Wednesday, July 6, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | Life with Colin: 2 months and countingBy MICHAEL BOYLAN It has been nine weeks since my wife gave birth to our son, Colin, and despite being more tired than Tom Bergerons jokes on Dancing with the Stars, we are very proud and very happy parents. We now find joy in the littlest things. He coos, we coo back. He looks up and laughs at a ceiling fan and we laugh right along with him, figuring he must know something we dont. In fact, I am starting to believe that all babies possess the secrets to the universe and it is only after we start feeding them sugar and turning on the television that they begin to forget what they know. It took a little while to get used to the baby and the fact that our lives were forever changed. Tears were shed by all in those first few days but eventually Sabine and I started enjoying the baby and our new lives as parents. There is nothing like the sense of accomplishment of having a baby fall asleep on your shoulder, and both Sabine and I seek out the other for high-fives when we get it to happen. We also got to celebrate our first Mothers Day and Fathers Day this year and though Colin is too young to make gifts out of dried macaroni, we got the impression that he was very grateful for all we do. Heck, all it takes is one toothless smile from him and we just melt. If he keeps it up, hell probably have a car by the time he reaches middle school. Now that we are old pros, we have started taking him places and he has responded by being very well-behaved. He has enjoyed his first Braves game, a victory over the Orioles, and he has attended three movies at the drive-in. He can never stay awake through the whole thing but then again he cant see the screen or understand what the characters are saying. This is a good thing when you consider his first movie was Revenge of the Sith which featured some of the silliest dialogue in cinema history. About a week ago Sabine and I encountered our first run-in with a baby-crazy lady. We were out shopping and the lady ran over to us, cooing in Colins face and trying to get a smile. We heard her whole story about how much she wanted grandchildren but had been disappointed so far. We were rendered speechless but Colin summed it all up with an exasperated sigh after the lady left. I guess that run-in made up for no stranger rubbing Sabines belly when she was pregnant. In the past few weeks we have started dressing him up in the thousands of clothes he will likely only wear once and typically each outfit requires a new picture to be taken. Im sure that if we have another child we wont be as photo-crazy as we are with Colin. I believe we have a slide show of every first for him so far, including the first time he spit up on Daddy. If only 3-D technology were available to the layman. In the two months since he arrived, Colin has grown five inches and gained over six pounds, which is amazing considering how much the little guy puts out in a day. Everyone will also be pleased to know that I am no Cro-Magnon father. I wake up with him at night and make the necessary changes and since Sabine has returned to work part-time Ive been staying with him in the mornings. Thats right. Alone. It isnt as scary as it sounded when the idea was first broached and with each successful bottle feeding and journey out into the world, my confidence increases. It kills me when he does cry, though. In fact, when Im out and I hear another kid cry I get that same horrible feeling and want to rush over and help comfort him or her. Of course, you cant do that these days without looking like a complete weirdo. Fatherhood is an interesting experience and Im sure it will only get more interesting once he is up running around and talking back. For now, I will just appreciate the smiles and virtual silence in the house. Sabine is just waiting for the day when he can hug her back and while I am waiting for that as well, I cant wait for that first game of catch. I promise I wont brag on my kid again until he is at least a year old. My next column: Aerobicizing with my inner female. |
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