RAH's second Christmas

IMG_8481, originally uploaded by thehallspace.

RAH was excited more about the packaging, ribbons than he was about the gifts themselves. He loved helping mom wrap presents. By helping I mean he ripped the paper, twirled the tubes and pulled off all the ribbon from the roll.

But he had an awesome time. He wasn't very into the family traditions either. He wanted to wander off and watch Pingu on my mother's laptop. Its like he is already a teen who is sick of these silly adults.

babies man

I can’t get this baby to go to sleep at a reasonable time, can’t get him to eat anything regularly that isn’t pudding, fruit, animal crackers or yogurt. I can’t get him to understand that power cords are not play things. At what point do I feel like I am “parenting?”

That was the beginning  of a very fruitful FB conversation.
More to come after I finish some of this work that is looming over me. 

Rocka Boy

Rocka Boy, originally uploaded by thehallspace.

RAH and the boys

RAH and the boys, from the Flickr

While visiting the family in WV RAH jumped right in with his older cousins. He couldn't keep up with them but he was determined to try. Every time he saw them he ran over and tried to engage with them.

They were a little older and didn't have much patience for him but he didn't let that stop him. We might have a little social butterfly on our hands. I hope he never loses that fearlessness. I don't fully understand it, but I appreciate that trait in him.

A Sick and Teething RAH

I love my son, but while RAH is teething he is near impossible to deal with.

Don't let the curious and content expression fool you, he is a ball of discontentment inside right now.

Today was the 4th of July, we were out of town for the weekend and returned yesterday evening. The rain that greeted us when we woke this morning discouraged us from wanting to take RAH out to any parades. Plus RAH was in a pretty fussy mood.

RAH the rockstar

This kid is a little bit of a clown. He loves an opportunity to laugh, and getting you to laugh with him. His laugh is so infectious that it makes you happy to hear it. I am constantly in awe of how much my life has bent to the curve of his reality. I must, because he is, and he is because I am.

We have a little Rock star on our hands, and I have no idea what we are going to do about it, but I plan to rise to the occasion.

Under the bed

To set the stage, My wife and I were preparing for guests this past Saturday. She had cleaned the bedroom and moved the bed around to sweep and mop the floor in there. Later, when she was done I let the baby wander in there. Nicole was cleaning the bathroom and I was in the office.

Cabinets

He has reached his goal, torn open the cabinets and will now claim his prize

For some reason this little guy is in love with cabinets. If he isn't playing with the doors by opening and closing them, then he is forcing his way past the baby proofing measures we installed to keep him away from my glass pot lids.

12 Months Later

My first photo with my little man, May 1, 2010

12 months later, 

My son and I one year later May 1, 2011

Time is such a relative notion. For it to be so quantifiable there is a level of human perception that is key to the recognition of its passage. My son turned 1 year old on May 1^st 2011. Those 12 months have been an inexplicable montage of immersive, fluid time where things would ramp up to high speed or slow down to a delightful crawl. There were moments that I have laughed at his gleeful precociousness, or gasped at his ill-conceived attempts to harm himself. In all this I have always been filled with an inconceivable amount of deep, soul filled love for the little man I see blooming before my eyes. It has been the happiest 12 months of my life in spite of all the personal stress that I have been under with school and work. This has kind of been the best and worst times for me this year, and through all of it my son has been a shimmering beacon of light.

Year One of RAH

Year One of RAH, originally uploaded by thehallspace.

One Year has passed,
There is a much longer and reflective blog to come, but I need to get it off another computer and move it here,

A favorite

IMG_4624, originally uploaded by thehallspace.

My dad says this picture captures RAH's essence.
Its also one of my favorites.

Bath Time

IMG_4042 copy, originally uploaded by thehallspace.

Baths have become a regular occurring. Not because the little guy is dirty, because he doesn't sweat. Instead we have found that having the little man take a bath helps him calm down for bed time. It works like a charm.



Bath time consists of 5 minutes of washing the little guy down with no tears soap and then 10 minutes of him thrashing about in the water wildly like a beached manatee. After that he chews on a toy for a while and then he wants out.


All in all, its a good time for everyone, except my wife, who hovers over him the entire time as though he is planning to dunk his head under the 3 inches of water and drown himself. There is no chance of that happening, but she lives in fear of the possibility every night when bath time draws near.





I on the other hand tend to be much more permissive and allow the little guy to splash and play till his heart is content. Usually he doesn't want to be in there more than an half hour, and when he is ready to get out he raises his little arms to you and makes a noise that says hey, time to get out of the pool. These little moments are what I love about having a child, and definitely what I love about my child. There are few joys in my day that can match a little person gleefully splashing water all over the bathroom without a care in the world. He won't even remember this time in his life, but I will, and I will always look back on it fondly.

RAH Crawls

RAH Crawls, originally uploaded by thehallspace.

RAH has been crawling for a month now. Its been crazy. He gets into everything, and he is so curious and rambunctious. Its still fascinating to watch him get around. We realized how unsafe our house was, because he tried to go for everything that would maim or kill him.