Dada Day

Hey all. Didn't have a chance to post on Sunday, because we were living the dream. Sunday after church we went out for lunch and Sunday night was my niece Molly's 3rd birthday party. So it was an event filled day to say the least. Nicole was asking me what were my favorite things about being a dad, so I've compiled a list.

Favs:

1. Maddox crawling on me while playing. Not sure why, but it is one of the best feelings in the world. Especially when there's no good reason for him to be crawling on you. All his toys may be on the other side of the room, but for some reason, he's got to take a route the leads right over my neck.
2. Maddox smiling when he sees me come home after work. Occasionally I'll get a squeal and an arm flap from the sheer excitement of it all. And honestly, how often does this happen to you in life? Most people (including Nicole), give me the "Oh great look" when seeing me. Or the "Look at this guy" look. Thanks for breaking the mold Max.
3. Max reaching for me to hold him.
4. Making him giggle is one of my new passions. For those that know my son, he's an easy smiler, but a hard laugher. You have to work for it if you want him to laugh. He appreciates the effort with smiles, but a giggle is hard to come by.
5. Watching him grow up. It's bitter sweet. I don't know where the time went, but I truly love seeing him accomplish even the most mundane things. Oh, he grunts when he's pooping now? I LOVE HIM!
6. Maddox kissing/biting. He's got one form of love, and that is in the form of a wet kiss-bite. Feel the teeth, feel the love.
7. Him pretending to feed me, only to snatch his hand back and eat whatever he was teasing me with, right in front of my face.
8. The spontaneous river dance like kicking while changing a diaper is just about as funny as it gets. Naked, with a shirt on, flat on his back, but yet kicking his legs like he's dancing on hot coals. Truly greatness.
9. This will sound weird, but sometimes I'm kind of happy he wakes up at night and I get to rock him back to sleep. 1.) because I'm so good at it. and 2.) because working does not leave enough time in the day for me and my son. I miss him some days.
10. Some days, he's most content with me holding him. He'll dig his hands into my collar and hold on, then just stare out at the world and take it all in. I think this may be the best. What a son we've got.
11. Seeing Nicole as a mother. She's pretty much like everything else she does in life, she's a bulldog. She's a really good one. I'm proud of her and happy that Maddox will get to have her as a mama.

Not so Favs:

1. Getting pee-finger.
2. Nicole and I have a game going currently. Whomever gets peed on last, is it. Currently I'm it. And I don't like it.
3. Making baby cry. This can be accomplished by either dropping things on baby's head, or dropping baby on baby's head. This is followed shortly by a crinkled up bottom lip and a look of betrayal from Maddox. Easily the worst feeling in the world. Worse than that, he's telling on me now. He can be completely calm, then Nicole will come in and ask what happened, and it starts all over again. Like he's intentionally hamming it up for Nicole so she'll know what I did.
4. The inconvenient pooper. Sometimes poop shows up at all the wrong times. Lunch dates with family, while trying to buy a car at a dealership, etc.
5. Watching Maddox eat. He's eats like a cobra. Everything in his mouth at once, choking it down.
6. Max in daycare. Even though it's good for him to socialize, I still don't like it.
7. Sick babies. They give you the betrayal look 24/7 until they feel better. And telling them "Hey, this isn't my fault.", doesn't help at all.
8. Lastly, so I can end with more favs than non-favs... I don't like seeing Maddox grow up. It's happening too fast, and I don't like it.

Once YouTube get's their act together, I'll post a cool video of Maddox eating, so we can all see how big he's gotten. Nicole and I find it really funny, but I'm sure it's only funny because we are his parents. Till then, love you guys.