My First Night Back

Here we go again. I’m working one week of nights through Christmas and this is the first of seven. It’s not the best situation, especially considering my sons birthday is this week as well and would love to have been on the same schedule to enjoy the afternoon with him. I will just have to maximize our time together  before I go in to work.

I remember going to the mall with him and my wife when he was 1-2 months old. A very friendly man working at one of the stores approached us to see the Luka. He told us how he remembered giving his son a kiss and holding him as a baby, and now he’s an adult. He told us to cherish those younger years as much as possible because before you know it, they are all grown up.

I been able to talk with several mentors about their careers. We discussed what their goals were, how satisfied they were with their achievements, greatest and worst moments etc. There were so many fascinating stories jam pack with laughter and wisdom. Each person had their own unique experience to share. When it came to my question of if they had any regrets, each of them said the same thing; not spending more time with family was their biggest if not only, regret.

There were times where he could barely tolerate "tummy time" at the beginning.

Now to see him walking, babbling, pointing (at anything and everything possible) and feeding himself has been fascinating.

As I mentioned yesterday, it was so nice to see him play and interact with his cousin (It almost makes me wonder if it’s time for him to have a brother or sister). He would love that! The joy in his eyes when he sees another baby is unmatched. He is also very gentle and affectionate, often looking to hold hands 😂.

Although he is only one year old and has a lot of growing left to do, I’m proud of the little man he has become. We’ve shared so many memories together and I can only have excitement in anticipation of the memories we’ll share and create in the future.

Antonio Smith

The Bearded Doctor