This afternoon, Jaclyn and I stepped into Miles's school at 3:30 for a parenting rite of passage -- our first parent-teacher conference (as parents, anyway). "All right," I groaned, making a slow, deliberate descent into a chair far too small for me. "Give it to me straight." I was only half-joking, as some of the … Continue reading Year 5, Day 279: Baby’s First Parent-Teacher Conference!
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Year 4, Day 282
Bedtime was quite a production this evening, as Miles requested both Jaclyn and me accompany him upstairs. As we started up the staircase, Miles turned to us and made clear what he expected of us. "I'm the line leader!" he said, demanding that we follow behind him. Then, as an afterthought, "And DON'T touch my … Continue reading Year 4, Day 282
Year 4, Day 154
In his efforts to put off going to bed as long as possible, Miles will often swap out his "preferred parent" multiple times in one night. What starts as "I want Daddy!" soon becomes "No I want Mommy!" And on and on it goes. A few nights ago, things took...a turn. It started when I … Continue reading Year 4, Day 154
Year 3, Day 247
Miles was in a pretty good mood as we rode in to daycare this morning. Once we got to a stoplight, I craned my neck to look at him in the backseat, bobbing his head and looking out the window. "I love you, Miles!" I said. "Do you love me?" "No!" he replied. "No??" I … Continue reading Year 3, Day 247
Year 2, Day 356
With today bringing more lousy weather, we decided to take Miles to Monkey Joe's in north Charlotte this evening to run off some energy and, hopefully, go to bed at a reasonable hour. Commanding his attention with a variety of games and inflatables, Monkey Joe's kept Miles more than occupied for a couple hours. While … Continue reading Year 2, Day 356
Year 2, Day 250
Miles's idea of "playing with toys" frequently involves lining them up uniformly (a trait he's inherited from me). His idea of "cleaning them up," however, at times ends up being "cram them into whatever space you can find."
Year 2, Day 135
Well, it's official -- Miles has determined the roles Jaclyn and I play in his life and has started demanding we each fulfill those roles and ONLY those roles. Jaclyn is the provider. She feeds him. She puts him to bed. She bathes him. If I attempt to intervene and take any part of this … Continue reading Year 2, Day 135
Day 265
It's interesting seeing the qualities that, whether by observation or genetic disposition, Miles has inherited from us. One of my favorites is his penchant for dancing when taking a particularly satisfying bite of food, which he clearly got from his dad.
Day 236
As much as my heart melts when Miles smiles at me every afternoon when I walk into daycare, I've got to be completely honest -- nothing comes close to seeing him smile at Jaclyn when he sees her. They're really two distinct smiles. When Miles smiles at me, it's a smile that says, "Oh boy, … Continue reading Day 236
Day 187
It seemed like all of the parents arrived at daycare simultaneously to pick up their assorted infants and toddlers today. I walked into Miles's room to several bodies, hustling, bustling, and of course plenty of loud noises, ranging from laughter to crying. And through it all, Miles sat in a chair on the far side … Continue reading Day 187
The Perils (& Pride) of Paternity 