The Davolts

     You always hear how parenthood changes you as a person, and I have never doubted this fact.  Prior to being a father I would have conversations about other peoples kids and the infamous words of, "Now I don't have kids but. . . "  would often come out of my mouth.  When I look back I like to think I was always mindful of my inexperience and that each child and family is unique and has unique challenges and methods for handling the large number of crazy situations that parenthood seems to bring.  But there is one situation that prior to parenthood I had very little empathy for which I now understand in a completely new light.  This situation is the parent who must call in sick from work in order to take care of their child.          Now, to understand some of my lack of empathy you must first understand my feelings toward work.  I do not call in sick.  I can remember calling in sick perhaps 3 times...

 Nathan is eight months old now and loves exploring the world around him. As you can see in this series, every moment he shows a new expression or finds something to catch his curiosity. Whether sitting or lying down, he loves to reach for his feet and anything that might serve as a toy. If Nathan is on his stomach, he is moving in circles or backwards to check out all the possibilities. Nathan's teachers both refer to him as "Sweet Boy", a name I find myself using as well. They often have stories of Nathan showing affection to themselves or the other babies in his class. Jeff and I love spending time with our Sweet Boy, finding ways to make him smile and giggle. Nathan likes to give wide-open mouthed, slobbery kisses which makes me laugh as I try and make sure he lands on my cheek!   New for Nathan this month is two teeth slowly peeking through the bottom gums. I think I've mentioned before how much I love his gummy smile, but I'm excited to watch him grow ...