Bringing Up 'Rado

Thank you ladies, for commiserating with me and sharing your thoughts and experiences.  Having a baby is a game changer in so many innumerable ways.

Bath time is fun!

One of the biggest ongoing topics of discussion Z and I have regarding raising 'Rad is technology.  How do you raise a kid who's technologically savvy but who can still appreciate the outdoors, likes hiking and camping, who understands the importance of fresh air and looking up while walking down the street instead of down at the text he's sending G/F or whatever lame text abbreviation kids are using?  I understand that I can only part of this is reliant on Z and I, but thinking about the ways of the world today make it a topic worth mulling over.  For now, we try to take Connor out for a walk every day, and when it gets really warm we look forward to sitting him in the backyard so he can get dirty and maybe get some grass stains on the undersides of those soft, chubby thighs.

I'm not sure what kind of personality 'Rad will have, but he's definitely developing a sense of humor.  From what I've been told, he's a "boy's boy"; he loves getting tossed in the air, turned upside down, and generally roughhoused with, baby-style.  All of those things make him smile, and he's starting to really laugh (today's newest laugh-inducer: pretending to take a voracious bite out of something so that my teeth click together at the end).  I freakin' love it.  I'll have to capture his laugh for you, because describing it just doesn't do it justice, but I'm going to try to anyway: It starts, then it gets caught in his throat as a gasp, only to be released after a small delay, coming out louder and trickling out like little bells.  It's delicious.

Everything about him excites me.  Feeding him is fun now that solids are part of his routine (what are we going to have today?  Bananas?  Peas?  Carrots?  So many possibilities, and so simple since I don't really have to cook him anything yet).  Playing with him involves any number of activities (sitting up and playing with his toys, reading a book, tummy time and working on crawling, making him laugh, helping him develop his legs, dancing with him, singing to him, and on and on).  Even sitting on the couch is an event if I have him sitting next to me.

I really never knew that this degree of love was possible.  This picture posted on Facebook by Jessica Feltz (I have no idea who she is, but she takes good pictures) sums up everything I feel about and want for 'Rad: