Any guy can be a Dad. There are some good and some bad. You can learn a lot about being a Dad by reading some books, and watching some DVD’s on parenting. There are plenty of websites out there that will give you advice and opinions. You can figure out how to give your kid a bottle or how to run them a bath. Although there are some things about being a Dad that you can only get from one source…Your own Dad.

My Dad showed me how to raise a kid. He taught me how to be resourceful and provide for my family. He taught me the value of hard work. He taught how to respect and treat people, no matter their situation or status. He taught me how to be kind and generous. He is the source of my sense of humor. He showed me how to look the worst of adversities in the face and deal with them gracefully. And most importantly, he was fair and understanding when I made mistakes. And I made a few…

Smearing my younger neighbor’s face with mulberries and turning him purple for a week. Having a water fight in our brand new kitchen and drowning the carpeting with water. Blowing up a paint can in my closet with a BB gun. Shattering numerous windows with baseballs. Sneaking out. Trashing cars. Skateboards through the wall. You name it.

I gave him plenty of reasons to strangle me. But he didn’t. And because of him, I’ll know how to react when Jake spray paints his name across the garage door.

I am who I am because of my parents. I know if my Mom was still here, she would be so proud of all of us.

Today I just want my Dad to know what he means to me. And I do everything I can to make sure Jake will feel the same about me.

Happy Birthday Dad! We love you!!!

This is probably my favorite week of the year! I’m on vacation! Holiday season kickoff, Black Wednesday, turkey day, my birthday, Christmas shopping, the hustle and bustle… I love it all!

I was looking forward to a week full of fun, family, and maybe a little birthday boozin’! I get home from work (after an 84 hour week)… Jake has his first cold and Mama J may have to leave town for a few days!

I went from completely elated to slightly deflated. You could say that my “holiday boner” went completely limp! But as always, we will make the best of this situation. I just hope Jakey feels better ASAP!

Cuz, if Mama leaves town, we’re going to our first strip joint…I mean Christmas tree silent auction on Wednesday. Wink wink:)

I want my boner back!!!

That kid looks familiar!

Because I haven’t today! This 80 hour work week has put a damper on my quality time. I’ve seen Jake more in searching for pictures to post than I have in person. But I always try to look at the bright side. How else could I pay for the Elvis impersonator and the stripper pole at his first birthday party!? Good night!

Gwamma was cool enough to watch Jakey for us all day today! We’d hoped it would be a nice peaceful day for her. You know…feed him some mush, change a diaper a two, maybe throw a bottle in him, and BAM! He’s out cold the rest of the day. No such luck.

That little animal only slept for an hour! The rest of the day was spent ripping the house apart. But he couldn’t wear Gwamma down. She chased that little wiggle-worm around nonstop! In the end, Jake was the one who caved. Luckily, within a half hour of us getting home:)

Thanks for doing the “dirty work” Gwamma!!!

The last time he actually sat still for her:)

Something struck me as I walked past a huge Christmas display in a department store tonight… I HAVE A KID NOW! I GET TO DO ALL THE AWESOMEST, MOSTEST FUNNEST STUFF ALL OVER AGAIN AND WATCH JAKE EXPERIENCE IT ALL TOO!

The coolest gift I got last year:)

I love it! I’m the type of guy that still checks out the GI JOE stuff at Toys R Us when I’m shopping for someone else’s kid. Now I get to surprise the living shit of of my very own! I get to pull all the same Santa gags that my parents pulled on me! The list goes on…I can not wait!!!

One of my favorites, Vince V. in ‘Old School’.

I never imagined that planning a party for a little person (that’s not going to remember the party anyway) could be such a daunting task! The initial guest list has already hit 75, and we haven’t even start adding friends to the list!

Now, the questions start to mount.  Should we have it at home? It could be freezing out. It’s not like you can corral people into the garage. Do we rent a banquet space and take on the extra expense? Speaking of freezing, should we freeze the guestlist right there and risk offending someone? Should we cater it, or cook ourselves? Can you politely ask guests not bring a gift any larger than a shoebox?:)

The possibilities are endless! I know friends that have went absolutely crazy by throwing full scale events. I’m talking jumpy-gyms, clowns, characters, midgets, you name it! 

To me, the most important question is, who are we throwing the party for? Other than having a bunch of new toys to ignore, Jake will have no idea what’s the fudge is going on. 

My gut says keep it simple. I’d love your input!

Today was Jake’s weekly shopping trip with Mama and Gwamma. It was a short one, only about 7 hours. The boy was a perfect angel as usual, until…

Twenty minutes from home, Jake went into “melt-down mode” in the car. Showing total grace under pressure, Gwamma did the only thing she could. No, she didn’t pull the car over and run screaming into the woods. She started…singing!

It was a melodic blend of “Yes yes yes, no no no, nah nah nah, yeah yeah yeah”. For nearly 15 minutes, she kept on singing. Jake went quiet, mesmerized by the Gwamma’s vocal stylings. And guess what? By the time they hit the driveway, he was out cold!

So now, on top of expert seamstress, gardener, chef, cabinet refinisher, dry waller, painter, etc… You can now add song writer and hypnotist! Great job! We love our Gwamma!

Some babies develop a bit of separation anxiety around age one. I guess I can see a little bit of that with Jake. There are some days he just doesn’t like being left alone. As soon as you even step toward the playpen to put him down, he’ll cry. He’s also waking up periodically throughout he night. Not necessarily to eat, either. He just nuzzles on Mama J and falls back to sleep.

Today, Jake was crawling all over the bed (and me) like a little monkey. Out of nowhere, he stopped, and laid his head down on my belly like he was giving me a hug. That’s the first time he’s ever done something like that. Normally, he looks to Mama J for comfort. But, today, he needed me. It was the sweetest thing. It is an incredible feeling to know your child loves you and depends on you for so much more than just food and an allowance:)

Yesterday, I had the privilege of going to the University of Illinois to catch the U of I vs. Michigan game. There’s nothing like the atmosphere of a college town. It really makes me wish I’d finished!

The cool thing was, I talked to a lot of Dad’s who are getting to relive those years via their kids! The games, the visits…I’ll do everything in my power to make sure I, uh, I mean Jake gets to enjoy the college experience!

Jake’s future alma-mater?