Hey There, Little Dude.

You are still swimming laps in the womb. This makes sense to most people, since your mother has only been pregnant for 34 weeks. According to the kind folks at the hospital, you still got about six weeks of cooking left. I have higher standards, baby.

Because you read this blog regularly, you know that I was born 10 weeks early. After 30 solid weeks of pregnancy, I knew that my body could withstand the rigors of everyday life. Yes, I may have needed multiple blood transfusions, a fancy incubator, and a machine that alerted the neighborhood when my lungs stopped working. Still, I am a survivor. As of now, you are living in my shadow. Enjoy being fully developed. It's overrated.

Dear Little Baby,

Your mother and I have close friends that are expecting a baby three days after your due date. You will know them, and you will like their babies.

One day, while the two moms were discussing ultrasounds, baby showers, and assorted pregnancy experiences, my friend Jimmy privately shared a thought provoking idea. We were discussing the possible perks of having children born on the same day, and Jimmy joked about having joint delivery rooms.

Light bulbs went on. Windows shattered. The world changed. Of course, I had pictured a nightmare. I imagined a couple of self-obsessed dudes high-fiving each other and eating snacks as their wives did all the work.  That was when I realized that I know some guys who would love to transform the birth of their baby into a raucous “Guys Night” of epic proportions.

So listen up, all you strangers out there that like to read my baby's letters. This blog post is not just for the baby.  Marketers should pay close attention. This could get big. Next time you all pick up an edition of the book Stuff White People Like and peruse the fads of young bored Caucasian hipsters, don’t be surprised if you find Joint Delivery Rooms on page 76. The spread could feature pictures of bearded men pounding fists, clinking beverages, and playing Settlers of Catan as their wives pump out babies. Of course, each party would allow for creativity and individual expression. Guys might assemble a game system and play Rock Band, or go with classic Karaoke. Mothers would be asked to sing their verses between contractions, and everyone would feel included. An uplifting clown would be provided for the children, since those kids will get awfully depressed when they discover that the baby is coming to devour all of their attention and candy.

Baby, I know what you are thinking, and I agree. I fully admit that this would be ludicrous, impractical, terribly uncomfortable and selfish, but it was nonetheless fun to imagine a couple of naïve bros planning a terrible baby delivery double-header. If anyone ever decides to indulge the lively machinations of this expectant father and revolutionize childbirth, they should feel free to take all the credit.

As for reality, I have no idea what your birthday will hold for us, apart from wonderful memories and exhaustion. I am certain, however, that I could never plan the events of that day. I look forward to being surprised and blown away by the mystery. No preparation or sideshow could detract from the miracle, and I am inclined to ride the wave and watch as your mother does something incredible.  And of course, you will perform admirably as well.

See you soon, baby. Get ready for the party.

Greetings, Young Jedi.

A talented fellow dad-blogger recently posited the question: At what age should children be exposed to Star Wars?

I had given this little thought until recently.  Indeed, I do think about your future, and of your endless possibilities. I think of what I hope and want for you.  I had not yet thought of Star Wars. Now that I have, however, those hopes may have changed.  You need to love Star Wars.

One day in the distant future, I will be called into your school for a parent conference. A secretary will inform me via phone that my little angel has been sent to the principal’s office for inappropriate behavior. When I arrive, a short necked, stubby armed principal will ask me to sit down next to you, and she will politely ask you to explain yourself.

You will take a deep breath, smile broadly, and speak.  “Dad, I passed a note in class. When my teacher asked me for the note, I waved my hand across her face and said ‘These are not the notes you’re looking for.’ Then she sent me here to the Emperor’s office. It’s nice to see you. How’s mom?”

I do not want you to merely watch Star Wars. I want you to watch Star Wars and then play Jedi for the next seven years. I hope that you refer to the doctor’s office as the Death Star, and eventually ask your teacher how old she was when she turned to the dark side.  You will undoubtedly make light saber sounds with your toothbrush, and spout compliments like “the Force is strong with that librarian.”

You may be six when you get called into that principal’s office.  You could be seven. Either way, I will discreetly be proud of your accomplishments. I will feign surprise and disappointment as the principal voices her concerns. We may even get away with it. If my John Williams ringtone goes off in the middle of the conference, however, we will definitely get caught.  It will be difficult to explain why we danced together on her desk like a couple of jubilant Ewoks.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, Little One.

Today I am reminded of the only Super Bowl I ever attended. I would love to say that I live an extravagant life, and that I was able to afford tickets. This is not true. I was able to get into this Super Bowl by using my body.  I worked as a security guard.

I am not a large guy. Some may describe my body type as "scrawny." They would be both cruel and correct.  In order to fully convey my scrawniness, I must refer to a recent film. In the movie Captain America, the young Captain is initially unable to join the military on account of his small stature. They make fun of his body type for a third of the movie, before he gets transformed by a miraculous science experiment. That body is my body; a hairless, caved-in masterpiece. I still believe that I deserve royalties, since they seemed to have taken my torso and placed that man's beautiful face on it. I just sat in that theater and listened as the crowd laughed at my frame.  It was like a high school locker room without the smell. Except this time, I was able to participate in the laughing and act like a cool jock. "Ha ha, that guy's body looks so abnormal, and completely unlike mine! Ha ha ha!"

My body size lends me no favors in regard to perceived toughness. Still, I have known several small guys that appear formidable.  I am not them. I could never be intimidating, unless I'm holding a tool that I don't know how to use. Only then can I appear dangerous. And even then, I am merely a danger to myself and the small tree house I am attempting to construct.   I had very few tools and gadgets when I was tasked with guarding the sacred Bowl. The powers that be would have never entrusted me with a taser, or handcuffs, or a pencil. Pencils are way too sharp.

Because of my graduate degrees, wealth of experience, and unparallelled work ethic, I was given the task of wanding rich people at the metal-detector laden entrances. I also had to examine bags and wallets to make sure that people were not carrying weapons into the stadium. Former player Marcus Allen came through my metal detector, and I got to check his wallet. He was clean. 

Once inside the stadium, I was tasked with standing at the top of an aisle and scanning the stands in search of potential danger.  I felt like Batman.  I searched the crowds for misdeeds and treachery, but all was calm. Some might say that I got lucky, since other sections were reportedly quite rowdy. I like to think that the football fans were aware they were being watched. They sensed my pursuit of justice. They respected my authority.

I shall expect the same from you, little baby. You will know that I keep a keen eye on your baby monitor at all times, ready to intervene and teach you the ways of truth.  I will be the Security Guard of your childhood. I may not be intimidating, but I have proven to be effective.

Dear Little Baby,

After we bring you home from the hospital, we will choose how to present you to the world. Many of our peers have chosen forms of social media. These are online platforms that allow a grown man to show the inside of his wife’s uterus to all of his friends without feeling awkward. Future dads get to say, “Hey high school friends, come and check out what I put in that uterus! Trust me, it’s going to be a baby.” This way, it becomes much easier to display pictures of the actual baby after it’s born, no matter what it looks like.

 “Remember when I showed you that picture of a skeleton wearing a Luchador mask? Well don’t worry. My baby has a face now, so it’s cuter.”

This “show-off the baby” stage is actually quite daunting.  It does not help that The Lion King has given me terribly unrealistic expectations.  First of all, that primate holds the baby with so much confidence. I can’t hold a baby without fearing that his arm might fall off like he’s a faulty super hero figurine. Secondly, the crowd’s excitement is terribly misleading. Whenever I watch that opening scene, I tend to imagine that some of the animals aren't so enamored with the royals.  It would make sense. There have to be some griping, pissed off antelope sitting by the lake somewhere.  They can’t all be dancing in unison. Somewhere, far from the circle of life, there are some bitter antelope. They likely knew Mufasa in high school and thought he was a punk ass bully with a nice mane and a rich dad.

"Boooooo! Booooo! I hope the monkey drops that kitten, you tyrant! Boooooo!"

These thoughts have left me with some apprehension. Should I show you off? Will people cheer? Those hypothetical antelope haunt my dreams. I can imagine other dad bloggers flipping through pages of Facebook baby images, and rating them Cute OR Not. I fear for your ranking.

Still, I cannot imagine that anyone would have a hostile reaction to you.  People love me. People love your mom. I never ate anyone’s family and shrugged it off as “the circle of life.”  When I post pictures of you on Facebook, or hold you above my head in a crowded grocery store, everyone will cheer. They should, because you are going to be mind-blowingly cool. 

Greetings, Tiny Little Monster.

Please note that parts of this story have been edited in order to create a more baby-friendly narrative. The edits have been marked in red.

Several years ago, I embarked on a road trip across the U.S. with my friend Jimmy. Having no qualms with couches or hard floors, we searched for free lodging. One evening, a friend helped me arrange an overnight stop at a "home" located an hour outside of a major US city. This was a mistake.

The house was nestled at the edge of a sprawling ranch, with barrack-like buildings surrounding the home.  We knocked, and the door was promptly answered by a man in his mid-fifties, introducing himself as Larry.  I remember nothing of what Larry said after the introduction, as I was distracted by
a) the large number of pretty women standing on his stairway
b) the babies that were all playing together on the living room floor

Please note that none of those women were more attractive than your ridiculously attractive mom, and only two of those babies were cuter than you. Larry explained that he lived in the home with his family and a boat load of college-age honeys. He worded this differently, as ministers often do. There were men at the compound, of course, but they lived in the barracks located 80 yards from the house. We were welcome to stay for the night. 

"You think he’s having [friendship] with the women?" asked Jimmy.
"I want to adopt one of those babies and give it a good home," I should have responded.

For the record, I never thought Larry was [friendship-ing] with any of the other ladies. I just found it odd that the men and women seemed so isolated from each other. We went searching for the menfolk, and brought our luggage to the assigned sleeping quarters. There, we met the first male not named Larry. He called us "brothers" and smiled often.  I asked our newfound sibling to share a little about the group. He spoke for a while, but this is an adequate paraphrase:

"I came out here for the cause, you know? We're just here for the cause, bro. We want to change legislation, so we're just here to do it.  We follow Larry. A small circle of leaders will make group decisions based on Larry's visions." 

He may as well have said “Bat balls crazy monkey hat binoculars,” because I could not remember a thing he said, apart from that last terrifying phrase:

“…based on Larry’s visions.”

Little Baby, here's a secret.  People who belong to a cult have no idea they belong to a cult.  This group was terrifying, no matter what political or religious beliefs you may hold. Jimmy and I never agree on anything, but we concurred that this place scared the [happiness] out of us.  The idea that one man was guiding an organized, severely isolated clan of young law-changers should not make anyone thrilled.  It becomes scarier when you realize that the group was governed based on that one man's dreams.

Remember that time you met up with a half-naked church friend and decided to cook dinner for a cat because it looked really hungry? That was a dream.  I once had a dream that I met the Olsen twins, and they were super nice.  Dreams are like that. 

According to our new Bro, Larry would gather his most trusted young people together and devise a plan based on the previous night's visions. Unfortunately, Larry's visions were not nearly as exciting as mine. If I were to establish a commune based solely on my dreams, it would be gloriously accurate.  I would create an adult school and decree that everyone attends school naked. Random celebrities will join you throughout the day, and they will be accompanied by long lost neighbors whose names you can't remember. We shall require that people always fall and run in slow-motion, and that one person is being chased at all times. Then we will start our own version of NASCAR where everyone uses wheel-barrels pulled by a legion of lemurs. Because God says so.

Later that night, Jimmy and I slept on a sweet pair of bunk beds.  I woke up at 2am and found an odd looking white fellow looking at me, about 6 inches from my face. He looked as shocked as I was. "You're not Gary."

Nope. Not Gary. I wanted to ask why he and his friends were surrounding my bed. I also wanted to ask why the bookshelves contained titles like "Finding God's Will In Your Dreams." And I really wanted to ask why they needed 80 acres of rural land to change legislation. But I didn't want to die, so I left.