Day 245 - Guess We're All 'Counting Stars'

Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things that we could be
But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard
Said no more counting dollars
We'll be, we'll be counting stars

In the past few days, that song has found its way into my consciousness and embedded itself deep within my brain. It started as most earworms do. A person hears it either on a commercial or TV shows. Then, said person will inevitably begin humming it nonchalantly wherever they go. Finally, said person makes the mistake of looking up said song on YouTube and playing it in the presence of a certain baby. Of course, you'd think the story would end there but you are sadly mistaken.

Instead, baby begins full-body dancing. The rhythmic gyrations, the 'Night at the Roxbury' style head bob, the arms waving above her head. You see, once I saw that occur, I knew I couldn't deprive her of that experience. Therefore, instead of 'Counting Stars', I'm instead counting the number of times I've heard the song. Unfortunately, I've since lost count. It's ok though because I'm just listening to the song whereas poor Ellie is legitimately counting stars as a side-effect of her new found upright mobility.

I'm highly doubting Calvin and Hobbes listen to OneRepublic...

The first example of such takes us back to last evening. As I was at church for our Wednesday night services, I began receiving a series of texts from Bethany. The first of which was a picture of Ellie accompanied by a simple caption reading "I hit my head :'(". Sure enough I glanced at the photo to see Ellie hadn't just hit her head. No, the massive bruise on her forehead showed that she had head-butted something at a much greater rate of speed than she is normally capable of.

Of course, I asked Bethany what had occurred like any moderately curious person would. Ellie, while playing with her laundry hamper, had lost her balance, careening headfirst into the corner of her dresser. Right where she hit was aligned with one of the big veins running through her head resulting in the epic bruise you saw in the photo. Now, I figured Ellie (and us) would learn a lesson from her clumsiness. I may have figured wrong on that one.

Who knew bruises grew overnight? ;)

Fast forward to today. One of my favorite places to hang out in our house is on the floor in front of our staircase. It provides a natural pillow, is right next to the radio, and within sight of the big front windows. It really is the perfect place. Of course, with me laying right there today, Ellie decided it was the perfect place for her to play as well. Back and forth she would crawl over my chest, lazily sliding off every time she reached an edge. All was well and good until she changed her goal as a song she liked (not 'Counting Stars') appeared on the radio.

At that point, she removed herself from my chest and pushed herself to a stand. There she stood, waving wildly, "singing" at the top of her lungs, and bobbing her head in something less than unison with the song. Then, it happened. Ellie lost her balance, tumbling backwards straight into the corner of our bookshelf. She looked at me, big blue eyes shimmering in the sunlight as tears welled up inside. Before I knew it, the tears were rolling down Ellie's cheeks as she screamed out in pain. Picking her up in my arms, I held and consoled my daughter until the moment had passed and she was back to her normal self.

So, as you can plainly see, we're all living out 'Counting Stars' in our own way, shape, and form. Bethany and I with the song eternally stuck in our heads. Well, at least until a new song invades that space. As for Ellie? She's going to keep counting stars in a different fashion. That is until she gets her sea legs under her. However long that'll take. #DaddyWrite

P.S.: Why does the music video to 'Counting Stars' feature an alligator/crocodile wandering around a vacated, dilapidated apartment building? Can't someone just call animal control to take care of that? I don't get it...

I'm not sure how to tell you, but that's not an alligator. It's just a guy in a magic dragon costume...

Day 241 - Daddy's First Annual Performance Review

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

That quote, by one of the great philosophers of the 20th century, really never ceases to be true. In fact, I think I may be living that quote during this stage of my life. Take the following story for example.

Last night as Bethany and I were hanging out after Ellie had gone to sleep, Bethany looked at me and asked if I realized that very day was one year exactly of me staying home with Ellie. Of course, I'm sure it's no shocker to anyone that I had no idea that was the case. 

Now, as I sit and think about that a little bit, I realize there is an importance of me taking stock of everything that happened so far. I could always go back and reread every prior blog post. However, that's 155 posts covering 240 days, an average of 600 words per post, and that equals...(grabbing calculator)...that equals approximately 93,000 words. 

That could probably be read in an afternoon, but I'm not going to go that route. Instead, I'm choosing  to draw back on my seven years of business experience and go with another time tested method: the annual performance review. Now, most performance reviews are conducted by a manager and then shared with you. That's a little hard for me as the closest thing I have to a manager currently is Ellie. Honestly, I'm not exactly certain how much I can trust her expert opinion on the matter either. As a result, I guess I'll just have to do it myself.

The rules in play? Well, similar to 'Who's Line is It Anyway?', everything's made up and the points don't matter. I'll be grading myself on parenting acumen, fun, and temperament. Honestly, I could probably grade myself on some other criteria as well, but I'm just not apt enough to think of anything else.

Starting with parenting acumen, I would have to give myself 4.25 stars. When I began the whole parenting thing, I was pretty much in over my head. I had to learn the basic stuff such as changing and feeding Ellie. I mean, that stuff was relatively easy. Much more difficult was learning Ellie's tells. For a while, it was really hard for me to figure exactly what Ellie was wanting at times. Eventually I figured it out, you know, just in time for the rules to change. 

Honestly, it feels like every time I'm feeling good about my Ellie-related knowledge, she starts doing something new. First it was crawling, now it's walking. Also, the fact that I laugh every time Ellie falls flat on her face attempting to walk should probably be a strike in the parenting department.

On fun, I give myself two enthusiastic thumbs up. I feel like Ellie and I really do have a lot of fun together. Relatively few days go by without photographic evidence of that via selfie. Sometimes its trips to the zoo or park. Other times, it's just a relaxing day around the house which is still filled with play. 

For the first several months of her life, I was convinced Ellie didn't enjoy being around me. Maybe that was the case at that time, but I don't believe that's the case today. She gets so excited to see me anytime I've been away from home that I know she actually does love me. Therefore, I guess we do have at least a little fun together.

If I'm being honest, temperament is probably where I fail the most in my performance review. Sure, I can be pretty happy-go-lucky most of the time. However, there are those times when I get really frustrated with Ellie. The first few months at home with Ellie were filled with days of me screaming into a pillow out of pure frustration. There were also plenty of panicked phone calls to Bethany so that she could talk me off the metaphorical ledge. 

"Real life" video of me becoming angry with Ellie...

Things are definitely better now although I still do get irritated with Ellie at times and probably express it vocally in a less than desirable manner. That being said, I'm giving myself a 78% on a scale of 100. Since it's a C, I won't need to repeat the class. Although I should really hope to improve my grade in Parenting 201. 

So there you have it, my first annual parenting performance review. I feel like I may have been hard on myself at times, but honesty is the best policy. 4.25 stars, two enthusiastic thumbs up, and a 78%; not terrible scores but not the best I can do. I'll definitely look to make the honor roll moving forward.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. That great 20th century philosopher I spoke of? Ferris Bueller. Wise man, that Ferris. #DaddyWrite

More great words from Mr. Bueller...

Day 239 - Baby's First Great American Eclipse

I think it's common knowledge that parents never cease to worry about their child. At least, I'm guessing that statement is fairly accurate since I've heard it from both types of parents. You know, the overwhelmingly overbearing type versus the laid-back, no worries types. As someone who falls more towards the no worries side of the fence, it's pretty rare that I find myself super worried about Ellie. I generally like to give her space to explore and discover her world around her while attempting not to hover. However, that being said, today marked one of those days when I was really worried about Ellie and it almost caused me to miss something really cool.

Anyone understand why I used this gif? Drop a comment if you do!

Just in case you've been living under some kind of rock for the last few months (or years), today marked the long-anticipated Great American Eclipse. If you want me to be really specific, it was a solar eclipse, not a lunar one. Needless to say, I've had my eclipse glasses in hand for at least a month awaiting this day. By the way, don't forget to take your used eclipse glasses to Chick-Fil-A on Barry Road Tuesday morning for a free Chicken Biscuit.

Taking the excitement for the day into account, you can imagine my disappointment when I wondered if I'd even get a chance to watch the eclipse.  The reasons were twofold. Number one, and most pressing, the weather report was not in our favor today. At least that's what my WeatherBug app told me this morning as I logged on to see 100% chances of rain from 11 am until 2 pm. Even if the weather cleared, I still didn't know if I'd get to watch the eclipse. Why? I was super worried I wouldn't be able to keep Ellie from staring up at the sky. 

As Kansas City residents know, problem one solved itself as the heavy cloud cover lifted, leaving only a hazy sky in its wake. Problem two was still an issue, at least in my mind. As 11:00 came and the sun began to disappear, I began receiving texts from Bethany about how awesome it was. Then, she finally asked if I was watching it too. Ashamed, I responded with a no. When asked why, I told her Ellie was awake and I didn't want her to unknowingly damage her eyes. Bethany, ever the voice of reason, then engaged me in a conversation on the subject matter.

"Do you ever just stare at the sun for no reason?"

"Well, no."

"Have you ever seen Ellie just stare at the sun for no reason?"

"No."

"Well, if she's never just stared up at the sun, why would she start now?"

It was then that I pretty much realized all of my fears were in vain. Bethany was right; there was no reason Ellie would decide to just stare unblinkingly into the sun. First of all, that would really hurt her eyes and she would likely blink when it began doing so. I mean no human being is just going to stare at the sun with zero protection for their eyes.

Ok, there is one human being that might...

With that, Ellie and I headed outside onto our back porch where I pulled up a couple of deck chairs for us to sit in. Ellie didn't stay put for long, instead preferring to crawl around the deck and explore while I intermittingly stared at the sun, through my eclipse glasses of course. As the sky began to darken and the air began to cool, I found myself totally in awe of God's majesty and power. I don't believe (or want to believe) something like that happens randomly.

There was one more highlight before the sky cleared though. Once our porch turned dark as night, Ellie crawled back over to me and tugged at my shorts until I lifted her up onto my lap. Then, she snuggled her head into my chest as we sat there in the darkness, cicadas chirping in the background. I'm not sure if she was spooked or what; I don't really care. It was just a nice experience to share with her even if she won't remember it.

And hey, if I want to make certain she does, then we'll just have to head to the Missouri boothill in 2024. Although, judging by this one, we should probably book lodging now. People be crazy when their sun disappears from the sky.  #DaddyWrite

My eyes look weird, but at least the baby's cute...

Day 238 - Unseasonal Headgear Selection and Nontraditional Sliding Techniques

I like to brag on Ellie. No big shocker there as I'm guessing most dads enjoy bragging on their children. In fact, I'm really excited right now as she's starting to learn to walk and talk. I know that it's only a matter of time before I get to run around chasing her and I truly believe that will be a blast. Not only that, but it's going to make life so much easier once Ellie's actually able to vocally tell me what she is wanting rather than just crying. 

On the flip side of bragging is that I get to make fun of Ellie when she does something in the wrong fashion. I'm not going to lie; I certainly do my fair share of doing so. While Ellie seems to be very intelligent, there are certainly times where she does something so silly and against conventional wisdom that I can't help but laugh. Luckily for me, I got to experience two of those moments today.

Like most mornings, I began my day at the gym and returned home around 6:30 am to watch Ellie while Bethany prepared for the day ahead. As of late, Ellie's been playing on our bed when I get home so I just need to head upstairs to find her there. So, long story short, I wandered up the stairs and turned the corner into our room to see Ellie sitting on the bed and "reading" a book. Oh yes, there was one thing I forgot; she was sporting a pink knit hat. 

I was born into the thug life; I didn't choose it...

Now, as we're still in the midst of summer, this obviously took me by surprise. When I asked Bethany for details, her response was simple. Apparently Ellie had found it on the floor and had actually brought it to Bethany to put on her head. Not only that, but Ellie had actually been wearing it since she first got out of bed for the morning. As I sat down beside my daughter, I decided to test her commitment to her headgear. Reaching out for the hat, Ellie deftly avoided my hand, darting side-to-side to avoid me getting her hat in my grasp. Finally, at peace with her commitment, I stopped antagonizing Ellie and let her be. In case you're wondering, she finally took the hat off on her own, post breakfast and just prior to bed.

Of course, it wasn't just unseasonal headgear that made me wonder about Ellie's decision making. A trip to the indoor playground at Zona Rosa gave me additional fodder. I had actually been intending to take Ellie to play at Zona Rosa for a while, but for whatever reason, it just hadn't happened yet. Therefore, with the two of us having been cooped up for most of the week, I decided to take Ellie out for a fun afternoon adventure. 

 

From the time I sat her down on the carpet, she was off to the races, climbing over everything in her path. Partly due to her enjoyment of exploration and partly due to the little girl that was obsessed with trying to give Ellie hugs. Of course, I did follow Ellie around the play area like a good parent because I didn't want her using other kids as a climbing apparatus. Not to mention, I didn't need Ellie to put anyone's eye out due to her fascination with grabbing at faces.

Before long, Ellie found her way to the slide in the middle of the play area. However, rather than climb her way up the "steps" to the top of the slide, she instead chose to take the path less traveled. In other words, she found it more prudent to try and climb up the slide itself. Now, obviously, I could climb up a slide like that no problem. As could many other children in the play area. Ellie really cannot. First of all, her attempt to do so in socks left her continually sliding down. Second of all, she's just a little girl who's not even walking yet. 

After sometime of watching her happily try to climb and fail, I took pity on Ellie and lifted her to the top of the slide so that she could go down. To my dismay, she instead spun around backwards, laid down on her stomach, and slid down the slide that way. Scratching my head in confusion, I returned Ellie to the top of slide and tried to hold her in place so that she could slide down on her backside. Of course, Ellie wriggled lose, turned on her stomach, and headed straight down the slide. At that point, I just decided to go with it and continued lifting Ellie to the top of the slide for her to slide down on her stomach until she finally tired out.

So, as you can see, Ellie's decision making skills do provide me with a lot of material to laugh at. In fact, I even made sure to take pictures so that I'll always have photographic evidence to prove Ellie's not perfect. After all, isn't that the way of the dad? #DaddyWrite