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Saturday, October 19, 2013
FIVE MONTHS!
Porter is just one short month away from being half a year old! They always say the second kid grows up faster and they are exactly right! This has been a big month for little Porter-he battled an ear infection and the croup, he finished getting his second tooth and we moved him out of his first house.
At five months, Porter is:
-really close to sitting up on his own. He sometimes folds in half or flops over, but he's definitely on the brink!
-deliberately reaching for things and playing with toys. Most things go straight into his mouth.
-starting to develop his own little personality that is completely different from Paxton's. He is a lot more serious except when someone is paying attention to him. He always has a smile for everyone and usually even some giggles. He talks A LOT. And he squeals A LOT. He has to have a little blankie over his face when he takes a nap and he's still swaddled at night. Paxton always wakes up happy, but Porter needs a little time to wake up all the way before he's in a good mood.
-sleeping better now that he's over his ear infection. He usually goes to sleep around 8:30 and then has a little snack around 10:30. He usually sleeps until 5-6, eats and goes back to sleep until about 8:00.
-nursing exclusively. We haven't started solids yet except for a few bites of banana or tiny tastes of other things here and there. We are planning on waiting until closer to 6 months like we did with Pax. We haven't tried rice cereal again since his sleep regression and don't have any plans to.
-wearing size 2 diapers and 3-6 or 6 month clothes. I can tell he's smaller than Paxton was at this age because Pax had already moved up to 9 month clothes by now.
-really easy to take places. He still falls asleep in his car seat on almost every car ride and is content in his car seat for the span of a shopping trip or a meal out.
-such a cuddler. He loves to be held, or at least be touching someone at all times. He holds our hands or grabs our faces and holds on. He has also started giving big, sloppy baby kisses which he thinks is hilarious I think is the sweetest thing ever.
We are having so much fun learning about his personality and watching him learn new things. With Pax I was always so excited for the next milestone that I didn't enjoy the things that made him a baby as much as I should have. This time I'm focusing on the babyness and maybe trying to keep Porter little for as long as I can.
At five months, Porter is:
-really close to sitting up on his own. He sometimes folds in half or flops over, but he's definitely on the brink!
-deliberately reaching for things and playing with toys. Most things go straight into his mouth.
-starting to develop his own little personality that is completely different from Paxton's. He is a lot more serious except when someone is paying attention to him. He always has a smile for everyone and usually even some giggles. He talks A LOT. And he squeals A LOT. He has to have a little blankie over his face when he takes a nap and he's still swaddled at night. Paxton always wakes up happy, but Porter needs a little time to wake up all the way before he's in a good mood.
-sleeping better now that he's over his ear infection. He usually goes to sleep around 8:30 and then has a little snack around 10:30. He usually sleeps until 5-6, eats and goes back to sleep until about 8:00.
-nursing exclusively. We haven't started solids yet except for a few bites of banana or tiny tastes of other things here and there. We are planning on waiting until closer to 6 months like we did with Pax. We haven't tried rice cereal again since his sleep regression and don't have any plans to.
-wearing size 2 diapers and 3-6 or 6 month clothes. I can tell he's smaller than Paxton was at this age because Pax had already moved up to 9 month clothes by now.
-really easy to take places. He still falls asleep in his car seat on almost every car ride and is content in his car seat for the span of a shopping trip or a meal out.
-such a cuddler. He loves to be held, or at least be touching someone at all times. He holds our hands or grabs our faces and holds on. He has also started giving big, sloppy baby kisses which he thinks is hilarious I think is the sweetest thing ever.
We are having so much fun learning about his personality and watching him learn new things. With Pax I was always so excited for the next milestone that I didn't enjoy the things that made him a baby as much as I should have. This time I'm focusing on the babyness and maybe trying to keep Porter little for as long as I can.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Santa isn't taking my credit
The whole concept of Santa is crazy to me. I believed when I was growing up. But now, it's not as practical anymore. Santa used to bring wooden blocks. Now he's supposed to be bringing a Nintendo DS and an iPad.
That's not happening in my family. Things are going to flip flop. I won't be the dad who makes his kid be the lone wolf because he's the only one in class who doesn't believe in Santa. But if I'm buying an awesome and expensive present then I want the credit. Santa now brings underwear, socks and books.
My kid isn't at the age where he can even walk three steps without falling. But when he's of age he won't be as excited about a fictitious obese man creeping his way into our house in the middle of the night because the red bag is full of clothes. Sorry Santa.
That's not happening in my family. Things are going to flip flop. I won't be the dad who makes his kid be the lone wolf because he's the only one in class who doesn't believe in Santa. But if I'm buying an awesome and expensive present then I want the credit. Santa now brings underwear, socks and books.
My kid isn't at the age where he can even walk three steps without falling. But when he's of age he won't be as excited about a fictitious obese man creeping his way into our house in the middle of the night because the red bag is full of clothes. Sorry Santa.
Friday, November 2, 2012
My son and Siri
Paxton has taken an interest to iPhones as of late. Better news? He has learned to talk with Siri. And it's as crazy as it could be for a toddler who can't talk yet. It's like he's drinking. Here's the conversation as he get progressively intoxicated.
His first word.
A random word with a little bit or slur.
And then it's some random question out of no where.
And then it's the random words that for a question that doesn't make sense.
And then it's the question with a lot of fake words.
And then it's "can't say your name right" time.
Followed by his best seal impression.
And then ending with total incoherency.
His first word.
A random word with a little bit or slur.
And then it's some random question out of no where.
And then it's the random words that for a question that doesn't make sense.
And then it's the question with a lot of fake words.
And then it's "can't say your name right" time.
Followed by his best seal impression.
And then ending with total incoherency.
Monday, October 29, 2012
The small victories
Paxton's at an age where he just gets what he wants. He's at the age where "no" doesn't do a whole lot and time out is new and fun. If he wants the book read, it's going to get read. If he wants to throw picture frames all over living room so that's what he does.
As crazy as it drives me I get the chance for small victories. Paxton enjoys pushing the buttons on the side of the TV which is great in the middle of a football game. What's even better is when he eats and then rubs his greasy hands on the TV screen.
Nothing beat the look on his face when we took care of that problem.
As crazy as it drives me I get the chance for small victories. Paxton enjoys pushing the buttons on the side of the TV which is great in the middle of a football game. What's even better is when he eats and then rubs his greasy hands on the TV screen.
Nothing beat the look on his face when we took care of that problem.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Toddler Envy
1. No one rubs me down with lotion at night. And if I don't bathe myself then I'm never clean.
2. When I'm running a fever no one sets there with a Pedialyte popsicle and slowly lets me suck on it.
3. I don't get a foot rub if I have a blister from walking. In fact, I get told to quit acting like a baby and not to look at WebMD to make sure it's not some viral infection.
4. No one claps and praises me for walking, using a spoon, saying "thank you" or any other simple task.
5. If I do the splits I'll end up in the hospital.
6. I can't eat cold things without a pain shooting through my mouth.
7. I can't just walk up to my wife's computer and start banging on the keys and get away with it.
8. I don't get a continuous shower of gifts every time I see my aunts, uncles or grandparents.
9. My doctor tells me to stop gaining weight. In fact, people poke his belly and think it's cute. They look at me and say "you don't look like you're missing too many meals these days"
10. If I take a shot in my manhood nothing retracts into my body to avoid the splintering pain.
2. When I'm running a fever no one sets there with a Pedialyte popsicle and slowly lets me suck on it.
3. I don't get a foot rub if I have a blister from walking. In fact, I get told to quit acting like a baby and not to look at WebMD to make sure it's not some viral infection.
4. No one claps and praises me for walking, using a spoon, saying "thank you" or any other simple task.
5. If I do the splits I'll end up in the hospital.
6. I can't eat cold things without a pain shooting through my mouth.
7. I can't just walk up to my wife's computer and start banging on the keys and get away with it.
8. I don't get a continuous shower of gifts every time I see my aunts, uncles or grandparents.
9. My doctor tells me to stop gaining weight. In fact, people poke his belly and think it's cute. They look at me and say "you don't look like you're missing too many meals these days"
10. If I take a shot in my manhood nothing retracts into my body to avoid the splintering pain.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
College bound?
There's a lot of talk going on about whether a college degree is worth the money that a student and his family has to cough up. With the economy where it is and the rising costs of tuition many high school grads are picking the military, labor jobs or vocational training as a viable option to the 4-year college program.
The problem is that we don't have the high paying labor/skill jobs at the level that we used to. So, parents are forcing their kids to college. As a result, we have kids getting degrees at a record high and no jobs.
So how does this apply to Paxton (and our little fetus)? My wife and I were talking about this topic last night. Would we force Paxton to go to college if it didn't seem like a good fit for him?
Student loan debt is above one trillion dollars and now exceeds credit card debt. My student loan payment consumes more than 10% of my income. I went to an affordable school but I was forced to make a career decision at 18 years old. So I took a lot of classes before I found my way. Others are pressured by their parents to do things in college they don't want to do like med school. So they end up spending two years and thousands in student loans just to change or drop out.
I believe that happiness in life is all about finding what you love to do and finding a way to make a living at it. Some of us are cursed and we love art, music or literature. We're told that those are just hobbies because we can't make a lot of money in it. It might be harder to make the money you need to live in certain areas but that doesn't mean we should give up. It's about being creative. There's a Zen saying about true happiness coming when work and your personal life are blended together because you're happy in both.
Do I want Paxton to be a doctor? Maybe. Do I want him to be a skilled auto painter or plumber? Maybe. I want Paxton to find what makes him happy and to support his family and himself doing it. That may mean the traditional college route out of high school, but it may not. You might think it's too early to be talking about stuff like this when he's only two. I disagree. The decisions that he makes for himself at the age of 18 are based on the philosophy he was brought up on. I won't tell him what he should do at that time but I will bring him up in such a way that he makes decisions that are right for him and not me.
The problem is that we don't have the high paying labor/skill jobs at the level that we used to. So, parents are forcing their kids to college. As a result, we have kids getting degrees at a record high and no jobs.
So how does this apply to Paxton (and our little fetus)? My wife and I were talking about this topic last night. Would we force Paxton to go to college if it didn't seem like a good fit for him?
Student loan debt is above one trillion dollars and now exceeds credit card debt. My student loan payment consumes more than 10% of my income. I went to an affordable school but I was forced to make a career decision at 18 years old. So I took a lot of classes before I found my way. Others are pressured by their parents to do things in college they don't want to do like med school. So they end up spending two years and thousands in student loans just to change or drop out.
I believe that happiness in life is all about finding what you love to do and finding a way to make a living at it. Some of us are cursed and we love art, music or literature. We're told that those are just hobbies because we can't make a lot of money in it. It might be harder to make the money you need to live in certain areas but that doesn't mean we should give up. It's about being creative. There's a Zen saying about true happiness coming when work and your personal life are blended together because you're happy in both.
Do I want Paxton to be a doctor? Maybe. Do I want him to be a skilled auto painter or plumber? Maybe. I want Paxton to find what makes him happy and to support his family and himself doing it. That may mean the traditional college route out of high school, but it may not. You might think it's too early to be talking about stuff like this when he's only two. I disagree. The decisions that he makes for himself at the age of 18 are based on the philosophy he was brought up on. I won't tell him what he should do at that time but I will bring him up in such a way that he makes decisions that are right for him and not me.
Monday, October 15, 2012
You love me more than Pepsi?
I don't know if something's wrong with me but I just don't have a ton of vivid memories of my early childhood. My wife and her sisters remember everything. Maybe something's wrong with them. It's not like I don't remember anything. I just have short quips in my mind that I specifically remember.
One of those memories was with my Dad who was an avid Pepsi drinker (maybe not so much anymore). We were in a store somewhere and I remember asking him if he loved me more than Pepsi. His response was "of course son. I love you more than you'll ever know" To him it was one of those funny things kids say. To me, it was an authentic question that I wanted an answer to.
We always laugh at what kids say because as Bill Cosby put it, they do say the darnest things. But those questions come with authentic concern. And our answers shape their perception. For me, a simple yes was good enough. I believed it. What if he said something like "I don't know son, it's a close call" or something as innocent as that. Obviously he's joking but to me maybe not. And he sees my concern and corrects it but how I perceived that emotion is with me today.
So, basically there's a good chance I'm going to screw this up.
One of those memories was with my Dad who was an avid Pepsi drinker (maybe not so much anymore). We were in a store somewhere and I remember asking him if he loved me more than Pepsi. His response was "of course son. I love you more than you'll ever know" To him it was one of those funny things kids say. To me, it was an authentic question that I wanted an answer to.
We always laugh at what kids say because as Bill Cosby put it, they do say the darnest things. But those questions come with authentic concern. And our answers shape their perception. For me, a simple yes was good enough. I believed it. What if he said something like "I don't know son, it's a close call" or something as innocent as that. Obviously he's joking but to me maybe not. And he sees my concern and corrects it but how I perceived that emotion is with me today.
So, basically there's a good chance I'm going to screw this up.
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