Beachin

All next week we'll be at the beach!




Have a great holiday everyone. Cheers.

Soul Patrol!

Were Taylor's cries of Soul Patrol an attempt at assembling a Soul Patrol or spontaneous "I feel the music" I can't hold back "I'm the Soul Patrol!" outbursts. Was it a call to action, an exclamation or Tourettes?

At any rate, I didn't like Joe Cocker the first time.

Throw the ball!

We had a Dads' picnic for our local Gay Dads’ group on Saturday and I found myself playing softball with some of the kids and you know I really didn't like it so much. I predict though that I will have lots of ball tossing in my future. Knowing my luck E will be a jock and I’m going to have to sit through countless games and practices and feign enthusiasm. I think one of the advantages to being a gay dad though is that E is free to be pretty much whatever he wants. We were trying to think of what the worst possible, most shocking thing he could do and all we could come up with was Republican.

It's better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period.

We’re frantically packing and organizing to get our house ready for the market. Having a toddler around certainly complicates matters. Plus he’s let’s just say “active” for his age. Being a new parent I really have no basis of comparison but other one-year-old’s at the park certainly seem a lot slower than E.

Complicating matters we have a week long vacation out of town coming up. Plus I had jury duty this week and I got a sinus infection. Cue the violins. I felt the sickness hitting me as I waited in the jurors’ lounge. On the bright side what attorney would pick the red-faced sweaty guy to be on his or her jury panel.

It really seems like I’ve gotten sick more often since the little guy has been around. I don’t know if it’s because I just have so much that I have to do and I notice it more or if I truly am getting sick more often. Ah well I’m on the mend now. The pressure is starting to let loose.

Be well.

positive thinking

You know I can actually tell that I've been a parent too long because I find myself thinking all these encouraging thoughts for random passers-by. Internal monologue: "Look whose hair is combed so well. You're walking so fast big man. Picking up trash! Aren't you a good boy. That's a pretty skirt you've got on young lady!"

I guess there are worse mental spaces to occupy though. I'm afraid I'm going to slip one day though and try to motivate a friend "You're driving so well!"

Happy birthday little turtle

Happy Birthday E! You're one today!

The day that I first held you will probably be the best day of my life. You were such a tiny little thing and I was so nervous, afraid that I was going to hurt you. One of the nannies handed you over to me and she was confident and I think a little amused at my fear. So you looked up at me and grinned that mischievous little smile and my heart grew like the grinch at xmas.

I’ve watched you learn to crawl, take your first bite of peas, take your first step, laugh when I tickle you, hug you when you were sick all night, and chased you around a playground.

I don’t know what happens next but I know you’ve made me a better person and I’ll do my best to protect you, care for you and love you.

Dad

We’d been looking for a house for about the past 2 years. You know the drill, scanning the real estate ads, and going to open houses… It was sort of a hobby for my partner. I’d catch him late at night at the laptop clicking away at the homes database.

Well it finally paid off last weekend. We bid on a house and won! My head is still reeling from the numbers and the paperwork. The DC market is so extreme in prices and competition. It’s not like our first house hunt at least. In one war we were competing against 10 other offers. (We lost.) This house only had a couple other bids.

The next two months will be insane as we now have to get our current house ready to sell. It’s all still sinking in. I’ve had this hammock dream for a while and when I stepped onto that screened in back porch and saw my hammock strung up, it was love. I know as those future late nights packing are staring at me I’ll need to retreat to that perfect summer afternoon with the birds singing, bugs hopping, book in hand and the perfect nap. Aaaaaah.