I am going to be a daddy!

[TomatoesInTheHead]

Congrats!

As for the walkthrough: Choose your own adventure!

[Baron]

Sleep & peace are WAYYYYY overrated anyway.  Welcome to the team!

[Haddas]

Congratulations. If you had become a parent when these forums started the kid would be what, 11 years old now? Time flies pretty fast! I wish you all the best with your kid

[Grim]

I became a father myself 13 months ago and also felt that bizzare need to post here about it... Sort of made me feel better for sharing it with the AGS crowd;)

  My advice to you would be this:

I'm not gonna lie to you- it's very hard at first... People will always tell you that it's the most amazing experience and it's ever so wonderful to be a parent... and yeah, it is when you see your baby smile and you hold it in  your arms when it goes to sleep and you see all these special little things it does that nobody else does...

    But there are also times when they cry for hours for no reason. There are times when you are so tired you feel like nothing that'd ever happened has prepared you for that. There are times you worry there's something wrong with them, because they don't want to eat or drink, or look a bit strange, or you think the neighbours will turn up on your doorstep because they can't stand the noise anymore... and there are times, well, most of the time really, when you've only had two hours sleep and you know you have to get ready for work in a minute...when your legs feel like they're made of lead and your head is all messed up...

  It gets better, though. You learn how to cope with the crying, and the nappies, and the neighbours. You notice your baby does something unexpected, like all of a sudden making a noise that sounds like "Guybrush Threepwood" And then they smile and laugh and man, that's awesome when they do that:)

  I spent a lot of time holding my son, as it seemed in the first few months it was the only position he would tolerate and then shut up for a while. I figured that while I had him resting on my left arm, all comfortable, wrapped in a blanket, I could still play adventure games, because most of the time they only require one hand to play:) So I played a lot of Ben Jordan. I am so grateful to Grundislav for Ben Jordan games especially, because as stupid as it sounds, they helped me get through a difficult time. It took my mind of things. I wasn't being a bad parent for diverting my attention for a while, I think, but it eased me in into this new chapter of my life, when games can only be played every now an then because of all the responsibilities and all the work you have to do as a parent. Thanks again, Grundi:)

Get yourself some good adventure games and keep them handy- you can only admire your baby for so long at 3 am when it wants to be awake and held by you. There is nothing wrong with a bit of cheating. (well, unless you check Ben Jordan's walkthrough frequently )  I think it's important to remember that this is only a phase and it passes, as everything else. Only people who are baby-crazy enjoy all of it. People who shit out babies for breakfast, you know the type surely- 35 years old mothers who have planned what their babies names will be at the age of 5, they get  mental about this kind of stuff. Normal people get tired and fed up, no matter how much they love their children. It doesn't make you a bad parent if you feel like that.

  To sum it all up, I will quote (from memory) what Bill Murrey said in lost In Translation. His words have always stuck with me somehow... Near the end of the film he says (about children) that:" they grow up to be the most delightful people you will ever meet".  13 months in, I already know he was right.
 

[m0ds]

Congratumalations Joey! All the best. I hope to see their adventure game sub-sites in years to come 

[Igor Hardy]

Congratulations! May this be the beginning of your greatest adventure yet!

[Dualnames]

quoting lost in translation...and ben jordan, wow, that's a totally amazing post to read.

[Joseph DiPerla]

Thanks guys for your congratulations and walkthroughs. lol

[theo]

Having fresh hands on experience with my now almost two weeks old daughter I can do nothing but congratulate you and say that you are clearly in for one hell of a ride.  Already these two weeks have contained more wondrous tears, joy, laughter, and general emotional madness than my entire previous life in total, and this escalation of emotion is showing no signs of stopping.

Fortunately routine is starting to kick in now so I'm actually finding the time to spend a couple of minutes each day on TJD. Something I didn't expect to be able to do in the least the first couple of months. Hopefully she keeps playing it this cool. I somehow doubt it though. But for the sake of positive vibrations, let's just say she will.  8)

Heed the advice. Take this chance to get real close to your wife. Your free time together will soon go up in smoke. Also, if you're into beer and/or wine, drink a lot of it now, because once the baby comes everyone is going to give you grief every single time you pour a glass. Infants and alcohol happy parents don't mix 'n match.

Anyhow, congratulations! Here's wishing your wife a comfortable pregnancy and your kid a healthy start to his or her little life.   

[Erenoth02]

Thats wonderful congratulations, hope you have many happy years.

[Joseph DiPerla]

Thank you guys! 

[d999]

Congrats!

As for the walkthrough: Choose your own adventure!

Congratulations Mama and Papa to be !
   I had three and the first one I had (Samantha) I felt like I was baby-sitting for the 1st month or two and then one day I felt like a Mommy, all of a sudden!
    Some babies actually keep on schedule and some don't. I tried to feed all of my children on the schedule but they changed that pretty quick. They eat when they want to and as much as they want to , not whenand what the doctor wants them to.
     Just remember, Mom and Dad, sit back, hold hands and just take a deep breath and look at what God has created with your co-mingled genes. That is the greatest thing you will see besides the 1st smile , giggle , laugh , step , word and other things that will stay with you the rest of your lives.
     Enjoy your belly growing and your shopping for all the tiny clothes. Oh Joy ! Oh Rapture !
                                                                                                                                                        d999

[Joseph DiPerla]

Thanks D! I will remember that.


We are excited right now. We find out what sex it will be on July 28th. This Thursday, my wife Gilda will be 18 weeks pregnant. We were shocked at first and also in Denial. But now we are happy. We are still scared about raising the child. I just hope we can be good parents and provide for him/her and give him/her emotional support that it needs.

We already registered at Target and Babies R Us, so we got most of that stuff squared away. Once we find out the sex, we will finish the registry and paint its room. After the baby showers, the furniture gets put together and then we wait. Oh Boy!

[Grundislav]

Congratulations, Joseph!  I'm sure you and your wife will make great parents.