For the longest time I thought babies were boring.
When we first learned of Jack’s imminent arrival, I even recall saying how much I looked forward to him getting old enough–as soon as possible–to be able to talk with, teach games to, and actually have some kind of interaction with.
On the other side of that purple compass is a mirror. The boy is a little taken with his own reflection. Like father, like son.
A good friend of mine, fellow near my age, became a dad a few years ago and his advice to me was to enjoy the baby period for as long as possible, and to never let up an opportunity to hold him and enjoy the infant years.
I might have scoffed a little.
My bad.
I was totally wrong. I’m digging this whole baby stage.
Why?
I have found I enjoy watching Jack grow and develop.
At first, he was just a fleshy little lump that ate and slept and fussed and didn’t fuss, but even then there was that weird miracle moment when he just takes over the soul. Then His eyes open and he begins to explore the world. And then he begins to react. Smile at the boy, he smiles back. He touches things. Grabs them. Tries to put things into his mouth.
Then he gets visibly excited when you walk into the room. I mean… how cool is that? Very cool.
And now he’s really been engaged in his toys. I was worried at first, I’ll admit. At his baby shower, and over the holidays, the boy got a lot of toys that he seemed to show little interest in. Turns out I was just being impatient. Now I have to keep a pile of toys within reach when I have the boy, and he examines and explores and plays with a whole array over the course of the day.
Each week there is something new. The something new might be so subtle no one but myself or Margaret might notice… but it’s fascinating to observe. Maybe I’m little concerned now that he’s growing up too fast. But maybe not.
All I know for sure is that he’s never been boring. I was wrong about babies. Granted, I may be a little biased (who wouldn’t?), but this is a fun kid. And the best thing yet is that I get to watch this continue to happen. And I’ll have a part in how this all happens.
Yeah, I dig this.
Cheers!
–John
