Mike, one of my oldest and closest friends, is now a father. His wife gave birth to a 8 pound, 6 ounce baby girl early Tuesday morning. Mary Cunniff is the name. She’s really a cutie (sadly, no skinny head like her daddy!). Sarah and I went to visit them at the hospital on Wednesday, and it was quite an experience. Hearing their stories about the delivery and hospital stay has given us confidence as we head into our final 11 (or less) days of “two-dom.”

Mike’s a much older and wiser man than I am (he was born on Dec. 28, I joined in on Dec. 30 — same year). And he’s already filling me up with advice about fatherhood. I’m sure that will continue to be the case, seeing as he’ll always have two weeks more experience than I will have. I’ve already been cracking up at his stories of sleeping on a rug due to exhaustion and the damage caused by loose-fitting, poopy diapers (“You need to practice putting diapers on a baby,” he advised me).

Well, I just can’t wait to join in the fun. It’s going to be awesome raising our kids together throughout the rest of our lives. Here’s a pic of the proud papa with “Pretty Mary Sunlight“: