Blossom Mom: June 2016

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

One In College And One In Kindergarten: A Dad's Perspective

The quality of a father can be seen in the goals, dreams and aspirations he sets not only for himself, but for his family. ~ Reed Markham

As we continue to celebrate fathers, I absolutely love sharing this story of this quintessential family man. I enjoyed his stories, posts, and pictures about his wife and daughter, and I actually squealed when I saw what was next to come for them. Enjoy!

Most people have a season in their lives where they have kids. Usually they space the kids out to be 2-3 years apart. But what do you do when your kids are 16 years apart?

When I found out I was going to be a father for the 1st time, I was 20 years old. I was in summer school, between my sophomore and junior years of college, when my girlfriend told me that she was pregnant. (I actually knew she was pregnant before she told me, but that’s a story for another time.) Although it was a life-changing surprise, I was more excited than scared or nervous. I always knew that I wanted to be a father and I knew that I wanted a few kids. It wasn’t the timing I had in mind, but I immediately got excited about being a dad. It was surreal when we went to the doctor for the 1st checkup and he announced that the baby’s due date was March 8, 2000. When the doctor asked why I was laughing so hard, I told him excitedly “That’s my 21st birthday!” It was going to be the perfect birthday present. But my sweet daughter Taylor decided that she wanted to come into the world showing me who’s the boss. She took her time and made her debut on March 10th, 2000 instead. When I got a look at this face, I forgave her.

Welcome to the world Taylor!

Taylor’s mother and I never married, but we became great co-parents. Over the years, we have always worked hard to make sure that Taylor knew that her parents love her. School, work, and other life changes have put physical distance between Taylor and me, but I always make sure that she knows her father is there for her no matter where I am and where she is.

Taylor's First Christmas

In 2008, I got married to a wonderful woman named Patrice. I was so excited to start the new chapter of being a husband. While we were dating, we knew that we didn’t want to have kids right away because we were still young (29 and 26). So we wanted a few years before we started trying. Well, sometimes the process of starting a family takes a little longer than you think it will because it’s not your plan that matters. It’s in God’s hands. So in August 2015 at the ripe old age of 36, I found out the great news that I was going to be a father again! We were expecting a child that would be born in April 2016. If you’ve been doing the math, you know that would put a whopping 16 years between children. That led me to create this meme:

Stages of change: You're happy when you find out your wife is pregnant. But then you do the math & realize... You're going to have a kid in kindergarten & college at the same time...But then you remember that kids are a blessing & you can't wait to be a dad again!

So our family was blessed with a new addition on April 17th, 2016. A boy named Dwayne Dan Morrow, III or as we call him “Trey”.

Just 2 Dwaynes Hanging Out

The main thing I can tell you about the difference between being the father of an infant and at 21 & 37 is that those sleepless nights take a much bigger toll on the body. It’s going to be a challenge to help 2 kids that have such a big age difference develop that sibling bond. But they are working on it already.

Tay and Trey

I still know that fatherhood is the greatest responsibility that I have. I was blessed to have many examples of great fathers in my life to look up to like my own father, my grandfather, and various uncles. I aspire to live up to their example in shaping the lives of my children. So to all of you fathers out there, I say take the responsibility seriously, but have fun being a father. I hope fatherhood puts a smile on your face like mine.

Dwayne Morrow, Jr. is a graduate of Tennessee State University. He has served in various community education roles over the past decade. He is the executive director of the nonprofit, Individuals Providing a Positive Presence, Inc. You can follow Dwayne on Twitter and Instagram @ddmjr79, You can follow IPPP on Twitter and Instagram @IPPP_INC If you would like to contribute to IPPP's important programs, please visit them here.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

A Present and Devoted Dad: The Real MVP

"My father didn't tell me how to live. He lived a let me watch him do it" ~ Clarence B. Kelland

At Blossom Health and Maternal Wellness, we love to celebrate mothers, but the reality is that, without dads, there would be no babies, and without babies, there would be no moms for us to celebrate. That's why, we're taking time to celebrate dads too! First up, is The MVP, Vincent Payne. His wife and I were pregnant at the same time in 2012. As a result, he and I traded war stories over Facebook and Twitter about the process. As we grew closer to our respective due dates, we were both trying to get that end of the year tax refund. They made it, we didn't. I got over it, and since then, we've shared photos and stories of our little ones on social media and have had many of the same laughs and experiences. Just when I was catching my breath as a newish mother and thinking about taking another plunge into pregnancy, I learned that the Paynes were out to win it all. They went for a full rout! Undefeated! Take a look!

New Dad Advice

I was asked about being a father, and didn't know where to begin. First of all let me say that being a father is more of a blessing than I could have ever imagined. I guess you can say I was a late bloomer, since I had my first child at the age of 34. I don't know if there's a right way to do it, but my wife and I decided to travel and get to know each other better as husband and wife, before adding children to the equation. That worked out well for us. We have no regrets.

My wife told me she was pregnant with our first child on Easter Sunday 2012. I was filled with so much excitement that I did not know what to do except smile for like half of the day. The next big moment was finding out the sex of the child. I was totally nervous. The second I found out I was having a little boy I pretty much jumped out of the building with excitement. By then, I was ready for all of the festivities, I swear between myself and my wife we had like four baby showers. Of course having so many family and friends to give us the baby showers was blessing and Lord knows we accept all blessings this way. We are so grateful for our village.

Ten Surprises of New Fatherhood

Regarding fatherhood: I have a father who was very much in my life from the second I was born. He was a great role model and SHOWED me what a father is. As long as I can remember I knew that when I became a dad, I would be a completely hands on father. I didn't want to miss a thing. First words, first step, first poo poo in the toilet, all of that! Well needless to say, I was present to catch all of "the first" with my first born. It has been wonderful!

I'm Becoming My Father And That's A Good Thing

At some point, my wife and I started the conversations of having a second child. We thought we had planned it out so perfectly. We didn't want to have two kids in diapers at the same time so once our first son was potty trained at 2, we thought we were good. We made another baby. We were so excited to add to, and likely complete, our family. At a regular doctor's visit, we got the news that we were having twins. God got jokes! We were initially stunned and overwhelmed, but it wasn't long before my wife and I realized that having twins was an extreme blessing that we wouldn't take lightly. Once again came the nervousness of finding out the sex of the twins. There couldn't have been better news to find out we were having a boy AND a girl!

I sit here now a 37 year old father of 3! I promise fatherhood makes me feel 10 years younger. At least for now. I'm sure more stressful days are yet to come. There is soooo much out there that you have to think about as parents. Schools, neighborhoods to live in, extracurricular activities, foods to give them, etc. But like anything else, having faith in God is how I face all of these challenges head on without worrying about them one bit.

I can't wait to see what the differences will be between raising our sons and our daughter.

Dads' Guide To Raising Daughters, Infancy To Adolescence

Vincent is a 37 year old native ATLien. He is a proud alum of Tennessee State University and Georgia Tech. He has lived and worked in Dallas, Detroit, Cleveland, and Winston Salem, as an architectural engineer. He has been married for 8 years and is the father of three. He has returned to Atlanta and works as a senior construction manager. He is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and in spare time, he loves spending time with his family and playing golf with his childhood and college friends.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Muhammad Ali The Legendary Father

I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world. ~Muhammad Ali

International Icon, Activist, Humanitarian, and Athlete Muhammad Ali loved life and loved children. Celebrate The Greatest through these amazing photos and videos of his children, grandchildren, and family friends.