IF THE APPLE DOESN'T FALL FAR FROM THE TREE, I'M IN TROUBLE
08/06/12 16:18
This is a video created by CFP/E-SHOTS for the YoungDirectorsAward 2012 Festival. As I work on a music video with Conor, this hits pretty close to home. As soon as he's able to talk, I imagine he'll be as opinionated as this little twerp.
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SUN, MEET MY SON
24/05/12 09:00
Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. Upon returning from Europe, the sun was smiling on Boston and I can finally introduce my son to the sun. Sounds like a country song. “Come on Conor, let’s work this one out. You play the bass notes and I’ll handle the high ones.”
CONOR VISITS AN IRISH FARM IN THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS
18/05/12 09:19
Old tractors. Mended fences. Pigs. Chickens. Cows. Sheep and ducks. Today, Val, Conor and I found ourselves at Greenan Farms in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland. It was fun watching Conor study each of the animals and try to talk to them in a language only babies and ducklings know. As a dad, I watch my son with an amazing amount of satisfaction and pleasure as his brain grows and he begins to make sense of the world around him. I rest easier knowing that he is finding his way in this world and that he will be his own man. I imagine it sounds silly since he’s only 7 months old but to a dad, I sense that he will be okay. He is friendly, happy, studious and curious. These are qualities that I find both necessary and admirable in a person. And am happy to discover in my son.
GERMANY TO IRELAND - BATTLE OF THE BEERS
16/05/12 09:29
Left Germany this morning after a week of great sightseeing, company, food and of course, great beer. Each town has its own breweries and the local restaurants serve the local beer. So after 5 days of local PIls, Helles and Dunkels, we left Germany for Ireland. By 1pm I couldn’t stand to wait any longer and when my wife’s father asked me if I wanted a Guinness, I think I answered a little too fast, “Yes.” My son was just as mesmerized at the black gold as I was. We admired its iconic black color and white foam for about 30 seconds then opted for a taste. I don’t which beer I like better. And really, do I have to choose? No, when in Germany do as the Germans. And when in Ireland, do as the Irish. They’re both delicious. And so I leave the toast of, “Prost” in Germany and switch to “Slainte” now that I’m in Ireland. Both mean, “To good health!”
FAMILY'S FIRST TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT
10/05/12 09:45
36,000 feet above the Atlantic and Conor and I were on top of the world. The gate agent at Luftansa in Boston had taken good care of us and with only three empty seats on the plane, she worked enough magic that Valerie moved into a middle seat one row away while Conor got her seat for no additional cost. This meant we got to use our car infant seat to wedge into the cramped quarters of the economy class at seat 19A. The 25-year old sitting in the seat directly in front of Conor was the only loser in the equation. Not because Conor cried because he didn’t. He slept soundly from take-off until an hour before landing. But because the seats were so cramped, the guy couldn’t recline his seat even one inch. He eventually stopped looking back in frustration and fell asleep.
Cleverly, Valerie had booked a flight that didn’t leave Boston until 10;20pm. This was two hours after Conor’s bedtime and sure enough, he was fast asleep for takeoff. And as we landed, I gave him a bottle of milk to ease the pressure in his ears and he flew like a champ. Within no time, we had switched from plane to train and was on our way to Kassel, Germany. Flying with my son has always been a fear of mine but after today, I have to say that it was relaxing and even fun. The flight attendants and even fellow travelers are much nicer and gives us all something to talk about. - See more at: http://dadsdecoded.com/blog/index_files/archive-may-2012.html#sthash.6jL33UpS.dpuf
MY 6 1/2 MONTH OLD SON SAYS, "DADDA," WHEN I COME HOME FROM EUROPE
01/05/12 17:08
After 14 days in Europe on business, I came home at 6pm and my wife came down the stairs to welcome me home with our 6 month old son in her arms. My wife told Conor, “Look who’s home, Conor. It’s daddy.” And my son look confused for about 10 seconds and then he got a giant grin on his face and his arms started flailing. Then his feet started kicking. Suddenly, his jaw dropped and for about 10 minutes, he couldn’t close his mouth. He was smiling with his mouth wide open. When he finally was able to close his mouth, he started saying, da da. I had never heard him say it before. My wife said that he had started saying da da only that morning without any coaxing from her.
I took this recording later that same evening when we finished eating dinner.
I looked online to see if there is some sort of magic age that an infant starts talking. It looks like about as early as 6 months but most start around 9 months. So if you’re child isn’t saying words by 6 months, don’t sweat it.
IF A COW CAN JUMP THE MOON
15/03/12 23:30
By the time Conor was 3 weeks old, I was already tired of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "You are My Sunshine" and a few other songs I could barely remember from childhood. Bored by the classics, I started making up a song for him and within an hour I had written four verses and a chorus that he seemed to like. Granted he was 3 weeks old but it kept him from crying unlike "The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You," (even though that's not a children't song.) Now Conor is 5 months old and is completely captivated by the song as you can see in this picture. No matter what kind of a rotten day he's having, as soon as I hit the first few notes of the song, he stops crying and starts smiling. Here's the lyrics;
"What Can Little Boys Do When They Try" written and copyrighted by Steve Kolander
If a cow can jump the moon and pigs can learn to fly
What can little boys do when they try
Run and catch a frog, learn to ride a dog
What can little boys do when they try
Find a great big tree, carve a boat and sail the seas
What can little boys do when they try
Build a rocket made of cans, launched with rubber bands
What can little boys do when they try
Try, try, try
What can little boys do when they try, try, try
Anything can happen when you try, try, try
What can little boys do when they try
If a big, bad wolf can smile and three pigs can laugh and cry
What can little boys do when they try
Learn to ride a bike with their hands up in the sky
What can little boys do when they try
Tame a lion with a chair
Juggle monkeys, hug a bear
What can little boys do when they try
Learn to go to bed when their pillow hits their head
What can little boys do when they try
Repeat Chorus and go to bed
CONOR MEETS KAWLIGA IN AUSTIN FOR THE FIRST TIME
14/03/12 19:43
One of my dads's favorite songs when I was growing up was, "Kawliga" by Hank Williams, Sr. It was a song about an old wooden Indian who just stood in front of the tobacco store and never knew love. It was a song of a beautiful Indian maiden who came to the store but because Kawliga was wooden, he could do nothing about another man who came to take the Indian maiden for his own. It was a sad song that would lead a man to drinkin' like all good country songs do. As my son and I passed by the tobacco store on West 7th street in Austin, I felt compelled to take our picture. My wife didn't understand the significance but obliged us just the same.
THERE'S A GOAT IN MY BACKYARD
13/03/12 23:20
Grandparents have the best songs for kids. The stuff we hear these days is watered down kumbaya crap. Conor's grandpa is singing about a goat that will knock you from foolish to silly.
GOOD MORNING, SON
11/03/12 23:08
Conor awoke at 6am. He didn't scream. He didn't cry. He giggled. And gurgled. And played on his own. I tried to sleep with one eye open but it was no use. I had one ear on Conor. And one ear on my thoughts. Today is the first day of SxSW 2012 and I always get excited about what there is to be learned that will make me a better writer. A better marketer. A better leader. A better blogger. But right now, I decide it's better to just be dad. So I peel back the warm bed cover, walk over to Conor's travel crib, pick him up and kiss him good morning. He rewards me with the best gift a child can give his dad; he smiles at me with all the innocence that the definition offers. I'm proud to be his dad. And he's perfectly content to be my son. I revel in the glory. Knowing it will fade by the time he's a teenager.
NEVER PUT OFF TOMORROW WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY
10/03/12 08:20
The importance of father and son activities can best be seen in this 5-second film I discovered on Vimeo. The moral of the story is to never put off tomorrow what you can do today.
MY SON JUST REACHED OUT TO ME FOR THE FIRST TIME
01/03/12 10:09
Today was a long day like most days at the agency. And the long ride home in the traffic gives me a chance to run the daily grind around in my head one last time before sugar plums erase just enough of the 9 to 5 so that I naively do it again the next day. So as I pulled up to the house and grabbed by computer bag and unlocked the door, I heard my wife call from upstair, “Hi honey.”
I dropped my bag and coat on the couch and headed upstairs where my son and wife were busy at the changing table. As soon as i said hi, my son smiled and reached out with both hands to be held. It’s the first time he’s ever done this and almost brought me to tears. I was speechless. I grabbed him up and squeezed him and looked at my wife and said, “Did you see that? You saw that right?” She laughed and her eyes turned red. “He loves you. You know that.” Yeah, but he reached out and acknowledged me and demonstrated some kind of love for me. Wow.