"The Boy"

Lately I have been refering to Charlie as "The Boy". My wife has informed me that she does not like me calling him that. She said, "His name is Charlie or Charles!" I find it kind of funny because my mother hates it when people call me something other than Michael. "The Wife" calls me Mike and receives the "his name is Michael glare" from my mother. I find it funny how upset mothers get when you do not call their children by their given name.

We all have nick names that are typically given to us as children and they usually stick throughout adulthood. No one says anything about people calling me "Hop" or "Lil' Hop". So what is it about the shortened versions of our name that drives our mother's crazy? I don't call Charlie "Chuck". It has been made very clear that "Chuck" is not an approved name for "The Boy".

I don't mind people calling Mike or Hop. I am sure that Charlie won't mind being called "The Boy". He may think that it is pretty cool that Daddy calls him by a special name.The word "The" is a definite article that indicates a particular person, the best or most important. Charlie will one day realize this and think, "WOW, I am the ONE! Daddy said so."

I know that it sounds kind of plain to say "The Boy", but I think it's pretty cool. Maybe one day he can take over my nickname of "The Kid"!

It's Our Anniversary!

Four short years ago today, I married my wonderful wife. Over the past four years we have had our share of good times and bad times. We have been through a lot. The toughest part of our marriage was dealing with infertility.

We knew that we wanted children immediately, but things were not happening the way we expected. We spent hours at doctors offices, specialists offices and fertility tests. Nothing was helping. At some points we thought that we would never have a child.

We heard a sermon at church one day and it really made us realize that we had to give it all to God and he would carry out his plan. We prepared our nursery and our home in hopes that a baby was in our near future. We changed our lifestyle including our diet and prayed.

A few months later we found out that we were pregnant. We had not been to a doctor or specialist in several months. We simply left it up to God and he saw that we had prepared our lives for a child and he blessed us with a perfect little boy.

Through our marriage, our love has grown stronger everyday. Faith, hope and love are key ingredients for a long and lasting marriage. You must have faith in God and your spouse that they will be there for you. Hope for all of things that you in need in your life. Love each other and the lord and your marriage will be strong.

Four years can seem like a long time, but it has flown by. I hope for many many more years with my wife and have faith that our love will be stronger than it is today.

Happy Anniversary Babe! I love you and Charlie!

A Smile Says a Thousand Words!

Every morning when I wake up for work, I roll over to see the cutest baby boy in the world. He has been awake for quite a while before I begin to stir. I give him a little smile and his face lights up like the Fourth of July. It makes my day. Though I am tired and wish that I could stay home all day and do pretty much nothing, that giant smile on my little boy makes it a little more bearable.

I wonder what goes through the mind of our children when they are only a few weeks old, but they recognize you. Are they thinking, "Hey, there's Mommy or Daddy!" or are they thinking, "Hey, there is the crazy people that make funny faces and noises that I like." It doesn't make much difference to me, but it melts my heart when that little facelights up like he knows exactly who I am.

The grunts that have accompanied Charlie's smile have begun to sound more like giggles. He is growing so fast. he loves peek-a-boo and any other high pitched noise that you can make to entertain him. He has found the T.V. and loves to watch just about anything. I guess that I will have to start being careful about what shows are on when he is in the room.

I have started construction on a train set at Charlie's request. Well, okay, maybe I wanted the train set, but it will be his one day. Having a baby is a great excuse for re-living your childhood joys though.

Everyday bring something new with my growing boy. I hope that he is not walking by the time I get home today.