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.