Right now (and hopefully for the rest of my life), the two most important people in my life are my wife and my 7 month old son. I cherish every moment I get to spend with them and I will never hesitate to choose them over anything else (even if it involves my freelance High School sports writing and photography work or doing stats for a High School football game). Yes, by saying NO to something I have been doing for 20 years for stats and 6 years for writing/photography, I have also given up extra money which is always nice, but playing with my baby is priceless!!!
The highlights of my work days (Monday thru Friday) are when I come home and I get to see Niko’s smile and hear him talk (nothing important, just the normal 7 month old baby jabber — but he does say mama and dada ). I get down and dirty with him in his baby jail and allow him to take full advantage of me (even if he steps on or grabs my penis). I just don’t like it when he pulls my chest hair…man that hurts!!! Then, after playtime and injuring dad is over (and eventually eating with mom), I get him ready for bedtime (which I love to do but hate watching him struggle in the crib).
So, Niko has mastered the art of rolling over and crawling. Now, he is trying to figure out how to balance himself and walk. In the baby jail, he can easily perch himself up and hang on to the top of the fence. At first, he would fall and cry. He is a quick learner and is starting to fall and either land on his butt or he uses his hand as leverage for a gentler fall. In the crib, the only soft thing is the mattress and when we put him in for naps or nighttime, he stands and falls gently but sometimes, he hits his head on the bars!! He could be super tired and practically be sleeping in my arms when I put him down but as soon as the door shuts, he is standing (he knows is he being watched because he tried to grab the camera!!! Don’t worry, I don’t run away…I am in his bedroom which is next to ours and I am watching every single move he makes. I could hear him crying and the thumps when he hits his head. Last Sunday, I put him down for a nap and after 4 times of him hitting his head (Nina heard it downstairs), I rescued him. I couldn’t stand to watch him any longer hurting himself. Again, don’t worry, Niko was fine…just a few minor bruises and scrapes (no blood and no hysterical crying by him).
I don’t want to boast about how smart Niko is (I just did), but I have a feeling he will be walking fairly soon and with that means baby proofing the house!!!
