Day 407 - "Yogurt"

I am very sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled (ha) blog post. However, it's imperative that I speak to you about an issue that is plaguing many across the nation. Not just the nation, but the continent. Also, not just the continent, but the world. 

**Pause for dramatic effect**

The issue to which I speak is properly referred to as the pharyngeal reflex although you may instead know it by its more common name, the gag reflex. Even though the gag reflex doesn't seem to elicit concerns from most licensed practitioners of medicine, I still feel the time has come to eradicate it from life as we know it. 

Truth be told, I actually just realized that gag reflex probably isn't the thing I'm really wanting to eradicate. The fact that the human body strives to avoid choking on anything that could potentially cause death is a good thing. Instead, after minimal research, I think I really want to get rid of the dry heave. Allow me to explain.

As I'm guessing is normal for most every toddler, Ellie really enjoys her daily snack. By the way, 'daily' is probably a misnomer there as she generally is able to get two or three snacks out of me each day. Anyway, her choice of snacks normally consists of one of the following: Cheerios, Goldfish crackers, peanut butter crackers, cheese sticks, yogurt, or fruit. I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting but it doesn't really matter.

Of each of those listed, it seems there is one that has ascended to being Ellie's favorite. That is yogurt. Even though she's tasty its creamy goodness on multiple occasions, the most recent batch struck a chord with our bouncing, blonde baby. In fact, we've seen her making formal requests for yogurt morning, noon, night, and everywhere in between. 

For the record, a formal request from a baby isn't in writing or anything. Instead, it's pretty much just her holding a plate or bowl in front of your face while she mutters "yogurt" over and over again.

I'm sad to say that we unfortunately saw our yogurt supply plummet from some to none over the past week. I'm also sad to say that we unfortunately haven't made the attempt to obtain more yogurt for Ellie's consumption in that span of time. However, that hasn't stopped the sad refrains of "yogurt" from escaping Ellie's mouth. 

Despite repeated reassurances that we were out of yogurt, Ellie's requests did not cease. Finally, from the mind of Bethany, a response was crafted. On Sunday when the requests for yogurt spilled out of Ellie's mouth, Bethany headed to the refrigerator, extracted a tub of cottage cheese, and placed a generous dollop on Ellie's plate. While I was certain Ellie would be smart enough to notice the difference, I was shocked and dismayed to find out she was not.

The reason for my shock and dismay? You see, while my wife and daughter apparently love cottage cheese, I am not the world's biggest fan. If it's cooked into lasagna or something, I can normally get past it. However, raw cottage cheese is my Achilles heel. Between the smell and the sight, it doesn't take long for me to start dry heaving. In fact, I'm doing so right now as I think about it.

Regardless of my feelings about cottage cheese, part of my role as a father is to man up when the tough times hit and come through for Ellie. Today, when the cries for yogurt came raining down, there was only one thing I could do. It started with grabbing a clean bowl and getting the container of cottage cheese out of the fridge. 

Here's where the hard part began. As I pried the lid off the container, the sudden feelings of nausea swept over me. Looking at the curdled substance below me, it was all I could do to hold my true feelings (among other things) inside. Finally, I held my breath, looked up at the ceiling, and proceeded to scoop two large spoonfuls into Ellie's bowl before dramatically slamming the lid back on the container. Upon delivering the bowl to Ellie, she immediately dug in, and ultimately consumed the entire bowl in about 45 seconds to my undeniable chagrin.

Lucky for me, I just have to find the courage to dish it out for her each day. I don't actually have to eat it. The true challenge though will be to simply continue getting it on a plate or in a bowl for Ellie.I'll keep you in the loop for how that goes. #DaddyWrite

Day 401 - Enter Sheepie

I'm going to preface this post with a public statement: I really don't know anything at all about kids that aren't my own. As a guy who had never even held a newborn baby until (I'm guessing) 2013, I feel that's to be expected. However, that doesn't stand in the way of me pretending to know what I'm talking about, especially when writing #DaddyWrite posts.

Can I use this as my answer to everything?

For my main point of this blog, I'm willing to guess that most children go through a phase where a stuffed animal or a security blanket is an essential part of their life. Am I wrong in saying that? I mean, I can provide examples if you'd like. 

For one, my nephew who is three weeks older than Ellie seems to have been born with his security blanket surgically grafted to his hand. I feel that describes just how little I've seen him without it in tow. For a more personal example, I can truthfully say that I held onto my own security blanket as a kid for longer than I care to admit. In fact, said blanket is still residing in a trunk at my parents' house despite its extremely tattered condition.

Throughout the first 22 months (close enough) of Ellie's life, she's certainly had her share of brief love affairs with various objects. As a newborn, who could forget the seemingly unbreakable bonds she forged with Leon the lion and Evie the elephant. The random tags that adorned each certainly brought her peace and calm through many a (literal) storm. We also can't forget how Leon was Ellie's constant playtime companion while Evie kept her company on many a car ride.

Ah, those carefree days of staring contests with Leon. In case you're wondering, Leon always won.

Also of note from her first days is a white bear in a t-shirt proudly declaring "My Uncle Ryan is the Best!". Obviously, Uncle Ryan Bear as we took to calling him was a gift from Ellie's Uncle Ryan. There have been plenty of other stuffed animals along the way including a musical octopus, a pair of handmade elephants, Gerard the giraffe who came from the Zoo, as well as a floppy, canvas bunny named Violet. 

While all of these stuffed animals have been special to Ellie in their own way, one new addition has risen above the rest of the pack. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you for the very first time, Sheepie the sheep. 

Sheepie came to Ellie by way of an Easter gift from a relatively random source, a neighbor of Bethany's from her days at home named Donna. While Ellie has obviously had access to stuffed animals in the past, Sheepie is different for several reasons. First of all, Ellie actually named Sheepie all by herself. Sadly, it took Bethany and I a while to figure out exactly what Ellie was referring to when saying "Sheepie." 

Second, and perhaps more importantly, Sheepie is the first stuffed animal that Ellie has ever wanted to sleep with on her own accord. Within the first few days of Sheepie moving in, Ellie had recruited the tiny stuffed sheep to occupy a place of honor in her toddler bed. If I had to guess why Ellie loves Sheepie so, I'd have to say it has something to do with it being small enough to fit in her arms as well as being soft enough to cuddle. 

Look closely and you'll find Sheepie under Ellie's right arm.

Time will ultimately tell if Sheepie has the lasting power of my childhood security blanket. However, I'd say it's off to a good start as it's become rare for Ellie to even travel to another floor of our house without Sheepie in tow. Even if it's not with her, Sheepie is never far from her mind as she will routinely just say its name over and over again.

In fact, for the record, I'm pretty close to adding "Sheepie" to the list of words I'm really tired of hearing Ellie say. In case you're wondering, others on that prestigious list include "Mom," "Dad," and "Snack." Too bad for me that those are relatively useful words Ellie won't be forgetting anytime soon. #DaddyWrite

Day 400 - .8 Mile

**Sigh** I hate this screen.

Ok, feel free to restart anytime now.

While it's not a consistent presence in my life or anything, it's still an unnecessary road block to face every once in a while. Imagine me if you will, excitedly sitting down to write a nice little story about my precious daughter when suddenly the blue screen hits. There I sit, knowing that the progress I had made on my post was gone, never to be recovered. 

I watch the percentage complete number trend upwards until finally, it hits 100% and nothing further happens. No restart or anything. Finally after an hour of waiting, I make the decision to just perform a hard shut down on my laptop. Unfortunately for me, that hour of time I spent waiting was actually the time I had available to use writing said piece. 

Never fear though as today is a brand new day. I have a precious baby fast asleep in her crib, a warm blanket around my legs, a NASCAR race on in the background (Yay for rain delays), and a story to tell...from last Thursday. Even if it's not from today, I figure it's still better than nothing! Plus, it reminds me of the nice warm days that we get to look forward whenever Spring finally comes.

Let's flashback to day 398. With the temperature soaring into the mid-70's, I would reek of pure foolishness if I chose to stay inside instead of getting outdoors to enjoy some sunshine. I'm certain Ellie would feel the same way even if she doesn't quite have the full vocabulary needed to express that belief yet. Therefore, I made the decision that it was time to hop in the car to go spend a couple of hours at Platte Purchase Park. 

There was one pressing concern that needed to be taken care of before we could head to the park though. Between the sun blazing overhead and the lack of cloud cover accompanying it, that meant Ellie needed to have sunscreen applied. That was especially true since she was dressed in a tank top and shorts. I will say that lathering my child in any kind of substance is pretty miserable, be it sunscreen, lotion, diaper rash cream, or even soap. Ellie will pretty much fight you with every weapon at her disposal. However, I finally succeeded against all odds and was able to get us both loaded up to head to the park.

If this picture fills you with deep, burning, white hot, searing rage, don't be afraid to comment.

Now, I feel the urge to say if you live in the KC Metro area and haven't yet discovered Platte Purchase Park, you are missing out. I love it for the wide, winding trails leading all over the park, snaking their way around the baseball fields, through the trees and tall grass, and next to the playgrounds. As for Ellie, she loves the park for those aforementioned playgrounds specifically.

Upon arrival, rather than first heading to the playground, I decided it might be fun to take a short walk on the paved trails with Ellie toddling alongside. To her credit, Ellie didn't rebel against the idea. Therefore, walk we did. Actually, I was the only one walking the whole time. Ellie chose instead to alternate between frantic running (while screaming), walking backwards, and happily trotting alongside me. There was the occasional detour to be had as Ellie would occasionally dart off of the trail to touch anything and everything in her line of vision with me having to call for her to join me on the trail again.

After what I thought was .4 of a mile, Ellie spotted a park bench right off the path and pointed at it, exclaiming "Snack." As I had indeed packed a snack for her, we sat down and enjoyed a feast of Goldfish and Animal crackers together. Unfortunately for Ellie, this pit stop was also accompanied by the reapplication of sunscreen. After all, no one wants their baby served up burnt.

Once we finished, I decided that we might ought to consider heading back to the trailhead. My logic being that if Ellie had already covered .4 of a mile, she would probably wear out soon. That was confirmed soon enough as on our way back, Ellie showed all of the typical signs of baby fatigue. She chose to not listen when I gave instruction, was easily distracted, and ultimately needed to be carried back to the car on my shoulders. 

Once we finally made it back to the trailhead, I looked at the final mile marker only to realize that instead of starting at the beginning of the trail, we had actually started at the 1 mile marker. In other words, Ellie had covered .6 of a mile before her break and did at least another .2 on our way back to the car. So, even though I probably should have berated her for not being able to complete a simple mile of walking, I was actually super impressed with her stamina for keeping up and doing so well. Also, I'm joking about that berating thing in case you're wondering. 

The lone downside to our little adventure is that as soon as I plopped Ellie in her car seat to head to the playground, she promptly fell asleep before I could even park the car again. Therefore, there was no alternative other than to head home so she could take a nap in her own bed. Poor baby. Her daddy had promised to take her to the park to play and instead just wore her out while walking on a trail while making her put on sunscreen twice. 

Wait, so did I actually go to the park or not?

The moral of the story for Ellie? Make sure to get promises of future park visits in writing from Daddy rather than just trusting him to not get distracted by nice, wide trails. #DaddyWrite

Day 397 - Ellie Greets the Animal Kingdom

It's fair to say the last two days have been two of the most anticipated days of 2018 for Ellie and me. After all, it's not every day that one gets to celebrate Barbershop Quartet Day and Grilled Cheese Day respectively. In all seriousness though, it's really too bad those two days can't be celebrated on the same day. Can you imagine being serenaded by a barbershop quartet whilst eating a grilled cheese sandwich? Take a moment to appreciate the sheer wonder contained in that thought.

Oooh, grilled cheese. If you please. Oooh, grilled cheese.

Ok, if you're done appreciating (and you've actually decided to keep reading), I'll tell you the real reason for my anticipation. The truth is that we finally have concrete evidence that Spring is coming/here/still exists after a long, long winter. As such, my mindset for the last two days has basically been to (1) keep the baby alive and (2) to spend as much time outside as possible. As I step back and take stock of the last two days, I've got to say I feel pretty good about having achieved both of those goals.

Flashback to Wednesday. Rather than keep you held in epic suspense as I build up to whatever Ellie and I decided to do, I'm just going to tell you. We went to the Zoo! And yes, I feel that exclamation point is justified as I'm pretty sure it was the first time I'd taken Ellie to the Zoo since January or February. Not only that, but it was actually a pretty special day to visit as Dixie, the new baby giraffe, was going on exhibit for the first time. Quick thought, it feels really weird to refer to a living thing as an exhibit. Anyone else agree? Just me? Ok.

Believe it or not, Dixie is already 6 feet tall and weighs 170 pounds. So, you know, basically me.

While Ellie's always loved the zoo, this marked the first time I had taken her since her communication skills truly developed. For an example, look no further than our first stop while at the zoo: the orangutan exhibit. Ok, that's a lie; we did pass through the Polar Bear exhibit but I chose not to count that since we couldn't actually see any evidence of a polar bear. 

Back to the orangutans. When we reached the primary viewing area, we were lucky enough to be graced by the presence of four orangutans, one of which was a baby. Ellie pretty quickly asked for me to not only stop her stroller, but to let her out as well. As soon as I set her down on the ground, Ellie's first move was to run (not walk) up to the glass where an orangutan was waiting for her. She then began rapidly saying "Hi monkey" over and over again. Despite the "monkey's" stark indifference, Ellie's enthusiasm could not be squelched as she continued on. Finally, the orangutan slowly lumbered away from the glass leaving a disappointed Ellie in its wake. 

Ellie did actually get a (fake) orangutan to acknowledge her. That counts right?

Of course, there were still plenty more animals for Ellie to attempt to build a deep and lasting relationship with. Tigers (aka doggies), penguins, lions (also doggies), rhino, giraffes, and chimpanzees (also monkeys) were all on the agenda. However, my favorite experience for the day had to be the cheetahs. I should say first that I consider myself to be quite the zoo veteran at this point. After all, Ellie and I have made a significant number of trips over the past year-plus. That being said, I had never had an experience with the cheetahs as I did on this occasion.

Baby and baby penguin.

As we wandered near the cheetah enclosure, I first saw a cheetah nervously prowling the exterior of his pen as it headed toward the viewing area. Knowing this, I was pretty sure if I hustled, I might be able to make it there in time for a close-up view. As I pulled Ellie's stroller into the covered viewing area, I was shocked to see that not just one cheetah was there, but two. Obviously, I once again removed Ellie from her stroller and set her down to see the cheetahs.

Now, I should add that there were at least five other people in the enclosure at this point in time. Given Ellie's seemingly perpetual fear of strangers, I figured it was unlikely she would stray too far from me. Well, I'm not too proud to say that I was pretty wrong about that.

Ellie promptly made a beeline for the glass and pointed at the cheetah dramatically before finally exclaiming "Hi kitty!" Then, as the cheetahs began to pace, Ellie began to walk the glass alongside them, gleefully exclaiming "Hi kitty" all the while.

I promise there is glass there....

Of course, that led to awkward conversations with the others in the viewing area about what exactly the consequences of having a pet cheetah would be. In case you're wondering, the consensus was that most would love to have a pet cheetah as long as they could guarantee it wouldn't kill them. Also, in this hypothetical scenario, if the cheetah removed one's non-dominant arm, people seemed like they would be willing to make that sacrifice provided it was willing to snuggle and cuddle at least some before doing so.

I now realize that this simple blog post chronicling a simple trip to the zoo has become a bit unwieldy. That's ok though because I'll just save the chronicles of day 398 for my next blog post. Anyone object? No one? Good. See y'all next time! #DaddyWrite