Parenting this boy
I could write a million words (and probably will) on what it’s like to parent this child, but I believe the essence of everything I could ever say is captured in this image.
holden parenthood photography
Tag: parenthood
holden parenthood
Toddler talk
It’s such a weird thing to watch a child acquire language. When your child is in school full time, he’s picking up all sorts of stuff from teachers as well as the adorable little tykes he’s with all day, on top of the stuff he picks up from you and anyone in your house. So you are never quite sure where some of the stuff comes from. And when he busts out with something hilariously…
holden parenthood
Three.
To Holden, on the eve of his third birthday: Three years ago at this moment you lived inside my belly and I had no idea who you were. I knew you got the hiccups regularly and I knew you had a rump about the size of your head, and that I could never be quite sure which was which just from running my fingers along your contours. But I didn’t know you. I saw ghostly…
holden parenthood
The first week of preschool
It went well overall, I’d say. The first morning Ray and I dropped Holden off and there were no tears. Probably because he didn’t realize what was happening. His teacher said he had no potty accidents, he ate his lunch, and he napped for two hours. He was chatty, happy, cooperative and curious. Model student. The next morning I did the dropoff solo, and he cried. It was tough. He had another good day, though.…
holden parenthood
Sleep cry
It is early in the morning, the wee hours, and he is crying. It’s sudden, and so rare that it shocks us, this sound coming across the monitor. It’s a pitiful cry, a whimper and a wail. I sit up, my bones cracking, and stumble out of the bedroom and up the stairs to him. He is asleep but crying, and I imagine he’s been overtaken by sadness or worry in a bad dream. I…
holden
The little invisible string
I stare at my kid a lot. I don’t know if that is weird or if I will ever stop, but I can’t really help it. I love to watch him, to observe his face and movements and drink it all in. There is one thing in particular that I love to catch, and it’s a smile blooming on his face. He will be standing there, mouth slack, observing something (Elmo and Dorothy, for one,…
parenthood
DEVIL DOG
This dog. This fucking dog. I’m convinced that there are no babies or toddlers living at this moment who have not come into contact with this dog. This dog can feel the slightest wind of your passing nearby as you silently pad over toward the light switch after your young child has started to doze off, and this dog will plead, “PATTY CAKE, PATTY CAKE, BAKER’S MAN!” This dog can feel your presence if you…
holden parenthood
We got a walker
Holden technically took his first steps back in early March but he pretty much decided that that business was for chumps and he’d rather scoot and crawl around for travel purposes. We’d try to encourage him to walk but he would crumple into a ball every dang time, for about a month and a half. One day Ray was brushing his teeth and Holden was in the bathroom watching, clinging to his legs, when he…
holden parenthood
Deep thoughts on a playground
Yesterday I was up early with Holden (he hasn’t slept past 7 since I’ve been off) and when he went down for his nap, so did I. The sun was out after lunch so we went to Long Hunter in the early evening for a walk, and found that the lake had flooded most of the walking trail. So Ray sprinted back and forth on the accessible part of the path and Holden and I…
You must be logged in to post a comment.