April 2014 Update

Brynlee is, 90 percent of the time, a happy baby. Occasionally she gets a little fussy, but for the most part, we got lucky.

Look at this photo I got of her yesterday, while she was playing with a toy. With how often I am taking pictures of her, we know that she won't be afraid of cameras when she is older.

She gets so excited. Especially when she is pulling on your hooded sweatshirt's strings. She just loves that.

I think I am enjoying this stage of her life a little more than when she was first born. She has a personality now, and she recognizes me. She is more fun to interact with. I can play with her and she will respond with sounds, or smiles, or laughs. Kind of like a puppy, but a human version.

She eats puree'd foods now. She really likes mangos. Rice cereal works to fill her up, too. Still loves her bottles though. She knows when it's time, and she will start kicking with joy when she notices the bottle in your hand.

Her Grandma, and her Great Aunt help us babysit when we are at work. Sometimes I think that she is more excited to see them, than she is to see us. She really enjoys her time with them. It's safe to say by the look on her face when she makes eye contact with them both. We are very grateful.

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is her very favorite television show. We try to limit her time in front of the TV, because studies show that it isn't great for children under 2. But, how can you keep her completely away? You never will. When the Daniel Tiger theme song comes on, she knows it. She will freeze whatever she is doing, and turn to watch. It's pretty amazing. Her memory is fantastic.

Image from PBS.org

Four Months Photo Update

I think it's time for some more pictures from the last month. She was four months old on January 15th. She is almost five months old now... I guess I am a little late...

Italio - Orland Park, IL - FREE FOOD DAY Jan 28th!

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% true and my own!

Alright, this almost sounds too good to be true... But, it's not!

Think of if Subway and Chipotle combined to an Italian theme. That's what Italio is like. 

Walk in and down the line to form your own Italian creation.

Begin by choosing a Pasta Bowl, a Piadina (Italian wrap), or a Salad Bowl.

Then add your entree, sauce, toppings, and extras. (Don't forget to try an order of their famous Cannoli chips!)

Here's a sample of their menu - 

They have been very successful at their few locations currently in Florida. But that isn't enough. Chicagoland is getting their share! Italio is opening it's first location outside of Florida, in Orland Park, Illinois. Which just happens to be about 25 minutes from me! I am extremely excited, because I love the concept, and who doesn't like quick Italian food?

They will be giving out FREE FOOD to anyone and everyone on Tuesday January 28th, beginning at 10:45am! One complimentary entree per person will be given free. No gimmicks, just free food. It's their "welcome to the neighborhood". 

15139 S LaGrange Rd. Orland Park, IL is the location, and they will be open every day until 10pm. I hope everyone can make it out to the FREE FOOD day, but if not be sure to stop by any time! The prices are low, and the food is fresh!

Thanks to Italio Kitchen for allowing me to be a part of this special Grand Opening!

Mangiamo!

image via UrbanSpoon.com

Testicular Cancer Awareness

I think it's very important to share this message about Testicular Cancer Awareness. Men don't check as often as they should, and it's so simple to do.

Please take a moment to watch this video made by a fellow Dad Blogger's son and friends.

And don't forget to check! It could save your life!

Chicago Parent Magazine

6:51pm



I wanted to let everyone know that I have recently been accepted as a blogger for Chicago Parent Magazine! I am thrilled to be a part of such a great community of parents. I never thought that I would get this far.

So starting this month, you will be able to see some of my posts over on ChicagoParent.com. I will keep blogging here, as well.

Brynlee has been growing so quickly, that I can't even keep up. It's hard for us to tell, because we are around her everyday. I was going through some older pictures of her, and couldn't believe how small she was just a few months ago. Now she looks like a monster!

My wife went back to work December 30th. Luckily, we have great family that can help us with babysitting. They come to our home to watch her, and THEY DON'T CHARGE! How jealous are you, now? We are blessed.

Brit's mom takes Mondays.
I take Tuesdays.
My aunt watches her on Wednesdays.
I have her on Thursdays.
My mom does Fridays.
And then Brit has her on the weekends.

It all works out really well for us. Sometimes my schedule changes so we have to adjust, but it looks like I will be able to keep this setup pretty regularly. We aren't as concerned about how high child care costs are as much as we are about the quality of the care. My aunt spent a LOT of time with me when I was little, so my mom likes to credit her with most of my learning. I am excited for Brynlee to get the same treatment.

My wife surprised me with a fantastic Nikon D5300 (the newest camera they have!) for Christmas. So now I am able to take my photography to a MUCH higher level. Trust me, I have a long way to go, but I have been working on my skills at every chance that I get. (Not as many as I would like. We have a three month old, remember?)

We also bought a new computer, since my laptop that I used to blog from, died. I still have to recover all of the images off of the hard drive, but until then, this new computer is working great. iMac anyone?

I look forward to all of the new adventures that this year should bring! Remember to keep an eye out for me at ChicagoParent.com.

Say Yes To Less - Distractions

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Little Remedies. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Even before Brynlee was born, my wife and I decided that we wanted to keep everything we gave the baby as natural as possible. She was going to breast feed. We would make our own baby food at home. Only natural medicines in our cabinets. The way it should be.

So far, this has all been true. When Brynlee was born, we found a nearby pediatrician who is all about being all-natural, and homeopathic. We aren't "yuppy" or strict about what we eat, but I do believe that all these unnecessary "additives" that we consume are effecting our bodies. Maybe not right away, but down the road this will all catch up. Hormones, pesticides, sweeteners, and other unnatural additions to our food/medicines, are killing us.

When we started going to her, and she explained some of the reasons that she believes that natural is the way to go, we knew that we had to stick to it. We only use organic/natural body wash and shampoo, no more fabric softener, and natural medicines. It is more expensive, but worth it. Good health is key.

This is why we chose to "Say Yes To Less", and we encourage you to, as well.

Now, even after talking about how much we dislike unnatural additives in things that we consume, I actually pledged to Say Yes To Less - Distractions. 

Today, you cannot go anywhere without seeing a smartphone in someone's hand. This includes my family. I am the biggest culprit. I will have a laptop, iPad, and iPhone all going at the same time. What's wrong with that? Well, they are distractions. Distracting us from the world around us. Our growing family, world affairs, and immediate surroundings are all sidelined by "updates" and "notifications" from electronic devices. These are times that we need to cherish. Our baby is growing and changing quickly and these are the moments that we can never get back. Like they say, "Don't blink, because life will pass you by." 

We are going to work on spending less time on electronics so that we can spend more time with our family. As you have noticed, I have recently slowed down my blog postings because of this reason. Too much time is spent on the computer and not enough with my little girl, who won't be so little before we know it. 

We actually haven't used any medicine with Bryn yet, but we have a full Little Remedies line-up on hand, just in case. They don't use any unnecessary products in the ingredients, and that is important to us. We have tried gripe water with her to help when she is gassy. And it seems to work pretty well. 

We make sure to use hand sanitizer before we touch her face, and I am really weird about making sure to use antibacterial sanitizer on just about every surface in the house. It must be working. We need to get our flu shots, but I have heard mixed reviews. I have never had one, because I have never really been affected by the flu. For Brynlee's sake, it's probably best that we are immunized, though. 

Photo Update

She's getting so big already! Stop growing child!

Anyways, here a few new photos from the past week. 

Day 32 - Changes To PregoForMen Blog

11:14pm

As you might already know, I have blogged every day since the 10th week of pregnancy. But I think that is going to change. I want to focus more on writing quality posts, rather than quantity. They will still include updates on Brynlee, and the family. But I will probably use social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, more often, for updates like that. 

I have decided to slow down, not only because this blog takes up A LOT of time, but also because I don't want to write posts just because I feel that I have to. That isn't quality. And I'm not ok with that. 

So make sure you follow on Facebook to keep up with new blog posts. I always link to them via all of my social media accounts (which you can find at the top of this blog). 

Day 31 - Wait? What's That? It's Looking Like Another Cold Dinner Night...

10:10pm

I want you to think hard about your favorite meal. What is it? Picture it in front of you right now.

It looks delicious, right? Smells good, your mouth is watering, anticipating eating a wonderful dinner.

Sit down, grab your eating utensils, and reach for that first bite.

Wait? What's that?

Your newborn's diaper has leaked? Your baby's legs are dripping grainy, yellowish poop?

I guess that fresh, hot dinner is going to have to wait. You have bigger problems to solve.

Strip the baby's clothes off. Carefully, so that you don't make more of a mess than you are already dealing with.

Try to rinse the majority of the baby mustard(as I like to call it) off in the sink, before a real bath is ready.

Twenty minutes later, baby is all clean. But we still have to get her dressed.

Put on a fresh diaper, get her in some clean pajamas. About 45 minutes have passed since the first sentence.

Now she's hungry. She cries and cries until she is fed.

Prepare a bottle, feed her for ten minutes, until she is content. Can't feed without burping.

Pat her back for five minutes, or so, until a burp or two is released. Let's set her down.

Get her comfortable in her sleeper. Pacifier in. Blanket tucked around her little body. She's finally asleep.

Might as well eat dinner on a plate made of ice. It's cold, and ruined. It cannot be repaired. It's the norm these days.

Take a few bites, it's just OK. At least it's food. And edible.



Wait? What's that?

She's pooping again....

Dinner is going to have to wait. Again.


Welcome to my world.

Day 29 - Growing So Fast!

9:08pm



Brynlee had another doctor's appointment today. She has these little white bumps on her upper gums, and at first we thought they were teeth. Then we thought "thrush". But apparently they are pretty normal, and harmless, and if they aren't causing her any discomfort, then to not worry about it. So we aren't.



She is now 23.5 inches long, which is above average. Maybe she will be tall? At this rate (nearly five inches in just four weeks), I wouldn't doubt it.

She weighs 10.2 lbs. Which means in one month she has gained almost two pounds.

Yep, tomorrow will be one month old. We have those stickers that we used during the pregnancy. They gave us for the baby as well. So we will have to bust out the trusty camera (aka iPhone) and get some photos taken.

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Day 26 - The World's Catchiest and Stupidest Music Video

8:31pm



I just can't get this stupid song out of my head. With over 100 million views, I think that if you haven't seen this video by now, you are obviously missing something. So here you go....

Ylvis - The Fox

Your welcome.



Tell me what you think of this extremely popular viral video! I can't seem to stop singing "kakakachowkakakachowkakakachow" out loud, every 10 minutes or so.

Sponsored - FREE subscription to Baby Talk Magazine - no strings attached! Just click on the picture.

*This blog contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. It's like a win-win situation.

Day 23 - Is Your Child Stupid, Too?

9:45pm


Today was a good day.


#1. I was off of work.

#2. I got to spend the whole day with my baby girl and wife.

#3. I had some pretty decent mexican food for dinner.


We went shopping to get Brynlee some warmer clothes. The weather is changing and starting to cool down a little bit. She doesn't have much clothing for that type of weather. Not in Newborn size at least. We have an outlet mall close by, so we decided to check it out.

There was one part of the day however, that wasn't very good. As a matter of fact, we were horrified.

One of the stores that we visited was The Children's Place. We had Little B in her stroller, with the sunshades up. The mall is outdoors and the sun was really shining today. Anyways, we found a few little pants and sweaters for her there. While my wife was shopping I noticed a lady, maybe in her late 30s, or early 40s, waiting by the register, loudly calling her little boy's name. He was sitting on the ground by the front door of the store. There was only us, and a handful of other customers in the entire store.

I could see her impatiently staring at the credit card machine, as if it wasn't working. The store clerk, standing there with her arms crossed. It was an awkward situation, and I didn't understand it. Anyways, we kept shopping, others came in and out, and they stayed in the same position.

We decided on what we were going to purchase, and proceeded to the register. There was only this one open. When we walked up, I think that we were the only ones left in the store, perhaps one other lady browsing. Turns out the lady's credit card wasn't going through, or was declined, not sure, don't really care. Her son was still sitting by the front door, ignoring her demands for him to come over by her. She stepped to the side, so that the girl could ring us up and get us on our way, while she was waiting for the card to magically start working again.

The clerk started to ring us up while she, my wife and I, and anyone else that might have been in the store noticed this mother go over to her child by the front door. She smacked him a few times while he was on the ground, my wife said she kicked him, or booted him with her feet, but I didn't notice that. The real shocker to all of us is that while she was "mildly beating" this child, who was probably two or three years old, she was also belittling him by telling him how STUPID he is. Several times. The child even responded, "I'm not stupid!" With her responding, "Yes, you are!"

We were in awe. My wife and I looked at eachother thinking, do we say something? Is it our place to intervene? I could tell that my wife was really biting her tongue. She is NOT one to turn her head at something like this. But, she did. And so did I. But now I'm starting to think that we should have took action. It's not even so much the smacking, although she went a little overboard with it, but a little discipline is not uncommon, and every parent can make their own decisions about that. But to tell your young child that he is STUPID? What is that going to improve about the situation? Nobody is stupid. At least that is how I feel. I'm pretty sure that 99.9% of other parents would agree with me on that one.

Who knows how she treats this kid behind closed doors. Now that we sit here and think about how we should have confronted this situation, you still can't justify it because of how crazy some people are these days. What if we would have said something and she had a knife, or gun, or some sort of weapon? You can't be too careful. I think that's why we kept our mouths shut. I bet if we wouldn't have had Brynlee with us though, my wife would have said something, if I didn't.

Moral of the story is that NO CHILD IS STUPID. They might be a lot of work, not listen, be a pain, and give you more headaches than you can ever imagine. But they AREN'T stupid. And degrading your kids in that manner is just not acceptable.



I would LOVE to hear your thoughts about what we witnessed today. What would you have done in this situation? Leave your comment on here or on my FACEBOOK PAGE.

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*FTC Disclosure - This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own.

Day 20 - Work Vs. Family

10:08pm




I really don't have much to say. I haven't really been home lately. Last night I was so tired that I fell asleep without setting my alarm on my phone. So I woke up a little late, and made it to work about fifteen minutes after I was scheduled to start. I have a lot of overtime this week, and it will help to offset the fact that my wife is off of work. But at the same time, I am missing out on a lot of time with our new baby.



Is it worth it?


The question is hard to answer. We could use the extra money, but is it worth missing the first few weeks of her life? I am barely ever home. Just enough to eat and sleep.

This is probably the most time we will be able to spend together, as a family, in a long time. When is the next time my wife will have eight weeks off of work? I only get three weeks total, each year, for vacation time. I think she gets two. So is the extra few hundred dollars worth all this bonding time that we could be having with our new daughter?

The United States needs to give fathers paternity leave. Even if it's for a week or two, that's better than nothing. I, like most dads, need to work while our wives are on maternity leave, because there aren't many Americans that can afford to both take off.

So I will continue to miss out on my daughter's life. I don't really have a choice. It's a shame, really. But what choice is there? Win the lottery? I would have to play for that to happen...

Sign up with womensforum.com for a chance to win a nursery! (this one's for you, moms!)

*This blog contains affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own.

Day 17 - Sleepy With Her Dad

4:13pm

Working a lot this week. Until 10pm tonight and tomorrow. So my wife has been great by making us breakfast and lunch earlier today so that I could get some rest. Me and little B slept until about noon today, only waking up to eat. 

Day 16 - How Long Until We Can Eat A Normal Dinner Again?

10:06pm



How long until we can eat a normal dinner again?

Brynlee likes to interrupt our mealtimes, as if she knows what she is doing. Like she doesn't want us to eat. It's all about her now. If we are doing something, she wants the attention. She makes sure that she eats first. She is so spoiled.

Tonight, for example.

I brought home a few strip steaks for dinner. My wife started cooking them shortly after I got home. I was watching the first Blackhawks game of the season, with little B. Well, she wasn't really watching, but she was with me. So when dinner was ready, she brought it out in to the living room, so that we could eat while watching the game. Right away Brynlee starts crying for food. So my wife has to let her food sit to feed her.

I get about halfway done with my food, and my wife hasn't even touched hers yet. I get up to use the restroom, during a pause in the game. I hear an "Oh my God!" from the living room, followed shortly by a "Kevin, I need your help!".

I come out to find that Brynlee decided to poop out the top of the back of her diaper. Soaked her onesie, and made a mess of herself. Great! Now we both have to stop eating to get her all cleaned up and redressed. Needless to say, the steaks still tasted good. But yes, everything was cold by the time we were able to eat. This happens regularly I'd say.


We both love her so much. We don't know what we would do without her. It's hard to imagine that we didn't have her before. It's awesome to be a dad. Very tough, especially for mom, but totally worth it.


Can I get a warm steak now, please?





Little B couldn't handle the hockey game, she passed out (for a few minutes, until dinner was done) after the first period.

 

Day 11 - Daddy's Kicked Out!

8:08pm



...Continued from yesterday...


At 6:30am I walked into our bedroom, after sleeping on the couch all night, to find Brynlee spread out as much as her little body could be. IN MY SPOT ON THE BED.

I couldn't be mad. I thought it was really funny actually. But I think I may have been officially kicked out of my own bed!

Tonight, my wife talked me into satisfying one of her many cravings while she was pregnant.

Can you guess what it is?

It's a type of food. A Japanese type of food, actually. And it involves fresh, raw fish, and is highly discouraged for pregnant women.

Shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Sushi, of course! One of our all-time favorites!

We had to get it to-go, since we aren't sure how Brynlee will do in a sit-down restaurant, and aren't ready to find out. She does great at stores, so I'm sure she would be fine, but either way, we decided to take it home. Wow, was it good. I'm glad my wife was able to have some again, she has been talking about it for the last nine months.

Brynlee's umbilical cord remainders, fell off today. So there's her first milestone. And I was the one to find it! My wife says that it's significant, who finds it. I don't know. She could have found it and I would have been OK with that. Now we can give her a real bath! Well, we will wait a few days still, to make sure it's all sealed up right.

*FTC Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own.

Day 6 - Free Huggies!

2:31pm

I want to give a special thanks to a fellow dad blogger, Jim Higley, for congratulating us with a whole crapload (and used for crap-loads, you know) of Huggies diapers. He did some work for Kimberly-Clark, and they allowed him to give away a bunch of Huggies to a lucky family. Well, because Brynlee was born on Sunday, the day of the giveaway, he was nice enough to make us the winners! So thanks again, Jim. 

Oh and he also invited me to be a part of the #BigLeagueDads Campaign by Dove MenCare. This includes attending a Chicago Cubs baseball game tomorrow. Unfortunately, I have to work! 

Brynlee slept good last night. We did had to get up at around 2am to feed her. But it wasn't so bad. She got back to sleep pretty quickly. 

My wife's sister came over last night and we ordered pizzas. She is in love with Brynlee and vice versa. She loves her aunt, and her aunt sure spoils her! 

My wife caught this photo this morning while she was sleeping. I said she must be dreaming about her dad again! 

Remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or any other of the social networks for even more updates and fun!

Day 5 - Our Little Hairball

2:33pm

I already am dreading leaving her in the morning, when I have to go to work. My wife is nervous too, about how in six weeks we are going to have to give her up a couple days per week, to a babysitter. It would be nice if one of us could stay at home, but it would also be nice if the bills would pay themselves. We both have to work.  

This is what I have to leave in the morning...

Our little hairball, all swaddled up and comfy. She was smiling before I took that photo. I missed it. 

We are very thankful and appreciate all of the congratulations that we have received from friends and family. We are getting all kinds of letters in the mail, as a matter of fact, my wife called me a little bit ago, and said she was going to cry, because Brynlee got her first letter, addressed to her, today. 

I'm thinking that next week we are going to slow down on the visitors. It's been so overwhelming lately with everything that we have to do, that time is already passing us by. We haven't had much of a choice to enjoy her to ourselves. I think it's important to have that family bonding time. Especially since the six weeks my wife has off is going to fly by. 

Oh, and I guess Brynlee decided that she would have an "explosive" bowel movement while my wife was changing her diaper, earlier. So I have that going for me today.... When I say "explosive", I mean like "Have to clean the walls" and "Steam clean the carpets", explosive. Of course I found it kind of funny because it was my wife and not me, but I'm sure my day awaits. 

Day 4 - Changing A Diaper In 60 Seconds Flat

10:17pm



I was up with B from about 4:00am to 5:30am last night, or should I say this morning? Her poor mom was pooped, so I figured I would help out and feed her. It took her about an hour and a half to relax and finally get back to sleep. I'm thinking that if I would have swaddled her, she would have fallen asleep faster. She seems to like that. She is swaddled right now, and not a peep out of her.


She spent some time with her grandpa this morning, before going out on her maiden voyage into the outside world. A pit-stop at my wife's work was first, because everyone was just dying to see her. She also had to fill out some paperwork for the maternity leave. Even though there were about 10 people hovered over her car seat, she never opened an eye.

Next stop.... Pediatrician.

Her first check-up. She loved her new doctor. A very nice person, I think we found a good one. My wife's OB/GYN actually recommended her, and we can see why. The doctor is all about organic and natural, but very down-to-earth and friendly as well. Brynlee passed everything with flying colors. As a matter of fact, I believe she was considered "perfect".

They even mentioned about a newborn little boy who was in the office earlier. Him and Brynlee would make a perfect couple, according to the staff. I had to step in and say "Hey, wait a minute, here. Let's slow down a bit!" She's already a daddy's girl, for sure.

A few more errands to Walgreens, and Babies-R-Us, and she did great. She slept about 98% of the time, with no real fusses. I guess we can't ask for much more than that, out of a newborn. She's a great baby so far, although when she wants something, you know. She happens to have quite the set of lungs.

Dad is getting more comfortable changing diapers. Not to brag or anything, but I can change a diaper in about 60 seconds flat. Not bad for a rookie.


She attracts all kinds of attention, wherever we go. Mostly because of her hair. Everyone can't seem to get enough of her full head of hair!

I got a small taste of fatherhood today, when I realized that Brynlee had eating and pooped a few times during the day, and that my wife and I hadn't eaten since dinner, the night before. It's crazy how you put your own needs off to make sure your children are taken care of. (Don't worry, we ate a good dinner tonight)


Check out this little kid's Chicago Bears jersey. I think we need to get her one!