These are a few of my favorite things...

The week is halfway over, and I'm sad already, because I don't want my time with Landon to be done with so soon...I don't have to be back at work until next Wednesday though, so I still have some fun time to enjoy!

I thought it might be fun to run down some of my favorite and least favorite parts of my experience as a "stay-at-home Dad"...for those of you not interested, I have thrown in some fun pictures of the baby that we took last night, so feel free and just scroll down and smile at them. ;)

Let's start with the least favorite parts of this whole thing, as I like to get the bad stuff out of the way first...

#1 - The morning diaper...let me tell you, this is NOT a pretty picture. Let's just say we classify the "grossness" of the diapers we change, based on a very complex and scientific scale known as the "Wipe factor"...basically, the more baby wipes in play, the more gross the diaper....these morning ones are in the 10+ range, and weighing in roughly at 10-25 lbs each....well, probably not that much as he only weighs 17 lbs, but you get the idea.

#2 - The clock. It's funny because on one hand, I don't like the clock because we are so attached to it during the day...every 3 hours he needs to eat, be stimulated (either through talking, reading, playing, or any number of other ways), and he needs to sleep...so pretty much anything that I need to get done during the day (ie. shower, eat, clean, errands, etc.) all need to be done in the precious few minutes that he is asleep...needless to say, I'm improving my time management skills more and more every day (and I'm the planner in the family, so I have no idea how Michaela managed so well)!...on the other hand, I'm not exactly sure that there even is a clock anymore...I told Michaela this the other day...when you are at home with an infant, you lose all idea of time...I couldn't tell you if today was Sunday or Thursday...it's weird how it happens, but everything revolves around the little bundle of joy in your arms, and everything else (with the exception of my beautiful wife) comes in a distant second.

#3 - Guilt. As you all know, we are working on our house, getting it ready to sell. Well, I am one of those people that think that if I am home for 11 straight days, I should have quite a lot to show for it (with regards to getting the house prepared)...well, I've been home for 5 days now (including the weekend), and there isn't much to show for it...well, a healthy baby should count I think! Anyhow, it's driving me crazy that I can't do more on the house, and every day that I pass the entryway (which is torn up and ready to be tiled), I can hear it call to me...it says "Loser. You're a loser. You haven't finished me yet...you're a loser!"....so as you can see, the guilt gets to me...but I'm sure I'll manage...

Ok, enough of this negative stuff, on to the good things...

#1 - Look at any of these pictures I've posted today, and you can see the good stuff all you want! I don't think it's possible to look at his smile and not feel warmth in your heart.

#2 - Teaching. This is going to come more and more into play as he gets older, but even the small things that he can emulate now are amazing. When I change my tone of laugh, he can do the same (could just be a coincidence, but I know he's way above the curve) :) Since I've been home this week, he's already made a ton of progress with regards to holding his bottle. He seems to genuinely want to do it now, and while we don't think it's wise to just let him "have at it", I am letting him practice for short stretches...check out this picture (and keep in mind, I took this while he was on my lap)!

#3 - Learning. I am a firm believer that you are never too old to learn, and I have been learning so much about myself, Michaela, and especially being a parent. It's been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I know that the next one (whenever that is) will be just as amazing. I think this is definitely one of those situations that you just don't know how you are going to react until you are there in the thick of it, and I'm happy to report that both Michaela and I are doing fine.

#4 - Pride...yes, I have to admit...one of my favorite things is to take him out to the market, or on a doctor's visit, or basically anywhere...why? Well because people of all ages just flock to him...especially the really young and really old people (he he he)...everyone just stares and smiles and says how adorable he is...and I just nod my head and say "Thank you...and I know"...it's just a nice way to pass the time.

I could go on forever here, but I'll just leave it where we are for today. Hope you enjoyed the post and the pictures...