Most superhero's have their one fatal weakness. Superman had his kryptonite. Green lantern had his yellow. Chuck Norris has his . . . well, actually, weaknesses probably have their Chuck Norris! I'm not sure what Hugh's super power is yet, but last week Jess found out his super weakness. Not to say I'm worried about the kid, but it's good to find these things out early (especially once he gets bigger than me ; )
Hugh was at the park without socks on, just like his old man would have been if he wasn't in his business casual, window-limited office at the time, and was placed onto the grass feet first. (For all first time parents out there, common rule of thumb is not to place your baby into anything, say, head first, and the key word is "place.") Well, Hugh let out a scream indicating he really didn't enjoy what was happening, and stopped screaming as soon as he was picked up. Being an experimental type, my wife put him back in the grass, which led to more screaming, and calmness followed when picked back up. This was confirmed again with me in the afternoon - our baby did not get along with grass!
We tried to think of a good reason for this. Perhaps since Hugh was a winter baby he had sensitive feet from always having socks on. Maybe it was the color green. Or even the feeling of being outnumbered 200,000,000 to one. Some things we just never know. It really was not a surprise, however, that Hugh had a great time mowing with me today. If mean, if grass is your sworn nemesis, what better way to keep it under control that mindlessly chop it down. (Actually, that sounds more like a super villain!) My super hero training was enhanced by the 15+ pound Baby Bjorn on my chest, but I don't think "sweating profusely" is my super power of choice. I'm guessing Hugh will grow out of his fear of grass sometime soon, likely when he wants to play outside - and may find it again when mowing finally isn't "dad's job."
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Taking Life By the Horns
Hugh is making some pretty big advancements these weeks. Not so much compared to an adult, but definitely much better than the mass of cells he was seven months ago. He is not a huge baby, but comparing him to his little baby pictures and clothes makes him seem like a giant! He is growing and changing and I'm happy to see it - probably won't notice all these little things in years to come.
Beyond babbling, which he still does non-stop, he can now roll over in both directions. The first back-to-tummy roll came a few weeks ago, though recently it has become a good form of mobility. Yesterday after our church group meeting the guys were downstairs, Hugh being one of us, and rolled from his back to his belly. This was big news because he has not done that in a while. Then he rolled to his back in the same direction he was moving. Back to his belly again and then on to his back! He ran out of room when he hit John's shoe, but covered those four feet in less than two minutes. I might have to start running again, I don't want this fella to get away : )
The other action he's getting good at is grabbing things, and not just those things that are placed directly in his fingers. When he sees something worth grabbing (and "worth" is all quite relative), he concentrates so hard just to get his tiny fingers to it. Often with both arms outstretched, it is the only item he is fixated on and the only thing worth going for. Hopefully in future years he will go after other objectives with the same determination; heck, hopefully in future years I'll go after things with the same determination. Adorable and inspirational. Though jamming newly found objects directly into his mouth is something we'll have to work on - eternal relationships, fun times and college degrees can be serious choking hazards ; )
Beyond babbling, which he still does non-stop, he can now roll over in both directions. The first back-to-tummy roll came a few weeks ago, though recently it has become a good form of mobility. Yesterday after our church group meeting the guys were downstairs, Hugh being one of us, and rolled from his back to his belly. This was big news because he has not done that in a while. Then he rolled to his back in the same direction he was moving. Back to his belly again and then on to his back! He ran out of room when he hit John's shoe, but covered those four feet in less than two minutes. I might have to start running again, I don't want this fella to get away : )
The other action he's getting good at is grabbing things, and not just those things that are placed directly in his fingers. When he sees something worth grabbing (and "worth" is all quite relative), he concentrates so hard just to get his tiny fingers to it. Often with both arms outstretched, it is the only item he is fixated on and the only thing worth going for. Hopefully in future years he will go after other objectives with the same determination; heck, hopefully in future years I'll go after things with the same determination. Adorable and inspirational. Though jamming newly found objects directly into his mouth is something we'll have to work on - eternal relationships, fun times and college degrees can be serious choking hazards ; )
Monday, April 19, 2010
Call me daDadada
I find myself using nicknames quite a bit. "Dude" and "man" get a fair amount of play, as does "brother." "Bro" is usually reserved for my actual brother, though exceptions have been made. Wifey gets called a good amount of pet names ("honey," "muffin," "sweetie" - oddly food-related) and I call my dog "bud" or "buddy" constantly. Pardon to those actually named "Buddy," my dog is really nice.
I've always had a nickname. While I have been called "Clay" for as long as I can remember, my full name is actually "Clayton." It was my grandfather's middle name. Sounds good as a two-syllable middle name but I guess my parents and friend were anxious to shorten it down. Hey, I didn't mind the nearly 0.43% speed increase it proved during writing class either. Perhaps the downside of a perma-nickname is that I have never had a cool nickname, like "T-Bone" or "Gammy." I had to invent "coolguyclay" back in 10th grade, though it never became the self-fulfilling prophecy it could have been!
At some point in the near future I'll likely need a parental nickname. I wouldn't feel real comfortable being called "Clay" from my son, and "father" is a little too formal. "Dad," "Daddy" or "papai" (for his Brazilian side) would all be pretty good. Recently Hugh has started babbling, which of course sounds adorable, and I think he's already choosing one. My favorite is when he calls me "Dada," or, as most often is the case, "daDadadada." I'm pretty sure it is just whatever syllables he can come up with, but I like to respond after each one with, "I'm right here, Hugh." He thinks it's funny. I guess a good name never gets old : )
I've always had a nickname. While I have been called "Clay" for as long as I can remember, my full name is actually "Clayton." It was my grandfather's middle name. Sounds good as a two-syllable middle name but I guess my parents and friend were anxious to shorten it down. Hey, I didn't mind the nearly 0.43% speed increase it proved during writing class either. Perhaps the downside of a perma-nickname is that I have never had a cool nickname, like "T-Bone" or "Gammy." I had to invent "coolguyclay" back in 10th grade, though it never became the self-fulfilling prophecy it could have been!
At some point in the near future I'll likely need a parental nickname. I wouldn't feel real comfortable being called "Clay" from my son, and "father" is a little too formal. "Dad," "Daddy" or "papai" (for his Brazilian side) would all be pretty good. Recently Hugh has started babbling, which of course sounds adorable, and I think he's already choosing one. My favorite is when he calls me "Dada," or, as most often is the case, "daDadadada." I'm pretty sure it is just whatever syllables he can come up with, but I like to respond after each one with, "I'm right here, Hugh." He thinks it's funny. I guess a good name never gets old : )
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