• Rude Awakening

    I realized today we’re in for a rude awakening when daughter #2 arrives. How? Well, over the last six weeks, M. has settled into an excellent sleep schedule. Sometime around 7:00 PM, she gets a bath. Then we either play with her toys or watch a Baby Einstein DVD until just before 8:00. That’s when we pull out her stack…

  • Toddler Update

    No trip to the hospital yet, which leaves time for an update on M.. It’s official: I’m going to become one of “those” parents. M. has been exhibiting all kinds of strange, i.e. early development, behaviors recently and I’ve decided she’s a little prodigy. That big head is full of brain, apparently! She knows at least eight colors; all the…

  • Uncomfortable Days

    The final weeks of pregnancy! Or, as women like to call it, hell. It’s safe to say S. is extremely uncomfortable. Skin feels like it can’t stretch anymore, but there is constant pressure from inside. An urge to go to the bathroom every five minutes because there’s a foot or head or arm pushing on your bladder. A complete inability…

  • Sister Fetus Update

    S. had a sonogram this afternoon to make sure all was well with our little Sister Fetus. That was confirmed. Estimated weight is six pounds, three ounces at 36 weeks. For comparison, M. was born at 38 weeks and weighed in at six pounds, eight ounces. #2 is generally bigger than #1 (something to do with the muscles on mommy’s…

  • Father Of The Year

    I’ve not shared one of M.’s favorite foods with the group. She loves humus. We give her a little container of it and she dips pretzels, cheese, and bread into it and goes to town. Today is a Mr. Mom day for me. We’re getting close to needing a trip to the grocery store. M. was hungry and begging for…

  • Leaves

    Leaves are apparently M.’s first irrational fear. Thursday was a perfect day: 82, no humidity, gentle breeze, sunny skies; so we spent most of the day outside. We got her a sandbox on Tuesday, so she played in that a lot. She ran into the neighbors’ yard to trick us into letting her climb on their tree house. I mowed…

  • Toddler Update

    The latest doings of my daughter. The Post-Pacifier Era has gone relatively well. Naps are a problem; she’s pretty much not taking them most days. Bedtime was actually very good the first three nights. For some reason since then, we’ve had difficulty. But that corresponds with Daylight Savings Time and the sun being up until about 8:00. Even though her…

  • Adios a Los Binkies

    We are now a pacifier-free household. Hopefully. This morning, we took M. outside, tied two of her binkies to balloons (the rest had been deposited in the trash earlier), counted down, and sent them “to the babies in heaven.” It worked for the Newman family; we’re hoping the technique works for us. She seemed more interested in the balloons than…

  • More Bedtime Stories

    I’m in the middle of a double paper effort, thus my silence this week. M. has continued to do very well in her bed. From Saturday night, when it took and hour to get her to settle and sleep, we were down to only 15 minutes on Tuesday. Last night was my first night on my own with her, as…

  • Big Girl Bed

    I’m mixing topics dangerously tonight. Don’t tell my wife. Fellas, it was the best day of the year today. That’s right, the first day of class after spring break. Tans o’plenty. The higher ratio of silicone and saline among the students in the 21st century as compared to the 20th century, when I was an undergrad, makes the day all…