The Other Baby Shower

OK, it's not just water, but let me have some delusions. This article gives a whole new meaning to baby shower ... no cakes or presents this time. Although, for all the times when fatherhood seemed challenging, this just makes me laugh.

Patrick was less than an hour old ... one of the nurses was changing him when felt something warm on my chest. He managed to pee on me when I was standing over five feet away!

The nurses were kind enough to offer towels (although there was little odor at the time) and I did manage to get cleaned up.

Since he's been home, we get the random "fountain" that is more humorous than anything else ... and most often, these fountains are for my benefit.

It all started with one of his amazing smiles as I was changing his diaper ... something I'm not totally adverse to anymore. As soon as the diaper was lifted off ... so, the flow began. After several soakings, I've learned to watch for that smile ... with the diaper prepped to be slammed back in place.

Then, I've noticed he watches for me while his mother is giving him a bath ... and it's the fountain again (although it's harder for him to hit me with the distance and angle).

He just managed one today, almost straight up in the air ... with enough volume to soak his backside from his head to his toes. I cleaned the changing pad while Mama dunked him in the bathtub.

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Painful Bits

Yesterday was a long work day ... I would have said a long day at work, but I was there, headed home, then had to return in the evening to work with the evening shift. I got home early in the afternoon and basically did nothing. I tried to nap ... to no avail. When Jen got home with Patrick, I basically had time to eat dinner, then head out the door again. The truly painful part was Patrick and Jen standing on the front porch ... with Patrick screaming, reaching for me as I drove off. I heard his screams until I well out of sight. According to Jen, as soon as he realized I was not coming back right away, he stopped yelling ... turned around and started playing with the doorbell and the screen door. His discomfort lasted significantly less than mine did ... I was ready to head home for hours. What focus!

Getting Involved

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.

What If?

Jen and I have asked ourselves few questions along the way ... I'm sure there will be more, but here are some of the answers we have found: What if he drinks the bath water? He might feel queasy or get diarrhea if the water is soapy, but he will not have a problem with germs unless he bathes with someone else, says Philip Tierno, Ph.D., director of clinical microbiology at New York University Medical Center, in New York City, and author of The Secret Life of Germs. Wash children one at a time, and try not to let them drink the water. What if he sticks his finger into a socket? Standard household current would give a child a mild shock, similar to that from static electricity, says Liza DeWitt, M.D., a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee. The child would be startled and probably pull his hand away, but electrical skin burns can still occur. What can be more serious is not pulling away immediately, which can put him at risk of internal o...

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