In the Blink of an Eye

Yesterday, when I got home from work to relieve our nanny, Carley, John Patrick was waiting at the front door for me. It was great, because he was so excited to see me. I picked him up and he smiled and patted me on the shoulder as I carried him into the den, which I absolutely love.

What was really cool was that Carley had taught John Patrick a new trick. As I was holding him, she said, "blink, J.P.," and he did. I was amazed. Then I said, "blink, J.P.," and he did it again. I laughed and laughed.

Mouseketeer

Last night, John Patrick walked around our bed and opened the drawer in Jude's nightstand. He pulled out a catnip-filled mouse, held it in his hand, then walked away with it, saying "eek, eek, eek." I couldn't believe it. According to Jude, he learned the sound a mouse makes from one of his books. Wow.

Father's Day 2009

What a great Father's Day I had today!

Jude joined John Patrick and me on our ritual Sunday morning walk to Bongo Java for breakfast and coffee. After I got my coffee, we sat outside and fed him in the stroller, watching the cyclists and runners passing by on Belmont Boulevard. One of the absolute best things about living in the city is having so many restaurants, coffee shops or bars within walking distance of our house.

Jude's parents arrived about 10:30 a.m. and went to church at St. Patrick's with us. We rolled the dice and sat downstairs, in the sanctuary, for the service. John Patrick was on his best behavior and, as a result, we made it through the entire service without having to take him outside. I was sitting on the end of our row and he did get a little frustrated when I wouldn't let him walk up the aisle, by himself, during the service. I almost let him go, just to see where he would go and what he would do, but thought better of it.

After church, we had lunch at our house and watched the U.S. Open on television. Lots and lots of rain in New York, so it looks like they're going to be playing golf at Bethpage Black tomorrow (Monday). Later, I zipped into Green Hills to run some errands, returning home in time to put John Patrick down for his afternoon nap.

Tonight, for Father's Day, Jude and I went to dinner and a movie. First, we had dinner at Rosario's in Edgehill. After dinner, we went to see "Hangover" at the Green Hills movie theatre. Good movie, funny at times, but not great. It was nice to have a night out together.

Really, just about a perfect Father's Day for me. I can't ask for anymore than I already have. As I sat in church this morning, I looked at my wife and son, smiled to myself, and realized how truly blessed I am.

On the Inside, Looking Out

Mirror

Friday evening, Jude, John Patrick and I packed up and headed to Mirror on 12th Avenue, in our neighborhood, for dinner. We arrived relatively early, which was nice, because John Patrick was able to walk around the restaurant without disturbing anyone. He was excited to see Stephanie, who bartends at Mirror. He has excellent taste in bartenders even at a young age, because she's probably the best bartender in Nashville. We sat close to the bar, so he could wave to her and watch her work.

Jude's parents were on the way into town from Knoxville and they were able to join us for dinner. While they ate, John Patrick insisted on walking up and down the stairs leading out to the patio seating area. He did great and it was fun to have him out and about. On the way home, we stopped by Hal and Kim's house. They were having people over and we visited for a few minutes, spending most of our time admiring their amazing back yard.

My son will be 15 months old a week from today. Sometimes I feel like time is passing by so quickly, I just want put the brakes on and slow it down.

Give Me a Sign

Over the weekend, we noticed John Patrick had learned the sign for "more." Our nanny, Carley, taught him to touch the fingers on both of his hands together, in front of his chest, if he wants more of something. I had heard it was possible to teach toddlers sign language, but I was skeptical until I saw it firsthand with him.

Take tonight, for example. Jude and I were in the kitchen with John Patrick, who was in his high chair, eating dinner. When he finished the strawberries on his tray, he looked up, grunted, and made the "more" sign with his hands. When we asked him, "do you want more strawberries," he made the sign again. He does that with foods he loves to eat, like strawberries.

Yesterday, our other nanny, Laura, told Jude that she read one of John Patrick's favorite books to him five times in a row. Every time she would finish, he would look up at her and make the "more" sign with his hands. We had told her to watch for it and sure enough, he made the sign for her, too. It's crazy but pretty cool, because we feel like at last, he can actually communicate with us.

Carley is working on teaching him to sign "please," so we'll see how that goes. Um, in the photo above, he's definitely not signing or saying "please." Rather, he's making the "get your hands off my goldfish crackers" face.

John Patrick, practicing his vocalization techniques. So far, he doesn't seem to have much difficulty getting himself heard.

Wagon Train

Sunday afternoon, Jude and I took John Patrick for a ride through the neighborhood in his John Deere wagon. As you can see from this photo, he enjoyed the ride.

Mobile, Agile and Hostile

For the past couple of weeks, John Patrick has been "upwardly mobile," if you get my drift. Jude and I have alternated between being excited and terrified, as we've watched our son toddle around the house like a drunken sailor, always a step or two away from falling on his face.

One evening last week, I sat on the front porch steps and watched John Patrick walk up and down our sidewalk. Jude was standing to the side, in the front yard, watching him, as well. It was so hard for me to sit there on the steps, watching him, as he stumbled every few steps. I knew he was going to fall on the concrete, sooner rather than later. However, he didn't want either one of us to hold his hand. Instead, he wanted to walk on his own. It was all I could do not to scoop him up in my arms, to make sure he wouldn't fall and hurt himself. I felt so conflicted.

Of course, he fell on the sidewalk. He cried a little bit, got on his knees, then stood up and started walking again. In a way, I felt helpless. I wanted to protect him, but I knew he needed to learn to walk on his own. Also, he needed to learn to fall down, then get up on his own, and walk again. And, I guess, I needed to learn to let him walk, fall, then walk again. I'm not sure who was learning more that evening, John Patrick or me.

As I watched John Patrick, walking, I realized what I was seeing was probably a metaphor for what my life will be like, in the future, as a parent. If my suspicions are correct, as he grows up, I'm going to have to watch him try something knew or just live life, knowing that he's going to fail at times. However, learning to fail then trying again is maybe the most valuable lesson he can learn. And, as time passes, I've got to let him learn that lesson, as painful for me as it may be.

Scrabbled!

Without a doubt, Saturday is my favorite day of the week. No work until Monday and most of the weekend left to enjoy.

This morning, after John Patrick woke us about 7 a.m., I went to Shelby Park for a run, as I do most Saturday mornings. It was a gorgeous morning - clear blue sky and a temperature in the 60s. I took advantage of the weather and ran long (10 miles) on the trails at Shelby Bottoms. I ran a couple of errands, then returned home and ate lunch on our back deck, while one of our cats - N.C. - lounged next to me in the noon sun.

Jude's mom, "Old Jane," is in town for a visit. They took John Patrick over to see Jude's grandmother, Rita White. Jude's aunt, Margaret, and her daughters, Rita and Laura, were there, as well. I think John Patrick thrilled them all as he worked to perfect his newfound skill - walking. We fed him lunch on the back deck when they arrived home, then I put him down for an afternoon nap.

While Jude took a nap upstairs, "Old Jane" and I played scrabble in the sunshine on the back deck (I really didn't leave the back deck all afternoon for any appreciable period of time). Unfortunately, I was subjected to an abbreviated version of the "victory dance," after "Old Jane" pulled out a close victory. Obviously, my trash talking throughout the game didn't help me. Ah, the agony of defeat.

Tonight, Jude and I stopped by the 40th birthday party for our friend, Jennifer Etheridge. My mom, "Older Jane," teamed up with Jude's mom, "Old Jane," to babysit John Patrick while we were gone (I can't wait to teach him to call them "Old Jane" and "Older Jane," by the way). After we returned home and ate dinner, we played a 3-way game of Scrabble. It was a dogfight (not really), but Jude won, I finished second and "Old Jane" finished last. A little revenge for me, anyway.

Walk This Way

Tonight, while I was grilling some chicken for dinner, Jude brought John Patrick out to the back deck to say goodnight before she took him upstairs for bed. She sat down with him in a chair on one corner of the deck. I was sitting on a cooler, across the deck from them. She set him down, on his feet in front of her, facing me.

John Patrick looked at me, said "Da da," then walked across the deck to me, his arms in the air above his head (for balance, I suppose) and a big grin on his face. I picked him up, held him in my arms and we both laughed. Then, I set him on the ground. He looked at Jude, said "Ma ma," and walked across the deck to her. For the next 15 or 20 minutes, he walked back and forth between us, laughing the whole time. Jude and I were amazed.

He fell a couple of times, but got up on his knees without crying and crawled over to Jude. He held on to her legs, stood up, then walked back over to me again. I was reminded of those shows on the Discovery Channel, where they show plants growing or flowers blooming with some type of time lapse photography. It was like he was growing up right before our eyes.

Watching my son take his first real steps tonight, walking first to me, then to his mother, is one of the true highlights of my life. I'll never forget it.