Yesterday was a pretty good day!  I haven't had a day like that in awhile.  It was incredibly hot, so I took Harrison to an indoor playground called "The Play Station", not to be confused with Sony's video game system.  This place was HUGE.  It had all kinds of plastic tunnels to crawl through, slides to go down, a little pit filled with plastic balls, and so on and so on.  Once I got Harrison inside and he saw the place, his eyes lit up.  After that, he was gone, all over the place with me trailing behind.  They certainly didn't make this place for adults.  I could barely squeeze through some of the places he went.  I'm bringing knee pads next time.  After awhile, though, he wanted to follow the lines of this netting with his eyes.  He did it over and over and over again.  I tried to redirect him, but he just screamed and cried.  We had to climb up these padded steps, across cargo netting, and through a few tunnels just to make it back to where we were.  Once he started his line following again, I didn't fight him on it.  He was just having too good a time.  After a few more times of doing this, he looked back at me, laughed, and smiled.  It just melted my heart to see him laughing and having a good time, so I knew I made the right decision.  His happiness is what I should strive for.  We ended the day completely tuckered out and asleep on the couch.  I still love laying him on the couch with him on my chest, and I know that I won't be able to do it much longer, so I have to enjoy it while it lasts.  Actually, I enjoy all the time I get to spend with him.     He did make two amazing accomplishments in the past couple days.  My wife took him swimming this past weekend, and he scraped his knee.  I don't know if he calls the actual scrape the "owie" because I think he may be referring to the band-aid as the "owie," but that's a different story.  I had just returned home from my job, and we were sitting at the dinner table.  I always ask Harrison how his day went, even though I never really get a response, but today was different.  My wife told me about his scraped knee.  I turned to Harrison and asked, "Did you go swimming today?"  Harrison looked at me and said (yes, said), "Me fall down, my knee."  My wife and I looked at each other, stunned,  so I asked Harrison, "What did you say?"  He repeated those same words.  This is the longest phrase he's ever said, and he actually referred to himself and something that happened to him at the same time.     I was also playing the tickle game with him late in the afternoon after the Play Station.  I would wiggle my fingers, wait for him to smile in anticipation, then tickle him until he's red in the face.  Sometimes, I would throw in a word I wanted him to learn.  He seems to better learning new words this way (or any time there's laughing involved).  Anyway, I used the "tickle method" to try to teach him his name.  My wife, Harrison, and I were playing in the basement later that night when I asked Harrison, "Who are you?"  And he answered, "Harrison!!!!"  This was the first time he had ever said his name, and the amazing thing is that he was referrring to himself, I think.     My wife and I really needed this.  The past week and a half hasn't been easy.  She was laying on the couch the day she took Harrison swimming.  She went with a friend who is about 7 months pregnant.  When she was talking about her day, I could sense there was something bothering, so I asked her what was wrong.  She starting crying when she said that her friend is her best friend, but it's no fair that she is pregnant and my wife isn't anymore.  My wife said it was hard talking to her friend because she would have to look at her and see her stomach.  She said it was hard giving her friend a hug and feel her stomach.  She said it's all just not fair.  I didn't know what to say, so I did the only thing I could think of: hug her and let her cry in my arms.  I guess that's about all you can do in situations like that.  What's going to be even harder is when her friend gives birth, and my wife has to decide whether or not to see the baby in the hospital.  I'll just go along with whatever she wants.  She also has a OB visit today to see if everything had healed (physically) from her miscarriage.  This appt. was originally scheduled to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time, so I know it's going to be difficult.  The thought of it makes me want to cry, so I'll stop at that.     So I guess the past weekend was bittersweet.  It had it's ups and downs.  Seeing Harrison grow and develop (and do these new things!) is what's keeping our heads above water.  Actually, we're starting to climb out of the pool we were drowning our sorrows in, but we still have our feet in the water, and we're not there yet.  Harrison is our life preserver.  He is the shining little bright spot in our lives.  He reminds us of what's important in life.  The perserverence he's displayed is something I want to model my life after.  He's taught my wife and I so much in the short time he's been with us.  And who says that chlidren only learn from their parents? The learning goes both ways.