Bunchland

Damian “Pink Eyes” Abraham fronts the Toronto-based hardcore band F*cked Up, winners of the Polaris Prize (which if you’re a Canadian rock band is like winning the Nobel or something). He’s known for his onstage antics, which include stripping to his underoos and covering himself with peanut butter. But we know him as a loveable proud papa who lives for making his little dude Holden laugh. We kind of want to hug his whole family. And his Play List? Totally rocks.

Playing Holden his first record: For me this moment held a lot of significance because I was introducing my obsession to the new love of my life. I debated long and hard about which record it would be before finally setting on the Rivals cover of “Here Comes the Night.” Though Holden pretended not to care, I could tell that he concurred that this truly was one of the greatest songs of all time. I’m very aware of the dangers of trying to force my tastes on him, so I’m hoping that I can introduce him to a variety of different styles of music and let him develop his own tastes.

Taking Holden to his first concert: Even though Holden was less than 2 months old, there was something really exciting about having him experience his first concert. Lauren and I made the decision to brave a torrential rainstorm and brought him out to a muddy Downsview park for Edgefest to see some of our friends’ bands play. We bought big baby ear protection headphones for him that block out all noise, and I wore him on my front in a carrier on the side of the stage. There was something pretty amazing about watching the perfect little baby sleep on me in a carrier while thousands of mud-caked teenagers moshed in front of the stage. I’m sure if he was awake he would have thought it was pretty awesome too.

Going to family movies: We discovered very early on that various theaters in Toronto offer movie screenings that are baby-friendly. We took Holden to his first movie when he was six weeks old and saw The Hangover. While the movie itself was humorous, Lauren and I laughed the loudest when Holden projectile vomited all over me halfway through the film. The good news was, we had a change of clothes for Holden; the bad news was we didn’t have a change of clothes for me. We’ve continued seeing movies together as a family whenever we can, and it’s been magical to watch how Holden’s awareness of them has grown.

Making Holden laugh: These days it’s like shooting fish in a barrel to do, but there is nothing better on earth than seeing his face light up and hearing him laugh. From tickling his stomach, to him playing with the animals, to blowing kisses and just about everything in between, this kid loves to laugh, and we’re more than happy to find new things ways to make that happen as often as possible.

Co-sleeping and baby wearing: Two aspects of the parenting style we practice, Attachment Parenting, bed sharing and baby wearing have and continue to be amazing bonding experiences for our family. Lauren has become somewhat of an expert on various baby slings and carriers, and we love both the practicality and closeness of wearing Holden everywhere and not having to worry about lugging our stroller all around the city. Co-sleeping has also made our family closer than ever, and waking up to see Holden’s peaceful face makes up for the sleep deprivation!

About the Illustrator: Ben Shannon has illustrated for The Globe and Mail, Rolling Stone and many other publications and has a little bambina of his very own.

Photos by Jess Edward Baumung.