Week 12.
Whenever I see a baby boy, I usually think of a man between the ages of 45 and 65 years old, because while taking a child psychology class in college at Liberty University, I remember seeing side-by-side photographs in my textbook which compared a baby boy and a middle-aged man. The example showed how as a man grows older, he begins to look more like he did as a baby. (Baby girls don’t look like middle-aged women, though.)
Something that has become pretty apparent this week is that Jack (my son) and Jack (my dad) have a special connection. Baby Jack gravitates his attention towards my dad if he is in the room. Not only is he fascinated by hearing his voice, but he also will get the biggest smile anytime my dad looks his way. And as these YouTube clips below will show, a certain side of Jack’s behavior only opens up for my dad. Their relationship is unmatched even to my own relationship with my son, therefore convincing me there really is something to this “baby boy/middle-aged man” deal. I think it’s really cool to see the dynamics between Baby Jack and his Pappy.
On a less sentimental note, Jack reminds me of things other than just a middle-aged man. When my wife is holding him on her shoulder, he often reminds me of a Glow Worm. And when when gets confused, he looks like Mac the alien from the mostly forgotten movie Mac and Me. And when he’s passionate about eating, he makes this grunting sound that is so similar to Mr. Peepers from Saturday Night Live: “Bah-bah-bah-bah!”
Eventually, he will make me think more of a little boy. For right now, what I am seeing in him are his attempts at being human: like his attempts to walk, his attempts to talk, and even his attempts to show affection. Whatever he reminds me of at any certain point in the day, something I am aware of is how adorable he is. Whether he reminds me of a pet, an alien, or a stuffed animal from the Eighties, I just know I can’t imagine life without him.
Things that Baby Jack reminds me of right now:
Middle-aged men, like the magnificent Phil Collins
Mac the alien
Mr. Peepers (sounds like while eating, but doesn't look like)
a Glow Worm (when Jack is sleepy)
Family Friendly Daddy Blog 