TMI Tuesday: Daddy Kisses!

A few months ago, while trying to get our son to sound out a few new words, I would pick him up and ask, “Can you say, ‘Daddy, I love you’?” While the first couple of times that I did this there wasn’t much of a reaction and maybe only a few mumbles of a baby babble but, over time, this changed. One morning before sitting him at the table for breakfast, I posed the same question and got a response I wasn’t expecting. He didn’t say anything, rather he leaned over and gave daddy a big, and very wet, kiss on the lips.

This is not something that he had done but only a couple of times previously, before this he simply did not give daddy kisses. This became almost a daily routine for us as I would ask him the same question and our son giving me the same response. Frankly, I kept hoping for the words but was completely happy with the alternative. There were even some instances when, without me saying a word, he would walk over to me in the playroom just to give me a kiss.  

What came as a surprise shortly after this all started was that I didn’t even have to be present for our son to react this way. When driving home from the office one night I asked the question hoping that he may try to sound out the words but, instead, he took hold of the phone and gave it a big kiss and giggled. Again, this has also become part of our weekday routine.

However, a couple of weeks ago the kisses stopped. Our son no longer wants to give hugs and kisses as frequently as he once did. I guess the phase has passed. As we have been told many times over, enjoy the moments when they happen. While the in person affection has slowed, our son has maintained his phone response and continues to kiss and hug the phone when asked the simple question.

In place of the physical responses, now the words are becoming a much more prevalent part of our days with some clearer than others. We still working on the same question we were before, he is now making a more concerted effort to sound it out. While this was the original impetus for my query a few months back I now find myself missing those moments when my son would give me a big kiss as if to say “of course I love you daddy.”

TMI Tuesday: Worrying About Daddy!

Every morning before my wife takes him to school, I tell my son weather I will be home that night to tuck him in or if I will be out late. On Friday, as we packed everything up and put him in the car, I told my son that I would be home at my normal time that night so that I could play with him and tuck him into bed. Well, I had every intention of keeping my word to my son. In fact, I was even on the road a little earlier than usual when the accident happened.

Shortly after leaving the office, about five miles down the road, brake lights filled the highway causing me to come to a nearly complete halt in the left lane. However, the 1986 pickup truck behind me didn’t stop in time and rear ended me at about 40-50 miles per hour. The accident was limited to our two vehicles as I had come to rest with plenty of room between me and the car in front of me. I knew in that moment that I wasn’t going to be home before bedtime.

We pulled off the highway onto the right shoulder, called the State Troopers, our insurance companies, and waited. The 18 year old kid who hit me knew that it was his fault the instant that it happened. Surprisingly, I was just happy to still be in one piece and thankful that I wasn’t driving my old Malibu. While the Jeep held up and kept me safe, the entire back end is a mess and it is doing to require significant work to both the body and the frame.

By the time everything was settled and I was back on the road (the car didn’t drive the same but it still moved) my son was in bed and worrying about daddy. As I would find out later, he kept tossing and turning until I got home and before heading to bed he kept frantically reaching for the phone wanting to check in on me. Baby was worried about me. The next morning, he wanted to spend a little extra time with daddy frequently crawling over to me to give me hugs and kisses. It took nearly the entire day before he fully calmed down knowing that daddy was okay.

While I did keep telling my son that I was okay, I remained stiff and sore throughout the weekend. On Monday, after dropping off the car to be assessed, I did go to the local Urgent Care to get checked out just in case. Two hours and two dozen x-rays later and they could find nothing wrong… at least nothing related to the accident. I still have to keep an eye on things but, for now, I am fine. However, while I am okay, given the extent of the damage, this car is done.

Regardless of whether it is repaired or totaled, the car is never going to be the same and I no longer have the confidence in its ability to hold up over time. After all, it is not just my safety that we are talking about, it has to keep my family safe. So, expect a post or two in the future about the car search and whether or not I decide to simply replace or changing things up a bit again. Of course, it could take a while before I actually get a new car as the current repair timeline is about 30 days. A lot of recovering, waiting, and looking to come.

9 Months

It may have only been a month since I last wrote a post like this but a lot has changed over that short span of time. Our little boy who once hated being on his belly now enjoys rolling around and flopping on his stomach while trying to reach for a toy. He even lunges at his mommy and daddy when he simply wants to hug or kiss one of us. Of course, that last part is sometimes a little game he likes to play when he is all cuddly and loving one minute and then just goes about playing like nothing happened. When you ask him about it he gives you a momentary smile and goes about what he was doing.

One moment in particular was last weekend when I was taking a break from organizing and all of the sudden, while sitting in the middle of a scattered field of toys, he turned to me and said “daddy”. I tried to get him to say it again but it was one of those things that just happened in the moment when he wanted to let me know that he could say it but he chooses not to say it. The weekend prior had a similar moment during the middle of the day when I was laying on the floor next to him while he was playing. Out of nowhere, he turned, leaned over, and gave his daddy about a half dozen kisses. These are just a few of the spontaneous moments that I will always remember.

There are also new routines that have emerged during the last few weeks. Cheerios have become the favorite way to conclude any meal. Not really sure if it is the taste, texture, or the independence that make them so appealing to our son. Regardless, it is fun to watch him feed himself and play with them a little while sitting in the high chair.

The other regular activity is something that he does when he thinks that no one is watching. Every time that we put him down for a nap or for the night, he spends the first 10 or 15 minutes in his crib trying to crawl. You can tell that he just wants to be more mobile and that he wants to surprise mommy and daddy because while he works on this a bit while we are playing with him it is a completely different intensity when he is all alone with mommy and daddy watching him quietly on the monitor. I guess we should expect another spontaneous moment soon.