Orbiting Around the Son
Okay, so that last Gulagram update was…uh, let’s call it heavy. I admit that while it felt good to get all of that off my chest (and share it with all of you), I’m sure it was less than fun to read. So, sorry about that.
But with all of that out of the way, we can talk about the fun stuff! More specifically, we can look back at Graham’s first year of life and all the amazing things he has taught me already.
Part of writing less in 2021 meant that my blogging took a big hit, as I’m sure you’re well aware of. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, but I’ll make sure we cover all the fun bits.
Nature vs nurture
My first year as a parent was...easy? Surprisingly easy, to be honest. Graham has basically slept through the night (12ish hours like clockwork) for almost his entire life. He loves food and eats almost anything. He's happy to sit and play with his toys, or roll around and be silly. In reality, he's probably the "chillest" toddler I've ever seen — makes sense given who his parents are, but it's still so cool to see.
We've spent the year introducing him to all kinds of stuff: Foods, Disney movies, classic cartoons, music genres, even video games. And as Graham gets older, I know he's going to develop his own tastes and opinions on the stuff we're showing him. Obviously I want him to love reading fairytales (to prepare him for fantasy novels) and watching stuff like Pokémon and playing video games.
But I'm most excited to see what sort of things he's drawn to. What kind of kid will he become? What new things will I get to learn along with him?
At this point in time, it feels like so much of our lives — especially the weekends — is wholly focused on occupying Graham and having fun with him. Obviously he's fully capable of occupying himself, but keeping him company and being involved/playing with him is important. He teaches us stuff every day, and fills our little home with laughter.
It's already hard to remember life before Graham was here. It's just better this way.
In orbit around the son
Graham's been in daycare for around 4 months? 5 months? (This year is really flying by.) And once we got past the near-constant influx of colds and sicknesses he brings home, it's been nothing short of amazing to see how quickly he's been learning new things and developing there.
He went from standing/toddling to walking in like, a weekend. He picked up waving and blowing kisses and throwing things almost overnight. (That last one isn't ideal, but I guess it's just part of life at this stage.) He's finding his own food preferences, book preferences, and even toy preferences, and then he brings them home.
I'm sure this is the kind of thing that'll continue forever. He'll go to school, learn something, and bring that knowledge home. But it's just surprising to see it from a kid who's only 17 months old.
Maybe that's my big takeaway from this first year with Graham: The journey of fatherhood is full of surprises. Some will be difficult (like emergency room visits) and some will be unfortunate (like pooping through three layers of clothing). Some will be humorous (like trying to climb on top of every piece of furniture) and some will be wonderful (like rolling over for the first time). But each surprise is a marker on this journey our family is on together, a memory for us to hold onto and enjoy simply because it exists.
That's a mindset I never had before Graham was born, and it's changed every facet of how I live my life.