Bonding with my Son

I really can't believe the last time I blogged was in September. Things have been ridiculously hectic these last few months, but I have now found time during the holidays to both bond with my family and post a new blog.

I raised a concern with Danielle this morning; it went something like, "Danielle, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I feel as though I'm not in many photos with Milan." To be quite frank, I'm convinced that out of the thousand photos we have of our son, I'm maybe in a dozen of them. Her response you ask? She immediately went upstairs, grabbed the camera gear and took a few shots. The above photo was the result of my observation :)

I catch myself staring at Milan, mesmerized by the hope; by the innocence; and well, by how darn cute he is. He's growing quickly and becoming more active and aware of his surroundings. He loves bouncing, smiling, reaching out to grab objects (he's got impressive hand-eye coordination for such a young lad), endless chatter and chewing on Daddy's fingers with his two new teeth.

We have also started feeding Milan rice cereal (pablum). As you can see from the shot above, he's still learning to keep it all in his mouth. This has become a nightly routine, but I have not had the opportunity to feed him myself. I've got a lot of confidence I'll be able to handle it though. If I was able to find my groove with the baths, diaper changes, clothing and children's songs; I'll be able to develop my new skillsets to keep up with my boy :)

It's fantastic that I've been able to spend a good chunk of time out of the office during the holidays. I get the chance to see my son everyday; sit on the floor and play with him during tummy time; read "My First Christmas" to him over and over and over again; put him down for naps; watch NCAA basketball with him and coach him on the intricacies of a 2-1-2 full-court press; and watch him bounce for endless hours in his jolly jumper.

I know every parent feels this way, but I gotta say it. What a phenomenal child we have...the love and bond continues to strengthen and is something we'll cherish forever.

That's it for now, but since I likely won't be back on prior to the new year, I'd like to wish everyone a very happy, safe and prosperous 2009.