Hi Dante, if you’re reading – happy birthday bro. I miss ya.

A shout out to Howard, who was interviewed by the Philadelphia Metro.

And last but not least, Emma giggled last night! It was her first time while awake. Watching me and Xena play. Me and Xena chased each other for a half an hour until we both got too tired to go on – Emma giggled and giggled again 🙂

Today was a great day.

Emma is now very, very aware of her surroundings. Her smile fills up my heart like nothing else. She’s shares it all the time now – when she recognizes faces, hears voices in the room, when Richelle or me baby talk, when she’s being changed, even when she catches a glance of Xena walking by.

So when I read, anonymous rowhouse, the other day, this spoke to me:

i used to wonder what made people take their kids to all kinds of crazy places, i mean if i had my druthers sometimes i wish it were 1862 and my child(ren) would sit quietly making samplers while i worked on my latest collection of poetry (we’d be wealthy and have domestics).

but that isn’t what it’s really like.

somewhere between conception and kindergarten, if not at the moment of their arrival, you develop an almost palpable determination to hear your offspring go, “wow!” and see their eyes get big and witness all their delight and wonder at the smallest happenstance.

that is the best feeling in the entire world.

it starts, perhaps with the very first laugh … and continues through every redemption of prize tickets, rollercoaster, and bucket of seawater with a little crab in it, all through the seasons of their growing up.

Emma’s 1st Easter 🙂 We spent today catching up with Dante and his family. Tomorrow (well…today) will be Church, visiting my mom, then off to Richelle’s parent’s to spend time with mom, dad, Rose, Cindy, and Mike. The weather couldn’t be greater. We finished off the evening with Emma’s first stroll around the neighborhood.

It’s been a very, very busy week, so here goes a few pics from last Sunday, finally 🙂

Family and friends came by to share with us Emma’s baptism yesterday. I’ll have more to say with many more pictures later, but I can’t help but share with you my joy and how blessed I feel before running off to work.

These past few weeks have been some of the most intense I can recall. This week will be especially huge.

1. I’ve been helping migrate two web sites of a local non-profit’s to a new host. Down the road I will be assisting them to learn how to use the web effectively and building an online community around the good work they do.

2. I was backed into a wall with Dreamhost and had to migrate four personal sites and Philly Future to a new host.

3. This week will culminate in two huge events: the first an unconference this Saturday to bring together a group of thinkers, movers and shakers in online publishing and in local newspapers, to discuss the future of local journalism, in the wake of what’s happening to the newspaper industry. It’s been months in the making. Will Bunch, of the Philadelphia Daily News, has got the goods. I’ll have more to add later. The second, this Sunday, family will be coming to our place for Emma’s Baptism.

4. Speaking of Emma, I’ve gone back to work, and handling the division of responsibility between Richelle and me has left me feeling spent and guilty. It sucks leaving Emma everyday, and it bothers me the huge load Richelle has taken on. We went from a 50/50 split to something more like 85/15. I have no idea how single parents do it. No idea at all.

Emma has not only effected how and what I prioritize in my life, but has helped me to see what’s really important. She’s helped me find my Zen.

I can’t express what becoming a dad is like without using old cliches, but isn’t that the way it should be? Everyday a new adventure, everyday a new discovery. If anything, I feel younger then I’ve felt in years. I don’t think I’ve been this comfortable in my own skin since I was a teenager. It’s amazing the clarity of purpose that comes. People warned I would need to give up much. Well, what I’ve let go I’ve gained back a million fold.

Understandably we were very concerned about introducing Emma to Xena, our dog.

Stories of dogs becoming jealous are common place. Xena was a surrogate baby for us. She’s a confidant, a friend, a playmate. While bringing up Xena, I had read a ton of books including the terrific “How Dogs Think”. We hoped that we had done our job and been responsible parents and that she would be fine. But there is always that X-factor – she definitely has a mind of her own and is a very physical dog. How would she handle a new arrival?

We flipped the traditional advice on its ear that has to do with introducing your baby to your pet. “How Dogs Think” and the the Dog Whisperer both are clear that dogs need to know who is pack leader. It’s about confidence and sense of order. So we had Xena away with a family member for a few days and when she came back, we were already settled in with Emma. By then Emma’s smell was all over the house. It was her house. So when Xena met Emma, she acted almost as if Emma was always here. A little curiosity, but not too much. No pawing. No jumping. No licking even. Sniffs from a few inches. Walking to her when she is crying. Following Richelle and me around while we feed, change and cuddle with Emma. All along we’ve made sure to give Xena a great heaping of attention, less to be sure, but she’s not rejected, she’s still part of the pack. No matter our comfort level however, we never leave the two of them alone, nor out of our sight when together.

Here is a great shot of my mom and her granddaughter 🙂