Baby News | The SamuraiMarine

On August 3, 2012

It is official… I have become my mother.

I have tried to make sure that in all the things I do as a parent, I try not to be too cliché. I remember all the saying that I heard over the years, things that my mother and father said to me and the things that I have heard other people’s parents say, and I have told myself, “I am not going to say that to my child.”

Fast-forward several years… many years, in fact, and I have found myself saying one of the most dreaded clichés of all.

Gideon was in one of his excitable moods, getting into everything and being a typical 18-month old boy. It seemed that every time we get him out of one mess, he is into another before we can even think about reacting. It was then that saw him run past with a pen in his hand.

The words came out before I could even think to stop them.

“Gideon, give me that, you are going to put your eye out.”

Suddenly I knew it had happened… I had become one of THOSE parents. The realization hit me hard, I stopped, after having grabbed the pen, of course, and put my hand on my head. In Nerd Parlance, this is called a “FacePalm”.

I never saw it coming and now I am expecting to start uttering phrases like, “Wait until your mother gets home!” or “When I was your age I never talked back to my mother.”

In reality, though, I have to laugh. I never expected that something as simple as using a phrase that I think every parent in history has used would make me suddenly feel like a “Parent”. Like someone that is simply traveling a path and fighting a fight that more people than I can count have followed before me.

Like that, I realized what my mother and father must have gone through and what it must have felt for them to say the same thing to me when I was the age my son is. Subsequently I also got a take of some of the sense of futility of saying that to a child that is still trying to get the whole walking, balance and talking thing down.

Yep… I am a parent.

But you know… I would not trade all the dirty diapers, late nights, fevers, etc… for a life without him. In my little Copernican universe, he is the center of my universe and all that I do is for him. I would not have it any other way.

My son, the lady’s man

On May 7, 2012

So as my son grows, I am noticing several new things about him each passing day. Most of these are the usual things you notice about a child. Picking up new habits, showing interest in things and wanting to know what they are. Seeing his reflection in a mirror and knowing that he is looking at himself.

Then there are the things that one does not expect from a 15 month old. Like the fact that he seems to be turning into quite the lady’s man. Or at least he is developing a strong interest in the women he sees. Maybe a little too strong an interest.

You see, this all started several months ago when I went to a friend’s house for his son’s birthday party. Naty, Gideon and Myself were invited to the party and so, well, we went. The host of this party has, in addition to the son whose party we were attending, has a daughter and at this party she was wearing a bathing suit.

I was not aware of the suit until Gideon, my THEN six-month-old son, about broke his neck to watch something going on behind me. So I turned around so that he could get a better look at whatever it was that he saw. And what he saw was Dave’s daughter in her bathing suit, and he proceeded to watch her until she was gone, and even then you could tell he wanted to follow her.

Fast forward several months to two weeks ago. We were taking Gideon on a little early evening walk around the Marketplace, a small outdoor mall near where we live, because Gids LOVES the fountain there. As we were walking around the fountain for about the thirtieth time, three girls, maybe in their late teens, if that, walking into the area where the fountain was.

Gideon, seeing them, broke his orbit around the fountain and headed right for them. He then plowed right into the middle of their little group and announced himself and looked at them all. It was like he was saying; “Hello ladies, here I am!”

The girls were all taken by his cuteness and talked to him and played to his inflated ego, and this is when he did the next thing that startled me. He walked up behind one of the girls and put his hand on her butt. If she noticed, she did not let it on… after all, he is just a baby, right?

He spent a couple minutes yammering at them and squealing here and there, with an occasional laugh thrown in for good measure. Then when it came time for them to leave, he walked up to one of the other girls, who was wearing a rather short pair of shorts, and proceeded to pat her bottom as well.

I cannot help but wonder where he get this Casanova streak. People have said, when I tell this this story, that he is growing up to be like his daddy. Not quite… my talents when it comes to the ladies have always been in need. When I was dating I was about as suave as an epileptic orangutan with hiccups.

So the consensus in our house is this. If Gids keeps up this streak, by the time he is in High School, we are going to have build some database to keep track of his girlfriends, because he is probably going to have plenty of them. He appears to be well on his way to becoming a little Casanova Heart-breaker.

In my Son’s eyes…

On March 11, 2012

Being a father has been an incredible journey for me. There is really no other way to describe the way I feel about it.

My feelings about love, commitment, priorities, finances, etc… have all changed in the last 14 months since Gideon was born. He dominates my every thought and is what I look forward to each day when I leave work for home. And until he came along, I never knew that a person could feel that kind of love for another person.

Yes… I know, or at least hope, that what I am feeling is no different than what every parent feels for their child. I understand that just because I am a new parent, that does not make me any more knowledgeable than anyone else. But I like to think that I have been granted access to a secret room and all this new information has been made available to me for the first time.

Suddenly I am part of a community… a society of parents.

One of my greatest joys right now, it seeing things through the eye of my son. Seeing things that I have become used to or dismissive of, that have taken on new meaning and new excitement to me, because now I am seeing with Gideon, for the first time, anew.

When he walks up to a flower and points at it, I see him starting to interact with the world around him. And so now I get to experience this with him… the newness of the world as he sees it. When he picks something up and holds it, it is with hands that have not held that object before, or may have but not knowing what it is or what it is called. So I try to share that with him.

He is taking in so much and processing so many new things, it does not surprise me how he wears out so easy through the course of the day, and needs to take naps. There is so much input going through that little mind, that I am certain he reaches points of overload and needs to just “shut down” for a while.

I also think I understand, now, why there is a statistical fact that people with children live a little longer than those without. I think that our own internal clock gets a reset or recharge when we are raising a child. Some of that youth or youthful thought process rubs off on us. The fact that we have an excuse to act like children in order to play with our children has a rejuvenating affect. It allows us to be kids at heart again. And maybe this is just G-d’s way of saying… “Your doing a great job… here are a few more years so you can keep up the good work.”

As always, I thank you for reading and, of course, sharing this journey with me.

Curbing our tongues

On August 30, 2011

One of the most important things that my wife and I have been trying to do, now that we have a set of little ears around the house, has been to watch our language. To pay attention to the words we use and omit the ones that might find their way into his vocabulary.

We had not even realized how much swore until we really started paying attention to it, now we are catching ourselves on a regular basis using words that our parents, at one time, would punish us for.

With this realization on our parts, we started a new program in our house, and it includes guests as well. It is called, simply, “The Pinch”. And it is starting to show some fruit.

The way it works is this. If you say anything in the way of a curse… words I cannot share here because my filter will change them into something else, then whoever hears it first and makes the connection gets to pinch, good and hard, the offender. Guests are given one warning, if they are not already aware of the game, then they are fair game if they drop any foul bombs.

Granted… at seven months, the child will probably not pick up on much right now. But we have to start on ourselves now to train each other to find other words to use. Something that I find very important.

One thing I have to laugh about with this whole adventure is that this was all explained to me once before. Years ago, my wife and I had a tape of Robin Williams: Live at the Met. In there he has a whole section about how kids pick up on language cues before we know it. I will not go into detail, but if you have a chance, and I am sure that it is out there on YouTube, listen to it. It will have you rolling.

Six Months in…

On July 24, 2011

I have been bad…

I have been so busy recently that I have not taken the time to write anything on this site, something that I need to do from time to time to share my observations with those of you that are interested in reading that which I choose to share.

This last six months has been incredible. It seems like with each day that passes, I learn something new about myself, about life, about my relationship with my wife, and, most importantly, about Gideon.

Today, Gideon is a 19 pound, 27 inch long little boy that shows nothing less than a love for learning anything and everything that he can about the world around him. He watches everything and you can see that he is trying to figure it out. Not just looking at things to look at them, he wants to know why things are what they are.

Watching him experience the world, by itself, is a pure joy. Living vicariously through his little eyes, I am learning to see wonder in life again. Wonder in things that I have started taking for granted, in my old age. When I see him look at something that he has not seen before, and I see his eye turn into saucers as he takes it all in, suddenly I see it anew as well.

Things as simple as our dogs running through the house excites his curiosity and interest. And there is nothing more fun than watching him pay attention to them and reaching for them as they run past him.

He has done to me what all the exercising and vitamins I have taken in my life cannot, and that is make me feel young again. Through him, I am learning to enjoy life and to appreciate little things that I had started to just not pay attention to anymore.

My life, because of this new little life, has taken on new meaning and new direction. No longer am I doing what I do for me, I am doing for the life of Gideon. So that he will have something the look forward to as he grows older. It is no longer a case of my doing what I want for my wife and I, it is a case of my doing what is best for Gideon, and the considerations of my wife and I are now secondary to that. And while at one time I would have had a problem with that, now I am perfectly fine with this. It just seems and feels perfectly natural.

Lastly… I see a new need to live a better life, myself.

My Father passed away as a result of cancer when he was only 53 years old, granted, he did lead a rough life and was a very old 53 (if you were to have met him, you would think he was older.) But the fact is that when he passed away, 53 was still considered young.

I do not lead the life that he did… I rarely drink, I do not smoke and I would like to think I have a pretty happy life, in spite of myself. But I do have other vices that I need to change, which I will not bore you with. But suffice it to say that I need to change my way of living around a bit to ensure that I will be here for Gideon for years and years to come.

As always… thank you for reading this.

Countdown to Fatherhood – T-Plus three weeks…

On January 30, 2011

To all those that have been reading this series… I am truly sorry that I did not post this earlier. Most of you already know this information, but there are a few that do not follow me on Facebook, so this is for all of you.

littlepicweb

On January 17th, 2011, our son was born.

Name: Gideon Samuel Wright

Weight: 8lbs 13oz.

I cannot tell you the joy I felt when I first heard his crying over the din of the operating room, or the sense of pure wonder when our doctor raised the child up and showed my wife and I this little miracle that we created together. This little person that is the product of mine and her love for one another.

As I write this, I hear this little bit of life in the other room crying as my wife changes his diapers. Something that has become our primary hobby these days, and probably will be for some time to come.

I would like to thank all of you, my readers, that have commented to me on this, both publicly and privately. All those who have shared their wishes with me and personal experiences.

I can honestly say that the adventure is just beginning.

Countdown to Fatherhood – T-Minus 1 week

On January 9, 2011

I have gone back and corrected the dates, as the decision was made to deliver the baby on the 17th of this month, as opposed the the original date.

This will be the last installment of this series, and I hope that those of you who have taken the time to visit my site and read them, have enjoyed these and shared some of your own experiences with me. One thing that I have learned through this is that there seems to be no end to the kindness of those that have gone through what I have and the help that they are all willing to provide. It is as though a kind of unity or community exists among those who are expecting and those who have children.

In this last installment, I think I will just touch on dreams and plans. Those things that all parents think about when they have kids on the way, that I always laughed about when I saw others do it, and now am laughing at myself for doing the same.

To say that I have grand aspirations for this child is an understatement. I seriously doubt that there are many parents or would-be-parents, that sit back and say, “I want my child to grow up to be a world class douche-bag.”, though I may be wrong… who knows.

We all hope that our kids grow up to be doctors, scientists, inventors, etc. While there are exceptions, many don’t achieve this dream (whether it be their dream or that of their parents is not important.) But that does not mean that we, as the parents love them any less or think anything less of them.

I think the hardest part for me to accept, when the time comes, will be when my wife and I are no longer the center of our child’s universe. When that time comes that they stop being YOUR little girl or little boy, and discover everything that the world has to offer. This is but a natural part of life, and something everyone goes through.

I write this now, weeks before I meet this child, yet I already want to share everything I am with it. Not so much to make it what I never was, as someone recently suggested, but to share my love of just KNOWING. Knowing about the world, asking questions, learning why things work, how things break, all these things that we seem to take for granted as adults, but through the eyes of a child, we can live through again. To become a child again in their eyes and live vicariously through them to experience the wonder.

I have been taking great joy in sharing the pregnancy with my wife, and yes, we are sharing it. People laugh at me and make little jokes when I say that, but you do share this experience. I may not be experiencing all the pain and feelings that she is feeling, but that does not make my part any less. All the worries, excitement, joy of feeling that first kick against her belly as the baby begins to fire up those muscles. Those experiences are both of ours.

I hope, in the fullness of time, when this child is older, that they read this blog, and see what I have written. Every bit of this is for him or her as much as it is for me to get these feelings out in print. I have no idea what the personality of this child will be, I have no way to predict the paths that they will have open to them or the choices that they will take. But I think that between my wife and I, and all the people that we have surrounded ourselves with that will offer a positive and creative environment for him or her, that this child has every chance in the world of being a great person. Maybe not famous, rich or popular, but in the areas that it matters, a great person.

To you… my readers. I thank you so very much for coming with me on these first steps to our adventure. I have enjoyed sharing this with you. I may not know who many of you are, but I hope that you have enjoyed reading my journey through the last 10 weeks of our pregnancy. The most exciting part of the journey is just about to begin for us.

In closing, I am reminded of a line by Jawaharlal Nehru…

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”

Countdown to Fatherhood – T-Minus 3 weeks

On January 2, 2011

Part IV…. The Meaning of Life.

One of the things that keeps popping in my head through the process of getting ready to be a father is the humor in it all. Trust me, there is humor.

You see, I was brought up in a family that dwelt on the British style of humor. That comedy that borders on the ironic and dry, yet has the subtle flavor of dignified slap-stick humor. Stuff that looks at life and, no matter what the situation, makes fun of it.

Throughout the stages of acceptance and understanding, I have constantly looked at each part with a detached “WWJCD” attitude. That would stand for “What Would John Cleese Do?” For those of you who are not familiar with the name, please follow this link, or watch “A Fish Called Wanda.”

I have always looked at life a little on the side of the jester. There is entirely too much seriousness in life as it is to take it seriously on a full time basis. Every now and again you need to take a moment… go to a nice quiet place and let the part of you out, a part that we all have, that is stark raving mad. You can even share that part with friends, but I will not promise that the outcome will be what you might be hoping for.

I hope that I will get to share and impart some of this philosophy with the child. I hope that as we grow together, we can entertain Naty with a re-enactment of “The Parot Sketch” or cause friends and family alike to groan with embarrassment by doing the “Silly Walk” in public together.

I would like to raise the child to understand, as I was raised, that there are many things that you need to be mature and serious about, but that there are many many more that you should look at and treat as a under-seasoned herring, and liberally sprinkle it with the salt of humor and parody.

I hope that by the time our child is 18, they can not hear the phrase “It’s just a waffer thin mint” or “…and now for something completely different.” without busting up laughing. Who will be able to hear the word “Bugger” or “Buggery” and laugh when the person using it has no clue what they are saying.

Life IS too serious. There ARE to few times, anymore, that allow us to sit back and laugh so hard that our sides hurt, and if the present administration is any sign, it is only going to get worse. So I hope that our child picks up on my feelings and types of humor and they become part of his or her id.

While I strongly suspect that this type of humor from our child may drive my Mother-in-Law over the edge, causing her to speak in tongues and generally pop a fuse, I think that it would be grand and uniquely beneficial to the little one. It may also make for several interesting Parent/Teacher meetings when the child starts going to school.

The time is getting closer, folks… While I have written these at around the T-Minus 10 weeks mark, one never knows how life is to be played out. If there is a change, and the child comes early, then I will let these articles run their course, but I will also send out a special announcement to let you all know what it is and when it was born.

Thank you for reading.

Countdown to Fatherhood – T-Minus 4 weeks

On December 26, 2010