We’re pregnant…

That’s right. Baby Barton number 3 is on its way!

You may have even seen our pregnancy announcement. The four of us, sitting together looking into the distance… curiously pondering about what lies ahead and how our lives might change when the new bundle of joy will grace us with his or her presence.

And speaking of pondering, it seems as though I’ve been doing a lot of that lately. I’ve been thinking about many things in my life. About my work. About my physical health. My mental health. My relationships, family, friends. About what I enjoy doing (what do I enjoy doing?). My direction in life. My purpose.

But the one thing that has occupied a lot of my thoughts is our pregnancy, and soon to be third bundle of joy.

What impact will a third child have on our lives? Will we have a third boy or will we have a girl? Do we really have to go through the process of choosing names we like again?

Our blog (Not So Secret Life Of Us) has served as an outlet for us to pour our thoughts out on (digital) paper constructively and thoughtfully. For us to share our lives as a family of two, three and then four in the hope that others would not only get enjoyment out of our words but also realise that they weren’t alone in the world.

I have always enjoyed writing. I excelled at English in school. Thoroughly enjoying the process around creative writing and storytelling. But not only that, I find writing from the heart and mind therapeutic. It serves as a release. A way to get the thoughts clouding ones mind out onto paper so that you can rejuvenate the mind.

It has been a long time between drinks on this blog. As in, before the pregnancy announcement, the last time I posted anything it was Winter (June to be exact).

But I kind of think I want to start writing again. I think I want to start sharing some of my thoughts as I go through this journey of discovering who I am, what I want to be, what I want to do and, as I eventually become a dad to three kids.

We could call this somewhat of a journey of self-discovery… of sorts.

So I would like to announce that I have decided to start this new chapter of writing under a new series for our Not So Secret Life Of Us blog, called Diary of Dad (or DOD for short). I even created a dodgy logo for myself!

My hope for this series is that it will act as a diary of sorts. A place for me to write my thoughts. Share my feelings and experiences. Document my journey. As I continue to grow into the role of Dad, and as I continue to discover who I am (remember when I spoke about purpose earlier).

The Diary of Dad is a place for me to write for myself. But at the same time, this is a journey that I am wanting to share with you. Because even if only one person gets something out of these words and the future words yet to be written, I can confidently say that this experiment is a success.

And while I sit here continuously staring at an endless list of baby names trying to figure out what I like (there are some awful names out there just quietly), I can honestly say that I am genuinely excited about writing for our blog again.