The Laughing Buddha

This weekend was great. It was all about Eli, as has been every weekend since his appearance on planet Earth.

Yesterday, his 8-week birthday, we had him in a jester outfit (Amy likes to accessorize the baby) and showed him off at a party. He felt good and happy, and was fascinated by some of the faces. It's always funny to see a baby just staring at someone for a solid minute, like "what is that?"

Last night I gave him another bath, just my second I think, and it was a blast. We were smart enough to not have Amy record it with the camcorder this time. Due to poor camera handling, footage of the last bath accidentally went beyond the G rating that's safe to send to family.

Eli and I really had a laugh. I can't explain what it's like to be playing with your little baby, and he's looking right at you and then he's grinning, then you're both laughing, together, and there really is some inside joke that you both get, but neither of you can say what it is. It's these sudden moments that are indescribable points of happiness.

Have you ever noticed that Buddha statues don't have teeth even though they're smiling -- just like a baby? Eli often reminds me of a Buddha, with his perfect little honest mind that sees just what it sees, looking out from his pudgy little smiling face. (Hmm, I even think the connection is deeper: those religions do, after all, idealize non-conceptual thought.)

Years ago I saw Steve Martin say "you don't just love your children, you fall in love with them" in the movie Parenting. That was an eye-opener. I knew immediately he was getting at something profound there, and it affected my whole orientation towards having children in a positive way. It's one more way of explaining to non-parents why you'd never ever regret being a parent.