Exclusive Interview - A 4 Month Old's Thoughts on the GOP Debate

So with this post I am deviating away from the norm of writing about my son and am instead interviewing my son on his thoughts about the recent Republican debate. Our apologies for it being a couple days late, we kept having to reschedule around nap time. Keep in mind that he is only four months old, so his political views may not be as developed as some of you out there. I asked him about the candidates and here were his exact words:

Trump: "First off, you have to hand it to a guy who still tries to pull off the comb over. I like to have goals for myself. My new goal after the debate is to behave better by the age of 3, than Donald Trump currently behaves himself. I believe this to be a very reachable goal for myself. I imagine my whining may rival Trump's at moments in my life, but at least I will have being a toddler in my favor. Also, give credit to Trump for the best quote of the evening, 'What I say is what I say.' Amen.'"

Christie: "Did the man lay in a tanning bed too long before the debate? I wasn't aware a human could look orange. That was a nice touch though, talking about all the people he's hugged. I'm sure he meant every one of them. No way he did it so he could later bring it up in a political debate so that he could make himself look good. Who would ever do something just for show to look good?"

Bush: "The man's name is Jeb. I think that pretty much sums it up. He was in Florida for a few years though so he might be able to rival Christie's orange glow given enough time."

Carson: "I know Dad that this is your favorite candidate, but is putting a brain surgeon in the White House really the best idea? I mean it would totally destroy the joke, 'Being the President isn't brain surgery'.... Because with Carson it might be! It's not a good joke, but still, you couldn't make it anymore. If I was going to go out on a limb here, my guess is that he has a slight smarts edge over Jeb, ever so slight."

Paul: "You have to applaud a grown man who still has a perm. That's just an excellent show of effort with not much show of style.But hey, as long as he keeps the government off my diaper-phone, I can live with the curls."

Rubio: "Marco Polo is one of my favorite games to play in the pool.... That was my thought about Marco....Polo."

Kasich: "Two things, who is he?? And with me still having no teeth, this name is nearly impossible to say."

Huckabee: "The man was the Governor of Arkansas, not a whole lot I can say at this point that will help his case any."

Cruz: "Ever heard of Florida-Georgia Line? They have a song called Cruz."

Walker: "I know he is from up north, which means every person is the South is like, 'I'll pass'."

As you can tell, nap time started creeping up on us toward the end of the interview. Oh well, babies and their schedules. As you can also tell, my four month old doesn't take politics too seriously.

Welcome to the mind of a four month old.

Somewhat Unexpected Happenings

Well, it's been a couple of months since I've posted anything. Nate looks like he has doubled in size, so good for him, that won't always be acceptable, so he should enjoy it while he can. So what are some things that have happened that I wasn't totally prepared for? Plenty.

1) The child spews liquid like a sprinkler at a summer birthday party. I mean, after a bottle, be careful not to shake him because you will pay dearly for it. I guess he always feels better afterwards, which is good. I hope he grows out of this stage, because you hit a point in life, where spewing your meal after eating too much, is no longer "cute." Nobody is going to walk up to me at the Mexican restaurant and say, "Poor Baby", because I spit up my chips and salsa all over myself. Enjoy it while it lasts buddy.

2) People told me my days of peaceful, sleep filled nights were over. I didn't believe all I heard, it couldn't be that bad..... I'm tired. I'm tired and I don't even get up at nights to feed or change him. The kid needs to learn how to sleep 8 hours straight. We would be more than happy to teach him this valuable skill.

3) I don't have a weak stomach. I am not a very squeamish person. But I was changing a diaper the other day, and I about couldn't make it through the process. Have you ever smelled something that just made the back of your eyelids burn? It's a tremendous sensation, you should try. Just let me know when you want to experience this, and we'll feed Nate some applesauce.

4) On a more serious note, it's hard to fathom just how much I love that kid. He always seems to be smiling (mostly), I can't wait to get home every day to see him, and Ashley too of course. I can't even really remember what life was like before Nate, I do remember it was quieter. But I wouldn't trade this for anything.

The Baby Birthing Week

Well, one way or the other, they tell us this is the week Nate will be making his first appearance. These 9 months have seemed so long, but at the same time, they have flown by. My wife may think it's been a little on the slow side. We've seen some of the 3-D pictures they can take and let me tell you, he's got some big ole cheeks. Looks like he may be a little on the chunky side, so he should fit right in at our house. (I am referring to only myself of course)

We like to laugh and joke about Nate and how fast he will be doing things. I think the latest goal was to have him running laps by about 6 months. Pretty sure he's going to be playing catch with me within the next couple of weeks. I figure he won't start mowing the yard until he's at least 4 or 5, I mean, gotta let him stay little for a while right? All kidding aside, I'm sure he will grow up wayyy too fast, but I'm just glad I get to be a part of the experience.

Ashley insists Nate will never play soccer, ever. I believe the plan is to avoid all things soccer like the plague. So, if y'all really want to make things interesting, introduce Nate to soccer. Just don't let his mom know.

Ashley has also decided that Nate and Carrie Underwood's baby are clearly future BFF's. Apparently his name is Isaiah Michael Fisher, for those of you who enjoy random factoids. We shall wait and see, but I have my doubts about this plan.

Because I haven't said this enough I shall say it again, We cannot wait for Nate to be here! I really don't fully know what to expect, but I'm sure I will quickly become very informed. I just pray that God keeps Nate and his Mom safe and healthy through everything to come.

They tell me that the father doesn't get drugs during delivery, hopefully I don't become the exception  to the rule.

Life Lessons for Nate from Baseball

Nate thankfully continues to grow and all indications are that he is quite the healthy kid and for that I am thankful to God. I sometimes let my mind drift off and I wonder, what will he be like as he grows? Will he be more like his mom (has positives and negatives) or me? (mostly negatives) One thing is for certain:

We may be hoping he likes Baseball.

I sure hope the kid likes Baseball, or we will never hear the end of the complaining.

I have always liked baseball, you get to be outside, it takes teamwork, it also requires a lot of hard work to even begin to improve yourself at the game. Come to think of it, there are quite a few life lessons to be learned from playing baseball.

1) There Ain't no "I" in Team

I'm sure none of us have ever heard this wonderful statement. Who knew that sports coaches were such geniuses of the English language? But seriously, Nate has to learn, it's not all about you. So what? You went 4 for 4 at the plate and hit a home run, but the TEAM lost. Obviously, I won't downplay his personal achievements, but I want him to understand, baseball is a TEAM sport. You win as a team and you lose as a team. You always give 110% effort because that's how a good team plays, they support each other, they will put themselves on the line for each other, not for personal glory, but for the good of the team.

2) Give Maximum Effort, All the Time

Nothing infuriates me more when watching baseball then to see a batter hit a routine ground ball to a fielder and not run hard down the first base line. So what that tells me is that because there is a pretty good chance you are going to be out, you just aren't going to try. Because the odds are against you, you are just going to quit and make it easy for the other team. It makes the player look like he just doesn't care. What I hope Nate learns is that no matter what, if you're slow or fast, you run down that first base line like your britches are on fire. Because you know what? The fielder just might make an error, there just might be a bad throw, if you are hustling, the fielder may hurry to field the ball and make a mistake. I hope Nate grows to understand, that perfection, is not expected. But effort, will always be expected. He may be the slowest runner that has ever existed on this green earth, but that does not give him a free pass to not try.

3) Even the Greats Strike Out

For decades, Babe Ruth, one of the greatest baseball players to ever step onto a field, held the record for striking out more than anyone else. Babe Ruth failed to even put the ball into play more than anyone else. So why was Babe Ruth great? He was great because he didn't allow his failures to keep him down. Babe Ruth held the record for the most home runs in baseball for nearly a hundred years. He was great because he was able to step back up to the plate and face the same exact pitcher who made him look foolish the previous at bat. He was able to learn from his mistakes. People will make mistakes. I have made mistakes and will continue to do so I'm sure. Nate will make his fair share of mistakes. But what I hope Nate learns, your mistakes can define you, if you let them. How a person responds to their mistakes, is what truly defines an individual. I have heard very few stories about The Babe striking out, even though he struck out many more times than the home runs he hit. But people talk about the home runs. The stories exist because of the victories, not the failures.

These are only a few life lessons I hope Nate can learn from baseball, if he so chooses to play and enjoy the sport. I obviously hope that there are other things that are more important to him, such as serving the Lord and his family. But something as simple as a game, can teach him life lessons that he can use for the rest of his life.

First Thoughts

When my wife, my beautiful, incredibly intelligent wife Ashley, although she did marry me so the intelligence part is debatable at times...... Anyway, when she told me that we were going to have a baby, I didn't really know what to say. I mean I was thrilled of course, but I also thought, "Am I actually old enough to be a dad?" I mean, at the ripe old age of 23, I was still on my 15th year of college. Only 5 actual years, but it felt like 15 years.

I still don't really know what to really think about becoming a dad. I usually try and prepare myself on how I will react in a certain situation. But having no experience as a dad, I have nothing to pull from to prepare myself for being a father. So, because of my inexperience with this situation, I have caused my wife to believe there must be something wrong with me.

Let me explain by using a few examples. Last night, my wife and I were asleep and I felt her hitting me on my arm. I woke with a start and instantly starting asking, "What's wrong? What's wrong??" My wife just says, "I rolled over." I replied, "Didn't you hit my arm to wake me up?" I believe her reply was, "My bad." Once my heart rate dropped back to normal levels, I went back to sleep. Apparently, I have become an easily excited, paranoid person since I became a dad. My wife can't get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without me waking up and asking if she's alright.

But Ashley's favorite story to tell is about Braxton Hicks. For those of you who are clueless like me, Braxton Hicks are the name of contractions that basically prepare the woman's body to pop out a baby. So now with your new found knowledge we can continue the story.

We are driving in the car and I heard Ashley say something about Braxton Hicks contractions. Now, at first, the only word I heard was contractions. And I thought, "This is it. This is your moment. Don't panic, just keep driving." Then I thought wait a minute.... And I asked my wife, "Who is Braxton Hicks? I thought we were calling the baby Nathaniel? You're just going to confuse the poor kid." Needless to say, I may never live that one down.

I have plenty to learn and I'm sure I will have plenty of stories along the way. I don't want to forget about anything because they only grow up once. Hopefully I can learn along the way as well...... But not too much, then I might have to start changing diapers or something.