Drinking Straight from the Hose

Shower and a drink

Dear Kiddos,


Life is like trying to quench your thirst. Some people like to take little sips of something before they drink it. Others like to know what exactly they are about to pour in their mouth, but as long as they do, they will take it down nice and easy. And then there is the last group, which Marshall is a part of, that likes to drink all they can, straight from the hose.

This past summer gave us a miserably hot July here in Southern Illinois. This led us to many desperate attempts to stay cool, such as slamming pop-sickles, sitting in front of fans, standing in front of the freezer, getting in water, and even walking around in our underwear. On one particularly hot day, we combined several of these activities into one, and went for a homemade slip and slide with your cousins. When I wasn't looking, Marshall grabbed the hose, poured it all over himself, and then drank from it. And that pretty much sums up his philosophy on life so far.

I was originally going to write this letter and say that you guys should be careful in life and don't go through it trying to take too much on at once (AKA, drinking straight from a fire hose). After watching the way Marshall goes through and attacks life like it is the last dessert at a buffet, I realized that you already have it figured out. You are learning and experiencing so many crazy things so fast (and not to mention giving me much needed comedic relief in this war we call Dad & Mom vs. Baby).

I didn't even have time to use shampoo

G

Your mom and I have been known to be very decisive and go for things we want (you might say "rash" decision-makers). We got engaged while I had a broken arm (and no job), a few weeks after I decided it was a good idea. We got married 6 days after deciding we should head to Vegas and see what happens. I quit my job 2 weeks later, when we decided to head to Champaign so I could go (back) to my dream school. Your mom left a couple of good jobs, when something else came along. Just in the past 2 years, we bought a house (after a few weeks of thought), then decided to have you, moved to New York after I graduated, moved back to Southern Illinois 6 months later, had Marshall, and finally decided to have our little girl a few months after that. So I suppose me telling you to take a cautious approach to life would be like me telling you to take it slow on the rolls at Texas Roadhouse after you have seen me have a meal there.

Pretty much every decision we have made has worked out, and you have shown me that this is because we have made them work out. When you took a pretty good blast of water to the face, you coughed, giggled, and then put the hose over you head instead of pointed at your face. Whenever you first decided to try to take on our dog head on, he knocked you 3 feet into the air  and you landed on your butt like some sort of NFL linebacker hitting a high school JV kicker, and you laughed. Instead of panicking when you get to the top of a slide and you don't know what to do, you just dive off of it like some sort of base jumper, equipped with a Dad-parachute.

I have never seen you turn down a new kind of food, even if you end up spitting it across the room like there was some kind of poison in it. Then you usually will try it a second time and keep it down (if you want, you could just like it the first time and stop wasting food and making messes). You see, you try everything, and even if you don't like it, you've tried everything you could, and had fun doing it. You are like a mini Yes-Man, who has to constantly be watched, or else you will flip out of the back of a pick up truck, or eat anything that you find, even if it is under the couch or your car seat.

Being a parent so far has felt a lot like trying to drink from a fire hydrant. You simply won't let us take a nice, cautious, easy-paced approach to life. It's always go, chase, clean, feed, and apologize to strangers. I have tried taking an easy, small whiff of diapers to see if they are dirty, but it always ends up feeling like my nose has been donkey-kicked right in the nostrils. You don't let us ease into anything, and I don't see how this could be any more frustrating exciting.

So forget being cautious or trying to take it easy. Don't grow up and become too careful, or start pacing yourself. Keep on drinking straight from that hose and getting all you can. If you do, I can sleep happy, knowing you won't walk away from life still thirsty, and you won't wonder what the water would have tasted like.

Thanks again for teaching me this lesson, so I could pass it on to you.

Love,
Dad


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