Father's Day!

What a wonderful idea to celebrate fathers! Mike is a tremendous father: so intelligent, gentle, wise, and fun. The last two days are filled with perfect examples...

Yesterday, he taught me an important lesson for raising a boy. We went to the community pool together (a common occurrence) and a little boy splashed Joshua. I immediately spoke to to boy and told him, "Not cool to splash a baby!" Mike said that isn't the right way to handle it. A boy plays that way! Instead, if someone splashes Joshua, he should splash back! No one wants a wimpy boy. After that enlightening moment, we recruited that splashing boy and his brother to play ball with Joshua and teach him how to kick his legs in the water. It's never to soon to start learning to swim or play with other kids properly. No wonder God requires a Mom and a Dad to raise kids-- We have such different instincts!

Recently, I've been working with Joshua to get him to take daily naps in his crib, not just in the car, stroller, bouncy seat, or on the couch beside me. Even the Ferber Method is tough since I don't like hearing the little guy cry when I can help. However, at 8 months old, napping in his crib for a couple of hours a day is expected and very good for him. Mike, a.k.a. Baby Whisperer, was home for the kickoff of a nap and tried something that even now feels miraculous. He laid Joshua on his belly (knowing he always rolls that way to sleep now) and rubbed his back, saying, "Shhhh. Shhh." Within a couple of minutes, Joshua was soundly asleep. Since that nap, Joshua goes down for naps and bedtime without a hitch!

Another of Mike's talents is bonding with animals. A few nights ago, he went for an evening walk after Joshua went to sleep. He came home so excited, with an amazing story to share. He had encountered some baby geese on the path home. He stood still in a patch of clover, talking to them while they played with his shoelaces and made happy baby goose noises. When he decided to leave them to come home, they followed him. In fact, the only way he could get away from his new buddies was to run as fast as he could! Meanwhile, he could hear them honking, as if to say,"Where are you going without us! Wait for us!"

To celebrate this wonderful man, I think we'll spend the day doing some of our favorite activities: eating blueberry pancakes, playing golf, taking a nap, playing guitar, picnicking, and maybe even seeing a movie. We'll sprinkle the day with plenty of hugs and laughter, too.