Astronaut for Hire

Two parental trips around the Sun

11/19/2009 12:10:00 AM

Happy Birthday Henry! My son is 2 years old today. It seems like I blogged about his first birthday just yesterday. Henry's vocabulary is fast-approaching 100 words (86 by my count), and he's just started combining two words together to make mini-sentences over the past few weeks. He knows about half the alphabet and can read about 50 words so far too. Thanks to our use of cloth diapers and EC, Henry is also mostly potty-trained, which is fairly rare for a child this age in the US.

I feel extremely fortunate that my wife and I have flexible schedules that allow one of us to be home with Henry full time each day so we can nurture his development. Henry loves being outside for bike rides or swimming at the beach, but his favorite obsession lately is trucks. If it's an excavator, bulldozer, dump truck, or tractor, he's happy.  Can anyone read my mind for the caption to this photo on the right (hint: read his shirt and think of a movie title)?

The past two years I've spent as a parent coincide with my going back to school to earn a masters degree in the UND Space Studies program and my development of this blog. Adding these burdens to my life at the same time wasn't easy, especially since I work a demanding full time job. However, I've successfully met the challenges so far and in the process have expanded my knowledge, contacts, and opportunities in the space sector considerably.  I have ISU SSP05 to thank for pointing me down this path.

In the video below, Henry shows off his cycling skills on his new Strider balance bike. I've been biking or walking to school or work almost every day since I was about 9 years old. That's 22 years! Living very close to where I work has become an important value to me due to this lifestyle. By starting Henry's love of cycling early, I hope to pass on this practical, fun, and healthy habit to him.

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