poppa t

As I'm sure you can imagine, one of the hardest parts about having this baby was not having my mom around to help me. She always said that whenever I got pregnant, she would retire and become a full time grandmother. I know that had she lived, she would have been over every day, helping out, playing with the baby, making helpful suggestions. Unfortunately, she passed away a couple of months before we found out we were going to have a baby. And never was her absence more keenly felt than our first couple of weeks at home with the little man. We were tired, nervous, and pretty much completely clueless. But, much to our surprise, help did come, in the form of this guy:

True, he doesn't really know how to change a diaper. And, his memory of my own infancy and childhood is pretty much non-existent; a typical exchange will go something like this: "Dad, when did I start teething?" "Um, I don't remember." "Dad, did I sleep in a bassinet or was I in a crib from the start?" "Uhhhh, I'm not sure." "Dad, can you tell me ANYTHING, anything at all, that you remember from when I was a baby?" "Well, I remember that you cried alot." So, you see. Not exactly a fountain of knowledge.

But, amnesia aside, he has been fabulous with the baby. In that critical recovery period after we came home from the hospital, he came over every day for a couple weeks to help me out by playing with the baby, bringing lunch, even walking the dog. And he has continued to be a contstant presence in Graydon's life, coming over to visit on the weekends, and even leaving work early to help out when I've become overwhelmed.

And the baby looooooves him. He has always been able to make Graydon smile, and now laugh. We say it's because they're on the same wavelength, maturity wise :) We're just joking. Mostly.

Happy birthday, Poppa T! Thanks for being such a great grandfather.