Sad Mama

Over the weekend Ella pulled herself up and stood up for several seconds. 7 months have passed and she already has 6 teeth. Tonight I went up to check on Ella and she was on her tummy. She had rolled over all by herself for the first time. It all makes me quite sad as she already seems on the path to being a toddler. And then there's Ian...he's not helping the situation either. He seems to be growing up to fast also...setting up his own play dates and visiting with the neighbors all on his own. Where did he learn this stuff?!! What's a mom to do?

What do kids do when they go to bed?

The other night, Ian was up until after 9:00. Here's what he was doing:

Twins Opening Day Tradition

Last year, we started a new tradition. On opening day of the Twins season, we have a special Opening Day Dinner.

This year, the menu included hot dogs, pretzels, popcorn, peanuts in the shell, and chocolate milk. We spread a blanket on the living room floor and had a nice picnic.

Ian had a hard time with the peanuts but managed to talk me into cracking a few open for him. The unfortunate part is that Ian wasn't able to stay up long enough to see any of the game. Ella made it until about 7:30 but she was more interested in screeching and chewing on things.

It's a fund tradition and will be much more fun when Ian and Ella can play along!

Babytalk Magazine...ARGH

Every month, we get a complimentary copy of Babytalk magazine. [Image Credit: www.babytalk.com] Every month, I flip through it trying to find something that will help me be a better papa. Occasionally, I find some new fact or activity that I can use. But, every month, I close the magazine, throw it on the floor and vow to never read it again. Amy laughs and asks, "What did they print this month?" (Notice, I never actually stop reading it.)

Sometimes, I only get a few pages in. Other times, I make it close to the end. This month, I made it past the "Be Happy with You New Mom Body" (link) and the article how I should put my medicines out-of-reach. I made it all the way to page 61 and the article about "New Mom Aches" (link).

Here's the three "New Mom Aches" in order directly from the article:

• Nursing Mom Tendinitis

Obviously, I'm not breastfeeding (no comments from Adams, please). But I do spend time feeding my child. "The arm...becomes stiff from holding your child." Yes, I've experienced this. Mostly at 4:00 in the morning when Ella is sipping her bottle rather than gulping it down. And, wait, shocking, I'm a new papa.

• Car-Seat Elbow

"The loss of feeling in your elbow and arm from carrying your baby in her infant car seat." Yep, been there, done that.

• Baby-on-Hip Syndrome

I've never actually had this "syndrome" because I tend to not use my hip to carry Ella because, get this, it doesn't feel good.

I'm not trying to just complain. However, so many times, magazines about parenting, knowingly or not, imply that dads don't do the things that moms do. In my circle of friends, every dad I talk to is involved, at least equally, in their child's live, including feeding, carrying car seats, and, yes, even holding their child.

The headline of this article should have been: "New Parent Aches" and reached all the readers.

Babytalk isn't the only magazine that does this. Parents magazine recently published an article with the headline "The One Discipline Secret Every Mom Needs" (emphasis added, link). [Image credit: www.parents.com] This was printed right below where it says "Parents" (which implies mom and dad). I immediately turned to the article and it was about setting limits and expectations for your child. Dad's can't do this?

In the end, I guess I should just thank the editors and writers at both Babytalk and Parents. As a dad, no one is expecting anything from me. I can sit on the couch, watch football and drink as many ice cold Surly 16-Grit Ales as I please. Whose with me?

I'll be teaching my kids how to spell

I got this picture from someone following me on Twitter. Might be the best example of student work I've seen lately. Be sure to read the whole story.

Click the image to enlarge.

These Little Piggies

Ian pulled off his socks and started talking about the Little Piggies.

This little Piggy went to jail.
This little Piggy ate dinner at Papa's Pizza.
This little Piggy said, "Let's go to jail."
This little Piggy said, "Let's go to the office mark."
The last little Piggy went Wee-Wee-Wee all the way home.

What does this little story say about Papa's Pizza?