I'm alive! I am A-L-I-V-E! It's been a while, a long while since my last post. I had a few drafts saved in the vault, but none of them ever got finished. Why you ask? Well let me tell you. My Littleman not only became mobile, started cutting teeth, talking, and runs into things with the aggression of a NHL enforcer, but he can now actually play. *Cheers Loudly* He's not boring anymore! Babies are for moms, but toddlers are for dads. All of those days lamenting over the fact he couldn't do anything that was fun, and being more and more convinced him and his mother were plotting against me has now been redeemed in the sweet sweet interaction know as "play." It's been over a year since the last post and my what a year it has been. So what types of play does my kiddo like? I'm glad you asked curious reader. He loves to wrestle around on the floor and jump on/off of me onto something else or visa versa. He loves being tickled and attacked and if I haven't fulfilled the quota of appropriate tickles he will grab my hand and place it on his belly, say "more, MORE!" or a more diabolical thing he will do is use reverse psychology and say "all done" to which I am expected to reply with "Daddy says when we're all done" and he squeals with joy. He likes playing with his toys and coloring and putting coins in his Batman piggy bank, and a whole lot more.
This whole play thing has made the difficulty of those early months pretty worth it. Being a father and being a husband and a father at the same time has been a pretty challenging transformation. It's been like trying to balance on a tight rope with a jenga tower in each hand. For me I was just getting used to being a husband just 2 1/2 years into marriage and then the planned curve ball of our Littleman showed up in spectacular screaming and poopy fashion changing the game. It's fascinating how learning to be a father has been trying and then blending being a father and a husband together has been an additional challenge. I'll be talking about that in a future blog. But the balance was struck due in large part by my amazing wife who has taken on so many responsibilities with grace and success. But there's one problem, I got cocky. It's amazing how an improved sleep pattern and learning to actually not only love your child, but like him, can change the way you look at things and help you forget the times you almost abandoned him in the woods to be raised by wolves.
Whether it's remakes or sequels to movies we loved like Star Wars, buying products or clothes with images from shows and characters we watched from our childhood, or just reminiscing about the past there is one undeniable truth, nostalgia is a powerful force. After litteman was born there was an unspoken but very clear understanding between my wife and I and that was the idea that we might be "one and done" parents. While I actually like my kid now, I'm not disillusioned about how difficult of an infant he was. "Every first child is challenging"...this may be very true, but 'G' was a difficult baby. Not sleeping for more that 2 1/2 hours (if we were lucky) at a time until he turned 11 months old, terrible acid reflux/ colic, and crying even if we held and rocked him. He still doesn't sleep through the night and wakes up on average about 3 times. And yes we: tried that medicine, that essential oil, that home remedy, that sleep cycle, that parenting style, read that book, that blog, and cried out to God in tears in the middle of the night for relief. All that to say we weren't necessarily going to have another kid right away, or possibly ever. Where was I again? Sorry I was reliving some traumatic events there. Anyways, nostalgia, that's were I was. Nostalgia is a powerful thing. About 10 months ago I was visiting with my father and he brought up that he had found some old family videos from my childhood. One afternoon we popped a couple of VHS tapes in the VCR (feel free to google those acronyms if you're not familiar with such archaic technology) and I was whisked away down memory lane. One of the videos was of a Christmas morning and a rush of memories, thoughts, and feelings rushed into my mind. First was, man was I fat little kid, and second boy did I love growing up with a little brother. You see I'm one of four boys and growing up while we constantly fought and got on each others' nerves I loved growing up with my brothers. I remember calling my wife after watching the video with my dad and meeting her in a parking lot to talk to her about the future of our fledgling family. And it was there in front of a majestic looking Big Lots that we decided to try to have another child. I wanted my son to grow up having siblings and knowing what the bond of brotherhood was all about.
And like most things, we should be careful for what we pray for because we might just get it. Sure enough my amazing wife became pregnant and we are not 9 months and 4 days into pregnancy number two. Yeah you read that right we are now 4 days past the actual due date for baby number 2. Littleman was 11 days late so his new compatriot may be on the same sort of time table. And a phrase that continues to echo through my mind is one my Grandma always used to say and that is, "a watched pot never boils." And boy does that seem to be the case. My wife and I are about as antsy as can be and it's just amplified by all of the texts, calls, and comments face to face. "No baby yet?!" Let me pause for a moment and say, all of this communication is a sign that we are wondrously blessed with amazing people who love us and are excited to share in our new joy. But with that being said, CUT IT OUT! I mean people who see my wife face to face, see her baby bump, see the lack of a new baby in her arms or a carrier say point blank, "no baby yet?" YES, no baby yet, OF COURSE no baby yet! Just look! But I digress. This whole 'watched pot' thing is so true in parenting in general too. Whether it's a new step like walking, talking, teething, or toilet training, all parents can get impatient. This is especially true when you play the comparison game with other children in your family, friend groups, or church. I know full well, there's a TON of things I don't know when it comes to raising a kid, let alone getting ready to raise two. But I make a resolution right now not to compare my kiddos to other kids in regards to why are they're not _______ing yet or as good as so and so. I also challenge myself not to compare them to each other. I don't know what our second child is going to be like, but I know he's going to be very special! Every kid is different, every parenting experience is different, and thank God for mothers who make sure us bad dads don't screw everything.
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