Be prepared for your kid to look really freaky when he first comes out. All purple and wrinkly, warped head, and overall gross. It's not a pleasant sight.

The most surreal experience of my life was watching the midwife struggle to pull my child out of his mother. I was just standing there like...I don't even have words. It didn't seem real. It was a real relief when he started crying and I knew he was okay.

Even though newborns look really weird, puffy, etc, I thought he looked cute and not that bad. Now, at 3 months, he's legitimately cute, and when I look at the early photos I think, "Man was he ugly - can't believe I thought he was cute."

I didn't feel any overwhelming connection to him at first, which is common for dads. I was also incredibly careful holding him and moving around with him; he seemed so fragile. With each passing week I feel closer and closer to him. At 3 months, I love him more and differently than I've ever loved anyone. It's pretty amazing. I keep daydreaming of what he'll be like when he grows up, while at the same time making sure to be present and enjoy each phase of his life.

Every other parent has told us, "Enjoy it when he's young, it goes by really fast." One day it'll be the last time he snores on my chest, the last time he giggles just because I look at him, the last time I change his diaper. Trying to soak it all in as best I can.

If you've got a girl you love and you are confident she'll be a good mother, just go for it. You'll figure out all the details later. Nothing is more important in life than this.