The Holiday Season!

Christmas is in the air! Hello all, and welcome to the wonderful world of Addy and Daddy. Hope that everyone is enjoying their Christmas season thus far, as I know that we are.

This year is Addy's first Christmas, obviously, and we are truly excited. While I believe that the hundreds of dollars spent on her toys and gifts will be overlooked for the joys of the ribbons and wrapping paper, I am very excited to experience this 1st Christmas as a family.

To get Addy into the Christmas spirit, we decided we would take her to the mall to see jolly ole' St. Nick himself. Below is what the outcome was:

Y'all think I am enjoying this?

It was fun. She didn't cry, but she did get this look on her face like "Why is this guy holding me, and how long are you going to let me sit here?" Like I said before, she didn't cry, but maybe it was because I recognized the subtle little cues she gives before she enters full-on "beast mode". A little drool starts coming out (as seen in the photo), she would look at santa, then back to me, then to santa, then to me, as if to say, "This is not you, and I know that", and she makes her hands into little fists, and I mean white knuckle fists. So maybe Daddy snatched her off the old man's leg before she reached that point.

After finally overcoming my anger/surprise that a picture with Santa these days will run you $22.41, and the bewilderment I had that the ladies working seemed very perplexed that I wanted to actually look at my picture before buying it, we were out of the mall, and on to bigger and better things.

We painted our first ornaments as a family, a tradition that I grew up doing and look forward to continuing with Addy, Kelly, and my future children. Just so you guys know, I once painted a little nutcracker soldier when I was around the age of 8 or so that would have made Picasso cry...and I don't mean good tears. Why my parents didn't push art, you would know by taking one look at that ornament. All in good fun though, and I like to think I've progressed.

For your amusement, check out my sweet soldier:

BOOM! Even the soldier shed a few tears...

These guys are the ornaments that we did for 2011:

Kelly's Ornament

Sam's Ornament

Addy's Ornament
(Painted by Daddy)

Hall Family Ornament 2011

We are excited to spend the holidays with our families, making memories that will last forever. I know though, that I will ALWAYS remember our first true "Family Christmas".

Until next time. Merry Christmas.

Blessings,
-SH

'Tis The Season

Hello friends. Hope that all is well this Holiday Season. As for us, it has been eventful.

We rolled through Halloween with not much action; Addy dressed up for all of 15 seconds, and we thought we wouldn't have any trick-or-treaters because last year we had 1, so we cut back on the candy, and wouldn't you know...Let's just say this, I had to go to the pantry and get fruit snacks to give the last few kids. I couldn't send them away empty handed. So if by some miracle you are the parent of one of those children and you found your way to my blog, I'm sorry, and feel free to stop by for a snickers or kit-kat, because let's face it, you know when your child dumped out his/her candy you were like "Wow, who gives out fruit snacks". Guilty.

I digress...

We hit Thanksgiving, and it was a little bittersweet this year. We usually are home with both sides of the family, relaxing and most of all WATCHING them cook. However, Kelly had to work Thanksgiving day this year, so we stayed at the house, I tried my hand at making a turkey, and Addy tried her hands, literally, into the mash potatoes and sweet potatoes. I like to think I make some mean sweet potatoes because Addy wouldn't eat the sweet potato Kelly made her, but Kelly says it's all the brown sugar that was on them. Agree to Disagree. Needless to say it turned out well, and Kelly and I created our first family Thanksgiving.

Now is the Christmas season, and this is one our family really enjoys. We went and got some family pictures done, along with Addy's individuals, since were are a little behind, and they turned out awesome. So for our family that may see a picture on here, and under the tree, act surprised.

We made our first Christmas card this year, and they turned out great. Kelly has been begging to put up decorations since Halloween, but I am a firm believer in giving thanks for our blessings through Thanksgiving, then we can put the decorations up the Friday after. It's always important to give thanks, and much more remember where our blessings come from.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE HALL'S

Anyways, the tree is up, lights are on the house, and in the house, and there are a few presents under the tree. Addy is fascinated by the lights, and good thing she doesn't move around too well because our tree would be destroyed. She loves the grinch, and Max his little dog, and it made me smile to show her the lights on the house and watch her smile. I know what you are thinking...but I say she can see them and knows exactly what they are.

A little about Addy...

She has officially moved into her crib in her room. While it is nice to have my room back, I miss the little beast being right there. Even though she is 15 feet away, if something were to happen it seems that I couldn't get there fast enough. However, no more tip-toeing around the room in the dark, walking stiff legged to prevent my ankles from popping, and most of all being able to flush the toilet without fear of Addy waking up. Just kidding about the last part...but really, she would wake up.

I love my little family, and I know that this year is the first of many wonderful holiday seasons. I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and never forget the true meaning of the season.

Until next time...

Blessings,
-SH

Rolling Along

Hello all, and welcome to a long overdue entry into the life that is Addy and Daddy. I know it has been a while, but I will do my best to catch you up without being too long winded.

Let's start with a little picture time-line of some fun events we have seen during our time away...

Here we go...

The Rangers broke our hearts...

...but unlike Daddy, I didn't lose sleep over it...

I had my first Halloween, in which I lasted about 15 seconds in my costume...

I learned how to take off my bow, which drives Mommy crazy...

I hit 5 friends on my facebook profile...

I never miss Sons of Anarchy...

I out-grew my bathtub and moved to the luxurious "Spa de la Sink"

And I had my first Hoodie experience...

Addy is growing like a weed. It seems like she is learning something new everyday. It is crazy because we will be like, "Look she is trying to sit up", and then the next day we are saying, "Oh My Goodness! She is sitting up!". Yes it happens that fast.

Addy is also becoming mobile, rolling across the floor to get where she needs to go. She also loves to roll across the room and find Bella snoring so she can pet her. She still has a hard time getting both of her arms under her to lift up when she is rolling over, so a lot of the time she reminds me of a turtle that is stuck on its back trying to flip over. It is the funniest thing.

This is where I was a second ago...

...but this is where I like to be

Along with starting to find our way around the house, we have started to eat baby food. It is funny because we started with the rice cereal, and after a couple of attempts is was very evident that she did not like the grit-looking mush that was rice cereal and breast milk, and honestly I don't blame her. We finally started giving her baby food and oh my. All I can say is good thing that the little jars of food cost only $0.40 because more of it ends up on her face, in my arm hairs, or caked to her bumbo than in her mouth. Needless to say, she usually eats in only her diaper with the bath stuff prepared and waiting, and she makes her way straight from the bumbo to the bath. Fun times.

I did eat some of it...

We also have reached the great milestone of the first pearly white. Shining so proudly on the bottom right side of Addy's mouth sits her very first tooth. We knew that it was coming in as her attitude changed, she became fussy, and I felt a raised spot on her gum. However, we will give Kelly the full credit of the discovery, and I will let you use your imagination how she felt that the sharp little guy was there : )...But seriously, don't overdue the imagining...seriously.

She is a crazy little girl, and we can only sit and laugh about the little wild-child she will be when she starts really moving around. We will blame that on Kelly, she was pretty crazy little girl.

I thank God every day for the blessing Addy is to our lives, and as I am at work and school and see the babies that are sick and may not recover, I say an extra prayer because I know that the Ultimate Healer laid his hands directly on my baby girl and healed her. It is crazy to think what she endured, and I pray that it will be the worst she ever does.

Sorry about the hiatus, I got kind of busy, and I didn't want to write just to write, but wanted to keep fun and exciting things logged instead of being dull and repetitive. I feel that these next few months are going to warrant many "fun times" that are blog worthy, so be prepared, because "The Beast" is fixing to come alive with full force.

Our Beautiful Little Addy

Thanks for following.

Until next time...

Blessings,
-SH

Addy and the Pumpkin Patch

Hello all. Welcome to the latest installment of our ever-changing adventure in the life of Addy. It's that time of year, and the pumpkins are here.

On a rare day off for both Kelly and myself, we took the opportunity to take Addy to the pumpkin patch and get a good pumpkin, and get some good photos. It was a fun trip, and Addy even cooperated. We wedged her in the pumpkins and tried to get some good photos, and while we did, it was fun just to see her discover this new thing in her life. The big orange pumpkin.  And yes she tried to put them all in her mouth.

She is getting big so fast, and Christmas will be here before we know it. Maybe we will have a white Christmas and get some more good shots. We shall see.

Until next time.

Blessings,
-SH

Shall we Eat?

Hello all. Hope that all is well. Let us dive right into the topic at hand. The wonderful world of Rice Cereal. Praise God that we do not have to eat this stuff because quite frankly, it seems disgusting. Ok to feed to babies. Not ok to feed to me. Don't hate.

So, Addy has turned 4 months old, and we have reached the time where we start to introduce what I like to call "Solid-er" food. It looks to me like a mix between just straight up breast milk and grits. Let's just put it this way, if you were hungry and you saw this stuff, you might decide that skipping a meal wouldn't kill you. I digress. The major point of the first couple of feedings is to get Addy used to using her tongue to swallow the food down instead of using it like she is used to while breast feeding. First try = FAIL. It was funny. We would put the spoon to her mouth and she would try to lap it up like a dog. It was great.

We will continue to try, and she will get it. Maybe with the amount that got on her face and hands we will find a hidden off-label use of rice cereal mixed with breast milk as a top-of-the-line moisturizer. Hey, one can hope right?

"They think I don't know how to eat it, but do you see this stuff? Why don't you eat it."

Until next time, enjoy your meals.

Blessings,
-SH

The Grunt

Hello All. A quick note. Due to myself trying not to sound monotonous, I am going to start condensing my weekend blogs. Whenever Addy does something that is worthy of writing, and she does this often because I mean, look at where she comes from, I will let the world know. She radiates excellence. Anywho, just a heads up that there may not be one every day of the weekend.

On to the story.

Addy has developed what Kelly and I call..."The Grunt". It has replaced crying when she gets upset, gets hungry, or gets tired. I like to compare it to an elephant that is a little congested and trying to blow very loudly out of her trunk. She tenses up her arms, her legs, and tightens down her face until it turns really red and blows bubbles and it sounds just like an elephant. It cracks me up, and we like to let her throw her little fit for a bit before we rectify the situation. Don't judge us, we just like to get a little amusement from our daughter.

I know you're laughing at me...and I ain't happy!

So, until next time, watch out for those little elephants.

Blessings,
-SH

Up All Night

Hello all. And welcome back.

As you may have seen, they are airing a show about mine and Kelly's life on NBC called Up All Night. Christina Applegate will play Kelly, kind of a strange pick, and Will Arnett will play myself. A bit unqualified in the looks category if I do say so myself, but I guess he will do. Of course I am just kidding, but I know exactly how they feel.

We don't know whether or not it is teething, gas, or her just being ornery, but we have literally been "up all night" the last two nights. I am hoping that she will sleep well for me this weekend, but looking back over the past couple days, I'd say I've got my hands full.

To add to that, she has started this new cry. For a while she had her "I'm hungry cry", the "I'm not really crying, just trying to annoy you because you aren't holding me cry", the "I have gas cry", and the good ole' "I'm pissed off and need to be picked up cry". The new one falls into the fit category. She has learned that she can push with her feet and lift her but up into the air, and scream. If only she could stand and stomp her feet, we would be in full on fit mode. I hope that she holds off on this for a while longer. I'd hate to have to spank her. HAHA.

On the other hand, Addy is growing up fast. Way too fast if you ask me. She is playing a lot more now, laughing a lot more, crying a lot more, and for the first time....SHE ROLLED OVER. I thought that being with her every day would make her growth seem slower, but I was wrong. All we can do is love her everyday, and pray that God guides her life.

Until next time, keep the crying to a minimum.

Blessings,
-SH.

It Finally Happened

Hello all. Welcome to another fun filled weekend. The topic of the night, PUKE. Addy's AND Daddy's.

Let's Begin.

After Kelly left for work, Addy began to get fussy, so I loaded her up, and we set out for our nightly walk. But for some reason, she continued to be fussy, and she never would stop. Something was not right. So we cut the walk short and came in. I thought maybe she just wanted to be held, but that wasn't it either. So, after her not sleeping much today, I decided an early bedtime sounded like a good idea. So I bathed her and got her changed, then I fed her. All went well, until the burp.

I had her on my shoulder as I looked through her closet for her pajamas, all the while patting her back to try and work a burp out. Who has two thumbs and is a king multi-tasker? This guy. Anyways, I was patting on her back, pajamas in hand, when I heard the rumble from deep within Addy. Then...it came. Like a dense white snow in the mountains of Colorado. Well, maybe not that pristine. It was more like someone dumped cottage cheese all over me. And let's say cottage cheese that was two weeks old. It was bad. Which leads me to the next point...I chunked. Not like I'm sick with a bad virus toilet hugging barf, but like someone just dumped week old milk all over me. It was bad. And chunky. It landed way to close to my mouth, which in turned caused the puking. Needless to say, Addy was covered in her barf, I was covered in her barf, it was all over the floor, and my puke pile topped off the nastiness that lay before us. The nursery will have to be aired out. However, we pressed on, got cleaned up, and got Addy to bed. Oh the joys of parenthood.

On a lighter note, I had a great birthday today. Kelly and Addy took me to lunch today, and we had a nice home cooked steak dinner last night. To top it all off, a wonderful cheesecake. It was great.

Until next time, try to keep it all in.

Blessings,
-SH

Hic-ups

Hello all, and welcome to the last night in the ever eventful saga that we call "The Weekend". Tonight we will discuss hic-ups. I never knew that a baby could hic-up so much. She did it all throughout the pregnancy, and she has continued to do it to this day.

It cracks me up. The only thing I don't like is that when she is on the verge of laughing, she will start to hic-up, and it ruins it all. She doesn't find much funny, but whenever I figure out something that she does, whether it is a phrase I say, a goofy song I sing, or a funny look, the dang hic-ups always interrupt. She will start to laugh, and she will be on the verge of breaking out into intense laughter, only to hic-up, and it all goes away. I think that it confuses her. She always gets this confused look on her face like "What is this going on?". It seems like it kind of upsets her, so she stops laughing and just stares. Even though her laugh is funny, I do get a kick out of watching her contemplate what is happening to her. One day we will get that good intense laughter we seek. But why rush? She is already growing way too fast, so we can wait.

Well, again, thanks everyone for following us through this adventure. We appreciate the support.

Until next weekend, keep on keepin' on.

Blessings,
-SH

6 a.m. Wake Up Call

Hey there everyone. Fact of the matter is, I've learned to live off a lot less sleep on the weekends. I tell myself every night, that since Addy is in bed and asleep by 8:30, that I am going to go to bed early so I can get some good sleep while she is out. She usually sleeps from about 8:30 to 5 or 6 in the morning, but some nights she likes a little late night snack, and she will wake up around 2 a.m. That is what happened last night.

So I fed her at 2, then again at 6, hoping that she would go back to sleep until about 9 a.m., which is what she usually does. NOT TODAY! She decided that it was time to get up this morning after she ate. Needless to say, I am tired. So we sat in bed and watched sports center, waiting on Kelly to get home so that I could hand Addy off for a bit. Well, one thing leads to another, and Kelly got a patient at 6 this morning when she is supposed to get off at 7. So she did not get home until around 8:30. As you know, breast milk is a high commodity. So great in fact that it is sold on the black market. Business opportunity? Anyways, we do what we can to not waste any milk at all. We strategically plan out our bottle feedings where we have to use our supply, and we try to always go straight from the source. This morning we had to dip into the back-up stash because Mom was running behind. No big deal.

However, it is a big deal when we do what we can to keep our stockpile up, then Addy eats it down, only to throw it up on me...twice. You know it is a good day when you get thrown up on.

Until next time.

Blessings,
-SH

This Little Piggy Went...IN MY MOUTH.

Hello again friends and welcome to the latest edition of Addy and Daddy. I believe that Addy has discovered, at least to her, the greatest thing ever. HER FEET. It is like Kelly and I don't even exist. Is this a good thing? I mean, sure, there are a lot less tears, more quiet free time for us, but when we want to play and all she will do is stare and grab her feet, it doesn't make it very fun for us.

Earlier in the week she found her feet. She had kind of started to noticed that something was there a couple weeks ago, but she has officially found them. She is fascinated by them. Just grabs them and stares, never relinquishing the white-knuckle death grip from her big toe. It cracks me up. Earlier today I was playing with her, and I guess that I was holding her just right to where she could pull her legs far enough up to get her feet to her mouth. From there it was as if she was trying a food for the first time that she was not sure she liked. A little big toe on the lips, and then pull away, as if she was like, "Ok, that's not anything I've tasted before". Next time, the tongue came out, leaving a good bit of drool on the toe, and a reaction on her face that said "A little salty, maybe I should give it a good tasting". Then, she hiked her leg up even further, and POP! Big toe in the mouth = success. I watched her give a couple suckles, then spit it out rather quickly. From then on she decided that grabbing them was enough for her, she would stick to the thumb. Babies are amused by the littlest things.

Until next time.

Blessings,
-SH

Crocodile Tears

Hello friends. Let me start this blog out by saying that the topic at hand breaks my heart. I love my little girl more than anyone will know. Words cannot express that point. However, an event occurred the other day that melted my heart. Tears.

Kelly was sleeping, so I was in charge. Scary I know. So, it was time for Addy to nap, and she was not having it. So I fought with her for a bit, tried to rock her, walked around, and still...she was not having it. So I thought to myself, if she is screaming anyways, what a perfect opportunity to try and get her to fall asleep in her "hammock" as we like to call it. It is a little fold out bed that is kind of V-shaped, which makes her feel a little more snuggled, and she sleeps a whole lot better. Well, the pattern mentioned above continued its course. Addy wasn't sleeping. So I would go in, rock her little bed and shoosh her for a few minutes, then I would leave her to cry a little bit and see if she would go to sleep. It went on and on, and she never would go to sleep. So, to the point. I went in to check on her one time and she had the most pathetic look on her face. Eyes red and swelled up, bottom lip pouted out, and then the real heart-breaker...from her big blue eyes came two gigantic tears rolling down her face. I felt awful. Up until this point Addy had cried before, but she was not producing tears, and if she was, they were very few. Not these tears. BAM! Rolling right down her face as big as rain drops. So...what did I do you asked? I don't have to justify myself. She wasn't tired, that's what we will go with. Don't judge me.

Anyways, I have now experienced the feeling of being wrapped around a little girl's finger. But I don't mind. They say it takes a special man to raise a daughter. I agree completely.

Until next time.

Blessings,
-SH

Houston, we have a problem..

Hello guys. Straight to the point...Addy has discovered TV. And boy has it made feeding time harder, as well as nap time.

She has figured out that there is a rather large box in the room that has a picture that moves and makes noise. Therefore, she does not want to nap, nor eat. I feel like I am the man on the cart trying to lead a distracted donkey while dangling a carrot. Except my carrot is a bottle. She sometimes likes to take her time while eating, so I enjoy being where I can watch the game or whatever is playing on TV. However, so does Addy. I haven't had to move to her nursery to feed her yet, but it may come to it.

As I sit on the couch trying to get Addy to eat, she will slowly move her head to where she can see the TV. Once she locks eyes on the TV, feeding is a no-go. She stops completely. Usually if you remove the bottle, she will freak out. But now that the TV has entered the picture, she stays fixed on it. So, I use the bottle and place it by the edge of her mouth, when she goes for it, I move it a little farther, then she will go for it again, then a little farther, until I have her head looking totally opposite the TV. Some might say that it is harsh, but hey, whatever works. To explain the great power of the TV, let me say this, it is even strong enough to pull Addy away from the ultimate food source if you know what I am saying. Powerful I know.

We always knew that TV was influential, but so strong as to rip a baby from the breast? Who knew?

Until next time.

Blessings,
-SH

Breaking Baby

Hello all, and welcome again to another exciting weekend of Addy and Daddy. School has started back up for me, and so far, it has gone pretty smoothly. The biggest hurdle is Monday mornings. Kelly works Sunday night into Monday morning, and I have to be in class before 8, and it takes a solid 25 minutes to get across town. With that said, Kelly pulled in Monday morning, me already prepared to go, and she handed me the keys as I handed her Addy. A quick little kiss and we parted ways. I was on time. The speed limit for a residential street is 55 mph right? Anyways, we are back in the swing of things, but we have quickly come to our next task. NAP TIME.

Some might ask, "Why is nap time so important?". Well my friend, if you have ever taken care of a child that has not had their naps during the day, they will quickly enter Addy's realm of "Beast Mode". Also, you long for those naps to clean up a bit, watch some TV, or even try to catch a little shut-eye yourself. Needless to say, naps are important.

How can you be mad at this?

With Addy, she has decided that she will go to sleep, but only if she is being held or rocked. Sure, I know what you are thinking. Just hold her or rock her until she falls asleep, and then lay her down. Feel free to come try, and when it fails, I promise not to say I told you so. I feel like a little boy again. You know when you were little and trying to sneak up on someone sleeping, or put the shaving cream in their hand then rub their face with a feather and you are trying to be so quiet and whisper so soft, but it always seems like they know you are there and wake up right before the good stuff goes down? Addy is that way. As I have mentioned before, I like to check and see if she is "Dead Asleep" by gently raising her arm, and seeing if it falls back down to a resting position without any tension. If so, I give myself the green light to initiate operation "Crib Sleep". My friends, I think she has caught on to this. Just like she has learned that if Mom or Dad rub their finger on my cheek, they are checking to see if I am hungry, so if I move my mouth at their finger and try to suck on it, chances are I'll get to eat. She can seem like she is dead asleep, I can even let her sleep on me for 30 minutes prior to putting her down, but she always knows. ALWAYS. So, we have started to try and break the habit. I would prefer my child not be 5 years old and still have to be rocked to sleep. So, we will push on, and we will endure the tears. We will come out successful.

Until next time.

Blessings,
-SH

P.S. Just an example of the great multi-tasker that I have become. Learn from it.

Back to School

Hello guys. No blog last night as Kelly was put on call, so I took the time to hang out with my little family. Don't hold it against me.

Anyways, school starts back tomorrow, and I am anxious to see how things will work with a baby. I have always wondered how people do it. My mom went to school while me and my brother were young, and I have many people in my class that have small children. School has never been something that I had to spend a lot of time at, as I was blessed with intelligence, but how will things work with a 3 month old? I think that it will be an adventure.

So, short blog tonight, as I need to print schedules and handouts and prep for school tomorrow in case Addy decides she will be nocturnal tonight. Stick with us through the adventure, I am sure things will heat up as we add more to my plate. Wish us luck.

Thanks again for following me on here. Maybe someone will see it and want to pick it up. I can dream right?

So, until next weekend, stay classy.

Blessings,
-SH

DON'T TOUCH MY BABY! DON'T EVEN LOOK AT HER!

Hello All. Hope that this post finds you all doing well. Tonight we are going to talk about a subject that really gets at me. I am sure that it is an issue for many people, and tonight we will dissect it.

It is simple. We learn it from the time we are little kids, and continue to learn it throughout our life. In much of the world, they may chop off your hand if you are caught doing this. Here it is:

IF IT AINT YOURS, DON'T TOUCH IT!

And yes...that includes my child. I don't know what it is about people, but babies make them do really weird things. There are two that come to mind that I will explore in this blog. 

I know what you are thinking, and No. You shouldn't touch me.

1) Everyone is an expert when it comes to babies.

Wrong! I heard this guy do a comedy show relating the aforementioned concept to dogs, and how everyone is an expert when it comes to telling you what you are doing wrong with your dog. This is the same for babies. "Don't feed them this..." or "You shouldn't do that...". I'm sorry, but if you are younger than me and the most responsibility that you have is to brush your teeth and apply deodorant, don't try to tell me how to raise my kid. Advice is welcome from my parents, my wife parents, brothers and sisters with children, and some close friends. However, if you are a random person that I bump into in the store, I'm not looking for words of wisdom. Just wait, whether it is your dog or your baby in the future, you will get my point.

2) Please, don't touch my baby.

If I am not in the act of handing Addy to you, and much less if you are a fellow shopper of the HEB, then your grubby paws need to stay by your side. It's like people think that Addy wears a sign around her neck that says..."Please, feel free to touch me." Sorry my friend, but you are wrong. We were in HEB the other day and I was checking out with Addy in her stroller next to me, when out of the corner of my eye I see someone going toward her while talking in a baby voice. I began to think to myself, "I am fixing to have to turn around and tell this lady please don't touch my baby." Just as I turned around I heard a familiar voice. It was Kelly. She had run into one of her coworkers and wanted to show her Addy. It was fixing to be on. I am weird about stuff like that. Don't drink out of my cup, don't eat off of my plate, and whatever you do, please don't touch my baby.

Well there you have it. Just a couple things that get my blood pumping. I know that people mean well, but some don't. And in the world we live in today, I'd prefer if you didn't touch my child.

So, until next time, look, but don't touch.

Blessings,

-SH

The Truth About Mom's and Dad's

Hello all. Consider yourself lucky. Kelly is working Thursday through Sunday this week, so you get an extra dose of Addy and Daddy. Thank me later.

Anyway, tonight we will talk about truth. There is a significant difference between Mom's and Dad's. The difference I am talking about tonight is when it comes to the way we handle Addy. Kelly pretty much just lives the same life she used to, aside from feedings, diaper changes, and baby baths. She doesn't whisper, she goes where she needs to in the house like she always has, lights on, closing doors, mindful of Addy, but not so mindful. Me? It's a different story.

Kelly says that I am scared of her. That is not true. I like to call it..."aware" of her. My mentality is if she is asleep, do everything you can not to wake her up. If she is happy in her swing, on the couch, or in her bumbo, don't touch her. If she's not crying, she is fine, and I don't do anything to disrupt her. Like I said above, I am not scared of her, I just figure that if she is entertained or asleep, I can relax, because I know that at some point I will be up, pacing down the hall, bouncing her on my lap, or doing squats to get her to sleep. Yes, I said squats, like the workout. Hey whatever works huh?

As I said before, Kelly says that she will learn to sleep through the noise and hustle and bustle of us in the house. I agree with her...when she is here. But when she is not, I'm on my own, so I do what I have to do to survive. Such things might include walking stiff-legged through the hall or into the room so my ankles don't pop. I quickly learned that flip flops weren't in the cards. The "slap" noise that they make when you walk is a for-sure wake up call. I am an expert at opening doors without making a noise, and sometimes I feel like a thief in my own home. It is funny I know, but it works. I'm sure that I could teach a class on the "Art of the Stealthy Dad". Maybe I will....

But until then, stay low, step lightly, and whatever you do, don't wake the baby.

Blessings,
-SH

Baby Poop...#2 (no pun intended)

Hello folks. Hope that all is well.

We pick up exactly where we left off. Baby poop. It has found new ways to amaze me. I guess like a lot of women, Addy has developed the habit of not pooping everyday. Me, I think that one should grace the porcelain throne 3-4 times daily, but that is just me. So, Addy was on a dry spell, with a little bit here and there, but never really just dropping bombs. Given the past history, we have started placing burp rags under Addy's rear end in her swing, car seat, and other various spots where we don't want poop to stain. And let me tell you good thing we did.

She was sitting in her swing, and all was well. When all of a sudden she just starts getting really fussy and crying. When approached, it was evident that she had done it again. She had covered herself with her own poo.  And boy did it smell. Working in the hospital you encounter some nasty smells, but the smell of this poop was something that my nostrils had never encountered, and man did they pay. Addy was quickly moved back to our bedroom and placed on her changing mat. After assessing the situation, it was evident that this outfit wasn't coming off without smearing poo all over her face. Given the smell, it could have been extremely toxic, so extreme measures were taken. I believe that I have added something to my accolades that not many can. I CUT MY BABY OUT OF HER ONSIE WITH SCISSORS TO AVOID SMEARING POO ALL OVER HER FACE. Get on my level.

Don't Judge Me

This was one of the funniest things I had ever encountered as well. I laughed the whole time, well as much as you can while holding your breath. After she was cut free from her clothes and out of her diaper, she was laid in the bath tub and rinsed off. If you are a return reader, we ran into the same issue. I had to spray Addy down with the dish hose in her little tub, remove her from the tub, wash the tub out, then return her to the tub and wash her again. It's a complicated process. Needless to say, we got it done.

Again I will say that I am amazed at the volume of poop this little child produces. It could be some sort of record or something. Next time I will get it on the video camera. Can you say senior slide show? Or perhaps even the wedding slide show? Ha Ha. Only time will tell.

Until tomorrow. Rest well my friends.

Blessings,
-SH

Baby Poop

Hello friends. We have reached the last night of the weekend, and things are getting easier for sure. Addy is sleeping better, most nights at least. It still blows my mind how fast she is growing. You would think that being with her everyday would make it seem slower, but it doesn't. Another thing that blows my mind...baby poop. I'm pretty sure it could be considered the 8th wonder of the world. There are so many different types of baby poop it could be a category on Jeopardy. It is crazy.

Addy has presented some fine specimens. It has been green, brown, tan, and yellowish-brown. It has been thick, runny, slimy and sticky. You name it, she's pushed it out.

So, lately we have been on poop patrol because Addy had not had a real good poop for the last several days. She had streaked up the diaper a bit and was passing good gas, but she never really just dropped one off. So, after talking to the doctor at her appointment, she said we shouldn't be worried until they go over 3 days with no poop. Well, today was day 4. And day 4 was dirty...

Addy was sitting in her swing just looking around, when all of a sudden I hear some grunts. I looked over at her, her face very studious and focused, her abs tensing and fists clinched. She was up to no good. So I let her sit there, allowing ample time to get it all out if anything was to come, when from a distance I noticed a little brown spot on her onsie. I went over to her and looked at it and determined it was poop. So, I then proceeded to get her on the changing table, undo her onsie, and at that moment I locked eyes with Addy and she smiled. I would soon find out that this smile meant "You're going to enjoy this one". As I got her diaper undone and onsie off, I could not believe what I was seeing. My little tiny baby girl had made a huge mess. This mess covered her diaper, her belly, her right arm, and most of her left. I was amazed.

Quickly seeing that I was no where near equipped to handle this alone, I woke Kelly up, and we tag teamed it. We got her to the bath, rinsed her down, took her out, cleaned the bath tub, then put her back in and washed her up real good. Needless to say, I have never seen a human produce the amount of poop based on her size as Addy did today. Simply miraculous. Well, at least she pooped.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Until next time, stay classy.

Blessings,
-SH

Baby toys everywhere, but the best one of all...

Night number two is upon us, but do not fear my friends, for I have found the answer.

It is crazy how fast my house has become cluttered with baby toys. Swings, bouncers, play mats. You name it, we have it. I remember registering for these things, and some of the stuff we have we had to buy ourselves, and the amount of money that is spent on the toys and gadgets amazes me. I am certain that we have hundreds of dollars, if not in the thousand range, worth of baby stuff that is meant to entertain and distract. But I tell you, the one thing that seems to do the trick didn't cost me or anyone else associated with me a dime.

My friends, let me introduce you to...The Ceiling Fan.

Yes. Addy is absolutely fascinated by the fan. When she is fussy, I will take her into her nursery, turn the ceiling fan on and sit in the glider. She will look up at the fan spinning around and just smile and talk. She seems so happy and she will sit and look for long amounts of time.

Today I spent an hour putting together Addy's little play mat. It looked simple enough in the bag, all nice and neatly packed. But then you open it...and that's a different story. Whenever I opened it up pieces went everywhere. What seemed like a "pre-put-together" little toy was far from that. So, I spent the next hour getting all the pieces in place and constructing the thing to stand up, only to put Addy under the toy, watch her look at it for about ten seconds, and then start crying. I thought maybe she just didn't understand what it was or what was going on, so I picked her up, showed her some of the toys and how they worked, and laid her back down under it. This time, five seconds. Needless to say, my intense baby toy labor was for nothing. That toy has found its place back in the closet. Maybe she will like it one day.

So all I have to say is, when all else fails, try the ceiling fan. Works for me every time.

Until next time.

Blessings,
-SH

A Whale of a Time

Hello friends. Hope that all is well in your world. In my world, I am pretty excited/impressed with myself and Addy. I believe that I am on to something that is monumental. Perhaps even something that I am certain Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin would be intrigued by. What is it that I am talking about you ask? One word. Echolocation. I know what you are thinking. And yes, I know that it is a phenomenon that has already been studied and discovered. But not in this way.

I have discovered that babies communicate with Echolocation. FACT. And believe it or not, I have perfected the language of our humpback friends from the sea.

Addy and I have frequent conversations using the language of the whale, and it has allowed us to grow much closer. I may even call myself an advanced practicer of the trade. By no means do I compare to Addy, and Kelly, let's just say she's "staying afloat".

It amazes me the little language, which again I am certain is the exact same as whales, that babies use, and I find myself wondering what is going on in their little minds. I wonder this because Addy has all different tones. High pitched, low pitched, sounds that start low and go high and vice versa. Sometimes I know she is mad because the face she gives me is the exact same one I get from Kelly whenever I am in trouble. That being said, I wish I could live in the mind of Addy for one day to see, or not see, what she sees and to think what she thinks. Does she know who I am or who her mother is? I like to think that she does. But to venture into that world would be priceless. So pure and innocent.

On a funnier note, keep in mind that I did not say expert in the language of the whales. I referred to myself as an "advanced practicer". I say this because I am pretty sure that I used an incorrect phrase with Addy. After bath time she is usually all smiles and happy. She will talk to me and make faces and smile, and I always talk back and make faces back at her, all in whale of course. Anyways, I had laid her on the bed to dry her off and put her diaper and clothes on and she was going to town and just talking away and I was talking right back at her. In my best whale I let out a long "whale phrase" and smiled down at her. She then paused from our sonar communication, gave me a perplexed look, and then proceeded to pee all over me. To top it off, she looked up and smiled. Needless to say, we were back to the bath.

So, you can think what you want, and some may call me crazy, but I feel that I am on to something HUGE. Well, I hear my little whale calling my name, so I am going to go and see what's up. Remember, the key to babies is Echolocation. Just ask one.

Oh yeah. Addy has discovered her thumb, as well as laughed for the first time. She is still testing out the thumb. Sometimes she just has a hard time finding it so she puts her whole fist in her mouth. Whatever works.

Until tomorrow.

Blessings,
-SH

Mommy on call...LET'S PARTY!

Well folks, it's going to be a short one tonight. Kelly was put on call, so a blog tonight doesn't fall under the  criteria. While it stinks that Kelly loses out on the money tonight, it is nice to have her home. To add to that, Addy always sleeps better, eats better, and is far less fussy, so in the end, we all win. My parents came down again this weekend. Always good to have them here. Mom will hold the baby for hours on end, so dad and I are able to head out and check things out around town. We went antique hunting today. No scores, but it was fun.

Today was much like the rest. Eat, sleep, poop, walk, bath and bed. It's a good little routine. Works well for Addy, and myself. Had some good home made fajitas and going to settle in for the night and watch a movie.

Better keep reading because thing are getting crazy!

Tomorrow is a new day, and no telling what Addy will have in store. So, until then, I hope you will keep reading.

Blessings,
-SH

Bed Time Baby!

Hello All.

One of the toughest challenges in my life that I have had to face is trying to get Addy to sleep. If you know me, you probably know that patience is not one of my best qualities. However, I have very quickly learned that patience is definitely a virtue.

I guess that Addy is getting to the age where she is starting to understand what is going on. Maybe she is still too young, but I believe that she knows. Take tonight for instance. I believe that Addy now associates her bed with bedtime. We went on our walk as usual, but for some reason tonight it did not work like it usually does. Addy was fine for the first mile and a half, then started getting fussy. So I bring her in and she starts getting heavy eyed and dozing off, so I figure a little nap wouldn't hurt. So I begin to rock her, and her eyes finally shut. I gently lay her down in her bed, and when her head hit the mattress you would have thought she had been wide awake because her eyes popped wide open and she started hollering. So I patted her and shooshed her and tried the binky, but nothing was working. After struggling for a while, I decided to for-go the nap and just go ahead and bathe and feed Addy, and put her down for an early bedtime. Things went well with the bath and feeding. She was dead asleep before she even finished half of her bottle. So I removed the bottle, trying to keep the nipple from brushing her lips too much that she may wake up. SUCCESS. So, I slowly got up and made my way back to her bed, and laid her down. Trigger same response as earlier. Her head hit the bed, and she was up-and-at 'em. I tried to soothe her and get her to sleep again, but it wasn't working. So I picked her back up, and she was out cold in 2 minutes. So I patted her and shooshed her, and this time I did it until she was literally dead asleep. And by that I mean just really passed out...not literally dead. Maybe that was a bad choice of words. Anywho, to see if she is "dead asleep", I have a simple test. If I can grab her arm, pick it up, and it weightlessly falls back down to her side, she is ready to be moved to the bed. The test showed a positive result, so I moved Addy to her bed, and she was finally down for the night. Success? For now.

On another note, Addy made her debut movie appearance earlier this week with me and Kelly. This blog usually pertains to activity that me and Addy encounter alone, but this deserves mention. My wife loves the Harry Potter series, and we needed to get out of the house, so we decided to go see the new one. It was good, and so was Addy...well at least for the first half of the movie. We meticulously planned this outing, feeding her at the last minute and having back up bottles on hand. Also, against my great ability of arriving early for things, we timed it where we would be right on time. So far, we had accomplished our goal. With Addy full, she was sound-asleep on Kelly, and the movie began. I was worried that it may be too loud for her, causing her to stay awake or seem scared. But at this point, she was doing well. This is where it gets good. Every parent learns their baby's cries. You have the "I'm Hungry" cry, the "I'm sleepy" cry, "I want to be held" cry, and the kicker, the "I'm really pissed off" cry. Needless to say, the cry that came from her at this point in our movie date was a new one. I have dubbed it the "I don't know where I am, it's dark, and I'm scared" cry. I laugh, and not being mean, but it was truly funny. About halfway through the movie, Addy woke up and let out the aforementioned cry. She sounded absolutely terrified. Kelly took her down and around the corner and she was fine. However, Kelly watched the next 45 minutes of the movie standing up. We laugh about it, and if you think about it, who takes a 2 month old to a movie? Have we turned into "those" people? I think not. Addy did very well considering, and we enjoyed our time out of the house. 

She is growing fast, and I don't much like that. You're always told when you are young to enjoy being a child, and your parents always teach you to treasure time with your children because they grow up too fast. I have learned this now for myself. I will cherish the screams, the laughs, and the cries, because one day I am sure that I will wish she was back at this time in my life. Until tomorrow, take care.

Blessings,
-SH

Isn't She Too Young for This?

Hey all. Gonna be a short one tonight. Addy had a really good day. We went for our walk and she had her bath. Now she is dreaming away. The night is still young though, and she has been known to pull out all the stops. Like they say, nothing good happens after midnight. To the point.

Two months is a long way from 13 years, or even 5 years, so I find myself asking, "Why am I already getting the no-eye contact silent treatment from my 2 month old daughter". And I know what some of you are thinking, and YES. She knows exactly what she is doing. It makes me laugh, but also wonder. Addy does this thing whether it is after eating or when we are just playing where she will not make eye contact with you. Seriously, I thought that her head was going to do a complete 360 the other day. I guess that I had made her mad, I know, what kind of daughter gets mad at her dad? Anyways, I was looking at her trying to get her attention and she was looking off to the right. So I slowly rotated her, trying to put myself in front of her eyes. However, as I moved her, she moved her head to keep her eyes from meeting mine. I thought I had several more years before she would do me this way, but let me tell you, it has already begun.

I know exactly what I am doing!

Also along with the no look silent, she has started to master "The Pout". You know what I am talking about. You are frustrated because it is 3 a.m., she already pooped on you, and you have to be up at 6 a.m., then she hits you with it. Cue the teary eyes and out comes the bottom lip. It works every time. She can't see 1 foot in front of her face, but she has already mastered getting her way. Again, I knew it would come, but I never knew it would be so soon.

I leave you with one final thought. Baby clothes. They seem simple enough. Over the head, arms in, button the little buttons and that's all she wrote. Well, she needs to keep writing because they are not as easy as they look. They didn't take into account how hard it is to button those buttons with flailing arms, kicking legs, and a screaming voice in your ear. You do all the work and get out unscathed only to see that the top button is still exposed. Uh Oh. Thank you to the inventor of the gown. If you can get it over their head and arms, you are home free my friend. However, I do love that my daughter has an entire wardrobe that cost a couple hundred dollars. I'm sure in the future at some point I will pay that for a pair of jeans or some shoes she just has to have (and probably wear only once). But, we will deal with that when the time comes.

Well, that's all folks. The weekend came and went, and we all survived. I hope you will continue to follow the blog. Thanks for all the support so far. Addy's out, and so am I. Until next time.

Blessings,
-SH

Blisters on my toes, and spit up on my clothes!

Hello all.

Tonight we will venture into the realm of spit up. I consider it its own entity because it takes on so many forms. Tonight, I found out first hand about the worst form of all, "The White Slime". Let us begin.

It was a long night. Addy went down about 9:30 p.m., and I settled in for "my time" watching a little TV and eating my dinner at 10 p.m. I have found out that it is just easier to get all the baby stuff taken care of such as bathing, feeding, diaper changes, and into the pajamas so that I can sit, relax, and enjoy my gourmet PB&J that I have been longing for. So, about 12:30 a.m. I decide it is time to retire for the night, all the while considering the past week where Addy has slept until about 5 or 6 a.m., taken her binky, and continued to sleep until 9 or 10 a.m. I don't know if she can smell that her mother is gone, or perhaps is a baby genius and plotted this against me as we stood watching Kelly drive away to work. No matter the cause, she was up wide-awake at 1:30 a.m., a short hour after I had went to bed. I fed, I changed, I paced and patted, but she wasn't having it. Finally she submitted to my great will at about 3:00 a.m., only to rise again at 6:15 a.m., and I swear she uttered her first phrase, "Gotcha'". Needless to say, Kelly arrived a short time later, worked her "mama magic" (if you know what I mean), and Addy was down for the count. So was Daddy.

Enough about the night, let us get to the greater issue at hand...Spit Up. It smells bad, looks worse, and simply just makes you turn up your nose and say "Gross". Of course you have the clear spit up which could just be considered drool, the white runny spit up that is more common, and the worst of all is what I like to call "The White Slime". It's thick, chunky, and smells far worse than the other kinds. So far into my fatherhood I have been peed on, pooped on, and drooled on, but somehow I have avoided the infamous spit up. Keep in mind the source of this spit up that Addy continues to douse us with. Needless to say, the day went on much the same. Kelly off to work, Addy sits for a bit, and then...We Walk. Two miles tonight. Usually the walk gets Addy good and asleep, but not today. She was crying and I had tried everything, so the last thing on the list was feed her. So I did.

According to the doctor, with babies, they do not really know how to stop, so they will eat and eat until you take it from them. Addy has been eating more frequently lately, as the doctor said she would do so at around 2 months because a growth spurt would hit. So, I thought nothing of it. Commence feeding. So we get through about half the bottle, I move Addy into the burp position on my shoulder, and start patting the burp out. She lets it rip, so I pull her down, and then I notice it. The White Slime is all over her face and clothes, so I wipe her up, get her changed, and start thinking. I lay Addy down and go to the mirror, and much to my surprise, WHAM! All over my face, chin, neck, and shirt. She got me. The White Slime that I had long eluded had finally caught up to me. And let me say, IT WAS DISGUSTING!! But amazingly, I didn't throw up, I didn't even gag. I simply wiped it away, checked on Addy, and went on about my night. I guess I'm growing up. Or maybe it is just because she is my baby. Either way, "The White Slime" is gross. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

So, until tomorrow. Beware of the spit up. It'll get ya.

Blessings,
-SH