Life is busy. I know I used to fill my time before Henry came along but for the life of me I cannot remember how. It is a common occurence for my wife and I to be cooking dinner around 8-9pm. Not good for our waistline, but it is shared time, and important to us both. And Henry's routine is paramount!
Thinking about how he sleeps has made me realise how much has changed in the 13.5 weeks since he arrived. I commented today how he used to scream when having his nappy changed - the worst moments for me in those first few weeks were a 2/3am nappy change. Tired, bleary-eyed with a screaming banshee of a son exercising his surprisingly powerful lungs were the moments that pushed me to near breaking point. But now, he 'enjoys' having his nappy changed - he appreciates the necessity of it and enjoys the focussed attention he gets. Henry talks to us, engages with us, smiles at us. He is taking a great deal of interest in the world around him. He is very sociable - at his happiest when he has our undivided attention or he is held on a shoulder and taken for a walk to see the world.
When I visit these pages I am reminded how useful it is to record my thoughts here - but I just do not seem to be able to find the time! I get back from work, then it is into spending time with him and Emily before and during his final feed of the day - then tip-toeing around for a bit until he invariably wakes up and he gets a final top-up and settled for the night. He has slept through a couple of times now, and is in his big bed (he looks tiny!). The goal of this blog was to capture our evolving relationship - it now feels like this is changing daily as he learns new skills and responses. He recognises me now, he settles on me when he is teasy on others, smiles when he sees me. I'll grant you none of these are 100% of the time, but they are certainly often enough that it does not feel like chance.
(Of course I may be deluding myself - biologically I am programmed to see things in Henry that make me believe a connection is growing so that I feel the need to protect my progeny and preserve the future of the species. However, that is a cold outlook and I prefer to think that it is not random facial twitches, but genuince pleasure that daddy is home!)
And it has struck me whilst having a Twitter exchange with Michael Rosen (http://michaelrosenblog.blogspot.co.uk/) that it is about time I started to read to my son. I have so far only read a few excerpts from the paper - now, though, it is time to start him on his exciting journey towards becoming a reader. One day I hope he will read these posts. If so...tidy your bedroom and get a hair cut son!
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