Fatherhood

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!

Patrick has always had a beautiful smile ... that widens dramatically when he laughs, which is quite often. Those that know him have all commented on his beautiful smile! Last night I noticed a jump in the amount of facial expressions he shows. He may have shown more expression earlier ... and, I just noticed it ... hmmm. We were sharing some Animal Crackers when I asked if he wanted more. He lifted his shoulders, giving me a big grin, and walked off. Later, sitting on a chair, I swear he gave me a flat smile ... almost like he didn't want to smile, but still felt a need to. Dancing with his mother, he gave a quirky smile as he rocked his head from side to side. These are just some of the expressions I have seen ... and recently realized I was seeing. So amazing to be a father!

Two days ago, I was getting Patrick dressed ... he was home sick and I stayed to take care of him for the day. After getting him dressed, we played. At one point, he looked like he was getting sleepy and I took him back to my bedroom and put him on the bed. What I didn't notice ... but he did ... was a clean diaper sitting in the middle of the bed. He got hold of it and started swatting at me. We both laughed. Jen loved the story as I told it to her the next morning ... what a cool way to start Mama's day! This morning, as I was getting ready for work, Patrick started playing Peek-a-Boo with me ... tilting his head in from the hall, "Peek," then back into the hall again. Over and over we played, smiles on everyone's faces. He has this incredible laugh that just reverberates ... anytime I can get him to laugh, I go for it ... There are so many things that little man does that make me smile ... the list could go on forever!

Jen and Patrick found the top to a spray bottle last night; we had purchased it with some laundry supplies. This particular one had never been put into anything; so it made a great toy. At least, he thought so ... the tight grip on it as he tried to squeeze the trigger and bright grin were pretty good indicators. After watching him work the trigger for a few minutes, I grabbed a water bottle and put the stem into the water and gave it a few squeezes. Once I figured out I had to unlock it, we got some water spraying through the nozzle. After five attempts where he sprayed himself in the face ... to his obvious delight, I showed him how to turn it around. "Spray Mama," I said ... and off he went! Then, once Mama and the floor had been doused ... several trips back and forth, she told him to "get Papa," and it was my turn to get wet. All this was accompanied by beautiful childish laughter. He even understood the "No" when he tried to spray the o...

OK, I am a father ... My son has THE PERFECT SMILE! Am I just saying that because he is my son ... maybe.  But, it is true. When he smiles, he lights up a room.  It is one of those smiles that you cannot help but notice. When he is smiling at someone, they can feel the love and happiness he feels when he is around them. When he is laughing ... the smile is accompanied by peals of the best laughter. My son has THE PERFECT SMILE. OK, I am a father ... and he is my son!

Last night, we had a continuation of a previous game. Patrick joined me as I was getting ready for bed. I leave early for work, so I am often getting ready before my wife and son. It looked like he wanted to lay down with me ... what it became was a game of "bounce on Papa." In this game, he sits up (often helped up by Jen or myself) and he then slams his head back into my chest or stomach ... Jen is often concerned for my well being, but in reality I am generally not in pain, more surprised as my ongoing laughter does not give me time to prepare for the next hit. He did get one or two good hits on my sternum ... just knocking the wind from me ... making me laugh even more.

Last night was a marathon; playing with his cousins ... running around the house, chasing and getting chased. He was also carried on shoulders, riding the big-wheel, and being pushed or pulled in the plastic red wagon ... although, not necessarily all at once. At one point, Patrick came upon Sylas playing with a jet plane toy ... he was pulling it back and letting it run forward across the room. Patrick had the presence of mind to snatch the plane (Sylas missed by inches) and run away. He headed straight for Chris (the oldest cousin) and handed the plane off which then became a good game of keep-away. Toward the end, Chris dropped to the floor and got mobbed by Patrick and Sylas ... with laughter all around. Patrick slept well last night ... as I believe all of them did! Watching them play was so much more fun ... I believe more fun than any other children I have watched in the past ... mostly because my son was so involved.

I have watched Patrick grow ... in so many ways. He is a loving child who makes friends wherever he goes. Only recently has he shown any inclination to be shy. He is curious ... even more so when he knows he has seen his mother or father do something (cooking on the stove, working with knives, ...). He loves to help ... wiping down a table or sweeping the floor (it's actually not much help, but we all love it). And, best of all (I think), he always makes us laugh ... at him and at ourselves (and our expectations). Children: Make Friends Fast ... no worries about rejection or relationships. Do Not Hold Grudges ... don't stay mad or gossip; when it's over, it is over. Are Eternally Curious ... constantly trying new things and asking questions. Are Confident ... strong self-esteem; willing to do more. Play ... for the sake of playing. Nothing more. Show Their Feelings ... the good, the bad, and the ugly. Like Getting Dirty Are Uninhibited ... in every sense of th...

As a child (and as most boys), I loved playing with Hot Wheels. Patrick loves to ride his cousin's Hot Wheels trike ... a lot like the Big Wheels I used to use, except this one has buttons that make motorcycle sounds and plays music. A few weeks ago, he got to play with some of his cousin's Hot Wheels cars ... much to his cousin's consternation. I made an effort to purchase some cars for Patrick to minimize this conflict. I have made an effort to locate Mustangs ... there are more out there than I ever remember. He loves them. We push the cars back and forth across the room for hours. These same cars are stashed all through the house and I am waiting for the day when I find one underfoot. Last night, Patrick grabbed on of his cars and came over to me after about thirty minutes of rolling the car. He backed up to me and sat in my lap. Looking up into my face, he smiled and handed the car to me. I knew what he expected ... this is a relatively new game for us. I t...

Patrick is in a good mood tonight. In particular, after drawing, sweeping, unscrewing the screws in our chairs, climbing our step-ladder, and driving the car, he wanted me to go through on of the books we have with pictures of various animals. As we went through the animals (yes, with me providing the appropriate sound effects that he tries to mimic) he got tired of standing while I lay on the couch. Indicating he wanted up, what was a father to do? So, there we were, me laying on the couch with my son sitting on my stomach (you can guess from the title where this is going) ... it only took a few minutes for me to figure out the logistics and get back to the sound effects, a bit muffled since I could not get a full breath. Then, it happened ... Patrick decided to bounce. The air pumped from my lungs, he bounced again ... I actually think he was bouncing to the rhythm of Jen's laughter. I even managed  to keep my dinner down as this went on for about ten minut...

Unable to speak yet, Patrick defines what he wants in various ways: pointing, grunting, grabbing, yelling, screaming, and recently dropping to the floor and crying or standing in front of me and bouncing with a smile on his face. Most of these behaviors are pretty clear and easy to manage. Often, he gets to play with what he wants or where he wants, barring any unsafe behavior ... on the stove top whether food is cooking or not, under the sink where we store chemicals, near the top of the stairs (unsupervised) ... you get the idea. We love that he has a variety of interests and wants to explore. It's pretty cool to watch him taking all the pots and pans from under the counter and trying to carry them to the front door ... he eventually gets tired using both arms to hold the weight and drags the pot or pan behind him ... very cool! The first few tantrums were kind of scary ... dropping to the floor, face down, and then tears that then raged into something much scarier. Rec...

Not LOUD sounds ... this article is about the gentle sounds of an infant or toddler. Before Patrick was born, I got to hear his heart beat for the first time at the doctor's office ... it stunned me. Here was a new life that Jen and I had created, developing right before us. Then, after he was born we hear a new sound while he was feeding. It can only be described as a coo of contentment. That soft gentle sound was a happy loving noise. As he developed, he started to make noises ... nothing coherent, but we all heard the Mama, Papap, Grandma, and Papas in the noises he was offering. Recently, he has been trying to mimic our noises: a rough "grrr" in his throat as we make engine sounds, "boo" when asked to say thank you. Tonight, he had us in stitches as he realized he could put his lips on his mother's arm and blow ... the constant (over several minutes) "brrappp" had us almost in tears we were laughing so hard. Of course, I had to ...

I hate to say it, but I laughed ... out loud and hard. It was one of those belly laughs that hurts later ... too many in a day and my jaw gets sore. Unfortunately, I was laughing at Patrick as he walked into a door. It had a glass pane that went floor to ceiling. He got one hand on the door and pushed, just as you would at a store (in this case a museum). Then, his head followed his hands ... little feet pushing him along. As he pulled back and his tiny hand went to his mouth, I started to laugh. He looked at me with the beginnings of crocodile tears in his eyes (yes, I was ready to pull him to me if the tears started to flow). Then, ... he laughed with his Papa. I'm pretty sure he has no idea what was so funny, but it was awesome to see him trusting me enough to let go of the pain to laugh along with me.