Do I Start a New Blog?

We are now a family of four. Luke Andrew was born Aug. 23. Should I now start a new blog titled "Raising Sons"?

As the doctor pulled him out of his mommy and passed him over to the nurse, my first impression was that he looked like a tree frog. His limbs were kicking and flailing in all different directions, and his long fingers and toes were spread out. And as babies are naturally all torso and head to start with, his arms and legs are very skinny looking in comparison, much like a frogs. Thus his first nickname is "Froggy".

So now the family begins the process and getting to know Luke, and Charlie begins to learn what it means to be a big brother. He's already off to a good start. He loves to hold his brother and claim how "cute" he is. And when Luke cries, Charlie tells us he needs to rush off and check on the baby, or if Charlie is holding him when Luke cries, he quickly wants to hand the baby off to a parent. It's hard to find words to convey these awe-inspiring new occurances in our family, experiencing it is so much better.

Missed Spring

The next one(child) is not even here yet, and I find it hard to keep up with this blog already. I missed my Spring posting. (It seems I'm able to make one posting a season.) I have to admit that as Charlie has gotten older I have actually been able to do more things that I used to do before him. I haven't been able to ride 100+ miles aweek, but I have been on a few rides with Charlie in tow. He likes to sit in the bike trailer watching the world go by. I've also been able to get more house work done while mom's at work.
Charlie has made some major development recently. He will play on his own for larger periods of time, thus the ability to get more house work done. Another development is actually playing with other kids. It's not just parallel play, it is interaction with his peers.
One significant moment for me came last month. It was a sharing of my childhood with the next generation. I grew up going to drive-in movies with family. It always seemed to be uncles that took me most of the time. It was something that left an indelible impression on me. So much so that I have shared the drive-in movie going experience with youth groups and now my own family. Helen and I took Charlie to go see the new Disney film "Cars". He was not mesmerized by the movie as much as I thought he would be, but he loved the new experience of being in the car and seeing a movie. He bounced back and forth between the front seats, he hung out the window banging on the roof, he wandered the concession area seeing the new sites and watching people, he snacked on popcorn, and watched some of the movie. All in all he showed my why you take kids to the drive-in to begin with, so you don't disturb the other patrans, and you get more out of it than just seeing a movie. There is more interaction at a drive-in, between family as well as other patrons and staff. It is so much more of a community experience. Drive-ins are so much more of a freeing and enjoyable movie experience.

Another one on the way

The word is out now, so I can post it. And since I havn't posted in awhile this seem to be something to inspire my posting. My status as a Stay-at-Home-Father has been renewed for at least another six years. What all the round about talk means is that we are expecting a new baby in August. As planned, Charlie will not be an only child. He seems to be ready for it as well. He loves to look at babies. If he sees a stroller, he wants to look inside at the baby. One of his favorite Christmas gifts was a baby doll. And his favorite episode of Franklin (a kids TV program about a turtle) is the one in which Franlin's friend, Bear, becomes a big brother to a new baby sister. Now to see what the reality of having a sibling is really about for Charlie.