New Dad

This started out as a Dad's perspective on my wife Katrina's pregnancy and a way to keep the family updated. Alina arrived in February 2006 and now it's more about our parenting adventures. Now we've added Evelyn in July 2008.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Dom Perignon vs. Peas and Rice Cereal


The Kitchen Shelf

How did I let this happen? There was a bottle of Dom from our engagement, the Lladro figurine from our wedding cake. They're getting .... buried. Too. Much. Symbolism. Note to self: Must sip wine before week's end and say something intellectual. I CAN DO IT. I can remember how!

Monday, September 18, 2006

Baby-Fu Kicking My Ass

Alina is, for lack of better words, kicking my ass lately. I'm being pummeled by a 7-month old. Kicks to the throat and groin. Punches to just the right spot on the upper lip to make you tongue the swollen spot for the next hour. She rakes my face with her nails and tries to take out my eye. I'm reminded of the Iron Shiek and Rowdy Roddy Piper from my brief WWF phase when I was ten. Although it's kind of pleasant when she pulls my hair. I hear that keeps it from falling out or something.

Monday, September 11, 2006

Baby Shangri-La

It looks like we found a daycare for when Katrina goes back to work. Alina will be 7 months old this week and will probably start school around Thanksgiving. While looking, there were a few prerequisites. It had to be open after 6pm, accept babies Alina's age, be near one of our jobs, do more than just watch them stare at the wall, and of course have an open slot. This place we found is pretty kickass but it's like giving a Mercedes to an 8-year old. They learn to read and write, learn about science, plant thier own gardens, have lots of time in the backyard with slides, swings, and sandboxes, learn about cooking, and the whole place is run by a retired nurse with a staff of early childhood development majors. Open 7am-7pm (Woo!), 10 minutes from Katrina's work (Yay!), and already took my deposit (Shit!). Yeah, this place costs almost as much as my rent. And I don't think Alina will truly be able to absorb the benefits of this place for a little while yet. But it's really the best place ever. There are kids there up to 5 years old and every graduating class ends up skipping kindergarten (Brakes!) Hmmm, do we really want that? Will she be bored and destructive and outsmarting her teachers if we don't let her skip? It's not like I want her freshmen year of college to get any closer. Some have told me it's easier for girls to be younger, but they were all male. So that's a skewed focus group. I suppose we'll have to see for ourselves. She may just have to eat paste like the other kids.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Chunky Monkey

I've touched on how complete strangers want to hold the baby, compliment the baby, talk to the baby, throw rocks at the baby. Also, you occasionally run into people who think you want their opinion. Like the woman who thought that our 9-week old Alina shouldn't be outside in mid-April even though she already had a round of shots. Then there are usually benign comments about her pretty blue eyes, all that hair, how she smiles so much, and those little chubby thighs. But, the problem is that last one. To the casual observer, Alina in fact has chubby little thighs. No problem. But it's what follows that particular observation that I feel warrants a smack to the sides of some heads, like: Don't worry, my daughter had thighs like that and now she's skinny or Don't worry, those thighs will go away. WHAT? People! She's a BABY. She eats the dietary equivalent of whole milk for most of her meals (although recently we added veggies/fruit after 6 months), she doesn't yet have the burden of moving around under her own steam, and did I mention she's a baby. I hate that I feel the need to whip out the pediatrician's growth curve chart and point to the dot that says she's perfectly healthy. Or get into a debate about self-image, self esteem, and all the problems that can arise if those aren't addressed correctly. Do they really think I'm worried about her thighs and need to be consoled? The next person who tries to assuage my fears might find me consoling right back with "Aw sweetie, no wonder your kid was bulemic. It's okay, you did your best, I'm sure." At least the fall is coming which means more pants.

In The Future...

Baby treadmills, formula lite, and low carb teething biscuits -- Baby Cosmopolitan with 10 Ways To Turn Those Chipmunk Cheeks Inside Out -- New Slimming Huggies -- Pacifiers With Whitening -- Baby Wigs, why wait for hair when you can be strand-tastic!