Daddy's Tired

I'm 32, a dad, and I am not a douchebag...

2011-07-07T09:46:00.000-07:00

With each passing day I grow more and more frustrated with how dads are portrayed in society. Now, could make some heavy statement about how dads are being held down by the man. Or, how as dads we are a much maligned group of people deserving a chance to stand side-by-side equally with the mothers of our children. I could say a lot of things, but the truth is some of us are douche bags.

All I will ask is that you readers and the rest of society who may never actually read this: Please give us a shot...Don't ignore us in children's literature; Don't constantly make us the butt of every parenting joke; Don't assume we're just idiots plodding along pretending we know what we're doing (yeah we probably don't know what we're doing, but most of us try, and we try hard).

For the dads, this is going to take some effort. There are a few of you out there that are giving us a bad name. If you fall into any of the three following categories please pull yourself together and try to set a better example:

Horrified Diaper Changing Dad- Listen, everyone poops. At some point you are going to have to change a messy diaper, and it will smell terrible. But the moment you feel you need to put a mask on to protect you from that diaper you've already lost. Worse yet, when you heave or actually throw up, the top of the dad ladder sinks just a few more feet. The stink of that diaper is nothing compared to the stink of cowardice wafting off of you every time you hesitate to change that diaper. Get in there and quit complaining already. Face it, Your poop doesn't smell like roses.
Too Cool to Carry the Diaper Bag Dad- You know who you are. You're the guy that companies knew they could swindle when they designed more 'manly' diaper bag options. Are there too many flowers on your diaper bag? Does it look too much like a purse? Guess what you're partner only has two arms and if you've traveled with a child anywhere you know that is not enough. You need everything inside that bag so what the bag looks like on the outside should mean nothing. Pick it up it won't burn. You're making us all look like idiots.
I Can't Pick Clothes or Do My Child's Hair Dad- If you can dress yourself you can dress a child. Sure, I have issues finding matching clothes and my daughter's hair style on the days I'm in charge may not match my wife's effectiveness, but I try. I make an effort to pick the right outfit and comb the hair correctly so that even if it ends in disaster no one can say I didn't try. There is something about smaller clothes that make some dads balk, it's not that hard...We're not talking a fashion contest here, it's the same stuff you wear just smaller.

If we as dads can work on the few other dads that are bringing the rest of us down, maybe we'll start showing up in the kids books a little more, maybe we won't always get made fun of in parenting magazines, and maybe people will take us more seriously when we offer parenting advice. We have thoughts, we have ideas, and we want to be taken seriously.

So much can happen in a couple months...

2011-06-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

Adventure to Longwood Gardens

Well, it's been two months since my last post and it's been a wild and crazy ride. For starters, my little girl has turned 2. I can hardly believe that it's been 2 years since we took her home from the hospital as new parents...Now, she's running and talking and singing all over the house and I can't remember what it was like when she wasn't here grabbing onto my legs.

So what' been happening since my last post?

1. My daughter has completely given up on the high chair or anything resembling a high chair. In the weeks leading up to her birthday meal times became unbearable. She threw a fit every time we strapped her into the high chair and once she really got worked up she refused to eat...It was no fun for any of us so one night we just decided to let her sit in a seat at the table. No booster, no lap, just a chair at the table. Meal times, while not perfect, are much better. Sure it's messier and she sometimes runs off, but for the most part she's taken to the 'Big Girl Seat' with relative ease.

2. We threw our first birthday party. Our little girl loves animals, so we decided early on that her 2nd birthday would be at a local zoo. This zoo is on the grounds of a county park so we were able to rent a pavilion and invite all of her closest friends (5 kids) and family. We had beautiful weather and she quickly wore herself out looking for her favorite animals and running around the playgrounds. As a parent it was exhausting...But it was great to see her having a good time. Her 1st birthday was a low key event, just pizza and cake and family. This was definitely a step up and we all came out of it unscathed.

3. The week before the party I ran in the Broad St. Run in Philadelphia. This 10 mile race takes your right through the city of brotherly love. It was my second time running the race. Last year I finished in just under 2 hours. This year I trained much harder, lost some weight, and finished in 1 hr 22 minutes. It was quite an accomplishment for me. It was hard to find the motivation to keep training, but I forced myself to stay active because I know exercise will help keep me healthy.

Up until recently I did not live a healthy lifestyle. I ate too much and was very inactive. But since becoming a father I am trying to change that. It's a daily challenge but the race really motivated me to keep up the hard work.

4. During the race training period, I was also participating in a 'Biggest Loser' contest at work. I was able to turn the training into weight loss and since March 14, 2011 I've run almost 270 miles and I've lost 28lbs. This week I turned 32 and I am in better shape now than when I was 22. I want my daughter to grow up with a healthy dad. I want to lead by example and I want to be able to keep up with her and stand by her through all of her adventures.

We've been busy the last couple of months and I haven't given the blog the time it deserves. The time I'm not spending here I am spending with my two favorite people, my wife and daughter...I can't wait to see how the next two months turn out. Hopefully, I'll be posting again soon!

Easy Canvas Prints- a new way to display your favorite photos.

2011-06-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, when my wife was pregnant we decided to take a vacation to southwest Florida. During the week, we decided to visit the Downtown Naples New Year's Weekend Art Fair. The city of Naples closes their main drag and invites artists from all over the country to sell their creations.

On this trip we found a photographer who had printed his photos on canvas in a variety of sizes. I thought it was a unique way to display photos, and I asked him if he did custom work for people wanting to print their own family photos on canvas. He told me it was too cost prohibitive for him to do it so he generally focused on his own work.

Well, a week or so ago, I was contacted by a representative of Easy Canvas Prints. She wanted me to give the process a try and write about it here. The site allows you to upload your favorite images and have them stretched on canvas. The process is easy, just upload your favorite picture, decide how you want to handle the photos edges, and submit.

I've been asked to review a few products on the blog. I gladly accept most offers, but I will not post negative reviews because it doesn't serve any useful purpose. It's a waste of time to put negative energy into a blog post. For that reason I am glad to say I enjoyed my chance to review the Easy Canvas Prints process. I now have a great picture of my daughter hanging over my desk at work.

Just click the link below and give it a try for yourself.

Easy Canvas Prints

104.5 or Oh it's just a virus.

2011-04-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

So when you wake up on a quiet Saturday morning to find your daughter has a fever of 104.5 you have a couple of options:

1. Panic.
2. Call the Doctor.
3. Panic.

For the first hour we did 2 of those three options. Our little girl is our first child and she's not quite 2 so we still don't really know what we're doing. Panic seemed the best option at the time. The last time she had a fever get up over 103 it was because of an ear infection and this time since she was already being treated for another ear infection, we knew something else must be going on.

What started as a very long day turned into a very long weekend and early part of the week. Each morning we'd get up, sure the fever would have dissipated, and each morning we'd find that boiling heat coming off our little girl's body. It was exhausting for all of us. We spent all each day trying to get her to eat and drink, making sure to give her the proper dose of ibuprofen so she could fight the fever in moments of comfort.

Monday finally roles around and having not slept for two days I had to drag myself into work wondering whether this thing would ever clear. The doctor told us to come in on Tuesday morning. She'd woken up Tuesday with a fever of 103 degrees so I opted to take her in. The from the doctor's office we were sent to the hospital for blood tests and a chest x-ray....Which is damn near impossible with a 2 yr old.

At the hospital, we had yogurt thrown all over the place, a very messy diaper change in a bathroom with no changing table, needles (I hate needles), blood, and radiation...All the while my daughter just kept asking for mommy and if she could go home.

This is not my child just an example of the device.

Let me tell you this, the joker who invented the contraption to secure toddlers in place for such x-rays should be forced to sit in one himself/herself. It's a torture device. My daughter was horrified by the clear plastic vise grip body holder and I was horrified that such a device even exists.

Anyway at the end of a very long day we learned one thing: the fever was done, it went away as quietly as it arrived and I had to put my daughter through the ringer for nothing. We got home from the doctor's and both collapsed in exhaustion and relief...She slept for 3 hours and I just stared at the ceiling wondering what just happened in the last 5 days.

I just spent what?!? on sneakers...

2011-03-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

My new shoes...It's the Brooks Ghost 3

For the longest time I've avoided admitting it. I was just doing it to feel better...I wouldn't do it forever, I like the way it makes me feel, plus it was mostly free. That is until now. The other day I spent more on a pair of good running shoes than I ever have on a single pair of footwear...In fact it may have been more than I have ever spent on 2 pairs of footwear. This might be getting out of hand.

In late 2004, my wife and I started jogging around the neighborhood in an effort to improve our health. It wasn't much, but since then I've been running more...Much more...Almost daily even. In 7 years, I would never have called myself a runner in any way. My friends can attest that my mantra has always been "There is no reason to run, unless someone is chasing you."

In fairness, this purchase did not come lightly I had worn out my 3rd pair of shoes since last June and each consecutive saunter was met with pain and struggle. If I was going to take this running thing seriously I would have to make a commitment and get properly fitted by people who know what their doing. So I went down to the local running store and sat down with a very helpful store associate. She watched me walk, looked at my feet, and asked about my running experience. Fully loaded with this knowledge she went off to find me the perfect shoe.

I tried on 3 or 4 pairs and liked most of them, but when confronted by the actual price I had a bit of sticker panic and left without a single pair. It took a couple days but I realized that this was an investment and if I intended to ever run pain free again I needed to bite the bullet.

However, I do have a little extra motivation this time around that helped make the final decision. At work, we've started another round of "The Biggest Loser". My weight has started to creep up again and I joined the competition to get myself back on the wagon. In order to catch that wagon I needed a new pair of shoes.

On top of all that, I'm in training for the "Broad Street Run" in Philadelphia in May. It's a 10 mile race through center city Philadelphia. Make no mistake, the only person I will be racing will be myself. I ran it last year, but was not pleased with my finishing time. I've decided that if I am pleased with my time this year then I will try to run a half-marathon in the fall...Until 2004, I had never run more than a single mile at once, in my life...And now, despite owning more efficient means of transport, I am wracking up miles on the ground.

This doesn't have much directly related to my life as a father, but in the end it may help make my life as a father last a little longer...And if nothing else, my improved fitness will help me keep up with my daughter in the coming years.

Growing up Geek...

2011-03-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

Word!

That's not a typo, I am a geek. As my little girl gets older I find myself getting more and more excited about sharing some of the favorite geek things I enjoy and have enjoyed throughout my life.

Thanks to entertaining references and callbacks to some of my favorite geek things in podcasts like The Nerdist and shows like Psych, Community, and the BBC's The IT Crowd I have realized it's OK to let it all out once in a while.

Now, I am a parent, a geek parent, and I feel it is important to expose my child to all those shows/movies/things I found fascinating and nerdy growing up....Here are a few of my favorite things that I cannot wait to share with my daughter:

The Karate Kid & Back to the Future::: 80s movies at their very best...Now that Ralph Macchio is going to be on Dancing With the Stars I might actually watch the show a little this season. The Karate Kid always insights fond memories of childhood. My daughter will also learn the ways of Mr. Miyagi and Dr. Emmett Brown..And then there's this for Karate Kid fans everywhere...
8-Bit video games:::Thank you NES for hours of hours of easily attainable fun while I was growing up. I didn't need to memorize complicated spin moves using 12 different buttons, I couldn't realistic blood splatter with every shot, my conquered enemies blinked a few times and just disappeared, and there were never complex movie sequences to disrupt my turtle shell crushing exploits...Long live Super Mario Brothers...For 8-bit fans check this out.
The Goonies & The Princess Bride:::I can recite each of these movies from beginning to end, and you can be sure that if I ever find a treasure map in my best friend's attic or my wife is attacked by an opportunistic R.O.U.S I will be ready.
Dr. Who:::When I was a kid I stayed up way too late on Saturday nights to watch the low-fi adventures of this wily Time Lord. It wasn't until earlier this year that I decided to sit down and watch the reboot of one of my favorite childhood shows. Let me tell you, my favorite Time Lord is back and better than ever. I've spent most of my revisiting with the latest Dr. incarnation Matt Smith, but I've found and enjoyed episode with other more recent Doctors played by Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant. Easily one of the best shows on television and great for any child's imagination.
Steve Martin:::There are comics and there are geniuses, Mr. Martin is both. He is a writer, actor, comedian, musician. I discovered him on Saturday Night Live, and didn't realize (until much later) the full scope of his genius. Comedy is difficult and there are few people that can perfect it across mediums as Steve Martin has done...
Stephen King & J.K. Rowling:::I could have easily just said Books here, but not all books are great...I enjoy books that offer adventure, epic journeys, and great characters. It may seem odd that I've placed these particular authors on the same line, but King (The Dark Tower) and Rowling (Harry Potter) have a unique ability to tell a harrowing story that allows the reader to become completely immersed in the tale. I hope my daughter loves to read and discovers it much sooner than I did. I am continually excited that she loves books now, but I look forward to experiencing those true written adventures with her as she gets older.

I could go on and on, but I have to approach this delicately so she doesn't realize right away that her father is a geek...I mean over time she'll pick it up and let me know I'm sure, but there is no need to spoon feed her the ammo to use later.

Toddler as a Second Language

2011-02-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

Stop and smell the flowers.

In high school I was forced to take a foreign language. You know, the obligatory 2 years of gibberish to fulfill an arbitrary number of credits in order to graduate. In those two years, I did not retained much, and my only fond memories are of the 'International Food Day' we had at the end of the year. We got to gorge ourselves on homemade crepes, tacos, bratwurst and other food from the typical high school language offerings.

Despite my complete lack of mastery of a foreign language it seems that somewhere deep inside I have have the capacity for learning new an interesting forms of communication after all. I can honestly and confidently say that I am almost fluent one of the most complex and interesting languages in our society: Toddler Talk.

Every word out of my daughter's mouth needs some level of translation. It is very important for all involved parties to be quick in that translation as any delay could set off a incident on level of the Bay of Pigs.

Sure, everyone can understand the easy ones like 'No' & 'Mine', but when the conversation gets deeper you have to be quick on your feet. An entire meal can be won or lost based on whether you think she saying she wants to eat the pancakes you made her, she wants you to eat the pancakes you made her, or she doesn't want pancakes at all...If I guess wrong those pancakes are going to be all over the floor, my lap, and (thanks to the consistency of syrup) the wall. Whenever you approach Toddler-Speak your confidence should be extremely high, or you'll end up doing a lot of unnecessary cleaning and head scratching.

Look it's not easy for anyone to learn a new language, and as far as I know Rosetta Stone has yet to offer a Toddler Curriculum in their best selling language software. But practice makes perfect and the more my wife, mother-in-law, or some other innocent bystander asks "What'd she say?" The more confident I become in my response...

There were, of course,some sketchy days in the beginning like when she first saw that Peacock at the zoo. Her Toddler-Speak version of 'Peacock' left out the very important beginning of the word. People would look at her with that 'did she just say that' look that people get and then they'd look at me quizzically hoping that I'd have a reasonable explanation.

Fortunately, with my extensive practice I can easily put most people at ease. However, my powers of translation seem to only work for a very specific dialect known only to my daughter. When at the home of other friends with toddlers I'm often as lost as the rest of the world in translating. They say that English is one of the most difficult languages to master, but I disagree. I believe the most difficult language is Toddler.

Where there's a Will there's a 21 month old.

2011-02-04T08:55:00.000-08:00

It's funny (or at least I think it is) that there is always one parent that seems to constantly play the backup. I often feel like a good tribute band, sure I'm entertaining when the famous band is on a world tour (or not currently at home), but when their back in town I'm a guy who just can't compete with the real entertainment.

In the early months of our little girl's life the 'playing favorites' took a difficult toll on me. I gave her everything I had and could barely get anything in return. Thankfully, at 21 months she's come around quite a bit. There are still times when she needs her mommy more than me and I've learned two things from this:

1. It's OK. My wife and I are a great team. We work well together and I think (even though we're still new to the game) we're doing a pretty good job with our little one.

2. Sometimes, if it's my wife that my daughter is clinging to it means I get to sit down for a few minutes and take a breath.

It's hard to admit that sometimes you just need a break, but at 21 months this girl is a whirlwind. She bounces around the house from the minute she wakes up until the minute she goes to sleep and I'd be lying if I said it was easy to match that energy. It is fun to see her explore her world, but there are only so many times that I can drink a fake glass of tea. I mean there's no sugar and it's not even warm.

My daughter has a will of her own and everyday we're starting to see more and more of it. It's still early in the game, but I have a feeling that this little girl will have that same determination and strength that I so admire in my wife. We're starting to set more boundaries so that this new found strength and determination doesn't get out of hand, but with each attempted task I find myself amazed by her...Sometimes I don't want to tell her 'NO' just to see what she'll do next.

I've gotten lazy with the blog and I think that has been a major mistake. I miss writing, especially here, as it brings me closer to fatherhood. It's easy to go through the motions of being a dad, but I always want to be engaged in her life because each day she amazes me and I would hate to miss out on any of it.

Fatherhood Friday: Mealtime Maladies

2010-10-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

I know I've mentioned before that I love food...It is the biggest reason I continue to struggle with my weight. I grew up in a house with a picky mother and because of that I thought I was picky for a very long time. Once I was old enough to spread my wings, I found out that most food is good. The revelation led me to another, if most food is good, I should eat as much as I can for as long as I can to make up for the food embargo I suffered through as a kid.

Before you stop reading I promise it's not another "I'm fat so here's what I'm doing about it' post like my last one. This one is a call for help. I am the father of a picky daughter. For months she ate whatever we put in front of her, but now it's all on her terms and if she doesn't want something she creates an impenetrable force field of flailing arms, lock jaw, and head swings that defies logic.

She eats an amazing breakfast. It's definitely her favorite meal of the day, but lunch and dinner rarely go smoothly. We've tried everything: vegetables in all manner of styles, fruits in every color and flavor, proteins that would make a five star chef applaud (OK so that last one was an exaggeration, but I do put the effort in), purees squeezed into the tightest of recipes, and we end up with nothing.

She will readily eat Lima beans, peas, berries, & yogurt but anything else is a struggle. So I ask you, how do I get this girl to enjoy food without developing the unholy attachment I had to it? I just want lunch or dinner each day to go well...It's a struggle and it's exhausting.

So please, if you have tips leave them in the comments...I will take every one of them seriously.

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Fatherhood Friday: Run, Fatboy, Run...

2010-10-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

At the end of June 2010, my pants were too tight, I had to buy a larger size shirts, my knee started bothering me again, and I was tired...Too tired. I knew I had been gaining weight for sometime but I sort of ignored it because I was in the throws of my first year as a father. It was a very good year, I've had so much fun watching my daughter grow and going on adventures with her and my wife. That said, I got fat and I had to do something about it.

Me before...

The plan was simple lose about 40-45lbs by the holiday season, get back into those smaller pants, and work on getting my fitness back up. The only way that I have ever been successful losing weight in the past was on Weight Watchers. Now, when I followed the program before, my wife would go to the meetings and I would steal her books and tips so that I didn't have to pay. But this time, I thought maybe I could actually stick to it better if I my wallet were held accountable too. So off to the meetings I went.

I started following the program religiously, I tracked my points, I exercised, and I the weight started to come off. I've done really well and I am 34lbs lighter now than I was when I started. Sure watching what I eat has helped (my problem has always been portion control), but the biggest thing that I've done is become a full time runner.

For the first month I hated every minute I was out there plodding along my neighborhood streets. However, one morning in late August, as I pushed my daughter in her stroller around town, I actually have begun to enjoy the runs. It's fun to watch my daughter look at all the trees, talking and pointing along the way. She does get a little bored on longer runs, but generally we have a good time out there...We've put a lot of miles on that stroller.

Me so far...

My running started out as a slow 2 mile loop, but in the last month I've worked my way up to 5 miles at a decent pace. I'm working full time again so I really only get to run with my daughter on the weekends, but I've come to enjoy running at night after she's asleep.

My main goal in all of this is to be healthier for my family. It's hard to set a good example when you never leave the couch or eat food that are terrible for you (I save all the junk until after my daughter is in bed). I hope this time I can keep the weight off, not just for me, but for my wife and little girl. I want to be strong and healthy if it means I never eat at McDonald's again, I can live with that.

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Wordless Wednesday:::Beachin' it up

2010-09-29T10:29:00.001-07:00

We just put her in the sand and she runs forever...

Check out other Wordless posts here...

Fatherhood Friday::::Bless me Fathers for I have sinned...

2010-09-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

It's been 67 days since my last post. I've broken the cardinal rule of blogging, which is to actually blog. Do I have an excuse? Sure...But you don't want to hear it, or (at this point in the desert of infrequent bloggers) read it. But I'll post anyway...

I could sit here and tell you all the fun things my daughter has been doing since my last post, things like: Walking, climbing, throwing food, laughing, playing, saying the funniest things, and hopefully enjoying her daily discoveries. I could do that, but I won't because I have a problem. This post will be a catharsis.

I'm a first time father with no real experience in parenting. Sure prior to the birth of our little girl I did the babysitting nieces & nephews thing, but at the end of the night I always went home. As much fun as it was to run around with them it pales in comparison to running around with your own. Parenthood is the hardest yet most rewarding job I've ever had.

My problem? Well my daughter doesn't seem to be as much a fan of me as I am of her. Sure when it's just the two of us she tolerates me, but when my wife is around I can barely even change her diaper without her crying and kicking all over the place. In the beginning I just let it all go. I figured it would pass and we'd be best buddies, but it seems to be getting worse and it's bothering me.

I would joke that I'm the second string quarterback and that I'd drop to 3rd string when my mother-in-law was around. It was funny at first but not anymore. What hurts the most is that I try so hard for very little in return.

Don't get me wrong it's not all heartbreak and frustration in our house. I do love to chase her around and watch her navigate the world. I just wish she'd involve me a little more.

Check out more Fatherhood Friday posts at Dad-Blogs.com!

On Two Feet...

2010-07-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I witnessed the most amazing thing I think I have ever seen. It was both beautiful and frightening. My 1 year old little girl took her first steps.

It felt like a normal day when I woke up. Little did I know that my world would once again be rocked when she took those first few steps. My wife decided to head to the beach for some relaxation and gentle ocean breezes. Me and my little girl stayed home for some much needed daddy-daughter time. She was in a great mood all day and had a blast playing with her toys (I think I may have enjoyed her toys as much as she did).

After lunch we decided to listen to some music...Classics like 'The Cleanup Song', 'The ABCs', and 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider' rolled out of the cd player in her room while we clapped and danced. At one point she tried to make her own itsy bitsy spider. Not quite there yet, but it was a great effort and she was very proud of herself. That new trick should have been my clue that something amazing was cooking in that little brain of hers.

Then I tried to get her to stand on her own, which she was getting pretty good at. I figured if she got good at standing she'd walk that much sooner. No dice, she stodd great and clapped and danced, but not a single step was taken. I wasn't worried because she was obviously getting closer and it was only a matter of time.

That time came just a few hours later when my wife came home from the beach. I wanted to show her our little girl's new spider trick and see if we could get her to dance. I set her up on two feet and she stood for a second with a big grin on her face. My wife then crouched down and said 'Come to mama' and with that the spider trick took second fiddle to the first few steps by our 14 month old.

I was so proud I got her to do a new trick during 'Itsy bitsy Spider', but she was obviously holding her 'A' material for when mommy got home.

I count myself very lucky for my wife and I to have witnessed those steps together. I'm at work all week so my time with her is limited to a few hours each night when I get home...Chances were I'd probably miss those steps. And with my wife gone to the beach all day she could have easily missed them as well.

Could it be that my daughter was waiting for a full audience? Was she being considerate of both of our feelings? I think so...She's a genius after all.

I'm Taking the Plunge....

2010-06-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

Sure, you read the title, it's 96 degrees outside and you could safely assume I'm about to dive into a post about my family's summer swimming habits...Well, you're wrong. I'm taking an entirely different plunge; an entirely more anxiety inducing plunge into the Weight Watchers pool.

In 2004, I was rapidly approaching the 300lb mark. I wasn't there but I could see it on the horizon and it scared me. My wife and I began following the Weight Watchers program using materials we borrow from her mom. It worked, I lost about 70lbs and my wife was also successful.

Trouble is, since then I've been up and down and unfortunately for the last year I've been on a steady journey back up. I'm in a different place in my life than I was in 2004. Now I have a 13 month old baby girl at home who is watching very carefully what I do. It's one thing for me to be unhealthy, but there is no excuse to let my poor eating habits begin influence her.

My pants were getting tighter (I even broke down and bought a few larger pairs), and I thought it was time to get back on the horse, but this time the right way. It's one thing to borrow some books and information about Weight Watchers, but an entirely different thing to go to the meetings and learn how to successfully change your lifestyle. This all sounds kind of cheesy, but the more I stay positive about my weight loss the more likely I am to actually do it.

My wife went back to Weight Watchers after our daughter was born and she recently hit her goal weight...

This means three things:

1. She feels really good about her hard work over the last year.
2. She looks fantastic.
3. Her Weight Watchers meetings are now free.

That last one is important in terms of my decision to go to a meeting myself. You see we've been paying for meetings for about a year so what difference will it mean to our bottom line if I started paying for meetings? You're right, none. So last week I went onto the interwebs and signed-up for Weight Watchers Monthly Pass. Now I can go to meetings every week and be held accountable for the poor habits that have resurfaced in the last couple of years.

I'm not one for meetings, but just like when I saw 300lbs on the horizon I realized something had to be done. This time I want to stick it out so that my little girl will grow up in a houseful of healthy eaters. I'm not naive, I know she'll love her pizza and ice cream just like the other kids, and I want her to know that it's OK to eat that stuff sometimes...Just not all the time, like I do.

Are the meetings going to work? I'm not sure, but I'm exercising again and really trying to keep my food intake in check. Something had to be done, so I'm doing it.

Finally, I can Grill like a Champ

2010-06-05T15:58:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession to make. When it comes to cooking meat, I'm a cutter. I'm never confident that the meat I throw on the grill is done, so I cut it open two or three times before I take it off...This method leaves me with meat done to perfection, but it's sliced to bits before it even gets to the table.

All that is in the past now that I have joined the digital thermometer revolution. I've been using a digital thermometer for all of my indoor meat creations for almost a year, but it was never really that conducive for my grilling need. My digital thermometer has the temperature gauge and digital unit connected by a 3 foot cord. If I use this while I'm grilling, I'm constantly in and out of the house checking the temperature. It was a pain so I never really took to it.

Now, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to try a Talking Wireless Digital Thermometer system from Oregon Scientific. The unit itself consists of a temperature gauge attached to a wireless transmitter. While my chicken is cooking outside I have the receiving unit on my counter. All I have to do is set the system to 'Chicken' and wait for the system to tell me it's done.

The only problem I had with this little gadget was in the initial setup. I took it out of the package put the provided batteries in the transmitter and the receiver, and put the temperature probe into the chicken. Nothing happened. After a few minutes and some careful reading of the instructions, we were up and running. The receiver actually speaks when your meal is done.

I can't wait to use it again, I think we'll have steaks tomorrow night! For more information about this and a wide variety of great Father's Day gifts check out the RedEnvelope website the place for unique and personalized gifts.

If you want you're own talking wireless thermometer or any other great Father's Day gift from Redenvelope.com and you want to save 10% off your purchase, be sure to use the code '10offred' at check out!

*Compensated Review

142. They're Back...Thank goodness.

2010-06-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

Last week was not one of my favorites. It was terrible coming home to an empty house while my wife and baby girl were away. I wrote in my previous post that I bought tickets for my wife to visit her sister in California...And I'm sure you've all been waiting on pins and needles waiting to see how I survived my week alone.

Well, it was terrible. Sure I went fishing a couple of times and I got some good home improvement projects completed, but on the whole I did not have fun. For the last 12 months, I've come home everyday to a beautiful wife and the cutest baby girl in the world. To suddenly stop that was a bit of a shock. I saw it coming though. As soon as I dropped them at the airport I realized my mistake, but by then it was already too late.

I couldn't sleep or concentrate most days, all those home improvement project that I completed were started randomly throughout the house. I could never work on one for very long before I'd get distracted by another one. Fortunately, I was able to get everything together and cleaned up before they came home, but it was close there for a while.

I'm the kind of guy that needs to be close to his wife and child as much as he can. It bothers me that I have to go to work everyday, while they're at home. I want to be home too, but I can't so I just try to make the best of the hours I am there. Luckily, I work in education and the summer is fast approaching, which means I'll get some time off. I can't wait.

I learned my lesson last week...Where ever they go, I go.

143: Fatherhood Friday, What am I supposed to do now?

2010-05-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

In about 24 hours, my wife a child will be on a plane headed to California for a week. My wife's sister lives on the opposite side of the country and they miss each other a lot. So, for Mother's Day I decided to surprise my wife with plane tickets. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Now, with the trip approaching fast, I am feeling very anxious. I've never been away from my wife for this long in years, and I've never been away from my daughter at all.

Cynics will surely say I bought the tickets to give myself the vacation, but that's not true. I don't do well when I am away from them. I won't sleep, I'll eat poorly or not at all, and I will be extremely listless. Thanks to Gmail's video chat we'll be able to have some contact, but in the end I'll be all alone.

So what am I supposed to do now?

It's funny how things have changed. These two girls are my entire life. My wife and I have been together for 13yrs (married for 6) and my little girl turned 1 a few weeks ago. When I'm at work I wonder what they are up to, when I'm driving home I can't wait to get in the front door to see them. I'm often bummed when my daughter is still napping when I get home. Is it manly to say that I love getting hugs from both of them is the greatest part of my day? No, probably not, but no one will ever accuse me of being particularly manly.

I just reread that last paragraph and you'd think they were going away for a month, but it's only a week. I can get through this, I can...No really, I can.

I'll let you know how it goes next week.

Check out more Fatherhood Friday posts at Dad-Blogs.com!

144: The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

2010-05-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

It seems that 14,000,000 people have seen this video before I ever heard about it. I was all about the Muppets growing up and this video has all of my favorite characters plus a few new guys that weren't around in my day. I hope the Muppets Studio people continue to put together great clips like this so that my little girl can grow to love them as well!

145. Wordless Wednesday's - A Stroll Through the Tulips

2010-05-05T07:29:00.001-07:00

If not for Dad-Blogs, I probably would forget to post. It's the one spot on the web that actually makes an effort to acknowledge fatherhood...Sure the parenting sites pretend to include us, but with makeup and beauty advertisements all over the place it's hard to make that argument stick. If you haven't seen Dad-Blogs, check it out today...

146. Fatherhood Friday's - What about BOB? My jogging stroller and me.

2010-04-16T11:19:00.001-07:00

In about 3 weeks, I'll be standing in a crowd of about 30,000 people attempting to run 10 miles for a cause. It's the 31st Annual Broad Street run in Philadelphia. Now, before you go, "Wow, we've got a healthy runner here looking to do some good" I should tell you that I am far from the picture of health, likewise I'm not really a runner.

In 2004, I my weight was creeping ever so close to 300lbs (270lbs to be exact). It wasn't so much what I was eating, just the amount of what I was eating coupled with extensive inactivity. As the weight continued to climb I decided to do something about it, and about a year later I had lost 70lbs...I thought that was enough. Once I got down to the magic 200lb number I had in my head I thought I could just relax and enjoy that weight for a while. But it's all too easy to fall into those old habits and my weight started to go the other way.

That was when I decided to run. I had changed my diet and was walking/jogging, but it wasn't giving me the results I was looking for. With help from some friends and the motivation of a 'Biggest Loser' contest at work I started to take things up a notch, and lose about 40lbs. I was officially healthy, my bloodwork and weight said so. I ran a couple of respectable 5k races for charity and I actually enjoyed myself.

So what do you think I did? Yep, I got lazy. Life takes over and you forget to take care of yourself. My wife and I had a baby and exercise and eating right suddenly were on the back burner again. I've gained some of the weight back for a third time, but promising to run after work is difficult when you have a little girl at home that you haven't seen all day.
Have no fear spring is finally here! I think we've found a solution. It's not a new solution by any means, but it is new to us. We bought a Bob Revolution jogging stroller. I took it out for a spin last night with my daughter and I think we both had a lot of fun with it. I can now spend time with her and get my run in. No more excuses. I've only had it out once, but I think we'll be getting a lot of use out of it this year! It was fun to watch our little girl wave to people as she rolled by and watch the breeze in her hair.

I want to be healthy for me and my family, but it's hard. I enjoy food so much. I'm out of excuses, and I have 3 more weeks to train for the big 10 mile run in Philly...Wish me luck, gotta Run!

Check out more Fatherhood Friday posts at Dad-Blogs.com!

147. Baby on the Plane, Daddy on the ground.

2010-04-08T07:07:00.001-07:00

Ah, vacation. The month of March was brutal for anyone in the education field in NJ. Stress levels were and continue to be very high this year so it was nice to have a break to recharge, relax, and forget about NJ for a few days.

This was a much needed vacation for my wife and I, but on top of that it was our first family trip with our little girl. Months ago, my wife and I decided we'd like to go to Florida during my spring break. This is a time of year where deals on airfare are few and far between and any money saved would have limited the number of days we could spend having fun in the sun. So, we decided against spending money on two expensive airline tickets and a rental car. Instead, while the baby and my wife took to the skies, I would be on the road heading south in the family car with all the luggage and supplies we would need for the week.

Let me tell you this, it was much harder than I expected. I was nervous how the baby would do on the plane. Would there be tears? Would she be in pain? Could she possibly throw a fit for the whole two hour flight? And how would this affect my wife? I was worried about all of this, but was secretly grateful I wouldn't have to experience myself. I thought I was home free...Boy was I wrong.

The 1000 mile trip was difficult in terms of driving. In fact I made awesome time on the way down, but it was very lonely. I didn't get to see my wife and daughter for 30hrs. This may not seem like a lot, but it is the longest I've been away from the two of them ever. And I missed them.

I didn't make the trip straight through. I stopped at a hotel in Georgia and barely slept...I couldn't wait to get out the door in the morning and finish that trek just so I could see them again.I met them at the airport when their plane landed and was relieved to see them both in good spirits. My wife, happy to be in the warmth of Florida, gave me a nice hug and my daughter (who seemed confused at my sudden appearance) gave me a little smile. It was a relief to see them both, I could finally start my relaxing vacation.

It was a great week and my 11month old daughter really seemed to enjoy her first vacation. It will certainly make us less nervous to try this again...I'm just not sure I can handle another long trip without them again.

148. Fatherhood Friday - Eating is so easy...

2010-03-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Can someone please explain this to me...We go about our nightly dinner routine by giving our little girl a bottle which she happily chugs. After that it's time for solids. We get her all strapped into the high chair, get the food ready (last night it was broccoli, turkey, & cheese), and put a little whole milk into her sippy cup (we're easing the whole milk in slowly and as peacefully as possible).

For the dinner, the turkey she likes, that goes pretty well and cheese she loves. She even feeds herself some, so that's good. She drinks her milk, which she liked a little more than she did yesterday. But we hit a wall at the broccoli. She takes a couple of bites, but then throws a fit and refuses anymore. We tried to do the right thing and not pressure her to eat more than she wants because the last thing we need is some sort of food anxiety on our hands.

Once she throws a fit, she's done she won't eat anything else. So my wife and I finish our dinner while she plays happily with the crumbs. When we're done I take her out of the high chair to clean her up, and just for giggles I give her a little taste of the broccoli...Now, she loves it and I can't give it to her fast enough...She ate all of it.

It was a bizarre little event that I cannot explain. We thought she was exercising her right to choose foods she likes by refusing the broccoli, but it appears she actually like it.

I'm baffled, every day with this beautiful little girl presents a new mystery of life. I try to take notes, but no matter how prepared I think I am to see that fast ball on the outside corner, I wind up seeing a curve down and in for a strike.

Don't forget to check out more Fatherhood Friday posts over at Dad-Blogs!

149. The Geese are back, it must be Spring...

2010-03-18T11:18:00.001-07:00

Spring is in the air. As I type this it's 70 degrees outside, the sun is shining, and the daffodils are popping up out of the ground.

What does Spring have in store for us? Well, we'll finally be able to get back outside. Our little girl was born in May so we had a fantastic first 5 months of her life wandering outside and taking little adventures that kept us wrapped in fresh air and sunshine. And then, Winter came and we locked up the windows, packed away all the short sleeves, and huddled up waiting for our chance to get that stroller rolling again.

As part of my rather ineffective New Year's resolution to lose weight, I signed up to run the annual Philadelphia Broad St. Run...In cold weather, this 10 mile exercise in disaster has forced be back on the treadmill. Now that it's finally warmer I can run outside. Sure I could have been like a few of my neighbors jogging down the road with 10 inches of snow on the ground, but I'm just not that dedicated.

The race is in May and I am on pace to be sufficiently prepared for the 10 mile trip...At least I hope so. I ran almost 6 miles this past Tuesday and felt pretty good. I could have done more but I crossed paths with my wife and daughter who were walking around town enjoying the sun and I just had to stop to be with them. I ran almost 4 miles yesterday and was just a bit sore, but still felt good. So with a little more than a month to go things are looking pretty good.

Between now and then, staying motivated to run will be my toughest challenge...Warmer weather means fun outside with the family, time on the water with a fishing rod, and some work to be done out in the yard. We'll see how it goes...

What the!?!? It's 2010...Where have I been?

2010-03-12T09:05:00.000-08:00

I tried, I mean I really tried. Last December, I sat in front of this very computer screen and I promised myself that I would get back to business on this blog. And what did I do? I let the blog wither like the forgotten houseplant in the corner of the living room no one every remembers to water.

Fortunately, I think we can save it. I think there is a little bit of green left in this blog to make a returned effort to bring it back to life. My daughter is now 10 months old and in those 10 months I have learned a lot.

Things Like:

Don't go un-diapered unless you are fully prepared to face the consequences.
What the baby eats today can easily become ammo tomorrow.
Sleep is a good thing, perhaps the best of things, and no good thing ever dies...It just gets a little shorter.

One of the most interesting things I've learned as a parent is that any bad thing that involves children in the news suddenly hits me much harder. I put myself in the shoes of those parents and I can't bear the weight of their stories. I think of my little girl and I just want to protect her from everything.

Trouble is, I'm no superman and I know she'll have to experience life and learn some hard lessons on her own, but with every tear or problem she comes at me with I want to be able to put on a cape and save the day.

In 10 months I've learned a lot, but in 10 years I'll learn much, much, more about who I am, who she is, and where I fit in all of the adventures we're bound to have.

So I am making a new promise. There are 294 days left in 2010 and I promise that for at least 150 of those days I will be posting. I've been away from the keyboard too long. Maybe, someone will start reading this again, but if not it's cool. I'm doing it for me...Come a long for the ride if you wish, there's still some room on the bus.

Thanksgiving Redux...

2009-12-03T06:12:00.000-08:00

It's been seven days since my experiencing my favorite holiday for the first time as a father. How did it go? Well, we packed in so much over the holiday weekend that the amazing meal and experience of Thanksgiving is almost a blur....I did say almost.

Our almost 7 month old was a trooper through the entire event. Earlier in the week she had her 6 month well visit at the pediatrician who gave us the go ahead to try new solid foods. This was exciting because that meant we could sneak some turkey into her planned meal of sweet potatoes.

I will tell you this, since we started solid food a few weeks ago we have yet to find a combination or concoction that she will not eat. To her the sweet potatoes and turkey were just another chance to try something new. Relative to her size she probably ate as much as we did on Thanksgiving. Her festive meal was a success, and it helped accomplish something for me as well.

Every previous Thanksgiving, I'd stuff myself until I could barely stand up from the table and I had big plans to make this Thanksgiving as good or better than all the rest and the baby helped me succeed. You see, I think part of the reason I get so uncomfortably stuffed is because I eat too fast. Having a baby at the table as eager to eat as I was sort of takes priority to my own gluttony. Thus, I was able to eat as much or more than previous years much more slowly, and a lot less uncomfortably.

It was our first major holiday as parents and it was fun. We took a lot of pictures, laughed at her messy face, and spent time with our family...I can't wait until Christmas!

Fatherhood Friday - Here's What Happened...

2009-11-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

It is Friday! I look forward to Fridays for a couple of reasons. First, it's the end of my work week and I can walk away from my desk and not have to answer the phone, check email, or do anything work related for two days. My wife and daughter are at home all week while I sit here and watch the clock at work. It makes me crazy because I'd rather be with the both of them so on Friday when I can pack up for the weekend I can't wait to get home.

Friday night is also good for something else. Once our little one goes to bed my wife and I celebrate with a pizza...It's our own little pizza night. The routine is the same every Friday. First it's bath time, then she gets fed, I call for the pizza, we tuck the baby in and I go pick it up. By the time I get home we can just relax. We are big fans of the shows on USA especially Monk, Psych, and their latest series White Collar. So we eat our pizza, catch up on the week, talk about baby girl, and just unwind with some mindless TV.

Time is very important in a marriage especially when there are children involved. We're new at the parenting game and it would be very easy to lose track of our marriage in all those dirty diapers, teething, play time, etc. We need time for us and pizza night gives is just one of the ways we get that. It seems small, but it works for us...I can almost smell the pizza already!

For more Fatherhood Friday stop by Dad-Blogs.com

You Capture - Sunset, Sunrise, somewhere in between...

2009-11-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

I always hope to post more than I actually do. I get ideas throughout the week, mostly on the drive home, and this week was no different. Do I want to talk about our teething battles? Or, maybe our last family day adventure? They say the road of life is paved with good intentions, and more and more I find that to be true. I often have great intentions, that I have difficulty following through.

This week's You Capture assignment was Sunrise/Sunset...Well, my intention of getting the camera out the door early one morning was never fulfilled, but I did catch a full moon a couple weeks ago that sort of fits.

While I was taking this picture I was thinking how cool the moon looks and that I couldn't wait until my daughter can run around outside and I can start showing her all the cools things that are around her everyday. TV will not be the center of her life like it was for mine...I mean, I still love TV and she will too I'm sure, but being outside on a crisp fall day with the leaves falling and deer in the back field beats any show on TV. I want her to experience all of that...She's only 6 months old, but I'm counting the days when I can run around outside with my wife and daughter and play in the leaves without looking ridiculous.

For more 'You Capture' shots check out the I Should Be Folding Laundry blog.

You Capture - Real Life

2009-11-12T06:29:00.000-08:00

What's my real life like these days? Well my photo should sum it up pretty quickly. It's funny, my wife and I have been talking about how much our lives have changed since our little girl was born. it's gone from 0-60 in no time at all. As crazy as it is trying to navigate the world of new parenthood, I wouldn't trade a single second. Being a dad is about the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Sure we've had to make some sacrifices, we've lost some sleep, we've been pooped on, peed on, spit up on, but we have the cutest little girl you've ever seen to show for all of our trials.

She's wonderful. So what's my real life? My real life is my wife and my daughter and doing everything I can for both of them. I'm not perfect, sometimes I whine, but I try hard and we are doing well.

Check out more 'Real Life' images over at I Should be Folding Laundry...

Tinkle, Tinkle, Little Girl...

2009-11-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

It was bound to happen. I mean she's 6 months old it's really a wonder that I made it this far without getting peed on. No, I don't blame her. It was totally my fault. I got cocky, I said to myself "self, the tub is only ten feet away, I can make it." Turns out, I couldn't.

Prior to this, I'd hear stories from other parents who have been the victims of their little one's active and well-aimed bladders never thinking it would happen to me. I promised to do things differently. I would be careful not to put myself in dangerous situations, but alas I've learned nothing from the stories. And now, as punishment I am marked with pee.

10 feet, that's all it was. I just had to carry her 10 feet to the tub to start our nightly bedtime routine and as I knelt down to make the final transition she made her sneak attack. When it was over and the smoke cleared she was smiling. I've never seen her look so proud (or was it relieved?) in all her life. Can a 6 month old feel pride? I think so.

The experienced parents out there are probably laughing at this rookie, but if you are expecting your first child, heed my words. The pee can come anytime, don't be a hero, don't ditch that diaper until it is absolutely necessary. Good luck out there!

Boo...Halloween will be relevant again!

2009-10-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm pretty excited. The last time I wore a costume and traversed a neighborhood looking to score some chocolate goodness was 1997. I was a senior in high school and would relish any opportunity to secure free food related products. Yes, even if it meant dressing up and preforming for strangers. My costume that year? I was the invisible man.

This worked on a number of levels. First, it was a cheap costume, I just wrapped a 3 dollar ace bandage around my head and wore some gloves. Second, it spoke to my teen angst at the time...You know the under-appreciated teen invisible to the more popular crowd...Lastly, it was a little embarrassing begging for candy at 17 years old, so being completely unidentifiable made it easier to reach over the little kids for the full size candy bars.

That was probably the last year Halloween was relevant for me, but soon that will all change. I now have a daughter...This means:

1. Not only will I get to trick-or-treat again (which by itself is awesome), but I will be able to do it sans costume. I'll just be the tag along dad looking for scraps that don't make it into the candy bag.

2. Safety Taste Testing...Look it's a dangerous world out there and I'll be damned if I let my little girl eat something that may be unsafe. I have to do my part to protect her and if that means eating half of her candy then so be it!

I see this as a win, win...And even though our little girl is only 5 months old and her best trick-or-treating days are still in the future I am starting to look forward to it now. Hey she may not eat candy this year, but she'll be in her first costume this year, and that is a step in the right direction!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

If you want more Fatherhood Friday fun, check out all the other posts @ Dad-Blogs.com

Fatherhood Friday! - Read? Who has time to Read?

2009-10-23T05:04:00.000-07:00

Two Fatherhood Friday's in a row, how about that? I bet you all thought my promise to return was an empty one. Have no fear, I still have much to say...I missed the theme of last week's Fatherhood Friday, but that's ok but this week's theme is one I can really get behind. Books.

I am a tech guy by profession, but an English major by degree so I can really enjoy a good book once in a while. In our house, books have been a big part of the days that lead up to the birth of our daughter, as well as, the days following.

Prior to the birth of our daughter, my wife and I read Paul Reiser's Babyhood. It was a pretty amusing take on becoming a parent. It made the whole process seem fun, and funny. Now that I have a little one at home, I've come to realize that in the moment these funny stories don't seem so funny, especially when you're running on 20 minutes of sleep for the day. Still, the book made us both laugh and helped ease our anxiety leading up to the due date.

During the few weeks after our daughter was born, you know those nights when you're up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, we had a very set routine. I would change the baby and hand her off to momma to be fed. Then I'd grab the book off the nightstand and read aloud for the next 20 or so minutes. This book was Breaking Back by professional tennis player James Blake. I can't in good conscience say the book was terrific, but it got us through those early middle of the night feedings, and we did learn some things about professional tennis that we didn't already know. We're huge tennis fans, and never miss a televised tournament so it was interesting to get a peak at what happens before some of these players hits the courts for their matches.

In Thoreau's Walden, the author took some time to go into the woods and live deliberately. Now, like Thoreau, I will also do something deliberately. No, I won't be abandoning my family to live in the woods, I've decide to take this year and read deliberately. So, all of those books I didn't give a fair shake in college are coming back, the first is Moby Dick.

I realized that with parenting it is important to have something for you. You need to hold on to a little bit of yourself otherwise you'll get lost in all the poop and drool. Sure, I don't have as much time to read as I once did, and Moby Dick is taking a lot longer than I thought, but all that time I spend NOT reading I'm spending with my family and that is even more rewarding.

I'll never stop reading, I may slow down a bit, but I'll never stop.

The Last Beach Day...Thousand Words Thursday...

2009-10-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

A weekend or so ago we took our little girl to the beach to say goodbye for the season. While I've never been a fan of the sand, I do like the breeze, the water, the warmth, and the company...There's always a slight pang when I know I won't be back for awhile, especially considering our favorite ice cream place and our favorite Italian takeout place on the island are closed for the season.

So long Ocean City, see you when it's warmer.

Sleep in Saturdays, the greatest idea ever!

2009-10-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

I started this blog as a place to vent. It is a place where I can come and talk about what it's like to be a parent. But somewhere along the way I didn't really account for the time it would take to actually parent, go to work, spend time with my wife, sleep, eat, occasionally shower, and any number of other things that steal my time now that I am a new parent.

That said, I haven't had the time to really put effort into this blog. I had high hopes and have fallen short of my goals...That is a little disappointing, but when I take a step back and think of every time I've seen my daughter smile at me in the last couple of months I don't even care. No matter how bad or stressful my work day is, I know that when I get home to my wife and baby girl nothing else matters. So I am going to try to resurrect this blog, but I won't do it at the expense of my family time.

I'm sure at this point you're wondering what has been going on since my last post. I know you're constantly checking the site, waiting for what I have to say next or wondering if you'll ever hear from me again. Have no fear. There is finally something new to add.

My wife recently came up with the greatest idea ever. It's called 'Sleep in Saturdays,' (or Sundays depending on our plans). The idea is this: My wife and I will take turns sleeping in on Saturday. It's that simple, when it's my turn to sleep in, my wife will get up with the baby, feed her, dress her, and take her out for a couple of hours. When it's my turn I'll get up prepare a bottle, try to dress her, and take her out for a couple of hours.

It really is a sanity booster. By the end of the week, we're both pretty beat and the opportunity to sleep in recharges all of those exhausted internal batteries. Not only that, but when it's my turn to get up with the baby I get the added benefit of daddy-daughter time that i usually miss during the week.

If you don't have a rule like this in your house I strongly suggest you give it a shot. My wife is brilliant. It's ideas like these that deserve Nobel prizes not silly advances in atomic physics or penning an obscure book no one has ever heard of.

It's been awhile.

2009-08-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, the summer has been a blur. I've gone quite a few weeks without a post. Is it because I'm not tired anymore? No. I'm still tired, but during the summer months I'm not tied to the computer as much as I am between September and June. So instead of telling my every wacky parenting adventure this summer, I've just been enjoying my time with the family. I haven't really had anything worth saying that was more important than being with my wife and little girl.

Here's the last couple months in brief:

I've learned that the beach is great for naps, it's like as soon as the breeze kicks up she gets a little sleepy. She still doesn't take naps during the day that last longer than a sneeze, but she's trying. One day we'll get a break in the afternoon, but until that time we'll take what we can get. She's smiling so much now I almost don't want her to nap just to see that smile a little more.

She does like her walks. We have a little routine where my wife and I eat dinner load LG into the stroller and breeze through town. LG is amazed by all the trees, she cranes her tiny neck all around to see the leaves blowing in the breeze, and sometimes she falls asleep. It's fun to walk around town, but we always wonder why we don't see anyone else...Too much TV I guess.

The drive-in is a great place to bring a baby. We can load all the comforts of home into the car, find a secluded spot in the parking lot and enjoy a movie while LG sleeps. We've done it successfully on two occasions. The movies? Harry Potter and UP...Both very entertaining, and apparently calming to a 3 month old. Haven't been to NJ's only drive-in movie theater? That's inexcusable it's only 8 bucks per person for a double feature. For more info check on this link for the Delsea Drive-in.

All in all we're discovering that you can do a lot with a baby, so long as she's fed every couple of hours and she's in bed around the same time every night. For the love of all that is good in this world do not, I repeat, do not miss bed time by more than 30 minutes. Your baby will transform into an uncontrollable storm that you can only hope to contain long enough to get them clean and fed and into bed.

Parenthood is great.

Diapers anyone?

2009-07-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Prior to the birth of our little girl, my wife and I had great expectations for saving the Earth. We thought, so long as we used cloth diapers on our LG we'd never have to take responsibility for the mountains of trash filling up our nations landfills or that weird ever-growing island of waste out in the Pacific Ocean. Yes, cloth diapers would be a way for us to look down on all of you disposable diaper users from our high horse and scoff at your complete disregard for our environment. And then, our baby girl arrived and our world was turned upside down.

So what happened to all of those cloth diapers and our big plans for saving the world? Well, nothing. Sure we spent a small mint on a diapering kit and special detergents, but in the end we just couldn't bring ourselves to use them. Things were very stressful in those first few weeks, first the jaundice then the acid reflux, it was just too much to add cloth diapers to the mix...So in order to save face we quickly rationalized using the disposables as a means to keep our sanity, and gained a full drawer of very soft and very absorbent burp cloths.

Hey but wait, it turns out all is not completely lost. As of this week we've turned the tides on pollution and have finally found the strength within ourselves to use our expensive cloth diapers. What made us do it? Simple, we're cheap. Yep, we did the math and all the convenience of those disposables does not make up for the amount of money we'll save over the first year of our LG's life. Don't believe me check this out.

I believe everything I read on the Interwebs so I take this little nifty calculator as gospel. If that thing is right I'll save about $600 dollars this year on those cloth wonders. It's not the environment I'm worried about here, it's my wallet. I mean, sure I worry about the environment, I recycle, I don't drink bottled water, I spurn plastic bags whenever possible, and I throw out other people's trash when time and hand sanitizer allows, but let's be real, in this economy it's all about the bottom line.

In the end, we're not sure how this cloth experiment is going to work, but since we've realized that everything about parenting is a challenge we figured why not tackle this one head on for a change, rather than getting blind sided by all those wonderful little surprises a new baby provides. If you're interested we're using Bummi's brand cloth diapering system that we got in a kit. And as for that special detergent, we're using Charlie's Soap when we wash the diapers. So far (even though I don't actually do the wash, god bless my beautiful wife!) I'm very pleased with it.

Acid Reflux you fickle B*tch...

2009-07-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are, 2 weeks since my last post and so much going on at work and at home that I nearly forgot about the blog entirely. Well, not entirely, but close to it. I may have mentioned before that our daughter is suffering from acid reflux. This makes feeding painful for her and her mama, and it makes our home just a touch more stressful as we try to figure out the best course of action to help our LG.

Our biggest problem is that every day is different. She'll have 2-3 great days and then on the 4th day she'll be back to the screaming uncomfortable girl she was before she was diagnosed. Before we discovered the source of her pain and found a medication that would sooth her little belly, it was non-stop crying at casa de baby. These cries were not little 'I'm Hungry' or 'I messed myself' cries, these were the cries of pain both blood curdling and heartbreaking.

And then we found medication. Prevacid to be exact and for a few days she was much better and we thought we'd cured her. Nope. 3 good days and then we started going back down that hill again not back to those ear piercing screams, but she was really fussy and agitated during her meals. It was then that I made a mistake. I assumed the Prevacid wasn't working at all so rather than medicate her aimlessly I suggested we skip a dose to see what happens. Wrong, wrong, wrong, idea. We didn't give her the evening dose and at her very next feeding those heartbreaking cries echoed through the house and down the street. It was like we were back to when she was 2-weeks old.

Back on the Prevacid she went, and improve she did...For the most part. It's not perfect, but it helps. I hope she out grows it eventually like all the doctor's say she will because no baby needs this.

If you're a constant reader you'll be happy to know that our LG, despite the reflux issues began smiling a couple weeks ago. She smiles more at mama, but I'm getting more and more everyday and she is beautiful.

Photographer's Choice this week...

2009-07-02T04:59:00.001-07:00

Peony, originally uploaded by RSCDoug.

Ok, I know the rules state I should be running around with my camera and getting new pictures for each challenge...I did the best I could here because I got my camera the day before our LG was born. So that means that the only new pics I have are all of her, and I'm not keen on posting those...So you get a couple of the shots I've taken during her naps!

My father-in-law is a flower farmer, and his field of awesome flowers happens to back up to my yard so I grabbed this shot of an uncut Peony before the end of the season.

Through the Trees, originally uploaded by RSCDoug.

This second shot is of a Japanese Maple in my neighbors yard that leans over the driveway. I though it was cool the way the sun was going through the leaves so I tried to capture it the best I could. I think it turn out OK...What do you think?

Do you want to play along in the You Capture activity? Click the at the bottom for rules and links to more great pictures.

Will you smile already? - Fatherhood Friday

2009-06-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

The first 7 weeks of our little girl's (to further be referred to as LG) life have been very stressful for both her and us. She's got baby reflux and we've got no experience so there hasn't been a lot of smil ing yet one either side. Fortunately, things seem to be quieting down around the house and we've finally had some time just to enjoy our new little family...So now we're playing the waiting game.

It's a fun game and I'm sure if you're a new parent or a veteran you're playing too. You know, it the game where you wait for those milestones that babies are supposed to hit in that very specific time window. Smiling is our current goal. Everyone is telling us there baby smiled at them at around 5 weeks...Here we are at week 7 and she only smiles in her sleep. So of course we stare and wait, afraid that if we turn our heads for a split second we'll miss it.

It's a lot of pressure on her and on us, so over the past few days I've decided to just step back a little. I'm tossing out the milestone chart and I'm going to let her smile when she wants to. And while I'm not paying such close attention, I will say she seems to be getting closer. She's opening her mouth more (like she's test driving it) so I think it's only a matter of time at this point. I mean, not that I'm obsessing, but it could literally happen at any minute...Did I mention I'm just going to let her do her own thing?

I haven't blinked in 4 days...but whose counting. She'll be 8 weeks next Thursday, will she make it in time? Who cares...I'm not worried, wait, there's the phone...Maybe it's my wife, maybe she smiled this morning. Gotta go, I'll keep you posted...Or not, I'm not really stressing about it.

Thousand Words Thursday....I love Summer

2009-06-25T05:15:00.001-07:00

sunset_on_the_gulf, originally uploaded by RSCDoug.

I've decided to add two photos this week that really capture summer for me. The first is this shot of a sunset over the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. My wife and I live in New Jersey, but we love Florida and sights like this are the reason. Hopefully, our little girl will grow to love it as much as we do!

Nothing says summer like the beach, and on a trip last year just after a storm my wife and I found a bunch of starfish that were washing up on the sand. I had to grab this fun little shot before I helped them back into the water.

starfish, originally uploaded by RSCDoug.

If you want to play along with the Thousand Words Thursday or the You Capture challenges check these links below!

Talk about you Tuesdays....

2009-06-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

OK, so we've all got parenting blogs. We love to talk about our kids and all the great and interesting things they are doing, all the mess and the drool, and all the love and adventures. But, what about us? Occasionally, it's fun to talk about yourself. Selfish? Maybe, but it's your blog, you can write what you want. So I'm starting a new activity/carnival/Mr. Linky party...It's Talk about You Tuesdays.

Use your Tuesday blog space to tell us a story about you. It probably won't be completely void of your children, but instead of them being the soul focus take some time for you...Here I'll start us off with a story I was recently reminded of:

"The Day I Fell Out of the Boat"

Since we brought our daughter home, I find myself thinking about all the wacky things I got myself into growing up, and one of my misadventures came fluttering back to the surface and made me laugh.

I am an avid angler, and winter really puts a damper on my fishing. So every year when the lakes thaw I throw the boat in the back of the truck and head to the closest lake to see what's swimming around. In the winter of my 17th year, I didn't have a truck. I had my mom's car and a precarious system of knots that kept the boat firmly (or not-so-firmly attached).

The trip to the newly thawed lake was uneventful. Once I was unloaded and tooting around the lake with my electric trolling motor and more fishing rods than one person needs for a few hours on the water I was finally at peace. That is until I felt the 'call of nature.' Now I've been fishing with people who will readily answer 'nature's call' over the side of the boat, but I'm a little more modest. So I head for the closest shoreline.

I get the boat as close as possible to land, but this shoreline was far from suitable for exiting a boat in February. At this point I had no choice, I was running out of time and had to get out of the boat. So I did what any safe boater would. I threw my anchor up on shore, climbed to the front of the boat and grabbed a small tree that would aide in my exit. Unfortunately, the tree was too small and when I attempted to pull my self away from the boat, the tree bent. From here everything slowed down.

I felt the tree giving in to my weight and my balance fading...It continued to fade until I was in the water. The water was only about eight inches deep, but it was enough to soak me through. It was cold, very, very cold. At this point (thankfully), 'nature' stopped calling. I shot out of the water and over the side of the boat. I gunned my tiny motor back to the ramp at little more than a snails pace. Losing feeling in my hands and feeling my clothes starting to freeze I dragged the boat ashore and did my best to lash it to the car. Tying knots with no feeling in your hands is difficult but tying a good knot with no feeling in your hands and the weight of the lake in your frozen clothes is just about impossible.

When I finally got in the car I did what any pre-hypothermic angler would do I stripped to my underwear and drove home. Amazingly, the boat stayed on the car and I didn't get pulled over...Oh, and I guess it was good that I survived, too.

I hope I can teach my daughter to avoid the mistakes I've made. Sure she'll make her own, but if I teach her one thing it'll be to make sure she's uses the bathroom before she leaves the house because you never know what can happen when you close the door behind to leave.

Do you have a story? Add your link here:

OK for real this time...Father's Day.

2009-06-19T08:51:00.000-07:00

OK, since I half celebrated Father's Day last week I should only get another half this week. This will be my first Father's day and I approach it with a mix of mostly shock and awe.

Shock- because while I am thirty this year, I still have the maturity level of an 18 year old. I still laugh at the same stupid things I did when I was a kid, I still like the same music, the same movies...The only thing different is that now I am a happily married father of one beautiful baby girl.

Awe- because everyone morning that I wake up (or get woken up by her little cries) I am awe-struck. I asked my wife just yesterday (and almost every other day) can you believe she's ours? It's mind blowing that I am a father. She's a bit too young to do a whole lot just yet, but I have got some big plans!

Back on the subject of how beautiful she is: I know everyone thinks that they have the cutest kid. That is sweet and really shows how much you care about your children, but you're wrong. Yep, I'm sorry, this Father's day I get to spend time with the MOST beautiful baby girl. I know, you're hurting a little, because deep down you know I'm right. It's OK, when you're around your friends you can still claim you have the cutest baby just so long as you and I know that mine is cuter.

My one simple request for this and every Father's day, NO TIES...If she's half as smart as she is cute she'll know better. Anyway, I look forward to my first Father's Day and I hope all of you look forward to spending Father's Day with your families!

Oh, yeah...Check this out...

2009-06-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

I've started a new weekly column at the Dad-Blogs site...Scoot on over and check it out. If you've never been to the site, there are a lot of great resources and articles for all parents. It's a great community for Dads and Moms!

Here's my column: Kitchen Adventures

Stop back weekly for all of my kitchen adventures!

Serenity Now...

2009-06-18T06:36:00.001-07:00

IMG_0868, originally uploaded by RSCDoug.

I think this picture says more than a thousand words. While there may not be any direct shot of emotion for the 'You Capture' carnival this picture always calms me down...Thus the emotion for this shot is relaxation....

For more pictures and great blogs check out:

Cheaper than Therapy

I should be Folding Laundry

What day is it again?

2009-06-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Funny thing happened to me this past Sunday. Call it exhaustion, call it being over eager, but I could have sworn it was Father's day. It didn't help matters that my wife perpetuated this grave misunderstanding, but I really thought I was celebrating my first Father's day. Depending on your level of optimism this can be seen as a plus. I get two Father's days. My wife took me and our 1-month old little girl out to breakfast which was very nice. Hopefully, if I play my cards right I can get another breakfast this Sunday, you know, the actual Father's Day.

Thinking about this made me realize that since our daughter was born (in early May) I hardly know what day it is. I know I have to go to work 5 of the 7 days of the week, but which 5 I can't remember. Take this post for example, I think it's Wednesday...but I could be wrong. All of my days sort of blend together separated by minor excursions and brief blocks of sleep.

Oddly enough, as embarrassing as it is to say that we celebrated dad's day early and that all my days are blending together I -in no way- regret anything. My little girl has taken over our house, but each day I go home and I love her a little more. Spending time with her and my wife means more to me now than making sure I'm not late for work or we celebrate some silly holiday.

It's funny how quickly your priorities shift. One day we're sitting on the couch watching some random show on the Food Network, and the next we're changing diapers, reading kids books, singing lullabies, and taking thousands of pictures. It's all very exhausting, but all very worth it. It's much harder than I expected, I think, I can't really remember what I was expecting.

There's no point to complain about the lack of sleep or the hard work. This little girl needs us to be on our game so regardless of how we feel, we just have to 'do'. It's an amazing experience and hopefully I don't take it for granted because I know it won't last long.

Just don't ask me if I want another one yet, the jury is still out on that one!

What not to do...in 5 simple steps.

2009-06-12T04:48:00.000-07:00

It's funny how many people want to give you advice before the baby is born, but then after the baby is born you're on your own. All those people that lined up to congratulate you disappear in those first few weeks to "let you get settled." That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. After 5 weeks, I've come to realize that we'll never truly be 'settled' again.

So, for all of those people still waiting to get settled here are 10 random things you should know in those first few weeks.

5. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Poop sprays. Everyone will have you worried about your little baby boy peeing all over the place, but don't underestimate the power of poo (boy or girl). Never, and I mean never remove a diaper without having a replacement within arms reach.

4. You do not need the following items immediately: Swings of any sort, umbrella strollers, high chairs, gates, a electrical socket protectors. Sure it may help to have these things done, but until your baby is holding his/her head up or crawling on their own none of these things matter. I've spent more time pulling out the socket protectors to plug things in than I spent putting them all over the house. Don't let anyone pressure you into rushing to get things done before the baby comes.

3. Cloth diapers are a good idea in theory, but if your little bundle is having issues or is (like ours) what you doctor calls a high maintenance baby or HMB, take each battle as it comes. Maybe down the line you can convert to cloth, but right from the start in the heat of battle it's not the way to go. We're ready to try ours whenever she's ready.

2. Playtime. In the early weeks, playtime is for the parents. We want our babies to be uber-special and ahead f every curve, but in the end they are just happy to be fed cleaned and well rested. Yeah, we lay them on their mats and take cute pictures (or if you are me hundreds of cute pictures), but just keep them comfortable. That's all they really need.

1. Sleep is more important for you in the first few weeks than it is the baby. Trust me, the baby will sleep, but it is hard for parents to just lay down whenever the baby is napping. When the baby sleeps you'll want to straighten up the house, cook a real meal, catch up on your favorite DVR'd television shows, but don't. Don't be a hero....SLEEP. Everyone in the house will be happier if you're well rested.

These are my latest tips on parenting...It may not be much, but these were hard lessons for us in the first 5 weeks.

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-06-11T09:28:00.001-07:00

iris, originally uploaded by RSCDoug.

I've found an interesting little Thursday activity that fits very well with my photo of the week plan. It's called 'A Thousand Words Thursday' and it's an activity put together by Jen at Cheaper than Therapy. I also found another blogger doing something similar over at I Should be Folding Laundry.

It's a great idea and I can't wait to play along.

I took this picture on a solo fishing outing...People float by these flowers everyday with nary a glance. We take things like this for granted. It's amazing how easy it is for adults to overlook the obvious when we have kids at home (newborns in my case) that have yet to see the beauty of the outdoors.

I can't wait to take my little girl for walks in the woods or canoe trips down the river to expose her to some of the simple things everyone else fails to see.

Hush, Little Baby...

2009-06-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

The funny thing about babies is that they have an amazing ability to sleep at the most inconvenient times. These inconvenient times include, but are not limited to the following:

1. When someone else is watching her.
Thanks to a thoughtful mother-in-law my wife and I were able to escape to the movies for my birthday. We were gone 3 hours and baby girl slept for 3 hours. When we returned from the movies to feed her, mother-in-law said "Hey, she's doing well why don't you go get a bite to eat?" So out to dinner we went. We were gone 2 hours and baby girl slept for 2 hours...

2. When there is absolutely no time for us to sleep.
When she is awake we have no time to do normal house duties. She occupies all of our attention. So when she sleeps there are times that we have to make sure the house isn't caving in, the bills are paid, and the grass is cut. We can only do this when she is sleeping and during the day, as cutting the grass at 2am is probably against some town ordinance.

3. When we have visitors.
People come over and we look run down and exhausted then they look at our beautiful baby girl and see a calm and content sleeping baby. They look back at us and wonder why we're so tired. It's funny, no one believes us when we say she's a handful because whenever we have people over she's out like a light.

Two milestones this week: Dad turned 30 and baby girl 1 month old.

28 Days Later....

2009-06-05T06:07:00.001-07:00

No, this is post is not going to be about the merits of a viral zombie horde as a opposed to the more traditional undead legions. It is instead going to glance over the first 28 days of my daughters life, what I learned, or more likely, what I think I learned.

Day 1: I told myself I wouldn't look. I remember the video in high school it was like horror porn. As excited as I was to meet my unborn child, I didn't think I could bring myself to watch 'all' of the action. I maintained eye contact with my wife as soon as the pushing started, but when the nurse said "There's the head daddy!" I just had to look and from that point I couldn't take my eyes off of her. It was amazing. As a friend of mine said about childbirth "it really makes you understand the word AWEsome."

Day 5: We finally got her home after some extra time under the anti-Jaundice lights. What a horrible experience to see your newborn on monitors wearing goofy goggles and crying. The nurses were great whenever we were there to visit and feed her, so at least there was that, but it was great to finally get her home. What did I learn that first day? POOP can spray. I lifted her legs to clean her up while changing a diaper and KABOOM! Poop on my shirt at a good 18 inches away. I didn't know whether to be disgusted or proud...Turns out thankful was the right emotion, that poop could have gone anywhere.

Day 10: Good God...Who knew that a baby could cry so much? You did, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me? It seemed upon our first few trips to the doctor's office our little one was what you'd call a "High Maintenance Baby," but on the fifth trip they decided that maybe our little HMB actually had some acid reflux issues. After a late night trip to the world's shadiest 24hr pharmacy we started dosing the meds. It didn't work immediately, but by the end of the second day, she was much more calm. Whew! problem solved.

Day 20: Ok, she may not be having reflux issues after all (although I still think she is). She is much more consolable when she gets fussy and now she only really gets fussy when she's tired or hungry, like babies are supposed to. I think we cured her. Sleep is the latest battle we've been fighting. I received a great tip from a buddy at work. RUN THE VACUUM. It was a last resort thing, but we eventually broke down and turned the vacuum on. Wouldn't you know it, that girl passed right out. I love running the Vacuum!

Day 28: I'll be 30 in a couple of days, and she'll be 1 month old. I hate running the vacuum, but she needs it to sleep. Fortunately, we've hit a compromise. I've created a CD of our running vacuum and play it on a continuous loop through our CD player. Keeps her unconscious in between meals and keeps us mostly asleep. My greatest idea ever! She's changed so much in 4 weeks, she looks and acts like a completely different baby. I almost forget what it was like to be in the hospital with her.

The only thing I can say now is that it's been a month and Daddy's Tired...

Welcome to the Adventure...

2009-06-04T06:34:00.000-07:00

I've blogged before and I'll blog again. That's just one of the reasons I decided to start a 'Daddy' related blog. The other reason is that early in May my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. Our little girl has quickly taken over the house, and as the title of the blog suggests: Daddy's Tired.

The first few weeks have been a whirlwind, but we're finally getting into a groove. Any parent can survive so long as they address the three basic facets of their baby: Eating, Sleeping, and Pooping...If all of these needs are addressed things go smoothly.

Of course there are the intangibles like gas, over-tiredness, acid reflux, and a constant running vacuum that make raising a newborn a much more difficult challenge than either of us expected. So, that's why the blog. I want to help new moms and dads navigate the uncharted waters of raising a child.

The good news? Well, I don't know what I'm doing either so you can be sure there will be some funny stories of my own misadventures on this blog. But, be sure, I'll write about anything that works and everything that doesn't. It's all in an effort to vent and help you help yourself.

Wish me luck on this new adventure...and of course, visit often!