Toxic Waste, Products, Crying and Everything Nice

It's a hair past a week since a new human being entered the Jackson home. This house has been home to two humans and four animals (three cats and one dog). Only the Beagle and the female cat, Allie, remain. Bones is in Maryland being spoiled by the in-laws, and PJ passed a couple weeks ago. It seems strange not having him wander to my office while I'm typing this note, announce his presence with a soft "mehh" (his meower hadn't been strong for years), and come over to my legs for a rub. To have a new person in this home seems refreshing and surprisingly not as scary as I imagined.

What have I learned over the past week? What goes in a baby, must come out. The diaper genie - someone's little invention of a supped-up waste can - is great in that is contains the seeping doom that lies within. A seething furnace would be a better place to chunk some of these diapers! :)

A guy who never wanted to hold babies (let's face it, no guy really wants to hold a kid unless they're a father) and certainly never wanted to change a diaper, took to both rather quickly. It's funny how things change when it's your own child. Cross the threshold of parenthood and things are a bit different - maybe if for no other reason than thinking about this tiny person who can't take care of themselves.

A baby really isn't that fragile. Not that I've dropped her or anything like that! This kid is strong! She has a grip that could pull chest hair out and kicks that could put an eye out. She's come close to the chest hair part, anyway.

Make a product that parents can buy and retire. The amount of baby products that are available is staggering. Sell it to the medical field, retire, and then buy a football team or Donald Trump.

If a baby cries in your face just cry back, making the same sound and face. At least with Georgia, she either wants center stage and won't compete with her dad...or refuses to made fun of and stops. Shhhhh, don't tell mom! ;)

Fatherly advice? I'm not qualified as of yet...heavens, no. I would say that no one can really describe how one will react or feel or think when they become a dad. Sure, people will try to offer advice - and it's good to listen. In the end, it's your family. Every dad is different...every mom is different...every baby is different...every environment is different.

Georgia is pretty laid back from what I've seen and heard. That's a blessing. It's good she is...since her pop still has to come back from DC a few more times before moving everyone north. The house goes on the market in a week or two.

More to come...

Comments

I Can Honestly Say Jon Is My Best Friend

At the beginning of this year, these were Kate Gosselin's words in an interview with Today's Christian Woman : "I can honestly say Jon is my best friend." Kate also says, "When the babies were born, I was well aware that our marriage could crumble. It was close to doing so at times. But we survived that first year. And then the second one. And then each year after that. Even though the issues have changed, it's never gotten easier. "But Jon and I are more determined than ever that we're in this together. We've told our kids many times that we're always going to be a family. There are no other options. Sure, Jon and I take our stress out on each other, and no, that's not always good or healthy. But we work hard as a team every day."

READ THE FULL STORY »

A Very Angry Prostate

Cancer. No other word evokes so many emotions and consumes so many thoughts of both the one with the diagnosis and those who learn of it. On Tuesday, June 25, at 4:40pm, I learned that I have prostate cancer. One of the questions I'm most asked: "How did you know to check?" Naturally, some wondered if I had signs or pains. There were none. Last September, I had my second physical with my new primary physician. With an age of 50, he requested a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test be added to my blood panel. The next day, the results were in my portal. For my age, my PSA should be no higher than 4. My reading was 4.191. Since this number was out of range, the portal chart visually shouted at me that this was HIGH. Googling sent me into a spiral of thinking I might have prostate cancer which led to many thoughts of mortality. I was at work sitting in my cubicle attempting to calm myself and praying as waves of anxiety, thoughts and emotions washed in. I contacted my prima

READ THE FULL STORY »

When Three Weeks Felt Like Three Months

These words have taken months to reconcile as I've wrestled with and revisited many times over. Summarizing three very long weeks of December 2023 has been quite the challenge. I was in Mississippi for what began as a hip fracture for my mother and ended in her passing. It's still rather surreal for her to be gone. The first Mother's Day without her impacted me more than what would've been her 86th birthday on January 24 or what would've been her 67th wedding anniversary on April 4. Not getting a call from her on my birthday July 1 was also a void which was filled with Dad calling in birthday wishes. My family being a thousand miles away for the last 20 years, only speaking on the phone once or twice a month, visits only being every few years due to life and expenses...it feels almost routine being disconnected from Mom. Yet, random memories and various regrets have trickled through my mind since those exhausting weeks in December. Three weeks which felt like three

READ THE FULL STORY »

Mr. Garner Goes To Washington

Search This Blog