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!!!

Bouyant Baby!

So....another first for Sydney on Memorial Day weekend. She had her first ever swimming experience. We took her to the kiddy pool at the Y. Another surreal moment for me, since I remember going to that exact pool when I was little!

Following this new adventure, we came to one conclusion...she loved the pool! She did not complain once, and she happily splashed with her hands and feet. Sometimes, in her exuberance she splashed so hard she soaked her own face and was confused why she was splashed. While it was a great adventure, we did notice some mysterious bubbles eminating from her posterior...hmm :) But, fortunately, we were able to disembark the pool area before she grew scales and a fin!

In other Sydney news, she has been able to sit up for longer periods of time, unassisted. In a matter of just a few weeks, she is getting extremely stable, and doesn't tip over much anymore. This has also made it easier when she sits at the table with us for dinner, as she supports herself in her chair much better.

On a different note....while Sydney has also been rolling from front to back for some time, on May 17th she started rolling from back to front. This is another milestone, and one that means she'll be interested in crawling soon. Oh, the challenges that will bring to her parents!!!

Also, she has started actually eating solid foods. In the past few days she has started consuming more food than she spits out. The first several times of introducing solid foods to her, she basically would push it back out with her tongue...or even better, make a raspberry sound and have it spray all over, usually accompanied with a big grin! The solids, at this point, are rice cereal and a form of oatmeal cereal...not too bad. I'm just not looking forward to the strained carrots or peas or all of those other vegetables. I can't wait to blend up a Big Mac for her!!!...only kidding :) As excited as we are, the one down side to the whole thing is found in her diaper. I'll save you the adjectives this week, but next week I'll consider if fair game!!!

This is a recent picture of Sydney with her mom and good-lookn' grandpa!

Have a nice weekend everybody!!!

A Square That Comes Full Circle

The title isn't meant to be some metaphor for some deeper meaning, but really is a literal translation. On my birthday (me being Sydney's Dad) I got a mysterious package from my older brother Nathan. I opened it, pulled out the contents, and heard Karen say, "what...is...that???" with a puzzled look on her face. With it's tattered coloring and faded red checkerboxes in the middle, she thought it was an old tablecloth. I could only smile and say "my baby blanket!" It was very amazing to see it again.

The blanket, which my mother had gotten for Nathan when he was a baby, got handed down to me when I was born. As we grew older and the need for it declined, it was still a center-piece of tug of war competitions, and also during random pillow fights it acted as a nice whip...where you could really snap your opponent and leave some nice welts. Needless to say, the blanket got handed down again to Destani and Alex, my neices. My nephews may have also enjoyed some of it.

Sydney, while she enjoys a few of her own already, will add this to her experience. It's amazing to think that this blanket is on it's fourth decade. So, quite literally, this little square has come full circle. I hope Sydney will enjoy it as much as the rest of us have.

And thank you everyone for the birthday wishes, it helps ease the pain of accepting another year :) On a similar note (of birthdays), we just wanted to say that Richard will be missed. He shared the same birthday as me (Joe), and he is in our hearts. He brought smiles to everyone he talked to, and his warmth will always be with us. Richard also taught me how to roast coffee...the true art of love...and it will always be treasured and with me.

Have a great and safe longggggg weekend everyone!

Questions of the Universe

Human beings tend to ask some BIG questions in their lives. Who am I? How did we all get here? How was the universe created? Why is the sky blue? Why would someone have wanted to create spandex? Some are more complex than others, but certainly it highlights an underlying feature of human beings…our innate curiosity.

So, one thing I’ve noticed is that our questions change as we become parents. No longer are those perplexing questions that boggle the mind topics of discussion, but instead we find new mysterious questions that we had never thought to ask before the birth of a child. “If my child only drinks white milk, why do they have colored poop?” It makes no logical sense…(really, shouldn’t it be white?). On the same line of thinking, why does it not smell? Also, “what in the world is the 5-10 second silent period from your child when they are obviously ready to cry?” Is it the calm before the storm? Are they simply opening their air intake to collect oxygen required for the big scream to come?...I'm just not sure. And what is a teletubby? I do not know the answers to these things. I am just another father wandering down a new philosophical path that my child has now placed before me.

Enough about the metaphysical universe, and onto a less surreal plain plane …Sydney has had a great week. She continues to gear up for solid foods. At this point, she pretty much pushes most of her rice cereal out of her mouth with her tongue. But, it’s a work in progress.

She continues to get better and better at sitting up. We still provide some ‘bumper’ coverage so that she doesn’t just topple over, but that need is becoming less and less. Her overall strength is very good, and her coordination of her hands and arms are steadily increasing (although at times she does a particular motion with her arms that I can only describe as flapping). Perhaps she’s part parrot.
She is also talking just as much as ever (a trait earned from her mother). She is now less about squeaks and high-pitch sounds and more about trying to more closely mimic us. Having said that, some of her recent mumblings eerily sound like someone who has been kidnapped and duct-taped. There are a few words we 'think' we've heard, but they were probably just random sounds that were close, and not really intentional. I know she has not had her first 'real' word, because that first word will be ja..va! We practice than one everyday!

Thanks to Great Grandpa Pagels for taking the pictures used for this post. He snapped a few great shots (as usual) while we were visiting on Mother's Day, so I just had to use them!

Have a great week! Oh, and Sydney is 5 months old on May 15th!!! The time goes so quick! Just don't grow too quickly Baby Ruth, we want to enjoy all of the moments :)