April 4th, 2004

I found a new lucky rabbit’s foot – his name is Landon Wyatt. Since Landon has been conceived I have placed second in Iwan’s season long NFL pool ($250), and this weekend I won Nate’s NCAA march madness bracket ($180) and the NCAA pool at Hubbs-Sea World as well ($40). Prior to Landon’s arrival I had entered several similar pools; my net winnings from these investments tallied in at a whopping zero dollars. So taking into account this incredible shift in gambling success, Rhiannon and I have decided to pull up our roots and move to Las Vegas – we will miss all of you (if only it was that easy).

I saw Landon smile for the first time today. This was the real, genuine article; not gas induced, not an introduction to a bout of tears, but a real, happy faced, melt your heart smile that only a baby can generate. It was awesome. I will never forget it. I had to work today, even though it was Sunday, and Rhiannon wanted to sneak out to run a quick errand or two before I left her with our son. While she was out I gave the little guy a bath, which he always seems to enjoy, and afterward, while he lay on his changing table staring up at me, or at the ceiling, I can never quite be sure, his entire face lit up like candle, as a smile spread from cheek to chubby cheek. He held the smile for several seconds; it seemed like so much longer. I know it sounds cliché, but he truly looked angelic. I hope that he was smiling at me, and not the ceiling above me – I’m pretty sure he was.

As I mentioned, Landon enjoys bath time tremendously. No matter what kind of a mood he might be in the middle of, once the warm water envelopes his little toes he slips into a relaxed state. He opens his mouth to try to catch drops of water, and rolls his head back and forth in the bath. I derive such pleasure seeing the little guy experience the water. My mind immediately races forward in time to adventures spent teaching Landon to swim, and then to snorkel and dive and bodyboard and surf. Landon hasn’t visited the ocean yet, that day can’t get here soon enough.