My son, the DJ, is nearly three years old.

Yowza... so I am now the dad of an almost-three year old! That's pretty wild.

So far, I really don't feel much older than I did as a single twenty-something year old. I wonder when that will change? I assumed that being a parent would make me feel pretty old, but so far the opposite has been true. It's been so fun to hang out with my little boy each day, eating breakfast, listening to cds, and making silly noises. I can honestly say that being a dad is pretty fun.

Now, I won't spill too many details, but Soren's upcoming party will certainly incorporate his well-documented love of cds and records. He loves to play them ceaselessly, though he's not exactly careful with them. I've taken to making cd-rs for him so that he doesn't scratch our (and the Library's! Gulp!) cds. I was rather tickled with this last batch.

 DAMIEN JURADO:

I don't think this is Soren's favorite, but he does like the airplane on the front. To me, it matches the sweetness and melancholy of Jurado's music.

 THAO with The Get Down Stay Down:

"Bag of Hammers" was one of the first songs I sang to Soren each night, while he was taking a bath. When he was very young, maybe a year and a half, he used to try to sing the "Oh-oh-oooooh" part with me. But now he acts really shy.

I wish i could have recorded that to post on YouTube. I think Thao would have loved it.

 JANELLE MONAE:

I put "Tightrope" on first, and Soren really loves the beat. He tries to sing along with Monae's opening yell: "Whoooooooa! Another day!"

This is one of the cds, apparently, that "Daddy sings on it."

 TOOTS and the MAYTALS:

Soren really likes reggae, and he definitely, specifically, loves Toots. He used to ask for this cd by name ("Toots CD!") and loves the fake bird calls on the first song.

I love watching him dance to this. When i made him this copy, he got a gleam in his eye and bellowed, "Awwwwww! It's TOOOOOOTS! Toots CD on it!"

 MICHAEL HURLEY:

Hurley's slow-paced folk songs seem perfect for a two year old, and Soren especially loves the Pool Hall song, where Hurley makes the sound of cue balls knocking against each other.

I also put "Portland Water" on this cd, perhaps for obvious reasons.

 BJORK + DIRTY PROJECTORS:

If i was ever surprised by Soren liking a cd, it was this one. It's pretty artsy, and most of my adult friends wouldn't really like it. But it has this nice simplicity to it, even if the songs do have off-kilter harmonies and syncopations. This is evidence that my two year old son has better taste in music than most college students.

He calls it the "whale cd," so a whale ended up on the cover.

Try as we might to interest him in making train tracks or doing long math equations, I'm afraid that a love of music is already permanently ingrained in his head. I don't blame him... i just hope he doesn't try to pursue it as a career! :)