Skip to main content

Dear Son, All Feely Feely


--32 Weeks (Before Birth)--

Dear Son, 

I think we connected for the first time. Yes, after weeks of anticipation, you kicked, threw a head butt, drove your knee - quite frankly, you did something in there! - and my hand was on your mother's belly to feel it. I'm not sure what you were doing, but you've begun to make your presence known every night, or occasionally throughout the day. 

And yes, it's awesome. Absolutely, awesome. 

As we enter the late innings of this pregnancy - I'm sure by the time you're reading this you'll be used to the baseball analogies and metaphors - plenty is beginning to take shape. The academic year is winding down, work is easing up, my pursuit of a second-master's degree is on hiatus for the summer, and all the focus - all of it - is now on you. 

We've begun to clear our apartment here in Brooklyn, NY in anticipation, and I've shifted my focus on the study of education inequality (we can discuss some day) and programming to baby preparation and getting my mind right to become a Dad. 

There is a lot on my plate right now, and oddly, there is a shift in my mindset when it comes to plenty of things as late-June arrives. The idea of your arrival is becoming more real as the seconds go by. But again, there was nothing, absolutely nothing, more real than getting to feel you. 

And that slight connection alone has built up many feelings. It made this whole ordeal so much more real. so much more enjoyable. So much more emotional. It's been a week of being all feely, feely. But more so, of continuing to round into shape a completely shifted mindset for your arrival.

We touched...slightly, and I'm hooked. I'm all about you. I'm now THAT more excited about this summer. Can't wait.

Connect soon? Yeah, I think we will.

Sincerely,

Your waiting-on-a-hot-tag Dad

Recently Read

Was It Ever Real?

Does time change me? Or, did I evolve through experience? How many signals did I miss? Or, did I choose this fate? Do I understand the wrongs and regrets? Or, did I act with the best interest in the moment? What did they say about me? And, what will they say about me today? Was I appreciated? Or, did I imagine that? What were the opinions in the shadows? And, what were the feelings expressed before me? Is it a misunderstanding?  Or, a matter of not confirming?  Why didn’t it last? Or, was it never meant to? …ever able to? Was it ever real? Some of it? Part of it?

Sunday Sundown Rundown - 2/23/25

3 Up   1. New Old Cookbook - I thought this was really cool. The oldest published cookbook just got a remake and is now available. The cookbook, by Malinda Russell, is 160 years old. There has to be some really good (clean) stuff in that book. It's also Black History Month (are we still allowed to push that?), and there's a lot of history and significance that can be found through food.  2. Frankie Munoz - This dude went from Malcolm in the Middle and decided, I'm gonna be a race car driver! Munoz finished 10th recently in his debut as a NASCAR driver.  3. Yankees Policy - It's about time. The Yankees really were eventually going to find themselves in something MUCH uglier than a narrative surrounding "would George have done this?!" or "Why, this is the Yankee way!". Kudos to Hal Steinbrenner for the move.  3 Down 1. Another Plane Crash - This one in Toronto. A place landed on its roof. What is going on out there? Doesn't help when you read and ...

2025 NBA All-Star Weekend - "Throw this format in the trash"

There's no other way to put this, the NBA has a serious problem on their agenda going forward regarding All-Star Weekend. What was once the standard for All-Star presentations and must-watch television has quickly turned into social criticism and an entity that undoubtedly reminds fans of what used to be.  Simply put, NBA All-Star Weekend is broken.  I don't want to pile on like we expect the talking heads and personalities to do. This is fixable. Like everything else in sports. However, this...what we experienced tonight, is not it.  Other quick thoughts on the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend:  The Skills Challenge was cool when it was first introduced. Now, it's become over-produced. The map of the floor, the gadgets involved, and even the rules...just ask Chris Paul and poor Victor Wembanyama.  By the way, the constant camera focus on both of them following the "disqualification" had such "Principal Office" vibes.  The Three-Point content remains the purest...