A-beetz

So, Ms. Kaz had to work late last night. This, of course, meant pizza night for me and my daughter. When I picked her up from daycare, I asked her if she wanted to eat the pizza at a restaurant or at home (knowing full well I’d get the answer I wanted – “restaurant!”). I then asked her where she wanted to go (knowing full well I’d get the answer I wanted – “Sally’s!”).

Well, we missed the first sitting at Sally’s, and I didn’t want to wait an hour for a table, so we wound up at Modern, which isn’t a bad alternative at all.

My daughter did great. She didn’t act up at all, and listened very well. We had great pizza, and we had a lot of fun just talking. It still amazes me that I can have conversations with a 2 1/2 year old. I even taught her how to say Apizza, as we call it here, correctly (A-beetz).

At one point, however, a man in the booth next to us got up to, persumably, use the men’s room. My daughter pointed and said, “That’s a very big man!” The man was a bit overweight and, although I don’t think he heard her, I shushed her and told her not to say that.

“Why?” she asked me. It was then that I realized that she was just being honest and likely proud that she knew something and was able to point it out.

I struggled to find a way to explain that I thought she would understand. I think I mumbled something like, “He’s very tall. You meant he was very tall, right?”

I felt silly, and I don’t think she quite got why she should say it. I realize stuff like this is going to happen more and more, and I am not really sure how to approach it. Anyone successfully dealt with this before?

That white stuff that falls out of the sky…

We finally got some real snow the other day. Or, at least what passes for real snow in Connecticut.

Ms. Kaz had the day off, so she and my daughter got to play in the stuff while I was off at work doing fun stuff like going to Budget Meetings.

They build this snowman, using a baby carrot for the nose, and black beans for the eyes and mouth.

It was looking a bit sad by the time I got home, but at least they took some pictures for me.  Hopefully, for many reasons, the next one will be on a weekend…

How About Two

Hey, all – just wanted to drop a quick note about Rob over at How About Two … I mentioned the other day that his wife finally gave birth to their twins – one boy, one girl. The boy, Doss, has been having a bit of a rollercoaster ride, health-wise, and naturally, that has had the effect of Rob and his Wife riding a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.

The latest update is on the good side, and it is nice to see the two of them smiling in the latest pictures. I’ve always enjoyed Rob’s writing. It is very engaging and keeps your interest. And, while I was a dad, and he was a dad-to-be, we both started “daddyblogging” around the same time. We’ve also always tried to help each other out by commenting on each other’s blogs. So, I feel a kind of bond with him, and hate to see  him going through all of this stuff with his son in NICU.

If you haven’t, go check out his blog, catch up on what’s going on, and just offer your best wishes for his family.

We’re pullin’ for ya, bud.

Big Girl Bed

Two weeks ago, when we brought up the subject of getting my daughter a Big Girl Bed, she resisted. She didn’t throw a fit about it, but she insisted she did not want a new bed. Strongly insisted. I guess it was a good thing they were out of stock…

We decided we would just get the bed (when it was back in stock!) and set it up somewhere, so she could get used to it on her own terms.

So, this weekend, we went off to purchase the bed. That’s when my daughter fell in love with a different bed at the store (okay, fine. If you must know, it was IKEA). Fortunately, this other bed was in stock.

We brought the bed home, with the intent of assembling it during her nap. Afterall, this gave us another incentive to use for a nap — “You need to make sure you take a good nap so daddy has enough time to put your new bed together!”

Of course this backfired. As soon as Ms. Kaz was about to put our daughter down for her nap, she began her fit — “I don’t want to sleep in my crib! I don’t like that old bed! I wanna sleep in new bed!” We tried to tell her that she needed to sleep one more time (“I don’t want one more time!“) in the crib so that I could put the bed together.

The really sad part came when we showed her that the bed was still in the box (“I wanna see it one more time!“). She went in, looked at the box, then laid down on top of the box and resumed crying.

She finally took a nap. Then the assembly fun began. It really wasn’t all that bad, except:

1. Wood slats were called for to support he mattress, which was really not very thick. Of course, they do not provide the slats. Fortunately, there is a Home Depot right around the corner.
2. The mattress Aisle/Bin location on the tag of the bed was the incorrect size. So, I had to return to IKEA to stand in line to return this mattress, then stand in line to buy the new one.
3. The correct mattress is not a standard size. It is bigger than a crib mattress, but smaller than a twin. Which meant I needed to buy a fitted sheet from IKEA. No problem — except they were out until 2 weeks from now.

In the end, my daughter got to sleep in her new Big Girl Bed, and was extremely excited to play and lay down in it. She didn’t even want to go downstairs for dinner.

She slept pretty well in it last night… until this morning. She awoke a little early (“Mommy… daddy… it’s mornin’ time!“), but fell back asleep. Or, was at least quiet. Until we hear a *thump* and a cry. She apparently whacked herself pretty good near the eye somewhere on the bed. I just hope this doesn’t sour her on the bed…

It was amazing to see her go so quickly from one extreme (“I don’t want a Big Girl Bed!“) to the other (“Wanna sleep in new bed NOW!“) so quickly. Although, it did make Ms. Kaz a bit sad that her little baby was growing up. Me? I hope potty training will go like this someday. Someday soon.

Not a baby anymore…

It amazes me to look at my daughter. I mean, to really look at her. I look at her and realize she isn’t a baby anymore. In some ways, she isn’t even a little girl. To me, she is becoming a “big girl”.

Whiffleboy has a great post on this over at DadCentric.

I think that surprises me the most is the development in language. I know they tend to pick stuff up from us, but hearing it really makes them seem like little adults. Here are a few recent examples:

The first one occurred as I was changing my daughter the other day. She was doing something which frustrated me, so, as I tend to do, I let out a frustrated *sigh*. I noticed my daughter trying to sigh a couple times, then she said, “What’s that mean?”

“What does what mean, sweetie?”

She sighed again. “What does that mean?”

Well, now I felt bad. I had done this before, and, although she seemed to know that it meant I was getting frustrated with her behavior, she never asked what it meant.

“It means… sometimes, mommy and daddy get a little tired, and that’s why we do that.”

I managed to remove a little guilt by (a) drawing mommy into it, and (b) kinda-sorta telling the truth, but not really telling her the truth.

The second occasion was a conversation my wife was telling me about with our daughter.

It seems my daughter was having a fit about going potty before going to Big Kid School. Lately, this fits have becoming lying-on-the-ground-tears-running-down-the-face-crying fits. We usually try to wait them out, while occasionally offering comfort. Well, in the middle of this fit, my daughter stands up, and walks into another room, telling Ms. Kaz, “I need to be away from you right now.”

Addendum: This is a follow-up to my daughter going to Big Kid School, as I will call it, as I mentioned yesterday, but still sort of fits here. When I picked up my daughter from her last day of this short stint, she seemed to act… somehow… more grown-up. I can’t explain it, but I think even this short time there, in that type of enviornment, has helped her. I ran my thoughts by Ms. Kaz, and she agreed.

Independence Day

“I don’t want her to be, you know, ignored.”

The above quote is from Ms. Kaz. The same Ms. Kaz who worries that we are spoiling our daughter.

That quote is in reference to our daughter going to “big kid school” — the pre-school/daycare our daughter will be going to, starting this summer. She is going there this week as a part-trial-period, part-place-to-go-while-her-daycare-provider-takes-a-vacation.

In a way, I know what Ms. Kaz means. At my daughter’s current daycare, there is just her and another boy her age. Occasionally, an older boy will be there. So, she gets a lot of attention there.

Her daycare provider and her husband are old enough to have grandkids my daugher’s age. But they don’t. So my daughter is like a grandchild to them. They dote on her, and they spoil her — especially for her birthday and Christmas.

On the other hand, her new daycare has more kids. It is more structured, like a preschool. And they do not know her personality and quirks yet.

In other words, she won’t be as “special” there. And to parents, their kids are always special.

Yet, at the same time, we know it is important for her to no longer be treated quite so special. And I think she is ready for it. Lately, she has really been asserting her independence. We hear, “No, I want to do it!” a lot. We also hear, “You can’t go there/do that, daddy! That’s for big kids only, all right?”

All this leads me to believe she’s ready for a little more independence, and that a new school where she can learn to interact, share, and learn with more kids (and some older and younger than her) is a good thing.

I think we’re just not ready to admit she’s not a little baby anymore…

The Big Talk (Part XII)

Several versions of the following conversation have happened over the past couple of weeks…

Me: So, sweetie, if mommy and daddy have another baby, would you like a brother, or a sister?
Daughter: A sister!
Me: Oh, that wou–
Daughter: And a brother!
Ms. Kaz: Sweetie, you can’t have both…
Me: Well, actually…
Ms. Kaz: Oh, god, no!
Daughter: A sister and a brother!
Me: You realize, she’s probably cursed us now…

New (old) Daddyblogger

Everyone stop over at How About Two and welcome Rob to the world of Daddyblogging. He made the transition from dad-to-be to just dad yesterday.

And in a big way — twins!

Like I said, I look forward to Rob’s thoughts on being a dad…

Something fishy

I hear a lot of talk on the blogs lately regarding that recent study “linking” fish consumption during pregnancy to the child’s neurological development. Or, most specifically, the child’s ability to protect itself from “adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes”.

Mostly what they seem to be saying is that the benefits of eating fish for the nutrients it does provide outweights the negatives of eating fish. Basically, it seems to come down to Omega-3’s versus mercury.

This is fine. If you eat fish, and can get the benefits from eating it, that’s great.

But if it really comes down to Omega-3 consumption, then I am disappointed in the news outlets, and the blogs downplaying alternative sources of Omega-3’s. These sources are especially important to vegetarian pregnant women who wish to remain vegetarian during their pregnancy.

Vegetarians aside, it would be beneficial to promote these alternate choices to all mothers. Combining use of these other sources with even more limited fish consumption can help women reduce the risks associated with mercury consumption.

You like me! You really like me!

… or you hate me. I can’t decide. Either way, I’ve been tagged again. This time for 5 Odd Things About Me. I’m not sure I can totally separate this from 6 Things You Don’t Know About Me, but I will try.

1. I almost constantly make sound. Okay, I am getting better, but I think this is a big reason why my parents wanted me out of the house. Whether it is whistling, making funny noises, tapping, snapping or doing my human beatbox thing, I always seem to feel the need to make sound.

2. I like most foods that start with ‘P’. Dare I say, I have a penchant for foods which start with ‘P’ ?? Pizza, popcorn, peanut butter, pasta, potato chips, pears (I always tell my wife that while I like apples better, I still appreciate a nice pear) even pancakes.

3. My wife always tells me it isn’t OCD, but I like to have routines for doing things. Whether it is morning rituals or bedtime rituals, I tend to do things in the same order and the same way. I always need to have things in the same place. When my mother-in-law visits, god bless her for helping out and doing the dishes, but she — through no fault of her own! — doesn’t always put stuff exactly where we put it.

Those were the easy ones… let’s see if I can finish this list off…

4. In my life, or at least since I was about 5, I’ve only had three people cut my hair. And one of those people only cut it, like, 2 or 3 times. And it isn’t like I have long hair — I get it cut 4 or 5 times a year. Of course, I do it when I go “back home”, which is about 6 hours away.

Did I mention that I have a fear of sloths..?

5. Okay, maybe this isn’t so odd, but I tend to research stuff to death before making major, or even some small buying decisions. Yet, despite all the research, it still takes me a long time to finally pull the trigger. I research.. come to a decision.. research some more.. change my mind.. research some more.. My father-in-law will research a thing to death. But, he’ll do it in 2 or 3 days, then make his decision and stand by it. I think the problem is, if you look hard enough, you will find someone who has something negative to say about anything.

I guess I am the same way with posts sometimes. I will write, and revise, and it will wind up taking me a week to answer something as simple as 5 odd things about me.

And now I have to pass this on, eh? Okay, I will give fellow CT dad, Clare’s Dad a chance to answer this one…

The Happiest Place on Earth – Days 4, 5, 6

One of the reasons we chose to stay at the Beach Club was to get a 1-bedroom unit with a kitchen. The other was because they have the best pools of any of the resorts. At least that’s what the reviews stated.

But time was running out for the pool. The first day turned out to be the best swimming day, but we had no opportunity. The second day was pretty good, but we spent the morning in the Animal Kingdom, and we wanted our daughter to have a good nap before Ms. Kaz and I went out for the evening.

Day 5 was our last full day, so we wanted to spend the whole day (minus nap, of course) at a park. Day 6 was an early flight, so… that left Day 4.

To Be or Not To Be

I’ve been “tagged” by LA Daddy. I am supposed to tell you 6 Things You Don’t Know About Me.

I’ve always seen other people being tagged, and I’ve seen people not respond to being tagged. Part of me always thought I would be in the latter group.

But then I was tagged. And I realized that if I did not respond, people might be … offended? Turned off? I dunno. I respect LA Daddy, though, and I love his writing. I am honored he chose me! And this one really isn’t that bad. So, assuming I can come up with 6 while still respecting my family’s privacy, I will do it.

But I still reserve the right to decline one I think will be too… personal.

1. I’ve mentioned before that I do a lot of voices. But the one I am most proud of is my Alf voice. I’ve been told it is dead on. And c’mon — how many people can do an Alf voice. I’ve not even heard Rich Little do an Alf voice!

2. I’ve won an Emmy. I do work in the television field. Sure, I work in technology, but for a company in the television industry. And the work we do in our technology group is vital to the shows we put out.

Okay, 2 down, 4 to go. I really wish I hadn’t previously mentioned my fear of sloths…

3. I’ve been a computer geek for over 30 years now. My father was a computer programmer, thanks to the army, and got us (what I assume is) a good deal on an Apple ][ computer in Connecticut (we lived in the Buffalo area). So, in third grade, I had a computer in my home. Within a couple years, I was do some very basic programming, and running my own BBS system. And if I haven’t convinced you of my geekiness in my younger days yet — I used to play Dungeons and Dragons.

4. I play a little guitar. No, I don’t mean I play a ukulele. I mean I have three guitars and every once in a while I will pick one up and play. Of course, my daughter always has to play one of the others, but that’s cool. I hope she does have an interest in music. Anyhow, thanks to the internet and on-line guitar tabs, plus some talented friends, I am pretty much self-taught. I am not great, but I’ve written a couple nice ditties for “the kitten” and one for my daughter when she was younger.

5. My first “celebrity crush” was in 3rd grade, and it was Dorothy Hamil. Hey, I was in 3rd grade!

6. I have a gym membership. Don’t worry – I don’t think the people at the gym know about this either. I like to think I get enough exercise chasing a 2 1/2 year old around, but who am I kidding? Certainly not our scale.

So now I am supposed to tag someone else and hope they forgive me… I will choose Tessa over at BoobJuiceFactory because I like her writing and think everyone should go check her blog out… plus I am not sure I’ve seen her do one of these yet.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve been tagged again! (I’d be angry at How About Two’s Rob, but he’s having twins, so he’ll get his due!)