Having a baby! PIF

[Hirsute]

So gents, my wife and I are expecting our first child. We're due December 2, and I thought it would be fun to have a birthday PIF. Post your guess on the actual birth date--only one person per date--and I'm going to PIF a Thompson African meer banker pipe. A pic of the pipe is below.

Rules of the PIF:

1. Post your guess in the birth date. Only one name per day. In the event more than one person stakes out the same date, the PIF will go to the first person guessing that day.

2. Also post a piece of fatherhood wisdom.

3. I'll ship globally for this--just bare with me as it may take a few days after the birth to get to the post.

Here's the roundup so far:
November:
25 - WithTheGrain
26 - Freebirth
27 - mudbug
28 - Thu'umhammer
29 - cursethis
30 - roscotanna

December:
1 - Luke 49783
2 - Robster
3 - Prof. Moriarty
4 - Senshi
5 - one2mny
6 - oc_in_fw
7 - JVasky
8 - Lexbomb
9 - tlag 77
10 - milkmanv1
12 - Skip
19 - The Count of Merkur Cristo

 

[Lexbomb]

Great PIF I am a complete newbie and have never smoked a pipe in my life. I really want to get started but don't have the funds because I have a little one and it is hard in this day on a single income. Thank you and my guess is December 8th

My piece of wisdom is, money is not the route to happiness it will not make you complete. Your son/daughter does not need the newest everything, they need you! I spent the first 3 years of my sons life working my fingers to the bone for scraps just to give him everything he wanted. One day he told me that what he wanted most was for me to spend time with him. From that day I do enough to pay the bills and support my family but I know that the best advantage I can give my son is teaching him how to be a good honest person. What children need most is parents not the latest toy and 10 hours in child care because you are doing overtime to buy them the latest toy. I wish I could go back in time and ask my dad to work less and spend more time with me, but he thought he was doing the right thing and I stand by him for that.

Oh and sleep when the baby does, sleep is good you'll need it

 

[Argonaut]

Awesome pif, though I decline, I will offer some parental advice as a father of five. Ask for diapers and wipes for presents, they are ridiculously expensive and you'll run out. Get a diaper Genie, get two if you can swing it, put one in the babies room and one in the living room. Your kid will be as happy as you are, this won't be evident until later but it's true. Do the things you wish your dad would have done with you with your kid, if you have no complaints, do what your dad did.love and cherish the kid, but let him/her know the rest of the world isn't so kind. God help you if you have a girl, somewhere between 9 and 12 they turn into young women and make you a potential homicidal maniac. Most importantly,know that being a good father is the best thing you can do with your life once you have a child. I wish you and yours many happy years to come. Congratulations!

 

[Lexbomb]

If you have a daughter check out The great outdoors section of B&B they have plenty of information on guns.

 

[rxonmymind]

I'll pass on the pipe but let me congratulate you and your wife on the upcoming delivery! To your families health! Cheers!

 

[one2mny]

I say 12/5/13.

Having two boys who are both pains in the butt and the joys of my life, I will say this.... your not prepared and never will be, so save up your patience because there will be time that it will be much needed.

 

[Prof. Moriarty]

I say 3rd of December. Also what an awesome PIF
Congratulations on your upcoming addition.
I can't really give you any fatherly advise sorry.

 

[Senshi]

Thanks for such a wonderful chance for us internationals!

I'm going to say December 4th.

My father always taught me that working hard and always doing your best are what's most important. Don't think there is a right way to be a father, but as long as you teach your children what is right and are there for them, they'll turn out fine.

Once again congratulations.

 

[Robster]

Dec 2. On the money

My advice is that if one day you feel like you're not giving the kids enough love/attention you're either not or you're simply suffering a bout of "parent guilt". Finish the day, enjoy a bowl, chat with your lovely lady and work out which of those it is. (It's almost always parent guilt)

 

[tlag77]

Im gonna go Dec. 9. Give him or her all the attention they want.


Going Dec. 9th.

 

[roscotanna]

I'm going to go for the 30th of November.
I'm nowhere close to being a dad, but I will share where I think my dad and I are so successful in our father son relationship.
Be a dad, but also a best friend. there is nobody in this world is respect more than my dad and we really enjoy each others company!

congratulations, good luck, and I hope you enjoy your years as a father.
take care,
Ross

 

[cursethis]

Nov 29th

My advice? My dad told me that you should enjoy the kids while they're still young, because they become miserable once they are teens. Though they become fun again once they can drink.

In retrospect that might explain why I became much closer to my dad once I could drink.

 

[Luke49783]

Congratulations!

I'll take December 1.

My fiancee and I are still a couple of years from having kids of our own, so I can't speak from the experience of being a father. Having grown up with what I consider to be a wonderful father, however, I think the best thing our dad did for my two brothers and I was showing us the value of hard work by setting the example himself. He didn't make the most money or ever have a glamorous job, but he worked hard day in and day out, always going above and beyond what was expected of him. I think each of us learned this from seeing it. It's definitely helped each of us as we've become adults.

 

[dfoulk]

If you have a daughter check out The great outdoors section of B&B they have plenty of information on guns.

As a father of three girls I like this.

 

[dfoulk]

As far as the pipe goes I will decline but I do have some advice that may help you.

When I just became a father my wife and I were definitely overwhelmed at times, things were much different than before our first child was born. Our first daughter was a very, very difficult child and could definitely sense that we were inexperienced parents. When you combine these things with a total lack of sleep it really takes a toll on you. My wife's mother told us something that really helped, she said "relax, crying never killed a baby". It seems harsh at first but it makes total sense. Now I'm not saying to ignore your baby's cries as we definitely didn't do that. This advice just helped us to relax as parents and realize that we didn't have to be absolutely perfect at it all the time.

You prepare and learn everything you can and see what others are doing and what you think works and doesn't work, you say I'm going to do this different or that different, but unfortunately, there's no book that you can read, or advice you can get that will automatically make you a great parent, every child is different so you just learn as you go and do the best that you can. You'll do great.

The best advice I can personally give you from my experience is to enjoy this time, to make time for your family and most importantly to hold your child everyday and tell them that you love them, it doesn't matter if they are 16 days old or 16 years old, they need to hear this every single day. By doing this they will grow up with confidence and realize the importance of family.

Congratulations and best of luck to you.

 

[Thu'umhammer]

Wonderful PIF, I've always wanted to try Meerschaum. I'll guess Nov. 28. My piece of fatherly advice is to build some kind of tradition you'll both enjoy that involves spending time together in a regular fashion. It's the only surefire way to make sure you'll both make time for each other when he/she grows up and you're both a lot busier than you are now.

 

[oc_in_fw]

I'm in for Dec 6th

My advice as a grandfather- enjoy every moment. Kids grow up far too fast.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Great PIF I am a complete newbie and have never smoked a pipe in my life. I really want to get started but don't have the funds because I have a little one and it is hard in this day on a single income. Thank you and my guess is December 8th

My piece of wisdom is, money is not the route to happiness it will not make you complete. Your son/daughter does not need the newest everything, they need you! I spent the first 3 years of my sons life working my fingers to the bone for scraps just to give him everything he wanted. One day he told me that what he wanted most was for me to spend time with him. From that day I do enough to pay the bills and support my family but I know that the best advantage I can give my son is teaching him how to be a good honest person. What children need most is parents not the latest toy and 10 hours in child care because you are doing overtime to buy them the latest toy. I wish I could go back in time and ask my dad to work less and spend more time with me, but he thought he was doing the right thing and I stand by him for that.

Oh and sleep when the baby does, sleep is good you'll need it

Great post. We didn't have much growing up, but I always remember the times I went to chop wood or go fishing with my father. My fondest memory was waking up early one Saturday, stooping at a diner for breakfast, then going to the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton.

 

[mudbug]

Congrats, my wife is scheduled for a c section on Dec 3. For you, Im guessing Nov 27th.

As a father of a 2yo girl, be their hero. Someone they can talk to when they have a problem, love them when they are bad, and correct them when they are wrong.

I to suggest the gun section! I am already saving for nun school.

 

[JVasky]

I am guessing... hmm let's say Dec. 7th!

I am no father, but being an uncle for a long time and watching my niece and nephew grow up I gotta say just cherish every moment you have with them, no matter how big of a pain they are! When I look at my niece and nephew, I can't believe how fast they age. My nephew is closer and closer to becoming a man and it seems like yesterday I was holding him in my arms. I know I am not really a father to them, I am a wacky uncle (we all know one!), but to be honest their fathers are absent from their lives and I feel like I have to take on that role now, especially for my nephew. The sad thing is I am pretty sure his father won't teach him things like how to shave or how to be a gentleman so I want to step up and maybe show him the man he wants to be. I am rambling now! I guess all I am trying to say is that you're going to be their world, and they should be yours. Seems obvious but sadly not everyone can see it that way.