Saturday, July 31, 2010

Baby Sleeping in a Lunch Bag

Today has been a hard day for the Baby, she hasn't really napped all day because she was too busy showing off her cuteness at a baby shower for one of the Wifey's sorority sister. The Baby has been doing this weird thing where her eyes water up and she her raises voice to almost a shrill. WebMD says it's something called "crying" but we don't know if that is it because we've never heard her really do it before. But today she has been "crying" nonstop for about 10 minutes and then she forgets what she was crying about and starts smiling and playing again. But then she will start having another meltdown. The Baby may have started teething because we can usually differentiate from her hungry, tired, and pain cries. And it sounds more like her pain cries. Hopefully some baby Tylenol will ease the pain, we tried some Baby Orajel and it seemed to calm her down for a bit. At the moment she is in her crib just blabbering away; maybe she is happy to finally be home in her own bed. Or maybe the medicine has finally kicked in. But if the medicine doesn't work, I bought a nice bottle of Jack Daniel's to open for the occasion. I think I read about it one of my baby books.

Tuesday the Baby is going to get her eye unclogged. Like I have said earlier, her right eye is a mucusy mess every morning she wakes up, so we hope it works. The doctor mailed us some information on the procedure itself. It was a little scary to read because the doctor preferred not to have the parents in the same room during the procedure for fear of distraction. What if the doctor is really a witch who lives in a gingerbread house and she's tossing babies into her oven or her black cauldron that she stirs with a broomstick? I just hope our insurance covers it.

I came across this blog the other day and it's this incredibly talented mother who takes pictures of her daughter sleeping but she creates scenery with regular household objects. And it is absolutely stunning. I tried doing the same thing with the Baby once but all I could come up with was an empty bag of Cheetos and a ham sandwich. I called it "Baby Sleeping in a Lunch Bag" but it definitely wasn't as beautiful as Ms. Adele Enerson's photos. So I suggest looking at her "maternity leave hobby" and here's a YouTube video of her work.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Willy Wonka

Alright, so the Baby officially turned 4 months on Friday and we treated her to a nice family lunch and a movie. We all went and saw the first IMAX showing of Inception on Friday. I was a little hesitant to bring the Baby along just because she's getting older and louder. She's not much a crier in public but she now she likes to talk to herself and change the inflection in her voice. Or she really likes to breathe in really hard as if she was gasping for breath, it's some new thing she started doing. But anyways, I felt her new habits could be a problem. As we walked up to the theater, everybody was giving us the stink eye as they saw us carry this baby into the theater. Granted, the only people who were there at a movie at 945AM on a Friday morning were either the retired or unemployed and I sensed they were mentally preparing themselves to roll their eyes and "shhh" if this baby were to start crying. We picked the seats that were the most isolated in the back of the theater and nearest to the exit, just in case the Baby wanted to meltdown. The Wifey fed the Baby during the previews and then had her curled up in her sling by the time the opening credits rolled up. And the Baby slept. All the way through. No whimper or talking, she slept. She slept through the crystal clear, digital audio of the IMAX theater without any problems. At one point, I had to make sure the Baby was still breathing. A little morbid but the Baby didn't make one sound; I was genuinely worried. We really didn't have to risk the stink eyes but I was being a geek and a snob and wanted to witness this movie in IMAX. But for all you parents who want to catch a movie but not get a babysitter, the Angelika offers a "Crybaby Matinee" where you can bring your kids to the show. The Angelika even keeps the lights dim so if you need to feed the kid you can and even adjust the volume, just i n case your kid wants to sleep. That was the biggest problem with watching Inception in IMAX, the sound was just too loud for the Baby's ears. It's every Saturday and Thursday. I doubt the Angelika will have any awesome action flicks but more of the artsy films. At least the Angelika serves beer.

After the movie and a quick lunch, we had another surprise for the Baby: her 4 month shots! And boy was the Baby elated to get those syringes stabbed into her little chunky thighs. We don't get to see the Baby have a meltdown too often but giving her shots usually does it. She had these high pitched shrills where she cried for so long and so loud that she went silent and her face turned purple like Violet did when she chewed the gum at Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Her toes even curled and her little feet turned white. The Wifey and I were a little worried she would be in a pissed off mood for the next couple of days. The last time she received her shots at two months she was still grouchy the next day. Luckily the Baby was her normal self with 30 minutes.

The Doctor said the Baby was doing well. She is achieving all her motor skills landmarks and is developing nicely. She measured 24 inches and weighed in at 12lbs 10oz. The Wifey and I were a little worried she was underweight since she is still wearing newborn clothes but the Doctor said as long as the Baby is gaining a pound a month for now, she is fine. We will be getting the Baby's tear duct de-clogged here pretty soon.We wanted to make sure the Baby wasn't going to be knocked out for the procedure but the Doctor assured us it was a quick operation. She said that they usually just line up all the babies with the clogged tear ducts and go down the line unclogging each baby like an assembly line with a little needle. That will mean no crusty eye for the Baby when she wakes up.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Skidmarks and Sunshine

I am currently relaxing in my posh hotel room at the Hilton in Shreveport flipping between HBO and that annoying menu screen that happens to be on full volume every time you turn on the television and I am bored. I drove in from Dallas this morning at 530AM for a presentation for work and when I was done at 4pm, I immediately took a 3 hour nap. So the midnight oil is burning for me.

The Wifey and I have been trying to meet new parents around our age but unfortunately match.com doesn't offer that compatibility feature. It would be nice for the Baby to start interacting, even though she will just lie there grabbing her toes or eating her fingers. Sometimes I feel that our friends think its easy to drop the Baby off with a babysitter so we can go out but we like hanging out with the Baby. She is easy to please, she doesn't judge, and she's an excellent listener.

The Baby has begun rolling around and it's making life a little more interesting. I used to be able to leave the Baby on the bed while I stepped into the other room (I know, nominee for worst parent of the year for leaving the child unattended) to get her outfit or to warm up her milk. But now with her moving about, I have to carry her with me otherwise she would fly off the edge of the bed like Thelma & Louise. Granted, we still don't know if Thelma & Louise ever made it to the other side of the cliff but come on, woman driver, there's no way they made it. Anyways, I have to keep an eye out now that the Baby is gaining more motor skills. Before I know it she's going to be sneaking out the window to watch boys cruise in their GT Mustangs like her mom used to do. Lame.

One of my initial goals when I started this blog was to provide some sort of first time dad advice and I've seem to have deviated from that point of view. But here are a few ones to wrap your mind around:

Dirty diapers aren't bad. The sitcoms like to portray this horrendous scene where dads come running in with HAZMAT suits just to change a diaper. Honestly, if the baby's input is just breast milk, the output is just liquid crap. There really isn't a distinct smell or anything to gag about. Now of course when the Baby starts to eat solid foods, that will be a different story.

The Wifey and I also entertained the idea of cloth diapers. To me, it seems like a hippie thing to do. Cloth diapers give me the vision of handwashing them in a galvanized wash tub in the backyard and then putting them on a clothesline to sun dry, showcasing the skidmark goodness of a once dirty diaper. Good old fashioned skidmarks and sunshine. I am sorry but there is only room for one set of skidmarks in this family and that belongs to me. Theoretically cloth diapers are the most economical and green way to change your baby but it just seems....gross. The Wifey says it won't ruin a washer because, like I mentioned earlier, the Baby just has liquid craps. That really didn't help her case because sometimes I can get the liquid runs and that severely messes up the toilet; imagine the problems it would cause for our front load washer. Yikes. Luckily we like Pampers Swaddlers diapers because it absorbs a lot and fits the Baby the best. I am sure the other brands make a good diaper but the Wifey and I just prefer that particular brand.

Diaper Genies seem to be a waste of money. We purchased an Arm & Hammer branded one. It's not a waste of money that it doesn't work, I am sure it contains the smell of the not-so-foul diapers but we just throw the diapers away into the garbage can outside. I figured it's easier for the diapers to decompose individually as opposed to one huge bag of diapers. I guess if you're a parent who likes to pile diapers up like Jenga it would be beneficial but if you make an effort to throw away the diapers as soon as you change it, then Diaper Genies will do you no good.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Baby Faces

The Baby is turning 4 months old this Friday and we're anxiously waiting to see what the Baby's favorite doctor, Dr. Sue Hubbard, to see what she has to say. We also get to see what's going to happen next with the clogged tear duct. Her left eye has gotten a lot better but her right eye is crusted shut every morning. It doesn't bother her but it's kinda creepy to see her peer out from only one eye every morning.

Of course turning 4 months means a lot of new discoveries. The Baby is flip fliopping around from her stomach to her back and vice versa. Usually babies get pissed off when they are on their stomach just because it's frustrating for them. But the Baby just likes to smile and laugh, probably because she is proud of herself when she flips around. And when she gets tired from trying to keep her head up, she just lays her head down and rests.

The Baby has also discovered her toes and she loves them. I think she likes to grab them every ten seconds to make sure they are still there. She also still loves sucking on her fingers. I swear her fingers are just little bits of chocolatey goodness. She even shoves both hands into her mouth like its a pie eating contest. The Baby has also figured out how to make spit bubbles and it is getting pretty messy.

But with the new discoveries, there also the ones that the Baby has moved on from and unfortunately her best friend the Ceiling Light are no longer on speaking terms. We used to be able to show her the light and she will be smiling and laughing but now she just completely ignores it. She is far too interested in other things, like a FIJI water bottle. She is amazed by this bottle. She doesn't talk to it, she just stares and stares. It's as if she was trying to burn a hole through it.

I've also noticed myself making lots of baby faces to elicit a smile out of the Baby. But I seem to be doing it to random people too. Good thing I don't do baby talk, otherwise that could be disastrous.

One of our friends just recently announced she was preggers with baby #2. We're happy for them. They have such an adorable and picturesque family and it got the Wifey and I talking. We both know the value of siblings and how it was nice to have one growing up. I go to my brother seeking advice and the Wifey's brother goes to her seeking alcohol. So siblings are essential and a valuable resource. But the Baby is such a good baby as it is. I would hate for the Wifey to give birth to a devil child, or more that I read about it....a normal baby. The Baby wakes up smiling and goes to sleep smiling. She loves it when you sing to her, even if you're like me and can't carry a tune. She smiles when you yell at her. She only fusses when she is tired or hungry. Oh well, we still have a quite awhile to sleep on it.

Here are some pictures of the Baby and her clogged tear duct.


Monday, July 12, 2010

Baby Meltdown

I came across this show on VH1, home to a such riveting series as Flava Flav's Flavor of Love, called Dad Camp. Basically the premise of the show is about dude-bros who have pregnant girlfriends and they are taught to respect them and love them and appreciate their future child. I think the producers might be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize with this concept. I don't understand how you even get picked for the show. Were these guys reading the classified ads and came across a WANTED ad for dead beat dads? Or did they have a friend who heard about the casting call and immediately beeped them about it? And what about the dude-bros who didn't make the cut? What do you tell those guys? "You're a deadbeat but this guy over here is an even bigger deadbeat! Look at his graphic tee and he has a tattoo on his knuckles!" I don't understand society. I really don't.

The Baby is fast approaching 16 weeks and she keeps on surprising us with something new each and every day. The Baby has this thing where every morning she will talk for a good 30 minutes then fall back asleep. And before bed, she will go on a little soliloquy just blabbering and gossiping until we put her to bed. The other night the Wifey went out with her girlfriends so it was just me and the Baby. She follows a pretty tight schedule where she can go about three hours before she needs to eat. Well, apparently I waited until about 3 hours and one minute before I started feeding her and this Baby flipped her wig. I couldn't console her, I stuck her up near her light and she was too busy crying to even notice. She got to the point where she was whimpering before she finally took the bottle. I've never had the Baby cry that loud for that long. Granted, she cried for about five minutes but it seemed like an eternity. I just need to make sure I have that bottle ready for her.

One of the other "new things" the Baby is doing, is laughing, like LOL laughing. And it's awesome. The Wifey and I spend a good amount of our day yelling at the dog to drop things or telling him no, so we figured it was something the Baby was used to hearing. Well, the other night, the Dog had something he wasn't supposed to have and I yelled at him to drop it and the Baby just started laughing. She found it to be the funniest thing ever. So we recorded it on video. The Wifey and I also had a fear that the Baby wouldn't get along with the Dog or be terrified of it. As we were sitting outside one day, for some odd reason, the Baby realized that there was a funny looking thing running around acting crazy. And she loved it. It's like she had never noticed this furry little hyper monster licking her face and sniffing up until that point. So below are the two videos of the Baby laughing, the videos also show me in my fashionable dragon boxers, but it was Sunday and laundry day, so don't mind my attire. Just make sure you have your volume up and you are ready to be overwhelmed with cuteness.




Pictures!



Tuesday, July 6, 2010

An Apology to France

This blog's sole intention was just for my friends and family to keep up with the life of the Baby and read humorous stories about myself dealing with my daughter and the Wifey. I feel that my experiences are no different from anyone else except that I am writing mine down. I hope the internet is still around when the Baby grows up and she reads what went on with our lives. Anyways, I wrote last week about our experience at Jacadi in NorthPark Center in Dallas, Texas. In case you missed it, it was the post on 6/24, "Stroller Races." Basically I wrote how the sales staff were insistent that the Baby would not fit into a 0-3Months clothing based on their size chart. That upset myself as a parent and I angrily typed out my feelings in the blog. I verbally attacked the sales staff and even threw France under the bus. So this afternoon I received an email from Jacadi's press relations manager, who I assume is based in France, according to her email address:

Dear Jackson,

We were so disappointed to read that you had a negative experience at
Jacadi in NorthPark Center as Jacadi prides itself on offering exceptional
customer service.

We've addressed the issue with the sales staff so that incidents like this
can be avoided in the future.
As a small token of our appreciation for shopping at Jacadi, we'd like to
send you a gift.
Would you be so kind as to provide your full contact information and
mailing address?

Please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance and
again, please accept our sincerest apologies.


I was initially shocked that anyone outside of Garland, Texas was reading this blog, much less out of this country. I found it to be very professional and extremely indicative of the typical customer service that we are accustomed to receiving when we do window shop at Jacadi. I shouldn't have been so harsh to the store and to a country that is the home of Zinedine Zidane; thus I am extending an apology to Jacadi and to France. The personal boycott of Jacadi has been lifted and my thousands of dedicated readers and followers, you may now start shopping at Jacadi again.

In other news, yesterday, the Wifey and I were shopping when she had to stop and feed the Baby. Now, I don't mind if she pulls out the milk gun in public to feed the Baby, I just prefer if she does it in the Nursing room. Basically so I can sit on the comfy couches they have in there. Anyways, we went to one nursing room and there was already someone in there. So we patiently waited. And as the couple emerged from the room, we noticed the kid had a milk bottle. Maybe times have changed with Obama in office and it is socially acceptable to breastfeed your child in public and "bottle feeders" must be banished to the nursing room. The nursing room is for mothers to feed their children with their breasts, not so the kid can drink out of a Playtex bottle.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

A Moment

There are many tragic moments that I have endured in my life such as my mother passing or even Quincy Carter as the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback but I don't know how I would ever react if anything happened to the Baby. Like I have said earlier, the Wifey and I were truly blessed that the pregnancy had minimal problems. We originally opted not to have any of the screening tests done during pregnancy like Downs Syndrome. We are big believers in fate and if that is the path that our first child would have walk down, then it is something we would walk down together as a family. When we told our doctor of the decision, she professionally suggested to get tested anyways. Her belief was that although fate would have it's way, it would still be wise to be prepared. The test wasn't 100% positive but it would at least give a medically reinforced opinion based on the results.

I really didn't want to put a somber beginning for this 4th of July weekend but I came across this article that deeply affected me. This is highly emotional and I will suggest not to watch/read if you aren't comfortable.

The Dallas Morning News recently had one of their photojournalists, Sonya N. Herbert, win the 2010 Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism on a piece she did about a couple who knew during pregnancy their child would live no longer than a week. The couple faced the dilemma of terminating the pregnancy early or give birth to their son knowing full well that he would die. The couple gave birth to their son and gave as much as love to him as his little heart could take. Ms. Herbert documented the birth and the following week to see the true emotion of unrelenting love. I watched it with the sound off because I couldn't bear to hear the emotion, I let Ms. Herbert's photographs narrate the ordeal. Here is the article : Choosing Thomas


It was very moving and heartbreaking article. I look at the Baby in amazement to see how far she has come and how much further she has to go. It only takes a moment to appreciate it.