Tadpole and I walked over to the Shedd Aquarium and got a membership today. This was her first trip, and my second, but we got a membership so we'll be back at least a few more times.
I want to like the Shedd. I really do. There are jellyfish, meaning that I can actually do research for my NaNoWriMo novel when I take Tadpole. (because while I know not-nearly-enough about this book-to-be, it WILL have space jellyfish!) Plus, there are a lot of other really cool aquatic creatures (heceforth referred to as fish).
Tadpole likes the Shedd, which is a plus. She likes looking around at all of the people a lot. When we're close to the glass & she notices the fish swimming, she likes them too. I have a feeling that if we go, we're going to spend a lot of time in front of the aquarium at the entrance, which is full of fish, including at least one shark & a turtle. I'm guessing she'll also be entranced by the otters going back and forth, back and forth. She wasn't a huge fan of the couple of smaller fish displays, but there are enough big displays (and people!) to keep her occupied, which is good. Meanwhile I can watch her smile & not worry so much about the animals penned up in a relatively small space endlessly testing the barriers of their confinement. (The first of two reasons I have trouble with the Shedd).
So, Review:
Logistics (the second of two reasons I have trouble with the Shedd): For us, the Shedd is about a 20 minute walk. For others, the #146 bus, which can be accessed from at least the Red, Orange, Green, and Blue line trains is the public transit option. Parking is close by, and it's right on LSD, so there's a beautiful bik path available. Once you get to the Shedd, you will stand in line. The first time R and I went, we went through general admission on a summer weekend and probably spent over an hour in line. Today, it looked more like about 20 minutes or so, but was difficult to judge, since I got to jump the line by getting a membership! Our wait was about 10 minutes, and even once I get the member card, we'll still have to get in line to pick up a bracelet, so you will stand in line.
Feeding/Changing the baby: There's a pretty depressing lunchroom that I visited today. I'm pretty sure this was the wrong decision, and should really only be used by families with exhausted children who need some privacy or school groups. In fact, it's probably only for school groups. There are lots of overpriced vending machines, but no way to acquire actual food. My memory is that R and I had lunch at a cafeteria farther in the Shedd the last time we were there -probably what I should have done with Tadpole. Also didn't change her, since our round trip was only about 90 minutes & she didn't seem uncomfortable. I have to imagine that there are changing tables readily available in family-friendly bathrooms. Note to self - now that I'm a stay at home dad, those maps that places hand out are a lot more relevant for exactly this reason. Check that in the future! (So basically, I failed at these, I'll have to revisit the Shedd to properly review them for next time)
Activities: There are people. And interesting fish. Tadpole cares about the people more, at least for now. There are movies & lots of other activities as well - if you can't stay entertained at the Shedd with children, you're probably doing it wrong.
Bottom line: I need to work out how to handle an hour of commute time when Tadpole's space between naps is 2 hours, and there's about 20-30 minutes of transition time in there as well. We spent about 10 minutes in the Shedd this time - must do better next time.
Most important fact: DO NOT place the wristbands on you incorrectly such that the adhesive will touch your skin. It hurts to remove & takes your arm hair with it.
Gotta run - Tadpole just woke up!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Tadpole goes exploring
It's been a big couple of days for Tadpole. She's working on exploring her world in new ways, socially and physically.
On the social front, Tadpole had two playdates scheduled Wednesday (we attended one, with friends C and c, and slept through the other one - trying to follow a one-year old who's walking around can be exhausting and require extra sleeping time on dad's shoulder!), and another today. It's been fascinating for me to watch babies interact with each other. They're really intrigued by the other baby, what the other baby can do, and what the other baby finds interesting. (Although at times yesterday, Tadpole gave up on trying to keep up with c & just settled into some serious nomming of whatever toy c didn't try to take from her). I'm going to be curious to see how today's visit with a younger baby in our apartment complex goes. This one's on neutral ground in the lounge - dad needs to make sure to pack some blankets and toys as well as the diaper bag!
(And yes, play dates are also great for me - listening to NPR and babbling with Tadpole are insufficient reminders of my adulthood, so these help).
The really exciting news around here, though, is that Tadpole is crawling! (And by "exciting", I mean that R and I turned to each other and almost in unison referred to it as "the beginning of the end" ... much babyproofing is needed in a short time!)
Tadpole's been army crawling for a little while now, dragging herself forward on her forearms, but especially on the carpeting in her room, the coefficient of friction is high enough that this is a pretty tedious process. (And yes, I do enjoy explaining the difficulty to her in physics terms). Tuesday afternoon, I set my glasses down well out of reach, and was shocked to find Tadpole smoothly pivot (a skill she's had for a while), then bring her knees up in order to push herself forward. By the time I go over my surprise, she was happily clutching and nomming on the glasses.
For the rest of the afternoon, I tried to induce her to crawl again. The glasses & phone were great inducements. All other toys were insufficient - she returned to her former method of reaching them, banging the ground in frustration and yelling at the toy to "Come Here Now!" in Tadpolese.
After a nap, however, things changed significantly. I was worried about showing off Tadpole's new skill to R, and wanted to make sure that I had the proper inducements ready. None were needed. I set Tadpole down on the ground and reached for my phone to put it just out of reach, only to find that my daughter was halfway across the room moving steadily towards her shelf of toys. Crawling skill: Mastered!
On the one hand, this means I have to be a bit more vigilant with Tadpole, but she's not really very fast yet. Most importantly, though, she doesn't have to interact with the world through me, which is really great for both of us. Tadpole's figured out that if there's a toy she wants, she can crawl over & get it ... there are times now when I try to interact with her & she ignores me in favor of the cool-toy-that-she-got-all-by-herself-because-she's-a-big-crawling-girl. Ah well, I still get the naptime snuggles since someone wakes herself up after 40 minutes and can't get back to sleep by herself. Maybe next we'll practice that skill ... I'm just not sure how to work in bribing her with the phone!
On the social front, Tadpole had two playdates scheduled Wednesday (we attended one, with friends C and c, and slept through the other one - trying to follow a one-year old who's walking around can be exhausting and require extra sleeping time on dad's shoulder!), and another today. It's been fascinating for me to watch babies interact with each other. They're really intrigued by the other baby, what the other baby can do, and what the other baby finds interesting. (Although at times yesterday, Tadpole gave up on trying to keep up with c & just settled into some serious nomming of whatever toy c didn't try to take from her). I'm going to be curious to see how today's visit with a younger baby in our apartment complex goes. This one's on neutral ground in the lounge - dad needs to make sure to pack some blankets and toys as well as the diaper bag!
(And yes, play dates are also great for me - listening to NPR and babbling with Tadpole are insufficient reminders of my adulthood, so these help).
The really exciting news around here, though, is that Tadpole is crawling! (And by "exciting", I mean that R and I turned to each other and almost in unison referred to it as "the beginning of the end" ... much babyproofing is needed in a short time!)
Tadpole's been army crawling for a little while now, dragging herself forward on her forearms, but especially on the carpeting in her room, the coefficient of friction is high enough that this is a pretty tedious process. (And yes, I do enjoy explaining the difficulty to her in physics terms). Tuesday afternoon, I set my glasses down well out of reach, and was shocked to find Tadpole smoothly pivot (a skill she's had for a while), then bring her knees up in order to push herself forward. By the time I go over my surprise, she was happily clutching and nomming on the glasses.
For the rest of the afternoon, I tried to induce her to crawl again. The glasses & phone were great inducements. All other toys were insufficient - she returned to her former method of reaching them, banging the ground in frustration and yelling at the toy to "Come Here Now!" in Tadpolese.
After a nap, however, things changed significantly. I was worried about showing off Tadpole's new skill to R, and wanted to make sure that I had the proper inducements ready. None were needed. I set Tadpole down on the ground and reached for my phone to put it just out of reach, only to find that my daughter was halfway across the room moving steadily towards her shelf of toys. Crawling skill: Mastered!
On the one hand, this means I have to be a bit more vigilant with Tadpole, but she's not really very fast yet. Most importantly, though, she doesn't have to interact with the world through me, which is really great for both of us. Tadpole's figured out that if there's a toy she wants, she can crawl over & get it ... there are times now when I try to interact with her & she ignores me in favor of the cool-toy-that-she-got-all-by-herself-because-she's-a-big-crawling-girl. Ah well, I still get the naptime snuggles since someone wakes herself up after 40 minutes and can't get back to sleep by herself. Maybe next we'll practice that skill ... I'm just not sure how to work in bribing her with the phone!
Monday, October 24, 2011
If be a Stay at Home Dad would ye, then you must learn these Lessons Three
Apologies for the mangling of Monty Python above.
Nevertheless after week 2 / day 1 with Tadpole, I did indeed come away with three important lessons for any stay at home dad.*
(* - may also apply to parents generally)
1 - The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley (Or - babies' schedules aren't exactly predictable)
I had a great plan for the day. Tadpole and I were going to check out the Shedd Aquarium after the first nap. A nice walk, lunch out (a big deal!), then we check out the creatures (including Jellyfish - about which more anon), before coming home. This plan was predicated on Tadpole's general sleep schedule - go down between 9:30 - 10:00 for somewhere between 40 minutes and and hour and a half. Of course, today she woke up after about 50 minutes with a scream. I managed to calm her down, but in the process she fell asleep ... on my shoulder ... for another 2 hours.
The sleep was charming, of course, but when Tadpole woke up at 12:45, a few plans had to change. No trip to the Shedd, but we did take a walk out to the local park and swing on the swings.
And so I learned lesson 2 - A baby's interest in a thing is inversely proportional to what you want it to be
I haven't spent as much time playing with Tadpole as I'd like - there's been a distinct lack of tummy-time, push-ups and other exercise. So I figured that today, in addition to a walk and some swings, Tadpole and I would enjoy the beautiful warm autumn day by playing outside. I brought along Tadpole's play blanket along with some of her favorite toys.
I'm sure you can guess how this went. Tadpole had no interest in the Sophie giraffe, or in practicing her sitting. Or really, anything other than grabbing for dirt, grass and dry leaves. We'll be practicing our activity time inside from now on!
Finally lesson 3 - Pics or it didn't happen!
Tadpole and I went for a walk today. We stopped and played on the swings for a while. Tadpole got to watch another baby out with her mommy and look at the dogs. And I didn't get pictures of any of it, which also means none for the blog. I have an iPhone ... time to take pictures in these situations!
p.s. - Did I mention that later we came back from the doctor's office on the Red Line during rush hour? Because we did. And I'm feeling pretty good about that. Way to be dad!
Nevertheless after week 2 / day 1 with Tadpole, I did indeed come away with three important lessons for any stay at home dad.*
(* - may also apply to parents generally)
1 - The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley (Or - babies' schedules aren't exactly predictable)
I had a great plan for the day. Tadpole and I were going to check out the Shedd Aquarium after the first nap. A nice walk, lunch out (a big deal!), then we check out the creatures (including Jellyfish - about which more anon), before coming home. This plan was predicated on Tadpole's general sleep schedule - go down between 9:30 - 10:00 for somewhere between 40 minutes and and hour and a half. Of course, today she woke up after about 50 minutes with a scream. I managed to calm her down, but in the process she fell asleep ... on my shoulder ... for another 2 hours.
The sleep was charming, of course, but when Tadpole woke up at 12:45, a few plans had to change. No trip to the Shedd, but we did take a walk out to the local park and swing on the swings.
And so I learned lesson 2 - A baby's interest in a thing is inversely proportional to what you want it to be
I haven't spent as much time playing with Tadpole as I'd like - there's been a distinct lack of tummy-time, push-ups and other exercise. So I figured that today, in addition to a walk and some swings, Tadpole and I would enjoy the beautiful warm autumn day by playing outside. I brought along Tadpole's play blanket along with some of her favorite toys.
I'm sure you can guess how this went. Tadpole had no interest in the Sophie giraffe, or in practicing her sitting. Or really, anything other than grabbing for dirt, grass and dry leaves. We'll be practicing our activity time inside from now on!
Finally lesson 3 - Pics or it didn't happen!
Tadpole and I went for a walk today. We stopped and played on the swings for a while. Tadpole got to watch another baby out with her mommy and look at the dogs. And I didn't get pictures of any of it, which also means none for the blog. I have an iPhone ... time to take pictures in these situations!
p.s. - Did I mention that later we came back from the doctor's office on the Red Line during rush hour? Because we did. And I'm feeling pretty good about that. Way to be dad!
Friday, October 21, 2011
In which the first week is examined, and I am tired
Tadpole is down for her second nap. The cat is curled up next to me on the bed. This is seriously hampering any attempts to finish up the last few tasks for work. They'll get done, though.
A few notes from the first week of stay-at-home-dadness:
Having my daughter grab onto my arm & grin up at me while I was changing her was pretty special today. Just laid there quite happy in her new diaper and smiled up at daddy.
The parenting impulse is stronger than I had expected. We visited a daycare yesterday, which I was generally very impressed with, but there's part of me screaming "no, don't give up this time with your daughter, they won't love her like you will!". Which, of course, is true. There are two good responses to this - first, I can't really be the father I want to be for her, that guy is on a pretty huge pedestal, since he needs to be worth of my daughter. Second, they'll love & challenge Tadpole in a lot of new ways that I can't. There will be other babies there (which Tadpole generally finds fascinating) and most seem a little farther ahead developmentally, which will probably push her to develop new skills and abilities.
Sometimes I can acknowledge that rationally. But it's tough. Mostly I just want to be with my daughter & make her smile.
Parenting is a lot more exhausting than I'd expected. There is not enough cleaning getting done, not enough work getting finished (as mentioned above), and not enough directed me time. Pretty much, when Tadpole naps, I collapse, track some social media, and do other relatively mindless things (including this blog). If I do plan to stay with her long term, I need to find a way to change that.
In other ways, though, being Stay at Home Dad is a lot easier than I expected, though, mostly because Tadpole is such an easy baby. It's important to keep her fed & changed, but in general, she's happy to amuse herself for a while while I prep a bottle or do some dishes. Plus, she lets me listen to NPR (which R is finally starting to tolerate) and Joan Baez (who is otherwise verboten in our household).
I am more than just a father to my daughter. November 1 starts NaNoWriMo, which I successfully completed last year. I'm hoping to finish again this year, probably with a sci-fi novel that is way to long in the outline right now. I am trying to get more organized (a task which seemed like it would be more pressing when working, but which I think counterintuitively took on an added urgency without the structure of work). I read David Allen's "Getting Things Done" a while ago (and highly recommend it to anyone who feels that life's a little out of control), and just started using ZenDone, a web app that works well with Evernote (another amazing note taking application that I guarantee works on your electronic device of choice) - I'd also really like to expand my own technical skills while working on getting more organized and providing feedback to a stellar product still in its infancy. Plus, I need friends (about that more later - it's a project for next year). The bottom line is that there have been a few moments when I was able to be Suddenly Stay at Home Dad AND Young Motivated Urban Professional (YMUP?), but there was also a lot of losing myself in Tadpole's gorgeous blue eyes. Not necessarily bad this week, but not something I can do very often.
So - Parenting is wonderful. I'm more uptight about it than I expected. I'm also more tired than I expected. It's not quite as hard as I'd thought, but then again, I haven't tried to parent & be me, which is necessary for maintaining a healthy situation. Those are enough lessons for week 1. Plus, I need to see if my phone has managed to get to iOS 5 yet.
Gotta go - Tadpole's about to wake up!
A few notes from the first week of stay-at-home-dadness:
Having my daughter grab onto my arm & grin up at me while I was changing her was pretty special today. Just laid there quite happy in her new diaper and smiled up at daddy.
The parenting impulse is stronger than I had expected. We visited a daycare yesterday, which I was generally very impressed with, but there's part of me screaming "no, don't give up this time with your daughter, they won't love her like you will!". Which, of course, is true. There are two good responses to this - first, I can't really be the father I want to be for her, that guy is on a pretty huge pedestal, since he needs to be worth of my daughter. Second, they'll love & challenge Tadpole in a lot of new ways that I can't. There will be other babies there (which Tadpole generally finds fascinating) and most seem a little farther ahead developmentally, which will probably push her to develop new skills and abilities.
Sometimes I can acknowledge that rationally. But it's tough. Mostly I just want to be with my daughter & make her smile.
Parenting is a lot more exhausting than I'd expected. There is not enough cleaning getting done, not enough work getting finished (as mentioned above), and not enough directed me time. Pretty much, when Tadpole naps, I collapse, track some social media, and do other relatively mindless things (including this blog). If I do plan to stay with her long term, I need to find a way to change that.
In other ways, though, being Stay at Home Dad is a lot easier than I expected, though, mostly because Tadpole is such an easy baby. It's important to keep her fed & changed, but in general, she's happy to amuse herself for a while while I prep a bottle or do some dishes. Plus, she lets me listen to NPR (which R is finally starting to tolerate) and Joan Baez (who is otherwise verboten in our household).
I am more than just a father to my daughter. November 1 starts NaNoWriMo, which I successfully completed last year. I'm hoping to finish again this year, probably with a sci-fi novel that is way to long in the outline right now. I am trying to get more organized (a task which seemed like it would be more pressing when working, but which I think counterintuitively took on an added urgency without the structure of work). I read David Allen's "Getting Things Done" a while ago (and highly recommend it to anyone who feels that life's a little out of control), and just started using ZenDone, a web app that works well with Evernote (another amazing note taking application that I guarantee works on your electronic device of choice) - I'd also really like to expand my own technical skills while working on getting more organized and providing feedback to a stellar product still in its infancy. Plus, I need friends (about that more later - it's a project for next year). The bottom line is that there have been a few moments when I was able to be Suddenly Stay at Home Dad AND Young Motivated Urban Professional (YMUP?), but there was also a lot of losing myself in Tadpole's gorgeous blue eyes. Not necessarily bad this week, but not something I can do very often.
So - Parenting is wonderful. I'm more uptight about it than I expected. I'm also more tired than I expected. It's not quite as hard as I'd thought, but then again, I haven't tried to parent & be me, which is necessary for maintaining a healthy situation. Those are enough lessons for week 1. Plus, I need to see if my phone has managed to get to iOS 5 yet.
Gotta go - Tadpole's about to wake up!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Firsts
Yesterday and today have included a lot of firsts for Tadpole and me:
First playdate - yesterday our friend C brought over her 12-month old daughter c for a playdate, and to make sure that the sudden stay-at-home-ness wasn't too overwhelming for me. c is walking, so I also got a preview of just how un-baby-proofed our apartment is (on the plus side, c did help us find the scissors we'd been looking for for a couple of days!) All in all, good times, and I've come to the conclusion that we're just going to build some sort of large corral in the front room for Tadpole. She can move between that & her room, or sit with mom & dad on the bed. Otherwise, no access to the rest of the apartment. That's feasible, right?
First dinner - I prepped onion & garlic while Tadpole watched, then she announced that I was done. Still, we had Red Lentil Soup yesterday, and I made it. I'm calling that a big win!
First trip in inclement weather - it was rainy, but that didn't stop us from heading off to Target (literally just around the corner). Baby steps, but at least I know I can take her out.
First video chat with grandma - only kind of. Tadpole has video chatted with grandparents many times, but today was the first time since I found myself at home. It was good to talk to my mom, and a good break for Tadpole and I. Had been scheduled for yesterday, but I wasn't quite that organized, so we did it this morning.
First car trip - that came today. Tadpole and I drove to look at a daycare we're interested in. She was wonderful - didn't cry either there or back (~10 minute trip each way), although she did try to pull off her sock. Really, the biggest issue is that when she's quiet, I start worrying that here's something wrong. I'm looking forward to road trips not ending with "good, you're still alive."
First stab at finding new childcare. More about this tomorrow. I did like the daycare - it looks like a great place & appears that they've put a lot of thought into how to have a good system for taking care of infants and above.
(I'm actually a little surprised that this was the first - the nanny placement agency we went through had said they'd be sending information on some additional candidates. I think I need to follow up tomorrow).
First day not blogging (yesterday). Not that I think I disappointed my legion of adoring fans, and I don't think I'm going to try blogging every day, but still, a first, and I'm cataloging firsts.
Definitely a lot going on, and it's only Thursday. I'm supposed to do this for some extended period of time? These tasks are supposed to become routine?
First playdate - yesterday our friend C brought over her 12-month old daughter c for a playdate, and to make sure that the sudden stay-at-home-ness wasn't too overwhelming for me. c is walking, so I also got a preview of just how un-baby-proofed our apartment is (on the plus side, c did help us find the scissors we'd been looking for for a couple of days!) All in all, good times, and I've come to the conclusion that we're just going to build some sort of large corral in the front room for Tadpole. She can move between that & her room, or sit with mom & dad on the bed. Otherwise, no access to the rest of the apartment. That's feasible, right?
First dinner - I prepped onion & garlic while Tadpole watched, then she announced that I was done. Still, we had Red Lentil Soup yesterday, and I made it. I'm calling that a big win!
First trip in inclement weather - it was rainy, but that didn't stop us from heading off to Target (literally just around the corner). Baby steps, but at least I know I can take her out.
First video chat with grandma - only kind of. Tadpole has video chatted with grandparents many times, but today was the first time since I found myself at home. It was good to talk to my mom, and a good break for Tadpole and I. Had been scheduled for yesterday, but I wasn't quite that organized, so we did it this morning.
First car trip - that came today. Tadpole and I drove to look at a daycare we're interested in. She was wonderful - didn't cry either there or back (~10 minute trip each way), although she did try to pull off her sock. Really, the biggest issue is that when she's quiet, I start worrying that here's something wrong. I'm looking forward to road trips not ending with "good, you're still alive."
First stab at finding new childcare. More about this tomorrow. I did like the daycare - it looks like a great place & appears that they've put a lot of thought into how to have a good system for taking care of infants and above.
(I'm actually a little surprised that this was the first - the nanny placement agency we went through had said they'd be sending information on some additional candidates. I think I need to follow up tomorrow).
First day not blogging (yesterday). Not that I think I disappointed my legion of adoring fans, and I don't think I'm going to try blogging every day, but still, a first, and I'm cataloging firsts.
Definitely a lot going on, and it's only Thursday. I'm supposed to do this for some extended period of time? These tasks are supposed to become routine?
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Day 2 - So much to do ... so little time
So Tadpole's sleeping for the second nap, and the work emails that need to get fired off have been sent. This is just a quick check in, since the day has been surprisingly busy, and I probably don't have more than about 15 minutes left. So far today has been a lot busier and more complicated than yesterday, but also felt a lot better. Tadpole and I had a bit more of a routine, went on a couple of shopping expeditions, and may even have a surprise or two waiting for R when she gets home.
Contacted a daycare about a tour, and I'll be taking Tadpole to check them out on Thursday. Tomorrow, a friend is coming over with her one-year-old, so Tadpole and I both get some extra socialization. I don't think we're going to go on the big shopping expedition we had planned, but that's because we've got a lot to do around the apartment! Cleaning, laundry, and maybe even dinner are all on the agenda for this afternoon. I'm thinking Tadpole in the Bjorn or doing tummy time in order to help daddy fold laundry and wash some dishes.
The bottom line for today, though, is that there were a few times that Tadpole was awake and we interacted while she did her thing on the playmat or in the jumpy chair, and I got a few minutes to check email, respond to friends, and otherwise stay involved in the world. Those brief intervals made a world of difference in today. Maybe I can do this after all!
Gotta run - Tadpole is restless and the cat litter needs more serious cleaning ... hopefully I can sneak that in before she wakes up!
Contacted a daycare about a tour, and I'll be taking Tadpole to check them out on Thursday. Tomorrow, a friend is coming over with her one-year-old, so Tadpole and I both get some extra socialization. I don't think we're going to go on the big shopping expedition we had planned, but that's because we've got a lot to do around the apartment! Cleaning, laundry, and maybe even dinner are all on the agenda for this afternoon. I'm thinking Tadpole in the Bjorn or doing tummy time in order to help daddy fold laundry and wash some dishes.
The bottom line for today, though, is that there were a few times that Tadpole was awake and we interacted while she did her thing on the playmat or in the jumpy chair, and I got a few minutes to check email, respond to friends, and otherwise stay involved in the world. Those brief intervals made a world of difference in today. Maybe I can do this after all!
Gotta run - Tadpole is restless and the cat litter needs more serious cleaning ... hopefully I can sneak that in before she wakes up!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Day 1 - or "Who Am I?"
And so I entered day one of the sudden stay-at-home-dad-ness. (or, as one soon-to-be SAHD I saw today called it: funployed.)
I certainly enjoyed the day. Tadpole and I walked R partway to her new job before turning around - turns out it's cold outside & Tadpole doesn't really enjoy the stroller when she's bundled a lot and can't look forward ... which we do when it's cold outside. Later, there was a trip to the post office with Tadpole in the Bjorn and a blanket wrapped around her. Lunch, feedings, and various games. All in all ... I'm not feeling funployed.
On the one hand, I love my daughter, and she's absolutely delightful. Her smile lights up the room, and she smiles a lot. In particular, she smiles when we work out. Let me repeat that - working out is one of the highlights of my day! This is a good thing.
On the other hand, Tadpole is a 7 month old whose second tooth just broke through today. Our walk to the Post Office and back took about 45 minutes. 45 minutes of her looking away from me & out at the world and basically not making a sound. "Playing" with Tadpole involves things like tummy time on the floor watching her manipulate toys designed for infants. Extremely entertaining in small quantities, somewhat mind-numbing for longer intervals. My refuge of choice, the iPhone with its access to Social Media, Kindle, and other entertainment is mostly verboten, partly because the whole point of parenting Tadpole is to interact with Tadpole, but mostly because IT IS HER FAVORITE TOY! Seriously. It's charming that my daughter loves the little baby touch app on the iPhone, but it also means I can't get it out to send a quick text or email, take a moment to survey Twitter, or even look at the time or pull up a song from iTunes without her deciding that whatever other toy she is playing with is inferior & I NEED THE IPHONE NOW DADDY!!!!!
I love my daughter. I love parenting her. I am not currently at the "funployed" state. I'm in the "I'm supposed to spend all of my days with a 7 month old who can't speak, feels that the appropriate response to frustration is agonized crying, and thinks that the height of entertainment is either watching Daddy shake his head back and forth or batting a rattle ball back and forth?!?!" state.
I think this means that I need to network and find things to do. Rumor has it that there are things to do in Chicago. Like visit the Shedd Aquarium (walking distance!), Gymboree (also walking distance), and lots of other things. Plus, we have friends. With babies and without. I've also heard that play dates aren't really for the kids at this age.
Somewhere between daily flights leaving before Tadpole wakes up and returning after she falls asleep and hours upon hours of rolling a rattling ball lies the next chapter of my life. I'm not surprised that I don't know where it is yet, but I'm still scared of getting there. And excited. At least, when I get that big toothy grin!
I certainly enjoyed the day. Tadpole and I walked R partway to her new job before turning around - turns out it's cold outside & Tadpole doesn't really enjoy the stroller when she's bundled a lot and can't look forward ... which we do when it's cold outside. Later, there was a trip to the post office with Tadpole in the Bjorn and a blanket wrapped around her. Lunch, feedings, and various games. All in all ... I'm not feeling funployed.
On the one hand, I love my daughter, and she's absolutely delightful. Her smile lights up the room, and she smiles a lot. In particular, she smiles when we work out. Let me repeat that - working out is one of the highlights of my day! This is a good thing.
On the other hand, Tadpole is a 7 month old whose second tooth just broke through today. Our walk to the Post Office and back took about 45 minutes. 45 minutes of her looking away from me & out at the world and basically not making a sound. "Playing" with Tadpole involves things like tummy time on the floor watching her manipulate toys designed for infants. Extremely entertaining in small quantities, somewhat mind-numbing for longer intervals. My refuge of choice, the iPhone with its access to Social Media, Kindle, and other entertainment is mostly verboten, partly because the whole point of parenting Tadpole is to interact with Tadpole, but mostly because IT IS HER FAVORITE TOY! Seriously. It's charming that my daughter loves the little baby touch app on the iPhone, but it also means I can't get it out to send a quick text or email, take a moment to survey Twitter, or even look at the time or pull up a song from iTunes without her deciding that whatever other toy she is playing with is inferior & I NEED THE IPHONE NOW DADDY!!!!!
I love my daughter. I love parenting her. I am not currently at the "funployed" state. I'm in the "I'm supposed to spend all of my days with a 7 month old who can't speak, feels that the appropriate response to frustration is agonized crying, and thinks that the height of entertainment is either watching Daddy shake his head back and forth or batting a rattle ball back and forth?!?!" state.
I think this means that I need to network and find things to do. Rumor has it that there are things to do in Chicago. Like visit the Shedd Aquarium (walking distance!), Gymboree (also walking distance), and lots of other things. Plus, we have friends. With babies and without. I've also heard that play dates aren't really for the kids at this age.
Somewhere between daily flights leaving before Tadpole wakes up and returning after she falls asleep and hours upon hours of rolling a rattling ball lies the next chapter of my life. I'm not surprised that I don't know where it is yet, but I'm still scared of getting there. And excited. At least, when I get that big toothy grin!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Baby Workout
Tadpole is down for her second nap, the remnants of lunch are cleaned off of counters, floors, clothes, highchair, dishes, etc. Now I have somewhere between 20 minutes and an hour of writing time! Up today - the baby workout.
I swam in high school (10 years ago), but haven't seriously worked out since then. At the beginning of the year, I actually started working out in the fitness center in our building. At least a half hour every day, generally on the elliptical machine. That lasted right up until Tadpole was born. I don't think I've been back to the fitness center since then. Babies tend to interfere with other routines.
I have done a fair amount of walking with tadpole, often carrying her on my chest in a Baby Bjorn, but I've been thinking for a while that it would be good to get back into shape, without really any hope for finding a Tadpole-free time to get back to the various devices downstairs.
Today it occurred to me that I've got an 18 lb. weight with enough trunk and head control to enjoy being tossed in the air. Who needs a workout machine when you've got a baby!
(Disclaimer - Tadpole enjoys being tossed in the air. She also doesn't spit up when this happens. I understand this makes her at least somewhat unusual as a baby, but I'll take it!) So without further ado, the baby workout routine:
Tadpole tosses (straight up in the air, watch her giggle!) - 2 sets of 10, 1/day.
Sit ups (Tadpole sitting on stomach / chest) - 2 sets of 10, 1/day
Push ups (Tadpole watching and giggling, because daddy's head going rapidly up and down is funny) - 2 sets of 10, 1/day
Steady walk of at least 30 minutes every day. Ideally at least 3 of these each week will involve carrying Tadpole in the carrier, rather than just pushing a stroller. (This will get more difficult in the winter, but hopefully will still be doable).
I haven't done 10 tosses in a row before today. It's a bit of work. And it'll get harder. So will the sit ups. But hey - my biggest challenge with working out has always been finding some way to enjoy the time. A giggling baby is pretty much the best way to spend my day, so that much is solved!
I swam in high school (10 years ago), but haven't seriously worked out since then. At the beginning of the year, I actually started working out in the fitness center in our building. At least a half hour every day, generally on the elliptical machine. That lasted right up until Tadpole was born. I don't think I've been back to the fitness center since then. Babies tend to interfere with other routines.
I have done a fair amount of walking with tadpole, often carrying her on my chest in a Baby Bjorn, but I've been thinking for a while that it would be good to get back into shape, without really any hope for finding a Tadpole-free time to get back to the various devices downstairs.
Today it occurred to me that I've got an 18 lb. weight with enough trunk and head control to enjoy being tossed in the air. Who needs a workout machine when you've got a baby!
(Disclaimer - Tadpole enjoys being tossed in the air. She also doesn't spit up when this happens. I understand this makes her at least somewhat unusual as a baby, but I'll take it!) So without further ado, the baby workout routine:
Tadpole tosses (straight up in the air, watch her giggle!) - 2 sets of 10, 1/day.
Sit ups (Tadpole sitting on stomach / chest) - 2 sets of 10, 1/day
Push ups (Tadpole watching and giggling, because daddy's head going rapidly up and down is funny) - 2 sets of 10, 1/day
Steady walk of at least 30 minutes every day. Ideally at least 3 of these each week will involve carrying Tadpole in the carrier, rather than just pushing a stroller. (This will get more difficult in the winter, but hopefully will still be doable).
I haven't done 10 tosses in a row before today. It's a bit of work. And it'll get harder. So will the sit ups. But hey - my biggest challenge with working out has always been finding some way to enjoy the time. A giggling baby is pretty much the best way to spend my day, so that much is solved!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
In which the players are introduced ...
For the last seven and a half months, my wife (R) has been home taking care of our beautiful baby daughter (Tadpole) while I worked as an implementation consultant for a software company in the Chicago area. Next Monday, R starts as an attorney at a big firm downtown. In preparation for this, we hired a nanny who started last Monday.
On Tuesday, I got an urgent request to fly out to Florida to help put out a fire with a client.
By Wednesday, we had a few indications that the nanny was having some difficulty adjusting to Tadpole's schedule (and our expectations), but we assumed that we would be able to have a conversation with her to encourage these adjustments (and get her to change a few things that needed to change right away).
On Thursday, I flew to Florida, getting home late that night to talk with R about how the conversation had gone. Unfortunately, the answer was "not well". To the point that neither R nor I felt comfortable with the nanny caring for our daughter.
So on Friday morning, we fired our nanny and I got to tell my boss that I was taking some time off.
Next Monday, the last 7 1/2 months will be reversed. R goes off to work, and I stay home to take care of Tadpole. One week in email while Tadpole sleeps in order to transition my accounts, then I'm (suddenly) a stay-at-home-dad.
For how long? I don't know. While R was pregnant, I first thought that I'd want to stay home to take care of Tadpole. After she was born, though, I started to fear losing myself. Right now, the plan is still to find childcare and go back to work.
When? I have no idea. After our last experience with a nanny, R & I are starting to wonder whether a nanny is the right solution for our family. At the least, we're going to be a bit more careful before hiring our next nanny. We're also looking into daycare centers, but those take a while to get into (at least that we feel comfortable with). Either way, an alternate solution will take time. Maybe I'll find myself anxiously counting down to the day when I can return to work. Maybe after a few weeks with Tadpole I'll find myself never wanting to leave her again.
Either way, the transition has been sudden. Thursday I flew to Florida to assist with a client. Monday I'll be staying home to care for my daughter - a suddenly stay-at-home-dad.
On Tuesday, I got an urgent request to fly out to Florida to help put out a fire with a client.
By Wednesday, we had a few indications that the nanny was having some difficulty adjusting to Tadpole's schedule (and our expectations), but we assumed that we would be able to have a conversation with her to encourage these adjustments (and get her to change a few things that needed to change right away).
On Thursday, I flew to Florida, getting home late that night to talk with R about how the conversation had gone. Unfortunately, the answer was "not well". To the point that neither R nor I felt comfortable with the nanny caring for our daughter.
So on Friday morning, we fired our nanny and I got to tell my boss that I was taking some time off.
Next Monday, the last 7 1/2 months will be reversed. R goes off to work, and I stay home to take care of Tadpole. One week in email while Tadpole sleeps in order to transition my accounts, then I'm (suddenly) a stay-at-home-dad.
For how long? I don't know. While R was pregnant, I first thought that I'd want to stay home to take care of Tadpole. After she was born, though, I started to fear losing myself. Right now, the plan is still to find childcare and go back to work.
When? I have no idea. After our last experience with a nanny, R & I are starting to wonder whether a nanny is the right solution for our family. At the least, we're going to be a bit more careful before hiring our next nanny. We're also looking into daycare centers, but those take a while to get into (at least that we feel comfortable with). Either way, an alternate solution will take time. Maybe I'll find myself anxiously counting down to the day when I can return to work. Maybe after a few weeks with Tadpole I'll find myself never wanting to leave her again.
Either way, the transition has been sudden. Thursday I flew to Florida to assist with a client. Monday I'll be staying home to care for my daughter - a suddenly stay-at-home-dad.
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