Monday, August 29, 2011

Some Pictures!

SPRAY PARK!

You brush your kid's teeth with a Sonicare one time and that's the only way they want do it from then on.


Dear Baby

Dear Baby:

I want preface this letter that over these past 17 months you have been awesome. You manage to make us laugh, smile, and almost have a heart attack all at the same time with some of your antics. You have been so delightful and fun and have definitely added an entire new dimension to our lives. So that's why I really hate to tell you this, but we need a break.

It's not you, it's us. You've been the ideal baby without a doubt. Your parents just need some time to be alone - to breathe, to sleep, to not wonder if it's been too long since you've last ate, to not have to worry just because you've gone quiet for one minute too long.

You have never been apart from at least one of us for over 24 hours for the past 17 months - over two years if you include the time you were in the womb. I think we can both agree that we need some time apart. Nothing too drastic, maybe a night where I don't have to worry about rolling over you and crushing you with my daddy weight. Or a morning where I can make breakfast and not have to share with you. Selfish, I know, but it get's annoying when I have to split my breakfast with you, only for you to share it with the dog.

Not cool Baby, not cool.

Maybe one day your 'Nana will have a girls' sleepover and your mom and I can hop a plane somewhere. Or maybe one of your aunts will fight each other to see who gets the pleasure of sharing a bed with you. Either way, we're all due for a break.

I hope you don't take this letter too personally, in fact, I am pretty sure you will agree. And if you don't, just remember your mom and I love you very much.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Happy 17 Months

Happy 17 months to the Baby. You started off as the coolest, cutest baby and now you're becoming a little devil child.

Oh what, you love climbing things and then jumping off with no fear or idea of recourse? Sure, go right ahead!

After 16 months of perfect crib sleeping, you decide you hate your room and your crib and must sleep in our bed? Sounds good to us!

You like to scream and yell while running throughout the house, tormenting the dog? You earned it!

Need a little help feeding yourself? Oh you don't? You have to spoon feed yourself EVERYTHING? That shouldn't be a problem, do whatever you want.

Happy 17 months, despite your craziness, you're still the most awesome kid I know.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Pho Dance

Every week the Baby and I try to go and have our pho lunch date. I am training her now to love pho and Vietnamese food and so far it's working. Here is her post pho dance:




A New Addition

Well, as the title says, we have a new addition to our family. The Wifey and I have been talking about it for awhile and we really felt the Baby needed someone else to hang out with and become best friends. I mean, seriously, here she is at Old Navy making friends with the mannequins and the fake dog. Apparently the dog had something funny to say as the Baby starts laughing towards the end of the video.



So we did it. Although I really didn't want to do it, the Wifey convinced me otherwise with a good dinner and some drinks.

We hired an au-pair.

Now, the Wifey will argue and say that the term "au pair" is incorrect because technically she isn't from another country. But she did move all the way from Maryland (not for us, although it would be very flattering if she did) and Maryland is just as foreign to Texas. So I will refer to our new addition as the "Nanny".

With the Wifey getting a new job and working different hours and myself working later shifts, we needed a caretaker to watch the Baby during the off hours. Plus by hiring the Nanny, it will really lessen the burden of the grandmother watching the Baby multiple days a week. And now I don't have to worry if the Baby is being spoon fed coffee in the mornings.

The Nanny seems to be very like minded as the Wifey, which is a good thing for the Baby and a bad thing for me. Now I might have to get yelled at twice for letting the Baby eat ice cream straight out of the carton.

It's going to be an interesting transition but so far the Baby has taken a liking to the Nanny. She doesn't officially start until next week so we have some time to break the Baby of her bad habits so the Nanny doesn't think we are the worst parents ever.


So if you are ever out and about and happen to see the cutest Baby ever with some strange woman, don't be alarmed, it's her new best friend.

Baby Fashion Show

It's really hard for me to actually dress the Baby up. It is really easy for me to just throw on a onesie and some shoes and then call it a day. But the Wifey wants the Baby to look cute, with a flowy dress, matching headband, and cute shoes. She does not want bloomers that do not match; or anything that is too big or too small or out of season. For example, Christmas shirts, although super duper cute, are not good for the middle of the summer.

So what is the solution? Dress your baby in whatever you want; whatever is the cleanest and easiest to put on. And when someone asks about the interesting choice of clothes, you simply say, "oh the baby picked out her own outfit." That's all you need to say. If anything, you will get mad props for being the cool dad that let's his kids pick out their own clothes.

Turn any sleep sack into a fashionable item by adding pants. Sans pants and I call it a dress.

Poor Baby dressed herself and didn't realize that dresses come with the bloomers attached. Silly baby.

Accessorize your baby with underwear, preferably clean.
Rockin' the one shoe by choice

A Different Approach

My webmaster and literary director has decided she wanted a new look, a different approach to the blog. This blog needs a little more direction and organization.

To all my faithful readers, I am also looking to enhance this blog with a new design and layout. Any recommendations would be awesome.

So here it goes...

Friday, August 12, 2011

Children & Technology

I saw an article a few days ago that discussed the increase of technology in childrens' lives nowadays.

I didn't read the article.

Although it sounded interesting and being a new father I should have investigated but I guess I was afraid of being guilty of whatever the article said not to do. But it's so hard to steer the Baby away from technology. We didn't introduce any television until she was at least one (although her grandmother may or may not have snuck in some Elmo time) it was still hard to keep her away from technology.

I work in the technology industry; I am either on my phone, my laptop, my tablet, or my other phone and sometimes it's a combination of all of them. Which easily explains why the Baby knew how to put the phone to her ear or how she will rest the phone on her shoulder and have the weight of her head pin it down to her shoulder.

It also explains why we had to dust off an old, broken laptop so the Baby could play. She has a nice little LeapFrog laptop but I guess she would rather have the real thing. I think we ended up pissing her off even more because the laptop we gave her weighs about 8lbs - and that was a lightweight laptop a few years ago.

The Baby also understands the concept of touchscreen. She will slide her finger across the screen and vigorously tap until it performs the action she wants.

Do I think technology is bad? Like anything, it's all about consumption and moderation. It was bound to happen that our kids are going to know how to do crap on computers before we can. I think with the Baby she interacts with everyone although she's a little shy and she has probably the most advanced imagination for anyone her age. Ask her to cook you something in her kitchen, I am pretty sure it will be delicious.


So this video was taken long before that article - technology overkill.


Wednesday, August 3, 2011

A Tomboy

Deep down inside, I really wanted the Baby to be a little tomboyish. I wanted someone I could throw the football around or I could teach some cool soccer moves - I really wanted to cheer her on at her soccer games or basketball games or anything competitive.

But for some reason, the Baby is such a girly girl. She loves jewelry, she loves putting anything around her neck and walking around the house. She has to carry some kind of purse but it ends being anything with a strap, whether its a trash bag or her mom's bras. And recently she found a brush and started to apply makeup to her face. I don't know who has taught her that. She has officially put on more makeup than her own mother and she's only 16 months.

She hates it when her hands are dirty and she tries on every article of clothing she can find. And on some occasion she will throw a ball or kick it around but she is an extreme girl. Maybe she gets it from her grandmother.

Maybe they will have competitive shopping.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

BlackBerry Picture Dump

Watching Monsters Inc as she sits on my calves


Cheesin' #1

Cheesin' #2

Pho Date


Cheesin' #3

Cheesin' #4


being shy

Cheesin' #5

BEING CRAZY!



Sleepin'

being lazy

JELL-O!