As a coworker recalled the dangerously idiotic driver he encountered on his way to work this morning, I realized that my own driving habits have changed since being a dad. My response to his story about a person who raced him to the end of a drop off lane was “why don’t people just wait and get there 30 seconds later.”
My former attitude was more towards “that’s why I bought a six-speed turbo.” Although I was never a reckless driver, I now am much more careful with the little one ever present in the back of my mind or …read more

For the past 23 years the 4th of July weekend has had a bit of additional activity for me and my family. While most people associate parades, hot dogs and fireworks with the 4th, it also has a very strong association with antique and classic cars for me.
Twenty three years ago my dad and some friends started the Berkshire Charity Auto Show. The show occurs every year on the Sunday after the 4th of July and is a draw for hundreds of classic and antique cars and thousands of spectators who come to enjoy pristine autos of years past. While …read more

1. Early to bed, early to rise.
Aside from the “early to bed, early” to rise cliche you’ve always heard, going to bed and rising early will maximize the time you have to spend with your baby or young child. This aligns you more with their sleep patterns so you are both awake during more of the same hours.
I wake up early so I can spend time with my boy before I leave for work, and I love it. I take him for walks in the morning with our dog and it’s great quality time that gets us both lots of …read more

Today was my son’s six month check up and the pediatrician gave us the OK to start solid foods. While his first few spoon fulls of oatmeal cereal left him with a perplexed and disgusted look on his face, he was soon reaching for the whole cup, trying to get more into his system.

– photo by Bill Fezzie
Some tips on starting solids from the good doctor and the American Academy of Pediatrics:
 

1. You should wait until your child reaches six months of age to start them on solid foods. This is the recommended age as it reduces instances …read more

I’ve never liked to shave. It’s time consuming and bugs my skin. It’s an annoyance that I’d live without if the Grizzly Adams look weren’t frowned upon at work. However, recently I’ve gotten in the habit of working this irritating necessity into a highlight of my day.
Now after my morning shower I go grab my son and plop him in his bouncy seat next to me while I shave and get ready for work. He stares as me intently and we talk back and forth for a few minutes while I get rid of my facial overgrowth. We don’t use …read more

The roads in my area have cleared of snow recently so I’ve been taking the baby out on more drives, which really soothes him. He howls like an alley cat if forced to sit in a stationery car seat for more than three seconds, so I have to rush to get his seat locked in and get driving. I found myself doing figure eights in the supermarket parking lot last week while my wife went in for groceries, and I always take a longer way home if he’s in the back seat.
One thing I noted is that he finds acceleration …read more

One of the most prevalent themes of having a newborn is that of sleep deprivation. (That and poop.) Not only do my wife and I not sleep much, the sleep that we do get is quite often punctuated. Studies suggest that sleep deprivation is linked to psychiatric disorders in as much as “It’s almost as though, without sleep, the brain had reverted back to more primitive patterns of activity…” That can’t make for quality parenting.
Nappig is a major help, but often difficult if one parent is working and the other parent is at home alone with the child, as is …read more

Did you know that an infant cries for between two and three hours a day? (I guess it just feels like longer.)
Crying is an infant’s only method of expression, yet can be incredibly stressful to new parents. Food, a clean diaper and attention are the three key elements of keeping baby happy, but this list of ways to soothe a fussy baby has some great suggestions to help with the attention part.
I especially like # 7:
7. WALKING WITH BABY.
One of the easiest baby—and parent—calmers is a simple walk. When our babies were fussy and obviously needed a change of scenery, …read more

If at any point during this post you see a string of random characters it is probably because I have fallen asleep and my forehead crashed down onto the keyboard.
Late in my wife’s pregnancy she began craving apples and apple juice in massive quantities. Come to find out, there is evidence that apples in a pregnant woman’s diet may prevent asthma in her children. Based on the clarity and force with which his diaper changing screams rip through my skull as soon as I nod off to sleep, I would concur with this study without any additional research.  Other studies …read more

In line behind “do you know what you’re having?” and “when is the due date?”, one of the most common questions people ask me as an expectant father is whether or not I’m planning on cutting the umbilical cord.
As with the case with many questions in life, people are only asking you so they can then tell you their opinion. This question is no exception and I’ve gotten quite a range opinion on this topic from “that’s so disgusting” to “it’s absolutely beautiful.” I’m expecting my opinion to lay somewhere in between, but I do plan on cutting the cord …read more