Tonight my wife was out-of-town on business and Cole (13 months old) and I had some father-son time out on the town.  I was a little worried about taking him out to eat all by myself because we haven’t done that before and he has been getting a little restless in his highchair at home, so I was worried he would cause a lot of problems at the restaurant.  We went to Fatz Cafe – one of my favorite places, but Stephanie doesn’t like it so much, so it is a place I head when she isn’t able to join me for dinner.

It was a cool night of bonding.  Obviously, Cole isn’t talking…in English, but he does communicate.  Mainly, he was telling me not to quit feeding those rolls and french fries to him, and he liked the baked potato soup a little.

Then we took off to pick up a birthday present for my dad, Cole’s Papa, at Dicks Sporting Goods.  Cole loves that place.  I guess it’s all the equipment and the bright colors.

But my favorite part of the night was putting him to bed.  Not only does it free me up to read and write, but it is also a time when his mind isn’t running a million miles an hour.  He slows down and just enjoys being in your arms.  He sipped some milk, but mainly just laid in my arms until he went to sleep.  I cherish the times I get to stop and be with him.  It freaks me out to think that he is already 13 months old and not slowing down.  He is growing so fast and learning so much.  I’m learning a lot too.