Life as a dad, the many names of Jackson, and thoughts on baptism

Dad here, wanted to put in a word of two about what life is like as the father of a 3 month old.  It's amazing the difference a few weeks can make and incredible how much difference a smile can make.
After a long day or night at the hospital, a smiling baby is a welcome relief and makes it seem like not much else matters.  No longer does our little man stare through us, but actually seems to be engaging with eye contact which is really cool and makes him fun to hang out with!  He's been sleeping so well recently too which makes me wonder how we made it through the first few weeks when he was up and fussin' throughout the night.

who wouldn't want to come home to this?

Dad on a walk with his two boys.

Here's a few of the nicknames Jackson has earned over the past few months:

Vladamir Pootin' - in honor of Jackson's prolific diaper output and his love of the Prime Minister of Russia

Yackson- the Spanish pronunciation of his name

Lincoln-  let's be honest, our dog and baby have similar presidential names therefore sometimes it's easy to get them confused

Lord Fussikins-   during periods of extreme fussiness, Jackson assumes the role of an English king, though one who is as yet unable to express his demands and cries as a result.

Lil' J-   he is little and his name starts with the letter J.

Harry Pooter- not necessarily original, but applicable nonetheless

the babbuns-   this is one for any nerdy Lord of the Rings fans, Jackson's hobbit name, similar to Bilbo Baggins

Mr. Toots- this one is obvious

Agent Smiles- this is Jackson's secret spy name, our little boy disguises his crime-solving ability beneath the clever disguise of a smiling, helpless baby.

Agent Smiles- hot on a case.

While I'm posting, I wanted to also write a few brief words about Lil' J's recent baptism as I got a number of questions, especially from friends at work, about baptisms in general:

Baptism doesn't have anything to do with "being saved" or "becoming a Christian," nor is it merely a "religious" exercise nor does it make Jackson a "good person."
 
  Every day that I'm a father, I realize more how little control we as parents have over Jackson's life or what he will believe.  We can't even guess when our dog will throw up on the carpet next, let alone what tomorrow holds.  Jackson is a gift and it is amazing to have the chance and job to love and raise him as best we can, through all the ups and downs that will come our way.  Baptism to us is an outward sign of our intention to teach Jackson what we believe to be true and a sign of our church community to support us in that endeavor.

Being a Christian is not about being a good person.  It's not about hypocrisy and judgement and guilt as it has been made out to be over hundreds of years by Christians and non-Christians alike.  It's precisely the opposite.  We all think of ourselves as "good people."  Even on our best day though, you or I couldn't be a "good person" in God's eyes, but that is not the point- Christianity is not a religion of guilt and shame.  Instead it is one of grace.  What if there's not that much of a difference between this sweet baby boy that I'm holding in my arms and the "bad people" that show up on the news?  The reality to me is that every single one of us has made ourselves into gods, little idols.  We've taken good things such as money, looks, sex, kids, vacations, jobs, homes, stuff, friends, and made them into idols.  I'm not talking good idols like American Idol.  I'm talking things we worship and serve on a daily basis.  What if we were made to love and worship our creator instead of ourselves and all these things we've created?   What if there is a real God that we've all turned away from?  Wouldn't that be terrifying?  But what if this God doesn't come to us in anger and shame even though that's exactly what we deserve?  What if God loves us just as we are- insecure, foolish, childish, selfish little balls of stress that worship and serve ourselves and our desires?  That's where the grace comes in.  Not judgement, not Christian hypocrisy, but grace.  God loving his people enough that he would take all the junk and evil that forms a wall between us and him- that he would take that upon his own shoulders and be nailed to a tree 2000 years ago.  What if that's more than just a story?  What if there is a King and what if it's not you or me?  What if God meets us right where we are at because we are otherwise absolutely powerless to come to him?  So no, baptism doesn't make Jackson any more special to God, nor does it make him a "good person" or make us "good parents."  But at the same time, it's not something we take lightly or just do out of routine.  I'm sure we'll make all kinds of mistakes as parents, but we feel so fortunate to have this smiling, healthy baby boy as a part of our lives and are thankful that friends and family we able to share our little boy's baptism this past weekend!

the babbuns enjoying laying on the couch with Dad and watching Lord of the Rings!