Fatherhood

Last night was cool. Patrick was in a playful mood ... dumping food and drinks all over the place, sneaking toys over the back of the couch (then getting upset when I passed them back to him), and climbing over everything. He also got a family game going ... with everyone ready for bed, he had us put his shoes on, then Papa and Mama had to put on their boots. It was all very funny and exciting ... mostly watching his intensity. Then, we had to follow him ... around and around we went. Through the kitchen, into the dining room, through the family room, past the front door and into the kitchen again ... over and over, around and around ... stomping our feet in some sort of family train! Every now and then, Jen or I would fall behind and invariably, Patrick would stop to make sure that we caught back up. We played other games, as well ... but we always seemed to head back to the train ... oh, and don't forget the shoes ...

We had my parents over for dinner last night ... Patrick and Jen prepared dinner, even going as far as making brownies for desert! It was very cool watching Patrick cuddle with his Grandfather. It is always amazing to me how those two get along. It was also very cool watching Patrick and his Grandmother read a book together ... Before dinner, he got a chance to show off the cast-iron toy stove that Jen had played with as a child. This has become one of his favorite toys ... the parts certainly make a lot of noise when he tosses them across the room. At dinner, I sat next to Patrick, across from his grandparents ... their expressions as they watched him were sheer joy and a joy to watch, as well. At one point, I asked Patrick to show them the Moon and Stars in his room. He has a humidifier that lights up, projecting colored starts and a moon on the ceiling ... he loves them. He immediately headed for the stairs, and turned to his grandparents and signaled come on ... a q

This is the second night in a row that we were able to spend time and Grandma and Papap's ... Patrick enjoys it so much! We even had a rousing rendition of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with all five of us involved ... yes, Patrick is pitching in now. He runs from person to person, giving a bit to each one of us ... there is never a dull moment. Tonight, he repeated a new activity from last night. Last night, it was getting everyone involved in chasing him around the house ... tonight, we had this activity, but what we saw was that he wanted to play different games and wanted certain people involved. This is when he went to each person that needed to be involved and grabbed a finger, pulling them along. He even checked every now and then to make sure they were still following. Such an amazing child ... knows how to ensure that we sleep well.

We headed over to see Grandma and Papap after work. They had taken the time to pick up Patrick from daycare ... so cool, giving us a few quiet minutes. The silence was so amazing ... Patrick and Grandma showed us the new boots he got ... again, so cool! At one point during the night, Patrick was being chased around the house (they have a nice large circle you can run around in their house) ... by Papap. He stopped at one point and grabbed his Mama's hand and got her into the chasing. Not long after that, Grandma was pulled into the chase, as well. So there I was watching my father, mother, and wife chasing my son around the house, like some super-cool train (yes, I did get pulled into chasing hi, as well ... but at that point, I was allowed to sit back and laugh) ... we are all so well trained!

Jen had e-mailed to ask if she should take Patrick in to see the doctor. Knowing he has had a persistent cough (although not bad ... just not going away), I told her to take him ... I expected the visit to occur once she got off work. I learned that she took him much earlier than I expected ... as I got a text message from the pharmacy saying that his prescription was ready. Then, things got exciting. About an hour later, I got a call from his daycare saying he had thrown up and I had to come get him ... since I was only twenty minutes from the end of the day, I left right away. On the way, I called Jen's work and cell phones and left messages, letting her know what was going on. I called the doctor's office to determine what I was dealing with ... thankfully, nothing major. I also got the bright idea to call the pharmacy ... to find out that Jen had not picked up his medication. I stopped in on the way and got it! Then, I finally got to Patrick ... he looked fine,

I pulled out the bed from the fold-out couch tonight ... for watching the election results. I managed this while Jen was in getting his bath. I got sheets out, put a blanket on and laid out pillows for our general comfort. I even arranged the snacks and juice (drinks for the non-toddlers in the group). Surprise ... Then, we got playing as Mama went to get a clean diaper for him ... All was well ... until ... He wanted off the bed, sliding forward and looking at me for assistance ... nothing unusual, so far. I moved down next to him, getting ready to help him to the floor. Then, I could only watch as he jumped up and sprinted to the other end of the bed where he buried himself in my pillow ... laughing all the way. ... Let the games begin!