Shots In The Middle Of The Work Day

It is always an odd feeling for me getting up in the morning on a week day and not rushing to get out of the house and on the road. Sometimes it is a holiday and the office is closed while other times it is because of weather. However, Friday was one of those days when it just made more sense for me to work from home due to an appointment right in the middle of the afternoon. Believe it or not, it was time for our son’s one year wellness check and I wasn’t going to miss this one.

As the day progressed and a surprising amount of work was accomplished, the minutes and hours seemed to evaporate. Before I had a chance to stop and assess where I was in the day, I looked up and found that I only had about 15 minutes before heading out the door. With a little bit of time left and about twice that amount of time in work remaining, somehow I managed to power through and get out the door with a couple minutes to spare. Well, that is what I thought.

On my way to the daycare to pick up our son, I couldn’t have encountered more delays if I tried. Between the slow cars (clearly not knowing where they needed to go) and hitting every red light possible, I barely made it into the classroom with enough time to grab all of his stuff from the week, turn around, and try and make up some time on our way to the doctor. Thankfully, our son was quietly watching the scenery the whole was and we did make it to the doctor on time about a minute before my wife pulled into the parking space beside us.

As we checked in and handed the woman at the front desk the forms to transfer our son’s medical record to a new doctor, our name was called. This may have been the first time that we didn’t have to wait since we first started bringing our son to this office right after he was born. While there were a few things that we specifically asked the doctor to check (and yes we actually saw the doctor this time), the great news of the appointment was that our little baby isn’t so little anymore falling within the 75^th percentile in nearly all of the usual measurements. And that is when the calmness came to an end and the needles entered the room.

While the tears began almost as soon as we laid him on the examining table, he surprisingly wanted his daddy when everything was done. By the time we left with a multitude of papers and forms in hand, our big boy had calmed down and was clearly ready to go home. With my wife taking our son home, I was able to get a few local errands done before joining them back at the house and taking the time to play with our son before his abnormally early bed time. It was a long day and an appointment we weren’t really looking forward to but it went about as well as we could have expected. Sometimes, that is the best day especially when the result is that our son is pretty darn healthy!

One Day Makes A Difference

Even as I type these words and watch them appear on the screen I still can’t believe that it has already been a year since we met our son for the first time. Our lives changed in an instant and I can still remember the feeling of shock that originally hit me when my wife’s water broke. While I was able to pull myself together, collect most of our things, and drive us down the snow dusted highway to the hospital, that daze didn’t really lift until hours later when our son grabbed my finger for comfort as the nurse cleaned him off.

There are moments from that day, and from the week for that matter, that remain a little hazy having melded together in a jumbled memory but there are also moments, good and bad, that remain clear as if they only happened an hour or two ago. That is what makes this passage of time so unbelievable. And while there have been trying moments to be sure during this first year of parenthood, I wouldn’t never want to go back to the way things used to be. Being a father, sometimes even a good father, is what I enjoy most each and every day.

It has been an interesting year full of first experiences, difficult moments, and challenging situations. It has been a calendar full of change but one that has brought us to a great place in our lives. There have been the funny moments of dodging poo and casting wee rainbows, nurturing times when our son got sick or was overwhelmed during his growth spurts, and adorable moments when he would smile, laugh, or nuzzle in our arms. And the daily joy beaming from his face, some days it is more prevalent than others, is enough to make even the most difficult days disappear.

Of course, we also find ourselves in the unique position of celebrating and mourning at the same time. While our son’s birth and my mother-in-law’s passing technically happened on the same day, this is one of the times that I insist on going by the Hebrew calendar. By doing so our son's birthday, the 26th of Sh'vat, 5775, is separated from the date on which my mother-in-law passed away, 27th of Sh'vat, 5775. Having that single day of separation makes a huge difference at times. It is interesting how faith can be comfort in the most obscure ways in addition to the guidance that it provides during times of struggle.

However, while there are no trips to grandma’s house that our son will remember about growing up, he still knows his grandma and recognizes her in pictures. It hasn’t been easy but there is a bond between the two of them that we both wanted for our children long before our baby became a reality. We didn’t plan on it happening this way but the important thing is that they are connected, our son knows his grandma, and his laugh when he sees her picture eases just a little bit of the pain from that day.

And this is just one of the many ways that our son continues to change how we look at life and the world. At times he has been our sole reason for happiness but mostly he has provided us with the love that permeates every moment of life and makes us remember that the love is what we always need to remember. Whether someone is here or not, the love remains. As I have said before, I will forever be thankful for that gift which our son has given us.

It is a complicated day, couple of days actually, but one that comes down to the most simple of statements… Happy 1^st Birthday my adorable baby boy! Mommy and daddy love you!

Party Time In Old City

I prefer a beard!

I was the last to leave the office on Thursday, turning off my computer at half past three and rushing out the door and doing my best to keep the car in the approximate vicinity of the speed limit as I made my way to the apartment. Moments after pulling into the parking lot, changing my shirt, and putting on a sport coat, my dad walked around the corner and I was once again in the car. We arrived in old city just in time to watch everyone strolling down the street to the nearest bar after a long day at the office. While I too was walking into a bar, I headed upstairs to the event room at Prime Stache to help my colleagues prepare for our party.

It seemed like it was only a few moments before our guests began to arrive (including my dad who walked around a bit so that we could prep). We all quickly dove into different conversations with the same thought running through all of our minds… we couldn’t believe that it had already been a year (a little longer for most of us). It was a night to celebrate our success and, more importantly, the hard work and long hours that we all put in to ensure that this day would come. We all took a bit of a risk joining a new venture but it never seemed like a risky move as we have remained confident in both our abilities and our leadership.

Over the past year, primarily over the last several months, I have had to learn to pull back a little from work and spend the time needed with my wife. While the night was going well, my dad and I left a bit early so that I could spend the evening with my wife. Not part of the original plan but something that needed to happen that night. There were still people coming and going when we walked back down the stairs but the drive back out of the city was much faster than it would have been later given the fact that we were driving right at the very beginning of mischief night.

Once I met up with my wife in Bryn Mawr, we settled in for a night of doing pretty much as little as possible. While we didn’t wind up going very far we did manage to entertain ourselves by watching the constant flow of police walking by with teenagers in tow. After a quick trip to Wawa (the Gobbler is back) we settled in at the apartment and rested for what was going to be a hectic end of the week for the two of us.