Are You Not Entertained!?

I'm sure all the parents out there understand why it's November and I haven't posted anything since August. If you're Supermom or Superdad and you don't, well good for you, give me some of whatever drug you're taking because I don't know how you do it. I have this saying I used to say to myself and, admittedly, to other members of my family (who hated it). It goes; "If it's important to you, you'll make it a priority". Which is still just as true as it ever was, except that now the list of priorities has changed and there never seems to be enough time to fit them all in.

My number one priority is ensuring the health and happiness of my amazing, intelligent, soul filling, adorable, little man. The second is building my relationship with him and spending time playing with him, and reading to him, and doing all the things I believe I have to do to be the kind of father I want to be. Although I know first hand, having been raised by a single mom, that doing these things on my own is not impossible, I don't know how I would do it without my wife - who really is Supermom. Especially because now that the little guy is old enough to really have some fun with, he's also old enough to know exactly what he doesn't want, but of course, being only seven months old, he's not old enough to communicate what he does want.

So when my amazing Kay leaves the house, and its father/son time, we get to spend our time building and destroying block towers, and dancing around the living room, and laughing at dad's funny faces. But when these things get boring, or the little man gets tired - all bets are off. You might as well throw your chips in the air because nobody is going to win this game. The games become a frantic search for something that will either entertain him, or put him to sleep - including but not limited to cradling him in my arms and swinging him from side to side, pacing from one side of the house to the other, bouncing him in my baby carrier, rubbing his tummy, giving him some food - basically anything I can think of to chill out the tiny monster and his infant roars. Inevitably, I end up like Russell Crowe in Gladiator exclaiming to myself and my child "Are you not entertained!?" as I look around at the room that fittingly looks like a roman coliseum after the completion of a war game.

Eventually, he does fall asleep, which my mom would say is a lesson in patience for me - and that time that he is asleep with his head resting on my chest feeling completely safe, is just as precious as the time we spend playing together. Or every day when I walk through the door after work and he turns and looks and smiles when he sees it's me. Or any time I hear him laugh and my heart bursts. Or when I'm away from him and I miss him so much it actually physically hurts. Being a parent is the single most amazing thing I have ever done - and I've done some really cool shit. These days, all other thrills in life are cheap compared to raising a human that I've created, whether it be through science or not - this boy is my life - and neither me nor his mother would change it for the world.