Day 204 - Know Your Roll...

I'm a firm believer in irony. You know, a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result. 

Side note, sometimes I feel like it makes me come off more intelligent to literally copy and paste a definition into a blog post. Is that the case or does it instead just make me seem clichéd and pedantic. By the way, pedantic - overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, especially in teaching. Hey, at least I'm being consistent with overbearing amounts of definitions. 

Ok, back on topic. I'm a firm believer in irony because pretty much every time I say or believe something is going to happen, the opposite occurs. I promise, this all will relate to Ellie. 

Please, go faster...

It's no secret that a part of me really hopes Ellie ends up as a tomboy. You see, I love my daughter and I want her to be her own person. I just hope she's a person that I can find a lot of common ground with. A person that will also be easy for me to relate to. That being said, I'm fully prepared for her to turn into a girly girl because #irony. However, occasionally I see these nice glimmers of hope that allow me to believe that won't be the case. Today was one of those.

I've mentioned Ellie's deep affinity for her ball pit a time or two. Seriously, the girl absolutely loves it. It's to the point that anytime we've been away from home, as soon as she's free from her car seat, Ellie will frolic up the staircase in search of her spherical nirvana. Once she's there, it's no shocker to see her begin tossing balls out of the pit all over the living room floor. Before I know it, there will be 125 balls covering our living room floor.

Today, I found myself returning the balls to the pit as Ellie watched on with great satisfaction. Normally, I just toss them all in with the occasional one being flung at my daughter for fun. Hey, don't judge me; the balls are really soft plastic. For a change of pace, I decided it was time to try a new game with Ellie: catch. Now, by no means does Ellie have the gracefulness and ability required to properly play catch. However, that doesn't mean that she can't engage in a fun game of "Roll the ball across the carpet to Daddy and he'll roll it back to you once he receives it". Now, I doubt that's the proper name for this game hence me calling it catch. 

Ok...

After rolling five or eight balls in her direction, Ellie finally realized the point of the game was not to eat said balls. Instead, she eventually rolled the ball back in my general direction. Not only did she roll the ball in my direction, but she actually laughed and smiled while doing so. A couple more instances of her doing the same confirmed to me that Ellie knew the point of the game. In fact, she was engaged by this game for almost 20 minutes.

Eventually Ellie became bored of the game and instead picked up the ball in an attempt to toss it to me. Unfortunately for her, she throws like a baby girl at this point in time. I'm pretty sure I can coach that out of her with a little patience. First we'll ditch the baby part and then we'll work on the whole throwing like a girl thing. After all, I do need her to have an arm I can be proud of.  #DaddyWrite

For the record, this is a throw I could be proud of...

Day 203 - One!

Today was a day of celebration. A day of jubilation. A day of semi-exhaustion? All of those things are likely true. 

As you well know if you read yesterday's blog, today marked Ellie's first birthday. I guess if you're wanting to be totally accurate, 6:15 pm marked Ellie's first birthday. That seems mildly nitpicky to go into that much detail though.

Now, I admit that it's completely unlikely Ellie remembers any part of her first birthday. However, that didn't stop Bethany and I from working to cram it full of special activities and treats for our baby girl.

Said special activities and treats included a trip to Chick-Fil-A for lunch with her mommy, a tour of DFA's new office with Bethany,  a zoo trip (accompanied by "Uncle" Malachi), a hot dog fresh off the grill for dinner, her very own swimming pool for a present, and last but not least, her very own cupcake.

Corporate baby.

See, I told you that today was chock full of special activities and treats for Ellie. Honestly, the conclusion I came to regarding this is that a child's first birthday really isn't about the child at all. Instead, I believe it's more for the parents. What do I mean by that? Well, I'll tell you.

It all began last night after Ellie had been put down for the night. Bethany and I sat in the living room flipping through the monotony of Monday evening television until we began reminiscing about what we were doing and feeling at the exact same moment in 2016. If our memories hold serve, we were watching 'Match Game' and counting down the time until we needed to leave for the hospital. Ironically, our feelings about that moment were very similar; excitement to meet our daughter, but unbelievably nervous for what we knew would be an extremely long day ahead.

Of course, the day ahead was very long. We checked into the hospital at 9:00 pm on June 26th and Ellie didn't arrive until 6:15 pm the following day. Honestly, I'd never been as proud of my wife as I was on that day. The bravery and fortitude she showed throughout the entire experience encouraged me. I can still remember the pain I felt watching Bethany suffer through every back spasm, vomiting fit, and groans of agony to the eventual epidural and birth. In fact, I warn every dad-to-be that will be the one of the hardest things they will go through in their entire lives.

Once Ellie made her entrance and was handed to Bethany, I saw a contented peace flow over my wife's face as she held our newborn daughter tightly in her arms. We were finally able to look upon our daughter's face, not through the grainy images of an ultrasound, but with our own four eyes (four eyes because there were two of us, duh). This tiny person who we had spent so long asking God for had finally arrived. 

The next few days were a whirlwind of doctors, nurses, and well-wishers until it was finally time to head home. As we drove the ten minutes from the hospital to our house, I vividly remember discussing whether or not we were ready to tackle taking care of Ellie on our own. While I was hesitant, Bethany was fearless. She knew that everything was going to be just fine.

Now, 363(ish) days later, I can see my wife was right. Ellie has grown and developed so much over her first year of life and it's been a pure joy to watch. If I was to list every awesome thing I've seen from Ellie, it would probably take me 200 words. So therefore, I'll just list some of my faves.

• ·         Ellie's first time letting me feed her a bottle
• ·         The way she used to sleep on a play mat just outside the kitchen as we ate dinner
• ·         Her first time rolling across the living room
• ·         Gently rocking her to sleep in the rocker in her room at 3:00 am while listening to 'The Show' over and over and over again
• ·         Watching her crawl for the first time
• ·         Seeing the excitement on her face every time I smile at her
• ·         The clumsy way she claps her hands or waves goodbye 

I could be incredibly specific and keep going (and going and going). However, living in the past is no way to be. If I was to do that, then I'd certainly miss all of the exciting things that lie ahead for Ellie, and for Bethany and me.

A joke in our household in recent weeks (one that Bethany doesn't appreciate at all), is for me to say something along the lines of "One year down, 17 to go." While it's meant to be a joke, there is something slightly sobering about it. However, rather than let it get me down, it incentivizes me to enjoy every single day with Ellie.

Honestly, that's part of the reason #DaddyWrite exists. Despite the often sarcastic bent, it reminds me to take note of the small things that happen in Ellie's life day in and day out. It also helps me to make sure I'm enjoying even the rough patches and we all know there are plenty of those. 

My hope is that someday Ellie will be able to look back at some of these posts when she's older. Maybe she'll appreciate the fact that buried among the stupid jokes and obscure pop culture references are some sweet stories about a dad's love for his baby girl. Or she'll just think her dad's a long-winded sap.  Both are probably accurate.

#DaddyWrite

All done...

Day 202 - Age Zero is Almost Over

So, Ellie's birthday is on Tuesday. As I write this, we're 364 days into this whole child-rearing experience. In case you're wondering, the #DaddyWrite counter only counts days in which I find myself solely responsible for the baby. I do indeed know how to count accurately (as long as I have an abacus or make tally marks). Each year as my own birthday draws near, I find myself attempting to take stock of the past year of my life and ask a series of questions.

• ·         Did I accomplish anything of value?
• ·         Did I make a new friend?
• ·         Did I learn anything new?
• ·         Did I get to eat at Taco John's enough?

I'm sure there's other pressing questions that are asked. However, I just can't remember them. I do have a reason for bringing this up. After today, I'm relatively certain Ellie must share my affinity for taking stock of the last year on the eve of the anniversary of her birth. 

For example, I've drawn attention to Ellie's propensity for learning new things in the past. The idea of how once she learns something, she doesn't actually cease doing it until the activity is mastered. And with that simple sentence, you now have a decent idea of where I'm going with this. If you're wondering, the two newest skills in Ellie's repertoire are crawling down the stairs all by herself and engaging in spontaneous rounds of applause. 

After a multitude of private training sessions conducted by yours truly, Ellie finally mastered the one thing that was standing in the way of her properly descending down stairs: turning around. Instead of barreling head first down a flight of stairs with a lack of bodily regard, Ellie now instead approaches the edge of the stairs with caution. Once she reaches that edge, she turns with one leg stretched until said leg is in the air. Then, she gradually moves that leg down one step. Once her weight is secure, she follows suit with her other leg. One-by-one, Ellie will gradually inch down the stairs until she finds herself on solid ground.

At least Ellie doesn't go down stairs like this...anymore.

Honestly, I didn't expect Ellie to be so addicted to stair climbing once she learned. Shows how little I knew as Ellie basically spent the entire day ascending and descending stairs in an attempt to master the task. Ironically each time she completed said task, she would happily sit at the top or bottom of the stairs respectively and give herself a rousing round of applause.

Ellie's actually been working on clapping for a while now. However, she has now finally mastered the most important part of clapping. You know, the part where your hands touch? Seriously, for the longest time, one could tell Ellie was trying to clap. That being said, her motor skills probably weren't developed enough to really make contact. Now, those days are in the past.

Honestly, I'm happy Ellie can clap now. Not only does it give her another form of communication but it just makes me feel good about myself. If I give her an especially tasty lunch or perhaps an extraordinary diaper change, Ellie can give me a rousing round of applause at a tip. Not only will it make me feel good about myself, but she can also let me know that my work doesn't go underappreciated.

I do love the irony that Ellie chose to fully master both of these tasks in the closing hours of her first year of life. It's like that guy everyone knows who strives to accomplish something in the last week of any year just so he can say he fulfilled her New Year's Resolution. Fortunately, Ellie's resolutions are probably more attainable than whatever that guy was trying for. 

At least I hope they were. I'd hate for the end of Ellie's first year to be marked with crushing disappointment. #DaddyWrite

Day 199 - Insurance, Infants, and I

I'm just going to tell you straight up that this could easily be the weirdest start to a #DaddyWrite post ever. However, I'm still going to roll with it because I find myself unable to think of anything better. Is that cool with all of you? Hopefully so.

I love insurance. For real. I like knowing that whenever I get sick and have to see a doctor, I'm not going to have to sell everything I own just to pay bills like Denzel Washington in 'John Q'. Same thing goes for my car and home insurance. If for any reason either of the two are destroyed, I wouldn't end up completely up a creek. I would at least be able to afford a 1982 Ford Pinto or something of the sort. And no, I cannot confirm the existence of the Pinto nameplate in 1982 off the top of my head. 

Apparently one can use a Ford Pinto as a firestarter when necessary.

Also of note is the beauty that is dental insurance. As in the dental insurance I used today to pay for my six-month checkup. Boom, that's a transition right there! To tell the truth, I'd been slightly worried about this checkup for quite a while. Not because I had a cavity or anything (because my teeth are structurally perfect despite not being perfectly straight). Instead, I was worried because I knew that I'd be leaving Ellie with a babysitter for a few hours.

I should lead with the fact that I was not concerned for Ellie because of who I was leaving her with. I left her with a friend, Emily, who lives just a few streets away so I knew Ellie would be fine. However, I was more filled with concern for poor Emily because I know how Ellie can be a complete handful to deal with at times. Seriously, she's kind of like a real-life Jack-Jack from 'The Incredibles'.

With my appointment scheduled for 10 am, I knew I needed to have Ellie dropped off with Emily around 9:30 to give myself plenty of time to get to the office. As I handed Ellie over to Emily, I knew she'd be fine. However, I still found myself giving a completely unnecessary laundry list of instructions to a woman who has successfully raised two children of her own. Finally, Emily reassured me that everything would be just fine and that if Ellie got upset, she'd be able to deal with it. With that, I backed out of the driveway and headed to the dentist office.

Honestly, I forget sometimes just how easy it used to be for to pick up and do things pre-Ellie. By this I mean, once my cleaning was done, I took advantage of the time away from my daughter to get some errands done. Ironically, those errands involved purchasing some needed items for Ellie at Target but such is the life of a father. After finishing up at Target, I then headed to the bank to deposit a pair of checks before it was time to pick up Ellie. Somewhat sadly for me, I was unable to deposit my checks as I spent ten minutes standing in line behind the couple applying for a car loan at a super-market bank location before I finally decided to leave.

I would have had more patience with the dog...

I then headed to Emily's to retrieve Ellie just as I had promised. Honestly, I half-expected to hear that Ellie had screamed for two hours straight as I walked up to the front door. Imagine my surprise when Emily answered the door with a smiling Ellie in her arms and nothing but good things to say. Apparently Ellie had only had a few 10-second meltdowns but was otherwise good. She had spent some time exploring and watching the older kids play Xbox Kinect. In fact, I knew things must have gone really well when I saw Ellie reaching out for Emily as we were leaving.

Honestly, I couldn't be more proud of Ellie for being really good over those two hours. It's easy as a parent to expect the worst regarding your child. Especially if your child has earned her reputation of being difficult. Instead, seeing that Ellie did well gave me an incredible peace of mind. You know, kind of like the same peace of mind my insurance gives me? 

It's just nice to know as a stay-at-home parent that there are plenty of people who I can leave my daughter with for a couple of hours as necessary. Now I just need to get over my weird pride and actually ask those people for help when necessary. Oh, who am I kidding? That's easier said than done for me. #DaddyWrite

Day 198 - Get Motivated, Cut Your Hair

A common denominator for all people is to seek out their comfort zone. For some, it's finding yourself amongst a large group of people. I think we'll label this hypothetical person as "the life of the party". For others, it's secluding oneself in an oversized chair and curling up with a good book. Of course, that requires one to be literate which eventually may be a thing of the past. You know, once the machines start just beaming knowledge into our heads and The Matrix becomes a reality? Calm down, I'm just kidding; that will never happen. 

This is probably the only possibility of me ever knowing Kung Fu.

For Ellie, a big part of her comfort zone is Bethany and I. That's understandable as we are her parents and therefore, kind of responsible for her well-being, and happiness and, uh, whatever other stuff that entails. Part of us being her comfort zone is that she expects us not only to be around whenever the situation calls for it but also that nothing about us has changed whatsoever from her expectations of us.

For example, I'm the type of person who puts things off. Ha, as if you didn't already know that. If I was to rank the things that I put off, perhaps the top of the list would be haircuts. I wasn't always like that. When I was growing up, I got a haircut every three or four weeks like clockwork. If it got too long for me, then I'd always have trouble finding the part. That's not really an issue anymore as I haven't parted my hair in almost 15 years. Interestingly enough, that time frame actually corresponds with when I began growing my hair out in college to my grandfather's great chagrin.

Probably not my hair at its longest, but still a decent representation of my college years...

Anyway, after three years with long hair, the maintenance, weight, and temperature of it finally got to me and I had it all whacked off. Even though I don't grow it crazy long anymore, I still find myself putting off getting haircuts for two or three months at a time. In fact, Bethany got a little tired of it (because she wants me to look nice for some reason) and instituted a haircut rule. That rule being that I can grow it as long as I like but once I begin shaking my head to have the hair fall in place, I have to get a haircut. It's simple and easy to follow. Even I can't mess it up.

That time finally hit last week as the head shakes were becoming more prevalent. Also, we had a family reunion that Bethany wanted me to look decent for. I can't understand why for the life of me. Therefore, once Bethany arrived home from work, off I went to the local Sport Clips for a haircut. Once it was completed (with me looking pretty dapper), I headed home to see my girls.

I walked in the door knowing my wife would instantly notice the difference. However, I didn't expect the difference to be so jarring for Ellie. Her eyes were immediately drawn to my head and there they remained. I'm glad that I at least have a little bit of self-confidence or I would have began worrying about the way I looked. My hypothesis is that she had become accustomed to my hair being a certain length that having so much taken off at one time had totally messed with her. In fact, it had totally messed with her to the point she didn't even want me to hold her because then it was harder to study my head. 

Luckily for me, Ellie forgot all about my new haircut once the hypothetical dinner bell rang and she found herself in her real comfort zone instead: a high chair with all the food she can handle at her disposal. A comfort zone that I am at least a little bit envious of. #DaddyWrite