49 Weeks Old

Let them get dirty.  That's a good way to not be an ass.  We went to the coast a couple of weekends ago and it was cold, windy and pretty miserable. Here we are nice and cozy.  

I was resistant to letting her run around.  Fortunately, my wife convinced me to let her play in the sand.  Did VB care?  Not really.  And we got some great pictures out of it.

   Also, let them walk around naked, even if it means cleaning poop off the floor.  I did that for the first time this week and I have to say it's actually easier than changing a dirty diaper. (Assuming you use cloth diapers)
   All our time is pretty much devoted to the child.  All other hobbies, interests and past times have taken a back seat in our lives.  This again became clear when my wife told me that while I was with VB on the potty, she thought about playing piano or doing something productive.  But then she decided to join us so she could watch our daughter poop.
   Yeah.  This is our life, now.  

48 Weeks Old

Posts are getting farther and farther apart as my mind is more and more blown with how awesome my daughter is.
   Here we are having a grand old time... I think.

This makes me think of all those times I was tickle tortured growing up and leaves me wondering if I'm horribly scarring my daughter.  But she doesn't seem to mind so far.  And it's pretty fun for me, too so I think I'll keep doing it.  It will probably stop being cool at some point.  Like if I'm still doing it when she's 16 that might be kind of weird.
   Here we are at dinner.  She loves squash!

   She just turned 11 months old and we love that she is feeding herself.  It won't be long before she's scooping the food up on her spoon all by herself.  I might be bragging a little bit.  Ok, I'm bragging a lot.  
   I think I'd be an ass if I weren't bragging.

45 Weeks Old

Well, it's almost Thanksgiving.  And what do we do during Thanksgiving?  Stuff our faces, of course!

Oh... and give thanks.  (Can't forget about that)  I have a lot to be thankful for this year. (see above)  Aside from having the best kid in the world, I've also got the best partner in the world, hands down.  Life is good...  and confusing.  
   Parenting is so much harder than I thought it was going to be.  It's also better than I could have imagined despite the constant reminders of how I'm doing it wrong (depending on the doctor or countless blogs and articles on the internet).  
   Here's another.  This article talks about how the 'Cry it Out' method will harm your child's development.  I particularly like the part about how parents used to have much more support from extended families than they do today.
  And when you google 'cry it out support' you get countless stories of how this method works and how parents are getting full nights of sleep with no long term damage. (although I'm not sure how you could measure that)
   So we're basically screwed no matter what we do.  Which just strengthens my resolve to do what I think is best for my family.  I need to remember this when I notice other parents making choices that don't align with my parenting choices.
   But to the guy who peeled out of the gas station playing window shaking music, I doubt very much your kid in the back seat is old enough or tall enough to go without a child seat.  And have fun paying for whatever therapy is needed to correct his hearing loss.  Ass.
 

44 Weeks Old!

Arrrggghh.... Life.  Moving.  Too fast!... (Insert Bill Shatner impression here.)

The holidays are fast approaching.  But not as quickly as VB is learning new things.  Work is finally slowing down a bit, though I still have one more big push this weekend where I will be out of town.  But then I'll have a whole week off!  

   Trying not to be an ass by saying how tired I am knowing that my wife is getting less sleep than me.  Doesn't make me any less tired, though.

   This reminds me of all that advice I got before VB was born (a little more than 10 months ago!) telling me to get as much sleep as possible.  And I defiantly said something like "It's not like I can bank the hours and catch up on it later!"  (paraphrasing)  And I still pretty much feel that way.  No matter how much I slept before, I'd STILL be tired now.  If I could offer any advice, I'd say to spend more time fixing up the house and doing all those projects you want because once the baby is here, there is NO time for any of that.  In fact, I might encourage you to sleep LESS in order to get those projects done!  (Make the raised bed in the back yard.  Paint any rooms that need to get painted.  Fix the gate to the backyard.  Power wash the driveway.  etc.)  And yes, those are all real things that desperately need attention and haven't been done yet.  And you know what, they don't seem that important when you watch your baby make her first steps.

   When she escapes out the broken gate or slips on the driveway will be when I feel like an ass for not doing those things sooner.  

42 Weeks Old

Working 74 hours a week with a 10 month old is... challenging.  Fortunately I don't have to do it all that often.  Still sucks, though.
   As a dad trying not to be an ass, missing Halloween does not do much for my confidence.  But I do have these great photos showing that I was around at least some of the time.

 VB was not pleased with my attempt to hide her in a too small pumpkin... Seemed like a fun idea at the time.  And I found a whole pumpkin seed in her potty the next morning.  Yay, BLW!

It's hard to believe that Halloween has come an gone.  It seems like just yesterday she was a helpless little thing laying on her blanket in the middle of the living room.

Now look at her!

On a side note, no wonder the dogs have taken a while to warm up to her.

41 weeks old?

I think I missed week 40 in there somewhere.
   VB is seriously close to walking.  Seen here she is using her high chair as a walker.

My work is about to get really busy so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post videos and/or pictures.  Not that I'm posting all that often anyway.  I guess I'm too busy trying not to be an ass.  Unlike THIS guy.    
    Dan Pearce from the blog "Single Dad Laughing" posted this entry talking about all they ways he screwed up his marriage(s).  Not sure I could list all the things I've done wrong in my relationship for all the world to see... Who are we kidding?!  I've never done ANYTHING wrong, right hon?........  hon? (Chirp Chirp)
   Okay, so I'm not perfect.  Nobody is.  But after reading this list, I feel pretty good about how I'm doing.  Married over 12 years to a wonderful woman.  We have an incredible daughter.  And I have a job that I love but not so much that I wouldn't rather be home rocking VB to sleep at night.  Yes, I might be bragging a bit.  Life is good.

39 Weeks Old

How not to be an ass?  Stop neglecting all my fans by not posting any pictures or videos for more than a week.  And by "fans", I mean mostly my friends and family.  If anyone else is watching, you are awesome and I apologize if you were waiting for me to get my act together.
   Another way to not be an ass.  Read books with your daughter.  And if you have a daughter, read this counting book based on Pride and Prejudice.  

(Not that boys can't like Pride and Prejudice)  It's just... more of a girl thing I think.
   And a great way to be even less of an ass?  Read it with an English accent.  My wife really got a kick out of that.  Anything to score points, right?
   Oh, by the way... VB has now been outside the womb longer than she was inside of it.  Big milestone.  Bigger I think for my wife.  But still pretty cool.
   And yes, I realize that my "anything to score points" comment totally makes me an ass.  Sue me.

38 Weeks Old

Almost 9 months old and VB had her first plane ride already.  Unfortunately, I wasn't on it with her.  But I did get some great photos from my wife.
   What this also means, is that I am separated from my family until the weekend and I have really mixed feelings.  On the one hand, I miss them terribly and the house is eerily quiet when I get home from work.  On the other hand, the house is quiet when I get home from work... and I've enjoyed a bit of leisure time as I catch up on some episodes of Walking Dead on Netflix.  I may even have been looking a little forward to VB's absence.
   Does this make me an ass?  I kind of feel like one.  Like I'm not missing my wife and daughter enough.  
On the other hand, I finally downloaded about a month's worth of video to the computer so here's a little something.  Sorry for the 2 minute plus of my daughter taking stuff out of the laundry basket. But I find it quite fascinating and entertaining.

And here is one of her "dancing".  I fully expect her to make an appearance on So You Think You Can Dance.  Maybe not today.  But in a couple of years.

 

It's only been two days and one night so far.  I hope my family is safe and sleeping soundly.  I will probably be sleeping more soundly.  Another reason I may be an ass is I am really enjoying having the bed to myself for a couple of nights.

37 Weeks Old

Unless you missed it, there was no 36 week updates for VB.  I apologize for those of you who noticed and are missing your (now) weekly dose of cuteness.  I'll try to make up for it with lots of pictures this week.
   I spent the last week working late.  I did not get home until after my family was asleep which was difficult to say the least.  It wasn't as difficult before VB's arrival, which makes me a bit of an ass because why should I have an easier time coming home to a sleeping wife than a sleeping baby and wife?  Alas, we have discussed this and it is due in part to my wife being home alone with an 8-month old from the end of work until bed time.  This means she is solely responsible for picking up VB from daycare, preparing dinner, bath time (if necessary) and getting to sleep.  This is all much easier with two of us.  This again makes me feel awe for those single parents out there.  Props to you all.  
   So not only have I missed a week of posting, but it was apparently the most exciting week to date as this picture shows.

That's right.  Those are teeth.  2 of them.  And there's one on the top as well.  It hasn't been as hard as I've heard some people say.  Here's a link to a graphic showing levels of pain experienced by a teething babe. (Thanks for seriously freaking me out, howtobeadad.com)  We are still on the first of 5 levels.  I'll let you know how it is when we get to molars.

   Here's what I call her Elton John look thanks to a pair of fashionable sunglasses given to her by a great aunt.

    It's still a little hard to tell if she's got the musical talent to back up the look.  But she can be quite loud so Opera Singer is not an out of the question career option.
   Neither is carpenter.  She is her father's daughter after all.  But if she ever brings home a Makita screw gun, we'll have to have words.

   And here are her first words (if you can call them that) that VB has ever typed on the computer.  (It's not Shakespeare)

 And here is her zombie face in front of the sickening light of the LCD display.  Might have a future in IT as well.  Or programming future Mars landers.

As you can see, it has been a wild two weeks and continues to be an exciting ride.  Being a dad is still the most awesome thing in the universe.  
   Working almost 60 hours last week left me feeling like an absentee father at times.  But I would probably feel that way working only 40 hours a week as well.
   The best part of my days continue to be coming home from work.  This is true even when I come home and my family is fast asleep in bed.  I don't understand those fathers who come home from work expecting to relax and watch TV while their wives bust their buns taking care of their children.  But maybe those fathers don't actually exist.  Maybe that's what I see and hear on TV so I assume the majority of dads are like this.  Time to stop watching Mad Men.  Talk about a bunch of asses.

35 Weeks Old

Oh.  I may have forgotten to mention that VB is crawling.  Another big life changing event for both her and us.  As you can see, she is completely mobile.

Fortunately, she decided to wait until after last week's camping trip to start crawling.  I can only imagine chasing after her while shoving the entirety of nature in her mouth.  But I suspect she's eaten worse.  Like large clumps of dog hair that she hones in on while crawling all over the living room... and kitchen... and bedroom.  
   I've heard that babies who grow up with dogs in the house are 25% healthier than homes without dogs.  Not sure where I heard that.  I could google it... if I cared.  But frankly, my daughter is probably somewhere eating hair while I write this.  
   While learning to crawl has made us very proud parents, VB does a multitude of actions every day that make us happy and proud.  Here she is drinking water out of a glass like an honest to god person!

That gasp/laugh keeps us entertained and honestly, it's the best part of my day knowing I will be coming home to her smiley, laughing face.

34 Weeks Old

Well this has been a productive week so far.  VB has learned oh so many new things so there are oh so many new ways for me to be an ass.  
   Last week was her first swing on a playground.  Here she is between screaming fits actually enjoying herself.

You can imagine all the ways I could be an ass while she sits helpless.  But I still wouldn't be as much of an ass as the parent who told their kid to stop crying after he fell down.  True, he was being overly dramatic.  But I'm not sure "Oh, stop crying!"  is the best response.
   VB's first camping trip was this weekend. (Happy belated Labor day, BTW)  And you can see just how much fun she's had.

Those are fresh blackberries that she's smeared all over her face.  And she's sporting a quite fashionable hair style.  Camping with an almost 8 month old introduces a whole new level of messy that is easy to ignore after a day or two in the "wild".  I'm not sure just how "wild" it is when we were able to bring her high chair with us.  
 

33 Weeks Old

Von Bebe is really starting to get the hang of this walking thing. (with help)  Crawling not so much.

   Here you can see her having fun at the dog's expense.  We have had no worries about him with VB.  Totally harmless.  Unless you include making us deaf with his barking as being harmful.
   How not to be an ass this week?  Don't bring your child into a home with a dog that you haven't trained to shut up!  (Which will probably be her first real words)
   Only 7 and a half months old and we have already had discussions on conforming to gender roles and whether a grocery cart is going to box her into a stereotype later in life.
   Which usually ends up resolving us into thinking that we're doing the best we can just like everybody else.  But that doesn't stop me from being judgy about other people's parenting.  Which means either everybody does it... or I'm an ass.

32 Weeks Old

VB has developed the skills of a chipmunk.  Last night for dinner we feasted on split pea soup, Italian bread and hummus with vegetables.  The vegetables included red peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers finishing with watermelon for dessert.

   We distinctly remember her first eating the pepper, then tomato and finishing with the watermelon.  I guess she was into the red foods.  But as we began cleaning her up, we noticed a small piece of red pepper wedged between her cheek and gums.  She somehow managed to store that little piece of pepper while eating tomato AND watermelon.  mmmm... such interesting food combinations.

This is not that meal.  This is a different, much cleaner meal. 

    Watching her eat sometimes breaks my heart.  And not just because she's growing up.  Ok, well that's a big part of it.  It's thrilling to watch her figure stuff out.  But there's something else that breaks my heart.  And this is the part that makes me an ass for the week.  

   Sometimes my wife will put something in front of VB that is really, REALLY tasty.  Like a quarter eaten grilled cheese sandwich or the aforementioned Italian bread.  And I know that the majority of this will end up on the floor, and I even think to myself, that's too good to end up on the floor.  I should just.... and I take it.  

   Yes, I take food from my baby.  But only when she's almost finished and I'm SURE she's not going to eat it!  That's okay, right?

   Well, I did that yesterday for lunch.  A slice of Italian bread was left on her tray.  When my wife went to get a wash cloth to clean up, I snatched the bread and popped it in my mouth and was instantly rewarded with one of the more disgusting textures I've ever tasted. I neglected to realize that my daughter had spilled water all over her tray soaking everything on it.  I guess I got what I deserved.  I think she may even have planned it.

   I can already tell she's going to be smarter than me.

31 Weeks Old

If I'm not an ass, it's completely by accident.  My wife is mostly driving the parent train in this family. I'm not saying that I'm not doing anything.  But most of the time I'm willing to try whatever she wants.  Fortunately, my wife is brilliant and makes great choices when it comes to raising our daughter.
   But if things had been left up to me, our lives would be so completely different.  Because I'm the kind of person who will go along for the ride, I would have also been fine with a hospital birth.  I would never have heard of phrases like Baby Led Weaning, Elimination Communication or Co-sleeping.  I'd be spooning purees into my daughter's mouth, suffering through hour long cry-it-out sessions and Von Bebe would probably be in diapers until she's 15.  (Like she'll need another reason to hate me by then)
   And I would be less happy than I am now.
Here's my daughter growing up very fast showing us how she eats corn on the cob and jicama.

And here she is on her potty with C-3PeeO. (I couldn't resist)

I never would have thought of potty training VB so early.  Even if it's not actually 'potty training', at least she's getting used to the idea  and we're actually saving some diaper changes.
   So if I'm not an ass in fatherhood, I have mostly my wife to thank.

30 Weeks Old

Eat your heart out, Philip Glass!

Von Bebe is having way too much fun on our digital Korg piano.
   The last week has seen a lot of developments and I'd be an ass if I didn't at least mention some of them.  She's getting really good at walking with our help.  She's started scooting herself all over the place and somehow remains firmly on her butt.  She pinched her finger in a drawer today.  If we are laying next to her, she'll use us as leverage to pull herself up to a crouching position.  Same thing in the bath tub.  She was playing with mom's ID badge at lunch but when she took it away, VB started wailing.  So she might be really opinionated, stubborn and angry when she doesn't get what she wants.  (Can't wait until the inevitable grocery store melt down)  And to top everything off, we finally see a tooth. (98% sure)  So there's lots of drool in addition to sore gums.  Oh, and two more vaccination shots this morning as well.
   Holy cow, it's been a productive week.  I somehow managed to paint the guest bathroom as well.  Woo to the hoo.

29 Weeks Old

All hands on deck!

 Today was truly a momentous day.  Von Bebe's first afternoon at daycare went... pretty well.  My wife was on her way to pick up the child when I got a call from the provider suggesting she has had enough for one day and really misses her parents.  I am assuming this will get easier but I am really glad we decided on a couple weeks of half days before separating VB from her parents for more than 4 hours at a time.
   We are assured by other parents that extensive crying is mandatory for the first few days.  Hopefully, this does not make us asses.  I can't imagine that wanting to be home with your child as much as possible makes one an ass, but I can definitely see the advantage of starting daycare earlier when awareness hasn't fully developed, yet.  Whatever, I'm still glad to have had as much time at home as I have had this summer.
   How else could I get this quintessential laundry basket shot.

I'd like to take a quick second to point out a couple of links I've added to the right.  These are great resources for dads who don't want to feel like a complete schmuck.  Thankfully, there is a lot of great advice and information to be had that is better than the usual "you should volunteer to do the vacuuming once in a while" crap that is found in most books.  I find it appalling that fathers still need to be told this.  
   And if you're a father who is offended by the prospect of actually doing some housework, you're probably not reading this... and you might be an ass.

29 Weeks Old

Von Bebe has developed lightning reflexes and her arms are much longer than they look.  Therefore, she gets into everything and everything gets into her mouth before her sometimes unobservant parents are able to intercept things like power cords, dog hair and leaves from between the cracks of the deck.  Yum.
   Because of this, she also gets much closer to the cameras than sometimes anticipated as you can see here.

One more day until VB starts going to daycare part time.  I still have a couple of weeks before I go back to work, but we thought it would be best to ease into it.  Not for her, but for me.  I'm sure she'll be fine.  I'm the one who will likely be spending the next several afternoons in fetal position cradling her stuffed owl and quietly humming to myself.
 

28 Weeks Old

There's a couple of things going on here.  Not only is VB playing her cool xylophone/piano thingy, but she is about to crawl in order to better position herself in front of it.
   And then there's the dog being very chill in the background. Both dogs have been very patient with the baby and with us.  They are definitely not getting the attention that they used to get, but are still very well behaved and rolling with the punches.  We'll see what happens when the baby actually starts getting more mobile and is able to chase them down. 
   A good way to not be an ass is to introduce music as early as possible.  I whistle and sing (poorly) They Might Be Giants songs; usually Birdhouse in your Soul and Angel.  My wife has had vocal training, however, and sounds like an angel herself.  She has a bedtime ritual of singing the mockingbird nursery song (which has really inane lyrics when I finally got around to googling it) along with You are my Sunshine.  And the baby must like it since she goes right to sleep mid song.
   It's hard to believe VB is 28 weeks old today.  It has been a blur and I'm afraid that I will look back and figure out all the ways in which I squandered my time with her.  I've really enjoyed my time as a stay at home dad.  I look forward to being one again in another 10 months.

27 weeks 4 days old

We started using ASL (American Sign Language) with Von Bebe months ago.  This is because babies understand language much earlier than they are able to use it.  Nothing fancy, just words like: milk, up, done, sleep, mama, dada, etc. And THIS is a great site to learn these words and many many others. 

   We suspect that she has started attempting to reciprocate this week.  She holds her arms straight out but one of her hands is in a fist and the other is not.  We're not sure if she's trying to give the sign for "milk" or she just wants attention.  It might be a little too early, but being the parents we are it's hard not to read into every little thing she does.

   But IF she is able to understand and not communicate, I can certainly imagine how frustrating it could be.  Check this out:

Here, VB starts putting her arms up like I mentioned.  After a while of just holding her she makes this frustrated vibrating lips sound that is quite humorous.  And our laughing only serves to frustrate her further.  It's a horrible feedback loop.  She gets more frustrated making more motorboat noises with her lips and we laugh that much harder.

   I suspect that if she COULD talk, she might call me an ass...

27 Weeks 2 Days Old

As a new father of a daughter, things like this article on the sexualization of girls scares me in ways that I have never been scared before.  The article talks about why girls (age 6 and up!) may be more interested in wanting to look sexy.  It mostly blames media outlets, peer pressure and moms.
   Only in the very last paragraph is there any mention at all of fathers and this mostly just states that “more research” needs to be done on the influence of fathers on their children both boys and girls. 

   Really?!! I don’t need more research to know that men are the cause of this problem.  For thousands of years, men have made their expectations of what it means to be sexy known.  Last time I checked, men are still predominantly in positions of power when it comes to advertising, Hollywood and politics!  Moms are struggling against the same expectations that their daughters are.  How are they supposed to be able to make a difference when they’re fighting to feel better about themselves as well?

   I know that I will have a great deal of influence over my daughter in the years to come.  I hope to be able to say and do the right things so she will become an intelligent self-actualized person.  Men caused this mess, men need to accept responsibility for changing it.  “Do not read beauty magazines.  They will only make you feel ugly!” – Baz Luhrman

   On a lighter note, my daughter has been taking her first steps into this crazy world.  (with a little help from her parents)  Check this out from a few weeks ago.

   Already growing up too fast.


As my wife just pointed out, I have already posted this video in a previous entry.  This just goes to show that dads can get momnesia, too.  So here's another video.  Don't want you to get bored of Von Bebe.

27 Weeks Old

   
I dropped my daughter on her head about 3 times today!  Ok, not really 'dropped'.  More like she was sitting there and fell back, bonking her head on the floor.  But it was one of those slow-motion moments where I saw her start to go over and I began reaching out for her knowing I would not make it in time.  Then the distance between us actually increased as I lunged for her.  No really,  I think the space-time continuum actually tore apart increasing the distance between us just so the universe can make me feel like more of an ass.  

   On top of this, I may have pinched her stomach as I was trying to belt her into the high chair.  I was having a serious Monday and I’m glad it’s almost over.

   But check out what 27 weeks looks like!  

26 Weeks 1 Day Old

Remember when I was worried about Von Bebe taking a bottle a couple of months ago? (It seems like a life time now)
   Well check this out.

Try not to be distracted by the 60s retro shirt.  
   She's a champ and soon won't even need me to hold the bottle for her.  In fact, I think if I showed her how to defrost the milk and bottle it she would be good to go.  Then my wife and I could have a date night.  Too bad Von Bebe is too short to reach the freezer.

26 Weeks Old

We have started Von Bebe on solid foods.  It's been about 2 weeks now and she is doing great.  As you can see, we are giving her portions of exactly what we are eating.  I don't see a need to spend extra money purchasing highly processed puree products when she seems quite happy with our food.  And lest you think she's not getting any of it down, feel free to check her diapers.  She is definitely consuming at least some of it.
   Seen here we are all enjoying breakfast while on vacation about a week ago.  Frankly, it's 4 and a half minutes of mostly inane footage.  I would only expect Von Bebe's most hard core fans to watch the clip in its entirety... And witness the joy of what our mealtimes have become.

      It took us 3 or 4 days to figure out that stripping her down to her diaper makes for the easiest clean up.  Bibs are for sissies anyway.  Things managed to stay fairly clean for this meal.  Be lucky you did not witness the re-fried beans debacle a few days ago.  Head-to-toe.  Spilling her water didn't help, either.  

25 Weeks 4 Days Old

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  Things have been busy as usual and the weather turned nice so I haven't been spending as much time in front of the computer.  Not that I should be spending any time in front of the computer anyway.  A sure way to feel like an ass is to sit in front of my computer in the living room while Von Bebe is crying on her quilt not 3 feet away.  Yeah... I've done that.  Not proud of it.  But I think it's a part of learning to be a parent while trying to stay sane at the same time.
   So yeah... here's me not being an ass...

24 Weeks Old!

It's Bound to come up.  And it's been in the news a lot lately.  I'm talking about the V word.  No, not THAT V word!   
   I’m talking about vaccinations.  It is quite a touchy subject depending on who you talk to.  And up until a few months ago, I had no idea that the subject of vaccinations could be so controversial.  I used to assume that everyone just did it and they started right after they were born in the hospital. 

   Then my wife got pregnant.  And we decided on a home birth.  And I started reading and researching all the alternatives out there.  If ignorance is bliss, what is the opposite?  Yeah, that’s how I’m feeling.

   Assuming you are truly unbiased, there is good information on both sides of this topic.  Yes, vaccinations save lives.  Yes, they have side effects.  Yes, the chances of experiencing said side effects are very, very small.  So are the chances of winning the powerball, but people still manage to do that, too.  And many of the illnesses that vaccinations were created for are not as ‘deadly’ as they once were. (At least not in this country)

   Sooo….  Lots of information to sort through.  Everybody has the right answer and it’s never the same as the answer that anyone else comes up with. 

   It is completely impossible to avoid being an ass when it comes to vaccinations.  Like everything else about parenting, it’s time to trust myself to make the best decision for my family.  And when someone asks about it, I can politely misdirect them by showing them cute pictures of my daughter… like these.

23 Weeks Old

   Nap time is a chance for me to do all those things that I can't do as a stay-at-home-dad when Von Bebe is awake.  Things like paying the bills, painting the kitchen and refinancing the house.  
   She actually CAN entertain herself with her toys, hands and feet... for about 10 minutes at a time.  But generally speaking, if she is awake I am with her.  Entertaining her.  Changing her.  Feeding her.  Making her laugh.  You get the idea.
   So it is in my best interest to (quickly) get her to take a nap.  Swaddling, rocking and singing to her are all good options, but the thing that works best so far is pushing her around in a stroller.  The best part is when she gets real tired and starts moaning/whining/singing herself to sleep.  (Skip to 1:15 if you don't want to watch the whole thing)  Also, play Tom Petty's "Time to Move on" at the same time.  I tried to incorporate it but YouTube blocked it for copyright reasons. (As well they should)

5 Months 5 Days Old

Before Von Bebe was born, I remember writing about babies laughing and included a link to a video showing this.  Sadly, that link no longer works.  As a reminder, enjoy watching THIS and THIS.

  This is all well and good, but I now have a taste of what it may be like to hear my own child laugh.  Check this out:

I could watch this over and over again and never get bored.

   I'm really glad that I got this on video when I did because she hasn't laughed the same since.  This is also very lucky because her mom was at work when this happened and didn't get a chance to see it first hand.  We knew that we would miss things as we go back to work full time.  That sucks.  So something I can do while I'm home for the summer is to take as many photos and video as possible so mom can see some of those things we will otherwise be missing.  That is how I can not be an ass this week.

22 Weeks Old or... 5 Months and 2 days

 So my wife and I might be a little competitive without actually acknowledging it.  Or maybe we do.  Von Bebe now says maamaamaamaamaamaa…. (and on and on).  She’s not actually saying Mama.  But it’s really stinkin’ close.  And since I’m home all day I’m trying to get her to say daadaadaadaa instead.  It’s not working.  I don’t know why we bother because the first words out of her mouth will probably be “Ricky, shut up!” (Ricky’s the dog who won’t stop barking)

   And when my wife barely nicked Von Bebe’s thumb with the nail clippers, her response was, “I was hoping you’d be the first one to break the baby.”  (I’m paraphrasing a bit)

   Now that I’ve been home for a few weeks I’d like to think I’m getting the hang of nap schedules, feeding times and things like that.  But I think moms have an innate ability that guys just can’t compete with.  Example:

Wife: “She’ll probably wake up in the next 20 minutes”

Me:  “Wanna make a bet?”

Wife:  “No.  I don’t like to lose.  But I bet I’m right.”

And she was.

   I don’t mind being an ass about the competition because I think my wife is right there with me.

   But HERE is a very good guide on how I can avoid being an ass with my daughter as we grow up together.

   And now for an awesome picture.  (Love these eyes!)

21 weeks old!

   I’m in my 4^th week as a stay-at-home-dad for the summer.  Or SAHD for short.  I thought when I got to this point I would have so much more time to write blog entries.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!  Silly me.

   I also imagined myself not being an ass by editing all these wonderful videos together since we’ve now taken several days worth of video footage.  Again, silly me.

   I did make THIS however.  

Real productive, I know.

   Honestly, it’s all I can do just to keep her clean, fed, burped and changed.  If I accomplish this by the end of the day, I consider it a success. 

   But if it’s not one thing, it’s another.  One minute, minor diaper rash flares up again and just when I get that under control my wife notices a sore on her neck where all her baby fat folds are bunched together.  Dad of the year I am not.

   Seriously, why can’t I be as cool as THIS guy?  

Only I later found out that the guy in the video isn’t even a dad.  What a poser.

20 Weeks Old

Happy Memorial Day, everybody!  And thanks to the many men and women in service of our country.

   I would also like to take this time to acknowledge another group of people:  Single parents.  After doing my best to not be an ass for the 20 weeks since becoming a father, I cannot fathom trying to do it alone.  This has been one of (if not THE) hardest thing I have ever done. 

   One of the things that has made it possible is having a partner that I can trust to have my back.  A wingman to take some of the heat when the going gets a little too rough.  When Von Bebe is squalling and has been for hours, I know that there is someone I can count on to give me a break if I need it.  While I am aware that being a parent is a 25 hour a day job, it is a little easier knowing someone else is in it as deep as I am.

   So (as I just pulled an assist with vomit cleanup on aisle one) I’d like to give a big shout out to all you single parents.  My proverbial hat is off to you.  I don’t know how you did/are doing it.

19 Weeks Old

Being a new father I’m quickly discovering (and being told) all of the one million and one ways that my child could die.  This week alone has inundated me with enough articles, clips and Facebook shares to keep me awake very late tonight.

   First there’s this which shows some scary footage of what it looks like if the car you’re driving gets in a collision and your child is in a forward facing seat.

   And this shows the rise of diabetes in America’s youth.

   As summer quickly approaches and we are spending time in or near water, this informational tidbit describing what happens to people who are drowning.  This scares me more than the movie Jaws. 

   And finally, I just finished reading Storms of Our Grandchildren by James Hansen who explains that if we don’t stop burning fossil fuels, nothing living will exist on planet Earth within 1000 years because the surface temperature will parallel that of Venus.

  Oh goody.  So:

Keep using rear facing car seats as long as possible – Check

Eat more vegetables – Check

Swim Lessons  – Working on it

   And write my legislators telling them to close down all coal fired power stations and reduce my use of carbon.  – Ummm… I drive a Prius (Can I get a half check for that?)

   I realize that if we spend all our time worrying about everything that could go wrong in this world, we’ll miss everything when it goes right.  But try not worrying when this is on the line: