Ava Claire D. - Posted by Lisa

Chris and I would like to send out the warmest and most heartfelt congratulations to our friends Ruthie & Tom on the birth of their long-awaited little girl Ava Claire!

Little Ava came into our world wailing this morning at 7:50am. She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long (I hope I got this right!). Both Mom & Baby are healthy and doing fine.

Welcome to the world, Ava. You hit the jackpot when it came to parents. And welcome to the world of parenting, Tom & Ruthie. Your lives have been profoundly changed now & forever...and in the best way imaginable!

Odds & Ends - Posted by Chris

I haven't posted for about a week so I thought I'd better.

Cold
Christopher has had a cold for a few days. In the past any illness would mean, "if Christopher doesn't feel good everyone else in the house suffers." However this time round its been a bit different. Instead of waking Lisa and I up every few hours Christopher has been sleeping pretty well (with the exception of the first night.) What's different is that he's really been showing his "terrible twos" side. When Christopher gets tired he starts getting into trouble. Its as if his need for sleep causes his brain to forget how to behave. Now that he's sick and he gets tired faster, he seems to be causing more havoc earlier in the day.

Cold, part two
Christopher said the word, 'cold' today. This event is big because as long as he's been talking his word for 'cold' has been 'poe'. Lisa and I always know what he's saying but no one else. We went out, to eat and to stop at the store, and when we first got in the car he said, 'Cold!'. Of course by the time we returned home he was back to 'poe'.

Bedtime Battles
A few weeks ago I wrote about how well Christopher had transitioned to his toddler bed. I guess all "good things" come to those who wait. Since that post we've make a 180 and have begun nightly battles regarding bedtime. Mostly Christopher just enploys delaying tactics and we have to constantly put him back in bed until he finally falls a sleep. I just keep telling myself, "This too shall past" and probably be replaced by something equally as frustrating.

Stay-at-home Dad? - Posted by Chris

I've recently been reading some posts of bloggers who are SAHDs (Stay-at-home Dads); blogs like A Family Runs Through It. These bloggers have me thinking about whether or not I have to mettle to be a SAHD or not.

Occasionally I play this role when my wife has to work on Saturday or Sunday. I think I do a pretty good job. My son makes it though the day mostly unscathed (he's a boy, bumps and bruises are his life). He gets breakfast, lunch, a nap and we even make trips to the Tool Store (Home Depot) sometimes.

What makes me question if I could be a Stay-at-home Dad full time is that sometimes after a day or two of "practice", I find it hard to imagine doing it every day. I love my son and I love spending time with him but I'm not sure that I'm cut out to be the primary caregiver. I tend to be a no-nonsense parent (I probably get this from my Dad) and while I believe there is a place for my style of parenting, I also think that young children more often need the patience and understanding that my wife shows my son.

Pick-Pick and the Grilled Cheese Challenge - Posted by Chris

Christopher spent the last few days with “Pa” and “Ma” (Grandpa and Grandma) and during his stay; Grandma stumbled upon something Christopher thought was just short of genius.  While fixing Christopher’s lunch she decided to cut up his hot dog and put toothpicks in each piece.  Since then he has asked for toothpicks (or pick-picks as he calls them) at just about every meal.

Now Christopher has always been a pretty good eater.  He eats lots of food that other kids wouldn’t even try; olives, salad, pickles, mushrooms and even Raisin Nut Bran cereal.  Despite this he is still a toddler and getting him to even try some foods can be challenging; hence the Grilled Cheese Challenge.

For some time now Christopher has refused to even try a grilled cheese sandwich, even though he has had them in the past.  Yesterday Lisa decided to try once again however this time she cut the sandwich in to little squares and put “pick-picks” in each piece.  Christopher gobbled them up; his aversion to cheese sandwiches is no more.

Hello. My name is Lisa, and I'm a geeky parent. - Posted by Lisa

Remember when you were growing up and came to the realization that your parents were a bit weird...a little embarassing...geeky even? Come on, you know you do. And remember how you swore that when you were older and had kids of your own, that you'd NEVER subject your own children to the embarassment of having a dork for a parent? You were going to be the "cool" parent.

Well in the past two years since our son was born, I (and to be fair, Chris as well) have officially become geeks.

I say this, not as a bad thing. I'm actually pretty proud of my dorkiness as a mom. After all, I think (at least while Christopher is little) that this is one of the things that makes Chris and I good parents to our son. It's the willingness to take ourselves lightly, and to make Christopher laugh, without fear of appearing too weird to others. It's kind of freeing really, not to worry all that much what others think when you're making a fool of yourself.

So, in the interest of full disclosure, I decided to list the reasons that Christopher thinks (right now) Chris & I are the coolest parents alive, and yet in the future will think we are the biggest nerds on the planet. This is by far not an exhaustive list. I'm sure Chris could easily chime in with some more (and I welcome him to do so). But it's what I can come up with right now, so here goes:

1. While helping him into his pajamas before bedtime, we occasionally like to break into "song." Our favorite? A rather (ahem) brilliant rendition of "U Can't Touch This (Hammer Time)" by M.C. Hammer...except in our version, it's "Jammie Time."
2. Since I'm on the subject of annihilating rap lyrics...while changing his diaper, in order for him to help me gain better access to his backside ;) I'll start chanting "put your butt in the air, and wave it around like ya just don't care!" Imagine me dragging out the "air" and "care" as "ay-ah" and "cay-ah." I can't imagine I would ever do this in public!
3. Singing or dancing to any song on the radio. Sure, Christopher loves this now. But just wait a few years...my habit of singing in the car will have to be broken.

At the moment, these are the only things I can come up with, though I'm sure there's more. Anyone else care to comment on their own dorky parenting techniques (past or present)? Not only would you make me feel just a little less weird, but it would also be a great way for someone to de-lurk in our comments section (which I know there are some of you out there). :)