Satisfaction

Hold my hand Daddy., originally uploaded by naya_girl

Last weekend was stressful, exhausting, and exhilarating. My wife and I accomplished a project that we had been working on for the better part of a year. We host an annual event that brings together dozens of organizations and hundreds of participants. As always, it was an amazing experience.

So, what was the most rewarding part of my day?

Playing with my niece when it was all over. (This is getting to be a theme.)

Babycooking

My wife is planning to make her own baby food after the wee one graduates to solids. We've already got a passable blender and a nice little Cuisinart, but then along came the Beaba Babycook (thanks a lot, Babygadget).

I'm tempted to say this is just another kitchen tool we don't need. But then I can't dismiss it out of hand, because its repertoire includes steaming, heating, and defrosting in addition to the blending that I expected. Might have to add this one to our registry, after all.

Fear (Penny Arcade-induced)

I have questions and concerns about some aspects of the impending birth process. I also have some friends who are new dads, and recently went through this whole experience themselves. But do I dare to ask them about my role in this event? Will they allay my fears, or merely reveal stranger, previously-unimagined horrors that are yet to come?

Sex (Diesel Sweeties style)

My wife is hot.

Chooglin'

I'm proud to announce the newest arrival in our family... and it's a twin! An in-line, 2 cylinder, air-cooled 234 cc twin, that is. 315 pounds, 56.3 inches long. He's beautiful.

Now, it may seem like I'm going about this motorcycling thing backwards. I hear that some people actually stop riding when they start having children. True, there may not be much time for this new hobby after our living, human child is born. I'm willing to accept this fact.

On the other hand, this bike helped me to prepare for parenthood, in a way. The day after I bought it, I did an oil change in my garage all my myself. Isn't that something all dads should know how to do? I feel like a more competent father already.

Workout

It's time to start warming up my baby muscles! Saturday afternoon was our first beautiful spring day of 2008, so I went to the playground with my 2-year-old niece. I got a great workout from lifting her up to the top of the slide so that she could slide down over and over and over. The next morning my lifting muscles were all sore. It was totally worth it.

A related story: remember when playgrounds used to have wobbly bridges made of splintery wood and treacherous metal chains? They're all plastic now they barely shake at all. So, it was disappointing for me but still intimidating for a toddler.

On our first walk across the bridge, my niece clutched my hand and very carefully moved from one plank to the next. A few minutes later I had her so wound up that she dashed halfway across it before she realized what she was doing. She stopped, looked back at me, and then confidently finished crossing the bridge without any help.

I was so proud, I wanted to bring her home and put her in Lucite forever. Aching muscles on the day after are a small price to pay for that little smile. If moments like this are the payoff for being a dad, then I think I'm going to be okay with all the rest of it.

Mossy Creek Woodworks Baby Brass Knuckles

Is your newborn being picked on?  Bully in the nursery?  Buy her a set of natural knuckle dusters--made from locally-harvested cherry--so she can hold her own in hand-to-hand combat.  Carved from a single piece of wood, so the force of her punches is delivered across a solid surface.  Plus, it won't be identified by metal detectors, so it is easier to conceal than other weapons designed for babies.

Seen at Peapods, our local infant self-defense store.