Fatherhood

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...

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...

Today was a good day ... other than the computer dying. Patrick had a wonderful day ... playing with Mama in the morning, then church with family in the afternoon ... lunch with Grandma and Papap, then a nap while we waited for Best Buy to change out the power supply on the computer (I know, with my expertise, why pay? ... sometimes, the last thing I want to do is work on a machine in my time off) ... two hours later, they told me they couldn't do anything. I took the computer home and swapped out the video card and we are back up and running. I know ... a power supply is not a video card, but it was pretty obvious to me that there was something wrong when the video card fan and heat sink fell off. Patrick helped a bit ... distracted me while I waited. What a wonderful son. We just got back from Grandma and Papap's, playing the the tree covered back yard ... swing, sand, water fountain ... all the things a young boy would love!

Patrick enjoys water ... in a glass, in a bottle, in a sports bottle, frozen (ice pops), in a bathtub, in a toilet, in a sink, in a plastic pool, from the hose, in a regular pool, in a lake, and in the ocean. Someday, the sound of water will drive other urges, but for now it's goo enough that he simply enjoys water. Amazingly, after only four days of walking ... he had already gotten his sea legs.  Walking on the rocking deck of a boat was no issue at all. Water in a glass ... using his tongue to reach down in, with half of it down his front ... can't forget cleaning his hands in the water glass before he tries to get a drink (quite an event). Water in a bottle ... drawing from it until the nipple caves in (oh yeah, and only one type of bottle will do, we know the difference). Water in a sports bottle ... just like grandma's (he'll take hers if his is not nearby, even though it's lemonade). Frozen as an Ice Pop ... great for irritated teeth, getting us a...

In a glass, in a sports bottle ... in a large tub, in a small tub, in a sink ... in a plastic pool, in a regular pool, in the ocean ... Patrick loves water. He'll climb in, have us lift him in, now and then, fall in ... sometimes we hold him over the sink with the water running as he puts his hands in.  We'll cup some water to wash off his face as his tongue comes out to get a drink (very cute by the way).  Patrick loves water. I'm told that at the pool the other day, Jen got into the pool with him on her shoulder then walked Patrick around the pool (he was tired at the time).  He loves the water so much that he fell asleep. A few days ago, I walked into the bathroom to see Patrick sitting in the sink, facing the mirror ... two of him, playing in the water and having an amazing time. If he's put into the sink, he'll stand for a bit, but generally he enjoys sitting there playing in the water.  We showed him the water coming from the hose outside the other d...