It’s apt that Mr. Burt and I often refer to the Burt Squirt as “The Buddy,” as our approach to parenting tends to reflect the philosophy presented in the commercial jingle for the doll of the same name:  wherever we go, he goes.

Inspired by Mr. Burt’s sister and brother-in-law, we’ve opted to place The Buddy in whatever activities or social situations arise for us.  In other words, if we want to do it, we do it.  The Buddy comes along for the ride.  The hope is that by the time these settings are actually age-appropriate for him, they’ll be so normal to him that we’ll avoid freakouts and bad behavior.

Also, in becoming Mommy and Daddy, Mr. Burt and I have enough to adjust to without letting go of our normal social lives.

While in terms of physical development The Buddy may not be more advanced than other kids his age (apart from that little thing where he can already sit up unassisted), he’s off the charts in worldly experience.

At two weeks old, he went to a restaurant for the first time.

At three weeks, he had his first Starbucks…

…and spent his first afternoon away from Mommy and Daddy, with Grandmommy and Mimi.

At one month, he tiptoed through the tulips at the Dallas Arboretum…

…and experienced his first Bond family holiday brunch (Easter, at the Gaylord Texan Resort).

At two months, he had his first overnight trip to Grandmommy and Grandaddy’s…

…played at the neighborhood park…

…saw it all happening at the zoo…

…and swam in Damon and TK’s pool on Memorial Day.

At three months, he attended his second wedding (and had a blowout, hence the shirtlessness)…

…helped us celebrate our wedding anniversary at a symphony concert/picnic at the park…

…and  saw his first movie.  (Really — he sat and watched the whole thing.)

He handled it all so beautifully, never once showing any sign of minding being dragged around with Mommy and Daddy, even seeming to enjoy being taken along for the ride.  We never gave a second thought to taking our now four month-old out to family friends’ house for our traditional cookout and fireworks extravaganza.

At twenty-eight, Mr. Burt and I missed the 4th of July fireworks for the first time.