Our little Liam is almost 7 mos. old and I’m really in disbelief how quickly time is flying by. It seemed like a just a few hours ago, he couldn’t hold his head up and just this evening he went from laying on his back to standing in one quick motion (with only minor assistance from yours truly).

Other developments – personality traits, feeding habits, mannerisms – have also been flourishing at light speed. Much to our delight, Liam likes virtually all of the fruits and vegetables that we’ve been feeding him. If my own parents could hijack this blog, I’m sure they’d recount my finicky ways at the dinner table. Thankfully, Liam has a healthy and inclusive appetite.

Sure enough, there have been bumps in the road. Coping with his first ear ache, finding new day care and keeping the house from becoming a full-blown mess have been challenging. Somehow, some way, we’ve made it thus far.

There’s no doubt that time will keep on slippin’ into the future.

And now for some pictorial hits from the past 7 months…

Liam just passed the 4 month mark. Time flies when you’re changing diapers, cleaning up spit up and reading bedtime stories. Here are a handful of observations from my short time as a dad:

• Liam can go from being adorable and snuggly to hysterical and teary in a heartbeat. No notice, no inbetween – just a hot little mess.
• He likes ceiling fans and lamps.
• Prior to drifting off to sleep, Liam’s eyes roll around like he just got off a roller coaster.
• The pugs are jealous of the attention Liam receives. They express said jealousy by peeing on stuff. I wish they’d learn to express themselves through more creative outlets.
• Good daycare is totally worth the piece of mind.
• If cute could be converted to power, Star and Liam could power the planet for the next thousand years.

Looking back, I realized that I should have spent my formative years researching and building a time machine. Now most smarty pants scientists will say that time travel is impossible, I should’ve taken a stab at it. My rock ‘n roll youth was tons of fun but I’m getting to the point in my life where a time machine would really come in handy.

This evening, while giving our son Liam a bath, my wife and I both noticed how much he’s changed in just his short 2+ month life. See the photographic evidence below:

Newborn Liam

2 Month Old Liam

See what I mean? Everyday is something new and amazing. Now that I’m able to appreciate the long view, I can forsee moments in the future where I’d like the option of hoping in my time machine and seeing all of this magical stuff happen all over again.

Not being schooled in the necessary scientific fields to make this crazy goal a reality, I’ll do everything in my power to fully appreciate every single beautiful moment. But if you happen across a  DeLorean with a built-in flux capacitor, please let me know.

During the course of her pregnancy, my lovely wife spent countless hours chronicling her journey to motherhood on her blog. While I hope she continues to write about her experiences, I feel oddly compelled to blog about life as a new dad. If you know me, you know I don’t like to sugar coat things so what you’ll read here will be the real deal – all of the amazing, frustrating and perplexing adventures that stand before me will be told in true detail. Let’s get it on!

The Legacy Lives On

Flashback: Mid-to-late 80′s/cold winter day/standing in front of my grandfather’s apartment with my grandfather, Ralph

Ralph: Come here and listen to me. You’re the last Gregory male – it’s up to you to carry on the family name. Do you understand what I’m saying?

Me: (completely stunned, freezing my ass off, praying for my dad to find what he was looking for in Ralph’s apartment) Umm, yes grandpa.

Flash forward to April 2, 2009. My wife tells me we’re having a baby. I asked her if she was trying to pull a delayed April Fool’s joke over on me. She says “No! I’m really pregnant!”. A wave of joy and amazement washes over me. Flash forward a few months. My wife and I are at the OBGYN office watching the monitor of the sonogram. I see it before the tech does – a penis. A very tiny but very obvious penis. The tech squints at the monitor and confirms what I saw – a penis. Tears well up and I smile.

In that moment, my mind flashes back to that exchange with my grandfather. Personally, I believe everything happens for a reason. Maybe my grandfather knew what the future held for me or maybe he didn’t. Either way, the legacy lives on in my son, Liam. Welcome to the world, kiddo. It’s a better place with you in it.