Recent Pictures

My Favorite Part of the Day

As of right now, I actually have two favorite parts of the day. The first is in the morning when I go into Papito's room and say good morning. Usually he's already away and cooing. I yell from the door, "Buenos Dias!!!" and then he starts smiling from ear to ear with his legs and arms swaying from excitement. If he's asleep, the wake him up, he stretches, opens his eyes, and starts smiling. I pick up him and put him on the changing table and of course, he's smiling the whole time. It's as if he's saying, "it's great to be here, and I love you!" Pretty cool. My second favorite time of the day is at night when I bathe him. Bathing is our special time together. He loves the water! I wash his hair right in the sink and he closes his eyes in contentment. Then I put him in his tub (also in the sink) and he starts sucking his right thumb and smiling. I sing in Spanish all of the body parts I'm washing (different tune every night :) and then dry him off. I know it's all very simple, but it's the simple things in life that mean the most. Papito is re-teaching me this.

The Journey

I don't know what to write right now and I know that it has been a while since I wrote. I've been so touched by so many things that have happened recently. The week after the last posting, Papito was baptized. His family, including his Godparents, were there to be physically and spiritually present as a witness to his coming into the Church. Also, we pledged by our being present, to be an integral part of his life journey...of how he participates in and with God's love. Both sets of his grandparents were there as was Wife's sister. My brother and sister-in-law became Godparents to Papito. How do you capture in words the little miracles of the present moment that pass and leave wonderment in their stead? Every day offers a new opportunity to share in laughter at Papito's facial expressions or movements or new things he has learned. Every day allows me and Wife to learn how to relate to him and to each other in renewed ways...in ways that are grounded in relationality to one another. He is my son which means I am his father and the bond between us is a new living entity that did not exist before he became my son and me his father. I see my job as a father to make sure that this living entity, our relationship, is healthy, balanced, and kinetic. My prayer is that the magic of his life be in the journey, in the new present moments, and not in the expectations that are placed upon him by his parents, or even by himself. That he grows into who he already IS and that I minimize my own projected ego-needs in that process is my pledge.