Father’s Day Round Two

Today is my second Father’s Day as an actual father. This one sinks in deeper than the first given that during the first, my son was basically a semi-sentient potato capable only of pooping and crying. Now, however, he has grown and entered toddlerhood, and wow is there a difference.

For one, he communicates now. He’s got a few words, even if they don’t sound quite like what they eventually will (he leaves the L’s off of ball, which is adorable). He also know how to indicate when he wants certain things, which is a huge improvement off the old method of everyone crying as his mother and I pushed various items into his hands until we guessed the right one.

He’s also started developing his own tastes and preferences. When we first started feeding him solid foods, he inhaled everything like the vacuum cleaner he has recently become obsessed with. Now he’s getting a touch more picky, with some items (fruits, cheesy eggs) reaching a level of transendence and others (veggies) being used primarily as ammunition for throwing practice.

But what I enjoy the most are the moments where he expresses his love for his mother and I. The burrowing of his face into my shoulder as I pick him up when he wakes from a nap. The grin that somehow appears wider than his giant head he gives when he looks up from his toys and sees me. How he cuddles into me after he hands me the book he wants me to read two pages from before scurrying off to grab another. Each one just a fleeting moment, but each one precious beyond time’s ability to measure.

There is an entire world of wonder and joy I want to show my son, and these first steps I’ve taken with him are already more amazing than I could have dreamed of. It will be an adventure of a lifetime to see where else those steps will take us.

And lest I forget, a humble thank you to my father for giving me the example of what a dad should be. You set the standard, and it’s one I strive to reach every day.