worker; he should know the value of hard work and that nothing worthwhile comes easy. Also, his middle name is shared with his father and represents a great man who wrestled with God and lead the Israel nation.

3. His mother should be cherished; she is  a Godly women who is loving, kind, selfless, and we are so blessed to have her.

4. It's okay to be different; his father was not one to stray from the mainstream in his early years which led to regrets in his later years. Don't be afraid to try new things or go out of your comfort zone. You will never experience all of the adventure and wonders in this world if you don't take the first step. Leaders lead, not follow.

5. You're daddy will always love you, no matter what; he will know this by my relentless pursuit of him. I don't want a day to go by that he doesn't hear his dad tell him he loves him. I want to be his best friend, his mentor, and confidant. Most of all, I want to disciple him in the ways of Christ.

This is the beginning of my journey and the list above I will hold close to my heart. Of course there are many other things I hope to teach George, but these items seem like a logical and meaningful starting point to me. 

Welcome - Procreation Puzzlement

Holy crap I'm gonna be a dad in (estimated) 136 days.  I know I will have a son because I saw his (above average sized) little winky on the ultrasound.  I also know what his name will be because (my wife and) I will give it to him.  That, unfortunately, is all that I know.  My wealth of fatherly knowledge is summed up in 3 sentences and one of those is an estimate (the only fact is the above average size). 

Welcome to The Daddy Do List blog where you can experience first hand the goals, worries, victories and defeats of a first-time dad as he attempts to raise a functioning and contributing member of society.  I will probably post logistical items throughout this journey (i.e., what strollers we buy, what diapers are best, the best way to avoid being peed on), but my goal for this blog is to document the values I want to pass on to this boy and how exactly I intend to do that. 

I want to be clear that I am completely and utterly overwhelmed with the amount of things for which I feel a need to plan.  I really have no idea what is in store for me.  Friends have told me that having a child shows you how selfish you are and that is frightening because I'm already a selfish jerk in some respects.  All I can do is my best, but I feel that this blog will be a way for me to focus on the important things while documenting the journey.

In closing I would like to recall one of my favorite John Prine songs related to worrying and how a formidable obstacle can be overcome with perseverance and trust:

"That's the way that the world goes round,
You're up one day, the next you're down,
It's a half an inch of water and you think you're gonna drown,
That's the way that the world goes round."

I'm pretty sure I'm in ten feet of water right now but I have no intention of drowning.  Tune in next time for the first Daddy Do List (I reserve the right to alter this list at any time) and a comprehensive update of the pregnancy to date.