Year 5, Day 342

We are all, to some degree, products of the environment we were raised in. I'm honestly not sure how much other parents think about this, but nothing has made me more acutely aware of this than fatherhood, where I observe Miles's assimilation of environmental characteristics in real time. Of course, these traits range from desired … Continue reading Year 5, Day 342 →

Year 4, Day 83

As mentioned in yesterday's post, today brought with it an unexpected family trip to Charleston to visit Miles's Papa (Jaclyn's father) in the hospital. As we approached the usual "witching hour" and Miles started getting punchy, we parted ways with the rest of the family and walked back to our hotel. The hotel was a … Continue reading Year 4, Day 83 →

Year 3, Day 346

Well, at least Miles hasn't inherited my crippling OCD tendencies.

Year 3, Day 274

I've written previously about Miles's propensity for requesting back rubs, a trait that is very obviously encoded in his genetics. But where once he merely asked for such a service, he now issues demands. "I say rub me!" he ordered the other night as I was preparing to leave his bedroom. Taken aback by his … Continue reading Year 3, Day 274 →

Year 3, Day 239

A big part of the ongoing "nature vs. nurture" debate involves examining the emergence of desirable and undesirable characteristics and whether or not these traits are inborn or the result of conditioning. It's the sort of debate that argues whether someone like Adolf Hitler might've been an okay guy if he had just been hugged … Continue reading Year 3, Day 239 →

Year 3, Day 78

It's always interesting seeing which of our traits and tendencies Miles seems to adopt. Occasionally, this is also a chilling experience. He was beside me on the couch this evening, when he uttered a sentence I had hoped to never hear from him. "I need backrub." My eyes widened. "What?" I asked, praying I had … Continue reading Year 3, Day 78 →

Year 2, Day 298

So young, and yet he already possesses his dad's laser focus when coloring.

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."

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.