Ocho meses

Tyce can stand up on his own. Time to baby-proof the surroundings: set up a fence around the play area, put up gates by the stairs, snap safety plugs into electrical outlets, etc. Having a kid makes you a member of this parenthood fraternity where you realize that things are never going to be the same from that point forward. You will never really know what it's like until you receive your official membership card. In the orientation manual you learn about terms like "BK" and "AK", representing the period of time when you were able to go to the movies without difficulty, and the "after kid" period - where you start considering things like, how long is that event gonna last? will the sound be too loud for him? will that place have high-chairs? will I have a place to change him? will I be OK leaving if he's not having a good time?

My training for a triathlon later this month took a nose-dive when Tyce got sick. I could not bring him to the gym with me during the week, or the weekend, and Maria worked from Monday thru Sunday. It was an abrupt realization that there is a new element in our lives that forces us to realign our priorities - regardless of how much we're used to them not taking a backseat to anything in the past. To the right you'll see a picture of my friend Dave and I - he finished his first triathlon with no training other than a cigarette and a cup of coffee that morning. He's working on that.

Maria feels like she doesn't know him anymore. Tax season really took a toll on her perceived closeness with him. She's delighted to hear people mentioning what a happy baby Tyce is - we love that - because Tyce's happiness and well-being is our main goal in this adventure. Tax season is over, but she now has to leave for 2 weeks to do the annual training with her Army National Guard Unit. I feel for her b/c I know she will miss Tyce and I very much. My parents will use their vacation to join me while she's gone. I think them making that sacrifice for us speaks for itself.
Just like the following video, which includes some comments by people in Tyce's social circle and a song I've been saving for some time but could not keep from using any longer. Enjoy.