Look, here's the deal. It's been a long weekend since the snow started early Friday morning and is just now letting up Sunday...just over 2ft. So when Jeremy woke Dad up demanding some Starbucks I wasn't in a position to deny him. Don't judge us, he's happy now this morning (and doing laps around the living room table!)
On Friday January 2, 2009 Jeremy took his first step toward manhood...shave and a haircut! Ok, so the shave part was limited to the back of the neck, but Dad is proud there's that much neck hair already. There were a couple key observations for me that I'd like to share, especially for those friends of mine with their own kids nearing the hair cutting stage.
First - no matter what mom says, she'll be sad and nervous to do it. Yall know how laid back Gretchen is, but she is ALL NERVOUS MOM don't let her fool you. Driving to our local Best Cuts in Erie, PA Friday night you'd of thought we were going to leave him there overnight. She was definitely coming to grips with this as a defining, transitional moment in our young son's life. For the record Jeremy was chilling in the back of the Tahoe watching an Elmo video.
Second - have a plan. We had a pretty solid plan in place if I can say so myself. This wouldn't be the first time Jeremy saw a buzzing trimmer. I've let him stand on the bathroom counter watching me with my beard trimmer numerous times before. In fact, he knows where it is under the counter and has pulled it out many a time pretending to shave himself (don't worry grandparents...I always take off the actual razor head so there's no risk of self inflicted racing stripes).
Another valuable strategy was to let Jeremy see Dad get his haircut first. He loitered around, seeing our stylist (I can't call a young lady a barber for some reason) use every tool she'd use on him on me first. Ms. Chrystal was great too...she talked to Jeremy while cutting my hair so he was both paying attention and to some degree anticipating the same "big boy" treatment like Dad.
All in all it was a great experience. He was eager for his turn, climbing into the chair as soon as I was done. Ms. Chrystal used scissors and he really didn't mind much save for a few flinches when she snipped around the ears. When the razor came out for the final trim the only thing he was mad about was that he couldn't watch her use it. He kept trying to turn around to see as she trimmed his neck!
I talk a big game but I have to admit that it is a big deal for some reason. You are nervous at first because you want them to behave. It is a pretty standard social event, and I know I've given eyes to parents of unruly kids before. Once you are over that (either happy with success or surviving meltdown failure), you look at this kid...almost 2 yrs old, neatly trimmed around the ears and face and you think "wow, he really is turning into a little man." I sure hope I don't screw him up somehow!
The first calm snips recorded as evidence and for general Arnold family posterity...
I've been struggling lately to get a blog started. Seems like something I should do considering I spend the better part of every day in front of a computer. I've had the title for quite a while "In The Moment"....an important phrase for me because time blurs more and more with each passing life event. Staying in the moment is both an increasingly difficult and evermore valued skill.
So, in short order since most of you receiving this know, I've been married to Gretchen (formerly Moss of Crestwood and Ashland University graduate fame) since 2004. We currently live in Erie, PA after short stints in Cincinnati and Atlanta moving within my job at GE. Our first son Jeremy Lawrence (pictured top left) is about 20 months old and a second is due in March 2009. We have two dogs Mo and Lili who have served us well in preparation for parenthood and now serve a very crucial stress distraction role.
I've wavered in blog intentions anywhere from light-hearted monthly family updates to daily deep introspective reflections. I think time will most likely permit a weekly goal which I'm bound to miss from time to time. As for content, if I continue to plan and not do it will never be. So with that I offer to you my first published blog update...
I must admit, even with the close proximity to family I've been eager to start our own family tradition for Christmas morning. Jeremy is close to Santa-age, and we have a great living room fire place. I've yet to wake up in my own home for Christmas, and for those of you who know Gretchen well you know that we are WAY too decorated here to not stay and fully enjoy throughout the season. So after some artful negotiations with my lovely wife, the low point being my refusal to buy her a real Christmas tree until we stay home (an inadvisable strategy given she is 7 months pregnant) we headed out to Mantua for Christmas 2008. The current plan is for Christmas 2009 to be Erie-based....stay tuned.
The Arnold and Moss events went off without a hitch (if you want the real story call me). In all honesty it is very important for both Gretchen and I that our children have a close relationship with their grandparents. We are blessed to be so close after our travels and we will continue to make the most of it. That brings me to the featured moment...Jeremy opening presents.
This time he was actually able to pull off the wrapping paper, and while labels didn't matter (he opened EVERY gift at my parents house) his excitement for each gift was clear in his expression. Some kept more attention afterward, thanks to the Arnold GPs for the Elmo computer and thanks to the Moss GPs for the Doodle Board, but each was opened with equal enthusiasm.
There's a lot for us to be distracted by and to complain about. Frankly, it all seems superficial after moments like these. I love my wife more then life itself, and I love my son even more. As I write this it is clear I can not express my feelings adequately in words. Maybe for those of you interested in this and future updates it will emerge in the collective. Until then all I can say is we had a ton of fun and look how cute that stinkin' kid is!
A couple final sources of entertainment....here's a short video that captures Jeremy's personality pretty well. Adventurous, inquisitive, and entertaining all in one.
Going forward I promise a few things...these will be shorter, without all the explanatory preface and epilogue material. Future posts will all be based on pictures or videos. I'm a visual learner and who wants to just read some random words without good illustration anyway. And finally, I welcome your posted comments. Let's get a dialogue going, you are all a key part of my life.
So, for what it is worth I thoroughly enjoyed writing this. Thanks for bearing with my winding you through my thought process. I'm not trying to define this as something more important then it is, just hoping it you will find it entertaining enough to check back on, thoughtful enough to be more then just entertainment, and honest enough to hold some meaning beyond my own perspective.
