Reflection From A Father

This past weekend I got to spend some father/son time with Brevin. While Erin was gallabanting in Appleton, Wisconsin with some friends, it was up to Bella and I to hold down the fort.

Of course Erin had everything set up for me before she left. His food, clean clothes, and items that needed to be brought to church. After all, this was the first time she'd leave Brevin in the hands of someone else overnight. It didn't matter that the someone was me. Being the mom that she is, she made sure to do all that she could before leaving.

The B3's (Bernt, Brevin, and Bella) enjoyed our time together. When Brevin would become fussy for no apparent reason (something he has just started), I thought I'd take both him and Bella out to the park. For those of you who haven't been to our place yet, there's probably a reason...just kidding. Right outside our door is a park for the townhome community. It was a nice day and Brevin had never been to the park; and without mom there to supervise us, we were left alone to get into trouble.

Brevin dug the swing. He was quite the daredevil. He'd lean forward as much as possible to see the ground moving swiftly beneath his kicking legs. When he'd get tired of that, he'd look up at me with a huge, squinty grin and laugh as he'd come to within inches of us meeting face to face. He loved taking in the scenery and seeing the world around him.

After conquering the swing, I thought we could move up to the slide. As I placed him at the top (I would brace him while still standing the ground) I would hold/slide him down. His reaction? I'm guessing he was scared. He would always tightly close his eyes as he went down and wouldn't open them until he knew he was at a complete stop. Every time he went down the slide, he did the same thing. Oh well, at least we had conquered the swing.

Later on that day we took a nap and I was able to introduce him to some classic guy movies. (Well, he was in the same room at least.) 1987's Dragnet starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks, the original Rocky and The Karate Kid. (Haha, the Karate Kid, I know. What can I say? I love that movie.)

Besides keeping the kitchen clean, Brevin and I even ran some errands. We hit up Target for a while getting the Milk and garbage bags but not before checking out all the cool toys and rummaging through the DVD's. He was good as he usually is where there is stuff to look at and he's constantly in motion.

When Sunday afternoon came around, we were happy to have mom home again. She wouldn't put Brevin down and made up for all of the hugs and kisses she couldn't give him while she was away. It was fun to hang out with Brevin for the weekend but that's where I'd want it to stop. Having a spouse to help is huge! Not only for Brevin's sake, but for my own sanity as well. No offense to Bella as she makes for a great companion, but I need someone who won't route through garbage or bark at other dogs and Erin fits that perfectly. :)

I love you Erin and not just for everything you do for Brevin but for who you are for me.

—b