By By Adam Prestridge
My wife Jennifer and I were blessed with the best Christmas gift anyone could ever ask for.
At 12:28 a.m. on Dec. 18, our son, Ethan Fulmer Prestridge, was born. He weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was 20 1/2-inches long.
I must say so myself, he is a handsome devil. He must have got the devil part from me because Lord knows his momma's a looker.
Anyways, when he first arrived in the world and opened his eyes, Jennifer and I both knew then he was perfect. Our mothers were in the labor and delivery room with us when their grandson was born; my mother's fourth and my wife's mother's first, to share in the special moment. We were all crying and hugging, thankful for the blessing we had received.
Besides a short stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), 16 hours to be exact, Ethan was healthy and brought back to us in our room. We've been not only amazed with his presence, but have been learning a lot over the past two weeks.
He is absolutely beautiful. Oh yea, I already said that. Now I know what people mean when they say their child is the best looking of the bunch or the smartest or the best athlete. The list goes on and on.
Now that we're home and the holidays are over, our families have left and we're home alone to learn the ropes of parenting on our own. I must say it is a task, but well worth it. The sleepless nights and crying will quickly change to the teething then the walking followed by the talking and so on. We know that we'll have to enjoy the time now because it definitely won't last long.
So for me, I'm going to head home and change a diaper or two. It's now my second job.
By the way, I know I said in a column last year when Jennifer and I found out we were expected that children aren't supposed to be viewed as tax deduction, but it's sure nice to have one come April 15. Diapers aren't cheap.
Adam Prestridge is publisher of the Atmore Advance. His column appears weekly.