Down...Set...Hug

One of the first things I would do with Noah when he first learned to sit, was say "Down...Set...Hut!" and then tackle him while he laughed with delight. I would do this over and over and watch the anticipation in his face, knowing what was coming. Eventually this evolved into as soon as I said "Down...Set",  he would frantically crawl away laughing hoping to avoid being tackled. Then of course my proudest moment came when I would say "Down...Set..." and he would tackle me! In that moment I felt slightly like Spike's crazy dad from the movie "Little Giants", nurturing a football superstar from birth.

Now, the first tough thing I taught my son, has completely backfired. Danielle taught Noah that when she says "Lay your head down" he will do exactly that on her shoulder very sweet like. Danielle thought this moment was so adorable she would say "Awww..." when he would lay his head down on her and he began to repeat this as well. (Isn't the point of having kids in the first place to teach them cool tricks?)

Well, the other day, I was playing with Noah on the floor and I said "Down....Set..." and before I got to "Hut" and could tackle him, he comes over, lays his head down on my lap and says "Awww". Apparently he has connect the word "Down" with being sweet instead of tough.

Now, as adorableof a moment as this was, it's also slightly devastating for me. It has practically given me nightmares about him being on a football field sometime in life and trying to hug his opponents at the snap of the ball instead of crushing them under his brut strength.

I suppose most parents go through this process at some point. The dad try's to toughen the boy up into a man while the mother soaks up every sweet, adorable moment she can from her little boy. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to raise a hard hearted, bully. I can't help to want to teach him to stand up for himself and to nurture and grow his since of adventure.  Whether that comes in the form of sports, hiking, pretending to be a pirate on the high seas, facing a problem head on, or talking to a girl.

I pray that I will teach him to be dangerous, be tough, take risks, and love people all at the same time.

Moments in a Year

Wow. A year. People at my job ask me all the time, "So how old is your son now?" When I say a year, they looked almost as shocked as me whenever I think about it. It's funny to me how when someone realizes how long it's been since a certain event you can tell they quickly analyze their own life since that time. Whenever Danielle and I celebrated a year of being homeowners, we looked around at our house and saw that we made that house a home (or a daycare center depending on the amount of toys in the living room at the time). We also realized we wanted more done to the house so we better get on it (ex new patio, which is a whole blog post in itself).

So as I reflect on this past year I really have to concentrate because it is beyond a blur. This past year has been a tired, nay exhausting year. Yes, we have been ridiculously blessed that since Noah was 3 months he has slept straight 11 hours almost flawlessly every night. But I work nights and then watch him all day twice a week. So basically twice a week for the past 8 or 9 months, I have gone 24-36 hours on almost no sleep. It can be kind of scary being in charge of a human being when your body is beyond sleep deprived. But in all that I never minded it because I got to spend time with my son and he got to spend time with his parents and not go to daycare (but hopefully he will soon).

This year has been full of pictures, but still not enough. Unfortunately we did not take as many pictures as we would of liked in hopes to capture the amazing ways this Mancub evolves everyday. Usually it is the first kid that parents go crazy with pictures, ours will be the second kid, sorry Noah.

Its been a year of learning. As Danielle and I constantly strive and learn to be better parents, Noah strives to reward us at every turn with the coolest gapped tooth smile any parent could ask for.

A year of teamwork. It's funny, even though sadly enough, Danielle and I have probably spent the least amount of time with each other this year as compared to our past years of marriage, I believe we trust, love, and admire the other even more. We constantly high five/fist bump each other for the smallest successes in parenting.

Most of all, its been a year of thankfulnesses . Thankfulness that God gave us strength when we had none, friends and family when we needed them, and the healthiest little Mancub.

Can't wait for the next year.

For My Dad

So I know that in a few other post I have mentioned about how everyday I gain more respect for my parents everyday that I am one. For them to raise 3 have decent boys that did not kill themselves or each other is pretty remarkable. Danielle and I were just talking the other day how we know karma is going to come back to haunt us as Noah gets older. To think about what we put our parents through and the possibility Noah will put us through the same thing.... It scares us. 

But today I am going to let you in on a little secret. I literally have the greatest dad anyone could ask for. If I am at all a speck of a good father it is because he taught me how. He ALWAYS put himself last in our family. He would in a second get out of bed to get my mom a glass of water or paint and repaint every wall in our house just to make her happy.  He is the perfect example to me of what a godly, self sacrificing, loving father should be. Whenever I have a problem, I call my mom for "housekeeping" issues, but I call my dad for wisdom. He may wear high socks, snore like a buffalo with a cold, tell cheesy jokes, and always tucks in his shirt...but he's pretty awesome. If I asked him to come to Orlando to help me, he would be here tomorrow just to spend a whole day fixing things around my house. 

My dad gets almost giddy when he thinks about Noah. The kid is not 11 months but with the way my dad talks about him,  you think he had just won the Heisman for Georgia. I can't wait for Noah to get older so my dad can take him fishing, camping, and how to work on a car.  I wasn't as close as I would've liked to be with my grandad (my dad's dad) so I want to be sure Noah never has that problem. Before Noah was born,  and we were talking about what Noah would call his grandparents, my dad said he wanted to be called Grandy, I thought it was silly at first, but hey, after all he's done for me, its the least I can do.

Saturday I posted on my Facebook and twitter (@nosheehanigans) a picture of a wheelbarrow Noah got me for Father's Day with the post "what does it say about me when this year for Fathers Day I got the same thing I got my dad last year, and I'm probably equal or even more excited than he was" I posted that with the realization that I am slowly becoming more like my dad everyday...and I'm totally ok with that.

Thanks Dad

She's Doing More Than OK

He's Got The Whole World

(Originally written Nov 11, 2011)

So about two weeks ago, I expereinced something pretty cool as a dad. Noah was chillin in his car seat right before we were about to leave to go somewhere, just smiling away. At one point he smiled at me and slowly lifted his hand out towards me, as if to give me a high five. Whenever I pressed my hand against his, he interlocked his tiny, little fingers around mine and smiled. This was cool to me because, in my mind it was kind of like him giving me a high five or saying, "I'm glad you're here".

Now this could of totally been an involuntary movement and he could of just simply wanted to play or wanted me to get him out of the car seat. But being the new parent that I am, I took it for something more. Either way it got me thinking about the significance that hands represent in our lives. Hands are used to help us express our emotion and can represent major points in our lives.

-A major checkpoint in a baby's development is when they first "find their hands" and learn to clap.
-To show approval or joy, we clap our hands at great speeches or concerts.
-When a couple is first flirting and they hold hands for the first time.
-We clasp our hands together when praying
-Throwing our hands up in the air and looking up with fist clench represents triumph (think of Will Smith in "Pursuit of Happyness" after he got the job at the end of the movie

Hands can convey messages like good job with a thumbs up, or other gestures that are not meant so positively.  Sign language allows people to communicate that otherwise couldn't. When we first brought Noah home, I remember how me and Danielle would just stare at his tiny hands wrapped around our fingers. At this moment I remember thinking that I hope Noah always finds comfort and guidance in my hands. I am sure it is what our Father God must always think too. It is a hard concept to master, but we are always safely in HIS grasp.  I know that in my life and should be seeking his hands for guidance more often.  Whether for thanks, wisdom, or even just to say "I'm glad you're here."