Chicken Dance

Our fall trip to Spicer’s Orchard has turned into four separate trips to the orchard as the weather stays sunny and warm into mid-October. Kavaun makes his normal request for “cake” and I happily oblige with pumpkin or sugar covered warm donuts. Our most recent visit to Spicer’s Orchard was memorable. Cousins Lucas and Anthony were there and we stayed another two hours after they went home. Kavaun played in the corn barn, rolled around in the dirt, climbed into the tree house, teased the goats and danced with chickens. We had a blast and I was glad I could just enjoy the moment together.

Fatherhood has been so many things all at the same time – scary, fun, routine and memorable. Most of all, fatherhood has humbled me and reminded me that my own capacity to love is not easy for even me to comprehend. I love being Kavaun’s baba more than I love any thing or experience. I have grown into this baba role. There is nothing as fulfilling as family and the “collaborative” influence that is shared with me, Beata and Kavaun. Knowing that my life will never be the same as it was before September 2008 brings with it the kind of uncertainty and excitement that will no doubt lift my spirits unexpectedly from time to time and sometimes will also keep me up late worrying.

More of Kavaun’s language (recorded here in case we should forget)

PB num num – PBJ sandwich

Kah-man – Kavaun’s pronunciation of his own name

Lamp on – Light on. This can be stated as a question or with an exclamation point. Most often used when requesting a light to be turned on in the house or in the car.

Work is a concept Kavaun seems to have down pretty well also. Yesterday he said, “Ma Work” around 6:30 when Beata was late getting home. He usually points out if lights (lamps as he refers to them) work also.

In the bathtub he can identify most of the letters in the alphabet and show them when asked. He also says some of the letters and repeats numbers as we say them. There are literally too many things to keep track of as Kavaun expands his vocabulary.

Yesterday Kavaun sat on the couch looking at me and then imitating me. I scratched the bridge of my nose and he did the same. I tapped the top of my head, and again he did the same. We carried on for a few minutes until I could not hold my laughter as his smile busted into giggles at my fake dismay.