January | 2008 | SuburbanDaddy

Blog Birthday

Today is my 1st blog birthday! One year since my very first blog post. SuburbanDaddy started as an experiment, mainly as a way to share pictures and happenings in my kids lives with family who live across the country. I committed to sticking with it for a year to see how it goes. Here’s what I learned.

Blogging Is EASY– All you have to do is write about what happens to you every day. Like Seinfeld. Went to the store to buy new shoes? There’s a blog entry. Go on vacation with the family? Another entry.

Blogging Is HARD – Finding time to sit at the computer and write something is easier said than done sometimes. Then, even if I have a few minutes of quiet, do I really want to expend mental energy writing or would I rather watch some mindless television. That’s why I often go days or a week without writing. It isn’t from a lack of ideas. Just time and energy.

Blogging Is Fun – When I’m in the middle of a daddy episode, at my wits end, tantrums all around me, or in a major battle of wills, I actually start thinking This will make a great blog topic. And it makes the daddy episode easier. Fun even. I find I take pictures with my cell phone to write about it later. Kids out of control in McDonalds playland? Not to worry. Just take a picture (I’ll write about that one soon).

If You Write It They Will Come – When I first started, I had no idea people, complete strangers, would read my blog. People from all over the world. And write comments! Here are some of my blog buddies.

Kim from Jogging in Circles
Aunt Crazy. My kids call her Aunt cream cheese
Brand new dad and blogger Brian at The Baby B
Amy from Memories and Musings of a Mommy
AdventureDad
Everyone at cre8Buzz

Saving For College

The cost when my kids go to college will be upwards of $100,000. And that’s for each kid! Better start saving now. That’s why I use Upromise.

In five years, we have made more than $600 for doing, well, nothing. All we did was sign up for a free account. Then, when you make purchases at stores you would shop at anyway, you get a small percentage back in your college savings account. Buy gas at Exxon-Mobil? Get $0.23. Buy anything at Target? Get 4% back. Walmart, JCPenney, eBay? There are hundreds of stores.

That grocery and drugstore shoppers card you already use, which gives you store discounts, also gets you free money in your college savings account, when you sign up with Upromise.

You can get the whole family involved. Sign grandma and grandpa up and when they put gas in their car or buy groceries, they will also be adding to their grandkids’ college funds.

Who said you can’t get something for nothing?

Flu Shot Adventure

Flu shots are usually pretty simple. A few seconds and they don’t even know what hit ’em. For Thing 2, two and a half years old, it was an adventure this year.

I took him to the doctor’s office (Suburban Daddy is assigned all doctor visits where shots will be given) on a Monday afternoon to get the shot. Quick and not so painless, but it was over in a few minutes. Then we went out for a cookie at Starbucks and he forgot all about it.

The next day, I received the call from preschool around 10am. He was running a 101 degree fever which normally means he needs to go home. I mentioned that he had a flu shot the day before, and they said if I get a note from the doctor saying he wasn’t contagious, he could stay. A flu shot normally causes a low fever for a day or so. I called the doctor and asked them to fax a note over to the preschool. It’s all good.

Shortly after, I receive another call from preschool. Now Thing 2 has a rash on his body. Time to call the doctor again. The nurse said the fever was a bit high, and the rash wasn’t typical of a flu shot reaction. Better bring him in to have a look.

I picked him up at school and we went to the doctor’s office. This time, Thing 2 immediately recognized where we were and thought he was getting another shot. He refused to be weighed, wouldn’t let the nurse check his temp or look in his throat.

When I got his shirt off, we saw his arm where he received the shot was enormously swollen. All the way from his shoulder to the elbow. It was like twice the normal size. To quote the doctor, “I’ve never seen a flu shot swell up that much. Let me take a picture to submit to medical journals”. Not what you want to hear. Then she marks the swollen points with a pen, so we can come back the next day and see how it progresses.

We give him some Benadryl at the doctors office. Thing 2 wasn’t very receptive, but I held him down while the nurse poured it in his mouth. The doctor also said to keep his arm elevated and ice it. I thought, Seriously? How am I going to get him to do that?

But, once we got home, I was surprised that he became the model patient. We watched an entire Shrek movie (unprecedented). And he actually sat with his arm elevated and frozen vegetables on it.

The next day, the swelling started to go down, and we went back to the doctor and got the green light to go back to preschool. All in all, more than I bargained for with a flu shot.

The Disgusting Part Of Being A Parent

When new parents hear what to expect from parenthood, they know about the lack of sleep, added expenses, and time constraints. But what new parents don’t fully appreciate is just how disgusting parenting can be.

I’m not just talking of the dirty diapers and burping and spit ups a newborn goes through. That’s nothing compared with the joys of potty training once they get older. Oh, and I can easily deal with some pee on the carpet or poop that misses the bowl. What you are about to hear goes far beyond these on the disgusting scale.

Thing 1 has struggled with potty training to say the least (see this and this for some history). Recently, we stumbled upon what is possibly the source of his troubles. Who knew a four year old could become constipated? After reading up on the causes and symptoms – low fiber diet, drinks lots of milk, holds in and avoids going to point of accident – it now seems so obvious. How could we have missed it? Terrible parents.

Getting back to the disgusting part. On several occasions, when he did manage to make it to the toilet in time, the, uh, specimens, were extremely large and dried. To the point where we asked how something that big could come out of a little kid. So big, in fact, that they actually stopped up the toilet. I’ve never heard of such a thing from anyone, let alone a 4 year old. I guess it’s information you wouldn’t readily volunteer.

One time, the specimen was too big to fit through the opening at the bottom of the toilet. Even after several flushes. So I was forced to break it into pieces. Again, not information I would readily volunteer. I used a plastic knife to break it up in case you are wondering.

Another time, Thing 1 wasn’t able to make it to the bathroom in time and he had an accident. It was just a #1 accident so I promptly put his wet clothes in the washing machine. That is, I thought it was just a #1 accident. Let’s just say there were a few “pebbles” in his pants, too.

They were so dried out, they remained in pebble form throughout an entire wash cycle. And dry cycle. Yes, I put the clothes in the dryer, too. It isn’t exactly something you look for before putting wet clothes in the dryer. It was only after a day of “what is that strange smell” when I realized what had happened. Then I had to decontaminate our washer, dryer, and try to eliminate all traces of “pebbles”. Fun.

So, when I hear new parents talk about “disgusting” spit up and icky diapers, I smile and think to myself Just wait a few more years. Then you’ll know the meaning of disgusting.

7 Month Old Baby Drinks Beer

First, let me state for the record, that it is Suburban Mommy’s hand you see holding the bottle. I would never let a baby drink beer. I was, however, the one holding the camera. Does that make me an accomplice?

It started when Thing 3 put his fingers in the bottle, then put his fingers in his mouth. Note the look of wonderment, surprise, and joy, as if to say This is way different from my usual bottle.

From there, he decided he wanted the whole bottle, so he could get a real taste.

Finally, here’s the look after getting a taste. Judging from the strong grip he kept on the bottle, he liked it. And after a few more of these, he took an unbelievable nap!

Major Toddler Milestone

Thing 2 reached a major milestone this week. The milestone has one of the biggest impacts on all of our lives. No, he isn’t potty trained (I wish!).

It was really two milestones which converged to create a perfect storm. First, he stopped sleeping in his crib. Not because we wanted him to, but because he suddenly realized he could climb out. And since he is also going through a wake-up-and -cry-4-times-a-night phase, with his newfound skill it became wake-up-and-jump-out-of-the-crib-and-cry-4-times-a-night phase.

So we put the crib mattress on the floor and told him it is a big boy bed. Of course, Thing 1 is quick to point out it isn’t as big as his bed.

The second milestone, which came about after a couple of the nights described above, is that he learned how to turn the knob and open his door. Getting out of his crib into his child proofed room is one thing. Roaming all over the house in the middle of the night is quite another.

So far, he has only ventured as far as our room. And we do have a gate at the top of the stairs to slow him down. But it’s only a matter of time before he decides to take a midnight stroll into his brothers’ rooms and wakes them up to play.? I can’t wait.

Family Meals Made Easy

At our house, meal planning is one of our great struggles. By our, I mean it is a struggle for Suburban Mommy, since she does 95% of the grocery shopping and meal preparation for the kids. My 5% struggle comes in when I get home at 6pm, after picking up the kids at preschool, and there is nothing for me to eat because I didn’t plan for myself. That’s why I end up eating Cheerios for dinner after the kids are in bed.

If you also struggle with planning meals, here is a great solution. Dine Without Whine (love the name) sends you an email each week with menu recipes AND the grocery list for everything on the menu. The meals are kid tested, meaning they won’t look at it and instantly say “I don’t like it”. Having the grocery list already made is the key to making meals simple.

All the planning work is done for you, and you can go back to your other daily struggles, like potty training and bedtime.

Toddler Comfort Objects

A comfort object can be an important part of a toddler’s emotional development. It can also be quite amusing, depending on the object.

We never experienced comfort objects with Thing 1. He isn’t really the sensitive, emotional type. We’re lucky when we get a goodnight hug from him. Thing 2 is the opposite. He’ll randomly walk up to someone, anyone, and give them a hug. He also has quite a stable of comfort objects.

Since he was a year old, he has slept with a “night-night”. What is a night-night? It is one of daddy’s T-shirts. He uses one or two as a pillow, and another as a blanket. And, since his nose is always running, by the morning the night-night is covered in snot and needs to be washed. So, as a result, I never have a clean T-shirt to wear.

Right now, another of his favorite comfort objects is this two and a half inch character that came as the driver in a toy dump truck. What you and I would call junk, Thing 2 affectionately calls Mustache Guy. When I pick him up at preschool, the first question he asks is “Where is mustache guy?” Lord help me if I don’t know.

Mustache Guy

Also very popular right now are baseball hats. He wears one pretty much all the time. Even while sleeping. Like I said, comfort objects can be amusing. As long as you don’t lose them.

What comfort objects does your toddler have?