Work was alright, today. What makes me enjoy my day is getting to go home to my wife and daughter. During the week, I almost get desperate for a chance to get away from the Monster. The last couple of weekends, however, I've come to realize that, yeah, I might need a little "Me Time" but I will always miss both of my girls when I'm not with them.
On a side note, I made a comment to my wife that I didn't like people. This was made more in reference to the fact that I don't like the holiday crowds especially considering the attitude that has developed the last few years. The holiday season is supposed to be good and about family and friends, etc. People are so stressed about finding that perfect gift that they get very rude to "competitors" for parking spots, the latest Elmo, the ideal present. Freaks me out. You ever feel like your in a horror movie where your surrounded by people and everyone has been replaced by some weird parody of themselves. Yeah, that's me during the holidays. Anyways, my wife thinks it's funny considering that my job is customer service and I get paid to be good, even when the holidays come at the store I work at.
Which brings me to one last gripe. I've ranted about this for the last several years. More and more companies are starting (or have been) to put out the Christmas toys/ornaments/stuff before Halloween. No one even celebrates Thanksgiving (except for the food and football) because all the stores go from Halloween to Christmas all within the month of October. I believe the reason (but I'm to young to remember, I guess) that the day after Thanksgiving is such a big sale day is because people used to celebrate one holiday at a time (even if it was right after the previous one). It's one thing for a craft store to start early. It takes awhile to make holiday stuff sometimes. But retail stores to start earlier than Thanksgiving, that's just bizarre.
OK. That's it.
P.s. My Mom misses her granddaughter, so she's trying to make a trip down sometime soon. I can finally get some projects done.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
It's been a good day...
The Mrs. asks, "How was your day?" to which I usually reply, "OK". For the most part this means that while the day has been challenging, it wasn't anything that I couldn't handle. Maybe a little stress here and there but nothing like when I first started as an "at home dad". That was a tough time.
I don't think I came with the patience for a baby even though my wife supported me. She seems to handle it so well. The only time I can tell she's had a hard day with CM is how fast she hands her over to me after I get home from work or if she looks frazzled.
My instincts come more from being a dog trainer and what I've read in the baby books. Even some of that seems to conflict. So if CM starts howling, I created a checklist to work through. Diaper, check, bottle, check, etc.
What happens when she starts crying, you change the diaper (which wasn't real bad), offer a bottle, even walk her around, doing my "Passing Wind" dance and she still continues to cry? What's worse is that I can get her at least a little calm and knowing that she's hungry offer her the bottle again to which she screams, no, screeches, at the top of her lungs. I find that sometimes just sitting her down for a minute or two in her crib will calm her down or she'll fall asleep.
I just checked. She's out like a light. I know that she will be even more hungry when she wakes but at least she calmed down quickly. Is this right to do? Some of you might say, "You've got to comfort her so she can learn to trust in you in the future". That's well and good but what if just picking her up makes her cry harder? Others may say, "It's OK to let them cry it out". She's only four months old. I've been told you can't do that until they are several months older or else they won't understand. All I can say is that she fell asleep by the time I was half done with this post, so maybe she just wanted to lay down after all. I don't know.
Sorry, no cute "baby sleeping" photo. I can hear her start to whimper again...
I don't think I came with the patience for a baby even though my wife supported me. She seems to handle it so well. The only time I can tell she's had a hard day with CM is how fast she hands her over to me after I get home from work or if she looks frazzled.
My instincts come more from being a dog trainer and what I've read in the baby books. Even some of that seems to conflict. So if CM starts howling, I created a checklist to work through. Diaper, check, bottle, check, etc.
What happens when she starts crying, you change the diaper (which wasn't real bad), offer a bottle, even walk her around, doing my "Passing Wind" dance and she still continues to cry? What's worse is that I can get her at least a little calm and knowing that she's hungry offer her the bottle again to which she screams, no, screeches, at the top of her lungs. I find that sometimes just sitting her down for a minute or two in her crib will calm her down or she'll fall asleep.
I just checked. She's out like a light. I know that she will be even more hungry when she wakes but at least she calmed down quickly. Is this right to do? Some of you might say, "You've got to comfort her so she can learn to trust in you in the future". That's well and good but what if just picking her up makes her cry harder? Others may say, "It's OK to let them cry it out". She's only four months old. I've been told you can't do that until they are several months older or else they won't understand. All I can say is that she fell asleep by the time I was half done with this post, so maybe she just wanted to lay down after all. I don't know.
Sorry, no cute "baby sleeping" photo. I can hear her start to whimper again...
Thursday, October 16, 2008
October
For years I really enjoyed Halloween. It was kinda the start of the holiday season for me. Followed by Thanksgiving and Christmas, each a month after the prior holiday. The whole idea of haunted houses, costumes, movies and treats got me excited.
I think this was the main reason that in high school I decided to go into special effects. I wanted to do it all: Props, makeup, gore, in camera, theater, TV, movie, horror, sci-fi. (The only thing I didn't get much into was the computer graphics. I just didn't have much capability to play around with the concept.) I even enrolled in a college that taught each of these aspects. After graduation, I didn't really pursue it because of lack of money (I know excuses, etc.) I moved to south Florida and started going to church. When I got saved, it just seemed to me that horror and sci-fi didn't quite fit with Christianity. I lost my motivation to do what I had trained to do. People told me I could always do special effects for regular TV or movies or even go into Christian movies. It still didn't seem right.
I've struggled with this for years. (Especially since I got in contact with a friend from college who still does some SFX.) I'm always tempted to put up decorations and watch scary movies. Some of the do-it-yourself websites I frequent go nuts with stuff you can make or do during October. I always think about putting a haunted house together or make an mini attraction in the garage or on the porch. The thought that I could really make a cool attraction runs through my head all month. After all what other holiday could a diy person really go nuts.
I think by mutual agreement, the Mrs. and I have decided that to decorate and have fun with
Halloween is not such a bad idea as long as we don't go all out and try for really scary. We can't go nuts with decorations because of money (should go to bills and CM) but we'll put out our few decorations and maybe in a year or two we'll do a little more. I've managed to catch a few "scary" movies on the Disney channels and will be watching some on Nick. I figure as long as I don't go any farther than the equivalent of "Goosebumps" then I can have a little fun.
That being said, here's some links you might like:
Children R Skary
MAKE your Halloween
And what would Halloween be without best hostess to ever hit the screen (or in person)
Elvira
I think this was the main reason that in high school I decided to go into special effects. I wanted to do it all: Props, makeup, gore, in camera, theater, TV, movie, horror, sci-fi. (The only thing I didn't get much into was the computer graphics. I just didn't have much capability to play around with the concept.) I even enrolled in a college that taught each of these aspects. After graduation, I didn't really pursue it because of lack of money (I know excuses, etc.) I moved to south Florida and started going to church. When I got saved, it just seemed to me that horror and sci-fi didn't quite fit with Christianity. I lost my motivation to do what I had trained to do. People told me I could always do special effects for regular TV or movies or even go into Christian movies. It still didn't seem right.
I've struggled with this for years. (Especially since I got in contact with a friend from college who still does some SFX.) I'm always tempted to put up decorations and watch scary movies. Some of the do-it-yourself websites I frequent go nuts with stuff you can make or do during October. I always think about putting a haunted house together or make an mini attraction in the garage or on the porch. The thought that I could really make a cool attraction runs through my head all month. After all what other holiday could a diy person really go nuts.
I think by mutual agreement, the Mrs. and I have decided that to decorate and have fun with
Halloween is not such a bad idea as long as we don't go all out and try for really scary. We can't go nuts with decorations because of money (should go to bills and CM) but we'll put out our few decorations and maybe in a year or two we'll do a little more. I've managed to catch a few "scary" movies on the Disney channels and will be watching some on Nick. I figure as long as I don't go any farther than the equivalent of "Goosebumps" then I can have a little fun.That being said, here's some links you might like:
Children R Skary
MAKE your Halloween
And what would Halloween be without best hostess to ever hit the screen (or in person)
Elvira
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Random thoughts
It's funny that a can of tuna and some cans of dog or cat food have the same shape. Our dog made this mistake as the Mrs. was packing her lunch.
A bit of advice for new fathers out there. If your home with your child, it might be better to leave the bib on. There are times (unpredictable, of course) that your child may spew "cottage cheese" all over themselves and this could take place hours after you last fed them. It's much easier to replace a dirty bib on a baby than it is to change the entire outfit. Be aware though, you do not want to let that bibbed baby to possibly strangle her/himself, so I only recommend this if you are with your child 100% of the time.
Being a white guy, I think it's great if a black lady (or for that matter, any Southern woman) feels comfortable enough to call you "Sugar" or "Honey". I let a toll operator walk in front of my truck when coming home from work last night. She thanked me and I replied I wasn't in a rush so I didn't mind. She gave a big smile and "Have a nice evening, Sugar." I wish more people took all of the 10 extra seconds to be nice to some stranger like that. I hope it made her feel good because it worked for me.
A bit of advice for new fathers out there. If your home with your child, it might be better to leave the bib on. There are times (unpredictable, of course) that your child may spew "cottage cheese" all over themselves and this could take place hours after you last fed them. It's much easier to replace a dirty bib on a baby than it is to change the entire outfit. Be aware though, you do not want to let that bibbed baby to possibly strangle her/himself, so I only recommend this if you are with your child 100% of the time.
Being a white guy, I think it's great if a black lady (or for that matter, any Southern woman) feels comfortable enough to call you "Sugar" or "Honey". I let a toll operator walk in front of my truck when coming home from work last night. She thanked me and I replied I wasn't in a rush so I didn't mind. She gave a big smile and "Have a nice evening, Sugar." I wish more people took all of the 10 extra seconds to be nice to some stranger like that. I hope it made her feel good because it worked for me.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Absence
I have been getting somewhat tied up with taking care of my daughter. I originally wanted to post all the things that happened with her and as a family but each day I start to zone out and focus on her or misc. things around the house. Anything that requires a little bit of thought and focus is out of the question. I have to be able to drop it at a moments notice.
That being said, I have been surfing the internet, we've had guests down to visit, CM keeps growing/developing/eating etc. Things constantly change and I don't post any of it. So I am sorry to any that might be reading this.
This is my formal commitment to post at least a note everyday. Even if it's just a list or photo.
Be prepared.
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