My wife posted some new photos of our son on our photography blog, and rather than double up, I figured I’d point everyone over there.

He’s actually five weeks old tomorrow…time certainly flies (most of the photos were taken two weeks ago). I am continually amazed at how he is developing—the miracle of the human body is so utterly fascinating and complex. I’ve also noticed the differences in natural parenting instincts that exist between my wife and I. She coddles and coos, while I massage and rile him up.

I’ve also been giving him an opportunity to work his legs a bit. He stands naturally if you hold him up, though for only a second or two. I’ve noticed, though, that if you make the position comfortable for him, he is capable of standing for quite a while on his own power (I have to steady him, of course), say 5-10 seconds at a time. It’s pretty neat watching him try as it seems like he naturally wants to go through the motions, yet his motor skills aren’t quite there yet! He’s been attempting to crawl for about a week and a half now, mainly when I lay him stomach-down on my chest. I usually put my hands under his feet so he can push off, and a few grunts later, he’s up near my ear. The best part is that he seems completely unaware of using his arms in the process. They kind of flail about on the side. Oh well. As long as he’s enjoying himself, right?

TAGS: Father | Son | Baby | Parent

I’m getting more and more used to this whole “Father” role and hope that Caleb is doing the same as “Son”. It has been somewhat of a rough ride this week as somehow Caleb has been getting pretty nasty bouts of gas, but primarily only late at night. Monday night (well, Tuesday morning), found me still up at 3am, and up for good at 5am. Two hours of sleep is better than none, I suppose…

I’ve started to wonder what 6 or 7 hours of solid sleep really feels like. I should have been less cavalier when all of those veteran parents said to get as much sleep as possible. Harumph! Always in hindsight.

I guess the above doesn’t have much to do with, “Take Your Son to Work Day.” Well, oddly, it does. I’m actually being quite productive, despite the fact that the clock is indicating it’s almost a quarter past one in the morning. And yes, Caleb is sleeping right here with me. In fact, we’ve been doing this almost every night. It seems to be a critical part of our relationship building (I hope he enjoys it as much as I do), as well as one of the periods of the evening that my wife actually sleeps soundly.

Every night, sometimes around 10pm, other nights as late as 1am, I pull my keyboard forward make a comfy bed for Caleb between my tapping fingers and the computer. He sleeps, wakes, cries, toots, looks around, sucks on his pacifier, toots some more, and sleeps. But most importantly, we’re together.

I suppose it sounds silly that spending this kind of time with my son is so important to me, but it is. I love the fact that I am able to be productive and get work done, yet also have him by my side all the while. What I neglect to realize sometimes is just how lucky I am to be able to have this time with him. Who cares if it’s 2:30am and I haven’t had more than a few restless winks. If the little man’s eyes are open and he wants to hang out then I say there is no better time to hang out. So when I have the opportunity to spend some time with him, listen to classical music (Yo-Yo Ma on iTunes is his favorite) and make entries on my blog at the same time, I certainly don’t pass it up!

At this point, I should let everyone know that I work from a home office and have quite a bit of time to socialize with Caleb during the day. However, the point is that I grab every opportunity, including those late-night sessions when I’m trying to work. If I wasn’t blessed to be able to work from home, I’d make every effort I could to squeeze more minutes out of every day, just to spend with Caleb. And when I’d eventually find that there were no more minutes left to squeeze, I’d see about telecommuting. Or taking a sabbatical. Or retiring. Or quitting. Or becoming a stay at home dad.

But now I’m just being silly. Or am I?

Why is it that it isn’t as common to have your 1-year old son at your office every day as it is to bring your dog? Of course, they take more management, are potentially more disruptive, come rife with liability issues, etc., etc., etc. But seriously folks, we can do better. There’s something a little off with how prominently our culture (read: American culture—sorry to any international readers, though here my American-centric view may actually be a compliment to others!) values status, wealth, material possessions and real estate gains. What about family? If faced with choosing between extremely close familial ties and relationships or making a great living as a Special Office Guy Extraordinaire, how many of us would choose the family? And what does that say about what we value? Is one way right or wrong?

I think I know the answer, but I also think that I may have a slightly skewed sense of reality. But I’ve never had a paycheck bring tears of joy to my eyes. Yet something as simple as Caleb’s smile or a yawn can empty my tear ducts in a flash…

TAGS: Father | Dad | Son | Work At Home |

I’d be lying if I were to say that these first two weeks (13 days, to be exact) have been without stress and frustration. Caleb had begun to sleep for longer stretches during the night (one night he had several 3 1/2 hour stints) but quickly moved to much shorter durations filled with lots of grunting and periodic cries. All due to gas. Ahhhh gas. It’s amazing that the foods that my wife cherishes the most are at the top of the list of gas-producing substances that she must avoid in order to prevent discomfort for Caleb. Ironically, the foods are on the “healthy” list: Broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, etc. Somehow cheese, cookies (sans chocolate) and bread are better for the wee baby…

Which brings me to Joy. Last night was a mix of 15-60 minute stints of restless sleep for my wife and I as our son was really battling the air bubbles in his system. As an isolated incident, such a sleepless night might not usually raise our frustration levels. However, night 13 of sleepless nights has such a capacity. So where’s the joy? At some point last night, as I was massaging our son’s tummy and legs, accompanied by his extremely cute and humorous grunts, my wife commented to me that she hadn’t ever seen me so happy. Quite a comment at 3am, no? And then it hit me: I am extremely happy and joyful… My son is the greatest gift I have ever received and brings an unimaginable amount of joy and happiness into my life. More than enough, it seems, to elicit laughter and humor at 3am, night after night.

I giggle and laugh when he grunts, when we have to change his diaper for the third time in 5 minutes (we thought we had the process perfected—he’s a sneaky one, he is), when he stretches and sighs, when he’s sleeping, when he wakes up, when he sneezes, when he coughs… pretty much anytime I’m around him.

And why would I want anything else?

And now I have to relate this revelation to business… If I had a choice between spending my time doing something that brought me joy and happiness, or slaving away at some cush job that had security, great pay, but brought me little to no happiness, why wouldn’t I choose the former? What if it meant giving up a great salary and benefits package? Prestige? I’d still unfulfilling job.

I’m sure I’ll be blasted with 1000’s of comments about how you can’t always choose the path of greater happiness as it simply isn’t practical. I would have to strongly disagree. I’d say it’s pretty impractical to force yourself to stay in a situation that you don’t enjoy, that doesn’t make you feel good, and that doesn’t bring you any joy or happiness. I’m certainly not saying that everyone should quit their jobs and become forest rangers and artists. Nor am I saying that even if everyone pursued Joy with fierce determination that they’ll eventually find it. But I am saying that they should try…

Challenge yourself to pursue joy and happiness and you just might find it. Sure, the road may be difficult and filled with a lot of sleepless nights and stinky diapers, but I guarantee you’ll be much happier.

TAGS: Joy | Father | Son | Parenting | Career | Life

I’m quickly learning that patience is one of the most powerful skills a father can master. It comes in handy almost 100% of the time whether in dealing with paranoia regarding the noises coming from the baby monitor, forcing yourself to wait another five minutes for the second wind of “number 2″ to take its toll on the diaper, or staying in bed and enduring 15 seconds of grunts that lead to deep sleep instead of jumping up at the first sound. Yes, there are many moments when patience means the difference between success, or having to wash your hands again and get the third diaper in five minutes from the drawer…

In the business world, patience can be one of the most difficult skills to control and execute. The world moves so quickly and the consequences of every missed second and opportunity seem horrendous. Yet somehow, if we can manage to slow down a little, find that comfy chair where we can watch the action for a few cycles, the clearest and most effective path almost always opens itself up to us. This can happen with business opportunities, difficult employees, struggling cash flow, and just about any other challenge you may encounter. So be patient—the perfect moment for everything will find you, as long as you let it.

TAGS: Patience | Father | Business | Strategy

Who knew a dirty diaper could teach me so much about business! Four days into this “fatherhood” thing I think I am finally getting the hang of changing my son’s dirty diapers. And that means the following:

• Getting his outfit off of his tush quickly and with minimal wailing,
• Successfully removing the two latches on the diaper and negotiating his kicking legs in order to prevent him from putting his heels in the diaper of doom,
• Cleaning everything up with only three wipes (my wife and I used half of a box on our very first change…),
• Making sure I don’t get urinated on (or worse) as I’m trying to put the clean diaper on him,
• Cinching everything up snugly so the “package” doesn’t leave the holding container next time,
• And most importantly, not loosing my cool during the whole process.

The diapers have definitely been a challenge, especially when they require action at 3:30am (didn’t we just change him at 2:00am?). We’ve been urinated on, I’ve experienced the even-less-pleasant alternative to being urinated on, and we’ve had some very groggy and stressful mid-am changes. But I still love my son. I love him with all my heart. His little grunts, and even his squeaks as he squirms around during the process, are incredibly cute and always bring a smile to my face. And the loud flatulence noises he makes, accompanied by the cutest sigh of relief, not five minutes after his fresh diaper has been successfully applied? Well, as frustrating as they may be, they never cease to bring a huge smile to my face (I usually chuckle, tell my wife, and give him a bunch of kisses on his forehead)!

So what can diapers teach us about business? There’s always going to be dirty work. Most of it will be incredibly unpleasant. All of it will challenge our ability to maintain a positive attitude and connection with the business. And yes, someone always has to do it. But it doesn’t need to be a burden, nor does it need to be a painful, annoying, and unpleasant experience. If you truly love your business and are passionate about its mission, and if your employees and other stakeholders feel the same way, then no amount of fire hose urine attacks, untimely soilings, or 3:00am changings will bring your business to its knees.

TAGS: Business | Fatherhood | Father | Diaper | Dirty Work

At 9:00am on August 8, 2005, I ceased being just a husband and became a father. In that moment, my wife gave birth to our wonderful baby boy and I stopped focusing intently on coaching my wife through the pain and shifted immediately to saying hello over and over to my new son. Yes, I could now call myself a Dad. Yet, after reflecting on that new reality in a dizzying sleepless daze following my wife’s 28-hour labor, I realized that I didn’t become a father in that moment—I’ve been one since I was born.

Now that doesn’t make too much sense, does it? However confusing my claims of fatherhood since birth may be, it’s simply how I feel. In a literal sense, obviously, I truly have only been a father since the birth of my son. But on a much deeper level, the instincts that kicked in the moment the OB propped our wailing son on my wife’s belly, have always been with me. And so has the desire to hold his little hand, to coo over him, to protect him, and to softly stroke his cheek and whisper how much I love him.

And isn’t that what being a father is really about? Isn’t it all about those innate feelings and instincts that come naturally any time your child is in need? Or is it something more structured, such as a literal shift in your title when one of your progeny finishes his journey out of the birth canal?

I think it’s the former. And I also think there is an incredible amount of wisdom to be gleaned from fatherhood, much of which can, and should, be applied to the business world. So read on as I’ll post my weekly thoughts on the whole process as I fully embrace this life-long journey of fatherhood!

TAGS: Fatherhood | Raising Children | Dad | Father

Caleb arrived a few days ahead of schedule and is doing fantastic! I posted a bunch of photographs on our photography company blog if you are interested in seeing him. If you can’t wait, here’s a photo of him napping when he was a few hours old:

My wife is in the early stages of labor and we expect our son to arrive later this evening or tomorrow morning! We are very excited and can’t wait to finally see his face! I’ll be offline for a few days—please keep a smooth labor and delivery in your prayers.

Now that I’ve found a few great resources on Fair Trade products, I feel somewhat compelled to get the word out even more. Additionally, I’m sipping a wonderful cup of coffee as I write this and can’t help but feel a slight twinge of guilt as though I used organic beans, I doubt they are Fair Trade. After mining all of the following resources, though, I won’t have the “I can’t find any Fair Trade coffee companies” excuse anymore! I hope you enjoy!

The following companies are all listed as Fair Trade wholesalers on the Fair Trade Federation website:

• Cafe Campesino: “Cafe Campesino envisions a world where we treat one another and the surrounding natural environment with profound, sincere respect. By enthusiastically following our guiding principles, we believe that our small enterprise will serve as a successful example of this vision.”
• Grounds For Change: “Grounds for Change is a certified organic coffee roaster specializing in fair trade and organic coffee.”
• Bean North Coffee Roastings: “Our goal is to offer coffee drinkers a sustainable choice… premium quality organic, and fairly traded coffees from around the world. We believe that the environment and quality of life for those who grow our coffee is vital in providing you with a quality cup.”
• Coffee Exchange: “Whenever possible, we buy Certified Organic coffee. It is better coffee, both in terms of flavor and the social, environmental and physiological health of the communities where the coffee is grown and of the people who grow, care for and harvest the crop. Similarly, we support the Fair Trade process and sell Fair Trade coffees. We see current depressed coffee prices as a severe problem for the coffee industry as well as for coffee drinkers. The need to artificially boost income to coffee growers is one step in a long line of steps necessary to help a population that is being forced out of a way of life by arbitrarily low prices.”
• Conscious Coffees: “We believe that our responsibility is to use the vehicle of business as a force for positive change, not as a vehicle to gain wealth at the expense of others. Each person in our cycle from farmer to consumer is able to participate in socially just and environmentally responsible partnership.”
• Dean”s Beans: “All of our fine whole bean specialty coffees are certified organic, kosher coffees, and are roasted in small batches at our beanery in Orange, MA. We know that the planting, care, harvesting and processing of the beans is done in conformity with international standards for the health of the farmer and his environment, as well as the high quality of the bean. The vast use of pesticides in coffee production has serious impact on the ecology of the coffee-growing world and the health of farm communities. Our commitment to only purchase shade grown coffees supports healthy environments for coffee growers and protects critical migratory bird habitat. It is important to us that the quality of our coffees includes respect for the quality of life of our southern partners in the coffee world. And that respect translates into superb tasting coffee for your pleasure.”
• Earth Friendly Coffee Company: “Our shade grown, fair trade, chemical free coffee comes from the mountain rain forests. It is hand picked by small farmers. It delivers high quality, flavor and smoothness. The delicate Arabica bean matures slowly in the higher altitudes and shady mountain hillside. Hand picking means only fully ripened selected beans are chosen. Fair trade means the small farmer gets paid fairly for this superb crop and for the hand picking, harvesting, peeling, and cultivation of his small mountain farm. Chemical free means the coffee is free of chemical agents, and that mulch and chemical free fertilizers alone are used to cultivate the precious trees.”
• Equal Exchange: “Equal Exchange, founded in 1986, is the oldest and largest for-profit Fair Trade company in the US. We offer organic, gourmet coffee, tea, sugar, cocoa, and chocolate bars produced by 28 democratically run farmer co-ops located in 14 countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Equal Exchange’s mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound, to foster mutually beneficial relations between farmers and consumers and to demonstrate, through our success, the viability of worker cooperatives and Fair Trade.”
• Just Coffee: “Just Coffee is a 100% fair trade company. We are committed to a better way of trade and to real relationships with our grower-partners. We ask you to join with us, with our producers, and with their communities. When we consume we make decisions that affect the lives of others, even if these connections are hard to see in our own daily lives. By taking part in Fair Trade and buying a bag of Just Coffee, you can truly enjoy your daily brew knowing that you are directly supporting small farmers, their families, and their cooperatives.”
• Larry”s Beans: “We sell awesome-tasting coffee beans in a way to make the world better. 97% of our coffee is Fair Trade. The other 3% is from Hawaii, where they don’t need Fair Trade.”
• Moka Joe Coffee: “Moka Joe Coffee a small-batch, wholesale micro-roaster of specialty premium gourmet coffees. Our business is based on finding and roasting the very best Certified Organic Fair Trade coffee beans from the Arabica bean belt.”
• Mother Earth Coffee Co.: “Sustainable and organic agricultural practices protect the rain forests and enhance the land and the lives of the coffee growers.”
• Peace Coffee: “An alternative approach to coffee based on the belief that coffee should reward your taste buds while respecting coffee farmers and the environment.”
• Pura Vida: “Our mission to help at-risk children in coffee-growing countries begins with our commitment to carry only fair trade, organic, shade-grown coffee. Our 100% Arabica gourmet coffees help raise living standards for farmers while protecting the environment.”

TAGS: Social Enterprise | Fair Trade | Coffee