New Coastie – A poonami of pride

Kia ora e te whānau. Kei te pēhea koutou? How are you all holding up? It has been a difficult year for many of us. Now as the summer arrives and the New Year looms large, I hope that Santa brings everyone joy and good fortune making 2024 a magical year for all of us on our beautiful coast. 

Everything is fine with me. My research work is going at an acceptable speed and my PhD deadlines are giving me nightmares. Oh, and by the way since the last time you and I talked, I have become a father. Nau mai haere mai e te pēpi ki te ao mārama. Let us all welcome the little one to this world of light and life.

Just before writing this, I dealt with a poonami. I am sure all parents are acquainted with this phenomenon. The word is a derivative of tsunami and as we live on the coast we know all about those. There is no warning for a poonami. A poonami is always a surprise and wreaks havoc only known to sleepless parents. It breaks through the diaper barrier, then destroys the onesie, the swaddle, and the blanket. This latest one was so enormous that I had it on my t-shirt. If there was a Richter scale for poonamis, then this one was 11. How can a tiny little three and a half kilogram creature produce such copious amounts of poo? I am a father, I suck it up and deal with it. The baby being only a week old, I have become a Ninja with diaper changes. I have a system. If there were a Nobel prize for diaper change, I would get it.

People without children and prospective parents beware. I am going to become unbearable at parties. My parental hubris will patronise you every time you complain about your cold latte. I am the father, the great teacher, the protector, the hero of all heroes, the happiest person alive.

Seriously though, the joy. Oh my goodness. The joy I felt when I first saw my little girl has no bounds like our expanding universe. Our birth experience was a roller coaster. Nothing went to plan for my wife. I will discuss that in another article but I am in awe of my wife’s strength and courage. I definitely have to thank all the excellent healthcare professionals who helped us through our birthing journey. Our system is stretched and at a breaking point but these people give it their best for patient care.

Yes, this was a bit of a self-indulgent column, but there is nothing more important to me at the moment. The world just becomes a hazy background like those online Zoom meetings. I am so glad that my baby will grow up on our beautiful coast. I am sure she will make her community very proud. Her dad is already exploding with pride.