Day 153 - Experience This! (Haec Facio!)

One of my favorite things about the stay-at-home dad gig is having brand new experiences that thrust me out of my comfort zone. Coincidently, one of my least favorite things about the stay-at-home dad gig is having brand new experiences that thrust me out of my comfort zone. It's weird how things work out that way, right? On one hand, it's great to have new experiences that help me to grow and further round me as a human being. On the other hand, it's horrible to have new experiences that help me to grow and further round me as a human being. As I always (by always, I mean never) say, "vita est ita". 

Could have gone with a random 'Modern Family' gif I found about latin. However, I don't know anything about 'Modern Family'. Hence no 'Modern Family' gif...

Today was one of those interesting days that stretch me that I'm referring to. I should set the stage first. The first two days of this week have certainly been intense exercises in patience. As Ellie is growing, maturing, and getting ever closer to driving, she's beginning to assert her independence in dramatic fashion. One way she chooses to do so is via the absolute refusal to even consider a morning nap. Now, I personally enjoy the beauty of the morning nap. It gives me time to either veg, get things done around the house, get writing done, or take a nap myself. And yes, I am willing to admit the first and fourth items on that list are relatively unproductive activities.

Today, I decided that enough was enough. I was getting that morning nap out of Ellie for reasons that are twofold. Numero uno being I'm her dad and I know what's best for her (legitimate). Numero dos being I'm her dad and I just really, really want her to take her nap. So I patiently embarked on my easy 10-step method to infant-napping success. Guess what; it's a list!

Adult me wants to know how the Sultan didn't know Jafar was evil. He's the only guy in Agrabah wearing black!

1. Read Ellie a couple of nice books (the kind about snuggly puppies and animals exercising on the deck of a ship)
2. Incase her in a sleep sack being careful to seal it tight
3. Plug her mouth with a pacifier and put a spare in her tiny little fists
4. Lay her in her crib.
5. Exit her room and listen to cries for 15 minutes
6. Re-enter the room and hold her for 15 minutes as she pounds my sternum relentlessly via punches and headbutts
7. Repeat steps 3 through 5
8. Repeat step 6
9. Repeat step 4 and 5
10. Breathe an epic sigh of relief as the crying ceases and I bask in the warm glow of victory

Following all of that, I was actually in for a pretty normal day until late this afternoon. As Ellie was running low on diapers, I took the opportunity to load her up and make an afternoon trip to Target to procure some. While there, I came across some fancy Easter dresses (for Ellie, not me) and began to browse. See my mom had given me some money earmarked for a nice Easter dress and some shoes for Ellie. And while it certainly would have been easier (and more fun for me) to have just purchased a Blu-Ray copy of 'Rogue One', the mature thing to do was to buy Ellie a nice dress and shoes.

So with that, I began perusing the dresses looking for the perfect one. Despite the fact that Ellie was in the cart with me, I inevitably received strange looks from everyone who walked by. Probably because rifling through pastel Easter dresses for infants is never going to be found on a list of manly activities. Or at least not one that I've seen. Finally, unable to decide, I snapped pictures of the two finalists and texted to Bethany for her input. Luckily, we matched on our favorite so it was time to head out. With diapers in the cart and a dress hanging from the handle, I proudly proceeded to the checkout to procure my purchase (try saying that five times fast).

I even bought blue shoes to match and everything! Yay for color coordination!

As the checkout lady was scanning items, she proceeded to tell Ellie just how cute she was going to look in her Easter dress. When Ellie failed to answer (as she is prone to doing), the lady then shared kind works with me. "Look at you just picking out a dress for your daughter all by yourself. Isn't that nice?" 

Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out if that was a compliment or if it was an insult. For the time being, I think I've settled on back-handed compliment. "Vita vero sic" indeed. #DaddyWrite

It's not too late to return the dress...