Open Wide!!!

Sydney has been experimenting with solid foods for a couple of months now. She did start out eating some rice cereal and some oatmeal cereal at first, but when we introduced squash to her she ate it at lightning speed. It really goes much faster than some of the other solid foods. So, Sydney certainly has her own early take on what fast food really means.

"Open wide???" That is something we really don't even need to say. As soon as she sees the spoon she opens her mouth as big as she can. We don't have to pretend the spoon is an airplane coming into the hanger, or a spaceship landing in a cargo bay, or anything of that sort. In fact, she naturally opens to a point where you feel a strong gravitational pull, as if there were some vortex forming in the space/time continuum. That must be why our clocks are ahead 10 minutes after she eats each time. Ok, perhaps a little dramatized, but we could certainly could upgrade her to one of those big wooden kitchen spoons! Even though I joke about it, it is fun to see her passing the 'solid food' milestone.

Although the idea of pureed peas and other vegetables is still a little unnerving to me...she eats it all. She's had squash, peas, carrots, prunes, apples, pears, and probably a few others I'm not even thinking of. Maybe next month we move on to pureed steak, pizza, and hamburger!

Other updates from the week...Sydney wanted to wish her Grandma Gloria and her Uncle Nathan a Happy Birthday, which occurred on the 23rd and 26th, respectively. Sydney also mentioned that she had a great time visiting with Danielle and Sasha at the BBQ, and getting a chance to socialize with them outside of the normal environment. Soon to be posted...Saturday she met up with her friend Maggie to paddle around in the baby pool (whatch out Michael Phelps!). Well, that's it for now!

Have a great week!

Since it’s Father’s Day!!!

I guess first off I should say Happy Father’s Day to my Dad, my other Dad Don, and my Grandpa Harry and Karen’s Grandpa Emmett.

And since I write the blogs, I guess instead of wishing myself a Happy Father’s Day, I can actually use this time to reflect back on my time as a newer, but still proficient, father (did I mention modest, too?). So, a good place to start is by asking myself a couple of questions…

What has it told me about myself?
Simple things first…it has taught me that I can function on little or no sleep. Work has certainly been a haze on more than one occasion. Other than that, I have not been afraid of diapers, drool, and other liquids emanating from random body parts. Fortunately these have not come with a significant amount of smell at this point. But, when she was very little I did need to make sure she was breathing on several occasions, but this largest worry of all new dads can be remedied through the old stick method…poking it to make sure it’s ok. But Sydney is certainly a good teacher, and she always reminds me of the importance of being patient, funny, and kind…not to forget to also be available to her whenever she says to be.

What has being a dad meant to me?
Aside from diapers, lack of sleep, and randomly ringing eardrums, I know that this a magical time. Spending quality time with such a cute, curious human that looks at the world with fresh eyes, always wondering, “hey, I wonder what that tastes like!” is something I appreciate. And I will cherish these memories, always knowing that the future holds tougher tasks for me as a Dad, most notably boyfriends in the teenage years. But, genetics have told me to have hatchets and other sharp objects lying around, accompanied by a crazed look in my eye the first time she brings a boy over. I look forward to all the moments between then and now…haha!

Being a father, I've also realized the importance of teaching the right values. The only way we can truly be effective parents is by teaching our children the values they need in life. I take this responsibility very seriously, and I've already made sure that Sydney is routing for the right teams, which would be Manchester United and the Seattle Sounders. This is one important teaching from father to daughter, but there will be plenty more to come.

All kidding aside, I think Sydney has been a great daughter, and I could not have asked for more. She makes me laugh and smile, and reminds me what is important in this world!!!


Pictured: Grandpa Don and
"Cashew" at Home Depot.

And Happy Father's Day to all of the other Dads out there!!!

Baby Class Reunion...Part Deux!

As part of her social calendar, Sydney recently got together with her friends from class. This was the birthing class Sydney attended while in utero. She was fortunate to see everyone when they were all just a of couple months old, but now she had a great time at the second and most recent reunion which was hosted at her 'crib.' CRIB, get it?!!!...haha! Ok, I'm sorry to everyone that have higher standards for their humor, but I couldn't resist that pun. Anyway, all of the babies are currently around 4.5-6.5 months old.

You could really see all of the different personalities emerging from each of them, and their smiles, features, and cries were definitely more developed than when we saw them all previously. Most of the babies were curious about each other, and were also not sure why so many small humans were gathered in one area. Physically, most of them tended to weigh around 13-16 pounds, surprisingly still two pounds shy of our cat, Charlie.

The event was great. All of the parents got to play with all of the other kids, the kids got to play with each other, or at least drool on each other. There was continued exchange of stories...everything from the birthing event to all sorts of things, especially bodily functions, sptitting up, poop, and diapering. Also good discussions were had about new milestones, and recent changes, as well as tips and ideas about a range of topics.

And, as any occasion requires, genetic coding eventually mandated the guys migrate outside and congregate around the grill, while the ladies were busy inside talking about ovulation cycles and other estrogen-related activities.

All of the other babies seem to be doing very well, and were all very adorable. We're happy to see all of them growing so well!

A Man’s Home is His Castle…or is it?

They say a man’s home is his castle. That is true, unless you take into account that you need to install baby gates, plug covers, cupboard latches, toilet latches, hide all chemicals, put away any sharp or dangerous items, bubble-wrap the cats (especially their claws), and otherwise baby-proof the entire house and the grounds it rests on. So, really it means the home is the baby’s playground, and you just happen to reside there, too.

This entry was obviously inspired by thinking of everything that needs to be done to keep Sydney safe as she becomes mobile. So, we will gladly do whatever we can to make sure she stays safe, so she can grow strong and healthy. We really do look forward to those first few steps, and then later the little footsteps running around the house, but we are aware of what comes with that.

I know what most childless guys are thinking right now…”what’s the big deal about child-proofing? Don’t you just install a ‘run’ or perhaps throw down some papers?”…and of course when it’s nice out just “stake them out in the yard?” But as easy of a solution as that would seem, it’s not the correct answer. It will require some time to get everything ready, but it will be a labor of love.

This post was inspired by recent milestones reached by our little Sydney. While she has been rolling from front to back for some time, on May 17th she decided she would start to roll from back to front. This, and the fact that she is coming up on 6 months, means that crawling may not be far off her list of activities. You can already see her strategizing how to wiggle to get to certain toys. I believe she is also conspiring about which objects to put in the toilet first when she becomes truly mobile...or perhaps not.

On a completely different note, Sydney is looking forward to seeing all of her fellow baby BFF's at the baby class reunion!

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend everyone!!!