For my very first Father’s Day, I get the house to myself.

Mama took baby to LA on an unplanned trip to visit Baby’s great grandpa, who’s recovering from heart surgery. A couple of firsts happened with this:

– Baby’s first plane ride!

Brave Mama took Baby on a flight, and sounds like it didn’t go terribly. Baby was wired but ended up sleeping on Mama.

– Baby’s first trip to the ocean!

The pictures sent to me were adorable, and while thrilled he got some great naked ocean time, I’m sad to have missed it.

– Baby’s first train ride!

Maybe the trip didn’t go terribly, but not good enough to want the experience again. Mama booked a day and a half train ride back up. That sounds much worse to me, but Mama knows.

Let’s catch up on other milestones. Baby can pull himself up against things and stand. It’s not just that he CAN do it. He loves it, and pretty much wants to do nothing but. This makes it necessary to not only constantly watch him, but be constantly next to him because he’s still not concerned enough about his own safety. He can still take an abrupt fall and also pick objects to stand against that are not certified baby-safe for support. A big place this takes its toll is in the bath. He loves taking baths with one of us, but now he spends the entire time standing against the side on a slippery and slanted surface. Keeping babies safe is high maintenance business.

He’s babbling all the time and is getting closer to words. Conversely, he’s getting a bit shy around strangers. This time in his life may be the first time where I’m genuinely not in a hurry for any more development. Prior to now, there was always enough concern for his safety (or our sleep) that made me look forward to the next step. In the interest of fully enjoying the here and now, I’m happy to report that this is where I am. The next steps will continue to be exciting, but no rush. I love this little guy just the way he is.

Speaking of Papa’s Day, I did get a great gift from Mama: a baby book! Pictures of me and Baby with little rhymes so I can read it with him. What a sweet gift!