We were warned. Early and often during the pregnancy, our doctors left little doubt that one or both of the twins would spend some time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) after they were born. Ours was already a high-risk pregnancy, and with twins typically being delivered earlier than the full term of 40... Continue Reading →
Birth Day
This is all I've ever wanted. If you know me well, you knew that. And I know I can say the same for my fiancee. Caron Nasir Burton made his debut on June 15 at 12:42 p.m., weighing in at 4 pounds and 14 ounces. Austin Robinson Burton followed his twin brother at 12:43 p.m.,... Continue Reading →
Black fear in the hour of chaos
For the last seven months, this pregnancy has been defined for me by fear and dread as much as it's been defined by excitement and anticipation. Tay and I found out in November via home pregnancy test that we were expecting. From then until our appointment a few days later to confirm the results, I... Continue Reading →
‘We’re gonna need a bigger car’
I don't know how many two-income couples in their 30s are still one-car households, but that's what my fiancee and I were before yesterday. That's entirely because I didn't come into this relationship with a car. I didn't even come into this relationship with a driver's license. I know that's even more rare. It's not... Continue Reading →
Pro wrestler Shad Gaspard dies in final act of fatherhood
Sacrifice is one of the first 10 commandments of being a parent. If we're ranking by order of importance, it may be at the top of the list. Parents are called upon to sacrifice their money, their time, and in some ways their individualism for the good of their children. And sometimes, a parent is... Continue Reading →
Mother’s Day before motherhood
If my math is correct, the majority of expecting mothers will experience one Mother's Day while they are still pregnant before giving birth. My fiancee is one of the expecting mothers to fall into that group. This year, Mother's Day (May 10) came 6 or 7 weeks before our planned delivery date in June. The... Continue Reading →
Loss before gain: How to grieve during pregnancy
On a recent Sunday evening, my fiancee's mother passed away. Mrs. Robinson -- who I will sometimes refer to as my mother-in-law, since I already call my fiancee "wife" on a regular basis -- had been dealing with a series of health issues since beating breast cancer years ago. As many people have unfortunately learned... Continue Reading →
Introducing … The Podfather
This may not be the first "dad blog" you've ever read. It may not be the last one you'll ever read. And I won't be arrogant enough to believe it's the best one out there. My goal for this dad blog is simply to be entertaining, educational and interesting enough to stay in your reading... Continue Reading →