As parents, you usually want to get your kids involved of some sort of activities. When I was a kid, my parents set me up with the usual suspects: soccer, baseball, basketball, cub scouts, and countless others, I’m sure. Which ones stick is an entirely different question. Figuring out which activities you want to try with your kid(s) can be a challenge. We recently decided to get Sophia started on her first–of what I’m sure will be many–activities. Swimming!
Sophia Stories
It’s a Girl… AGAIN!
There comes a time in a father-to-be’s life where he has to face facts, and understand that making remarks stating “I don’t make girls” is never a good idea. Because the time will comes when your pregnant wife will get her ultrasound to find out what the gender of baby number two is, and deep down, you know, it’s going to be a girl, again. That being said, yesterday we had the ultrasound to reveal the gender of Baby Browne #2 and–you guessed it–it’s a girl!
I do have a confession to make. I was hoping for a boy this time around. I was hoping to have one boy and one girl and that would be that. But, God has a way of making you pay for your words and this was his way. I am destined to have a family of nothing but daughters. I’m alright with that. The way I look at it, is now I won’t have to teach a son how to fix things, or tie a tie, or any of the things that fathers are supposed to pass down to a son. And I’m kind of happy about that since I don’t know how to do most of those things. Mr. Fix-It, I am not.
As someone who grew up with two sisters, in addition to my brother, I know what I am in for when the teenage years come around for my two little ladies. So, needless to say, I think Sarah and I are going to be looking for somewhere to lay low for a few years… In all seriousness, I am very excited about what little girl number two is going to bring to our lives. If she is anything like Sophia, I’ll be one happy man. Plus, I know how close two sisters can be, judging from how close my sisters are, as well as how close Sarah and her sister are.
We think we have a name picked out, but we haven’t shared the name with anyone yet. Once we do announce it to family, I’ll be sure to post it on here, or I’ll decide to leave you all in suspense. Depends on how I feel!
One last thing. The original title of this post is what my family will be known as from here on out: Nick and His Merry Band of Women.
What to Expect When You Have No Idea What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Again

Only child status ends soon… (shirt by ChicADeeEmbroidery)
There comes a time in almost every parents’ lives when they decide the time is right to increase the size of their family. Well, that time has come for myself, Sarah, and Sophia! That’s right, we’re expecting, again!
Baby Brownie number two, as he or she will be known for the time being, will be arriving somewhere around the first week of September. We don’t yet know the sex of the baby, but so far things are looking great. Sarah is feeling great so far, and again we’ve been blessed with zero morning sickness. None for her either… Continue reading
Big Girl Bed or Bust? When’s the Right Time to Switch From a Crib
Two of the best parts of my days are when Sophia goes to sleep and when she wakes up in the morning. Every morning while I’m getting ready for work, she wakes up and I hear through her door “Daddy! Come HERE!!” over and over until I walk in to pick her up and out of her crib. At night, I generally carry her to bed, with her head laying on my shoulder. Followed by a hug and a kiss and down into the crib she goes. It’s those little moments that make life as a parent pretty great. But, we now face ourselves with the decision of whether it’s time for the crib to go and move to the toddler bed. Continue reading
Terrible Twos, I Think You Arrived A Little Early
If you’re like me, then when you had, or have, your first kid, you told yourself that the terrible twos would never arrive for your sweet, little baby. And, if you’re like me, you would have been dead wrong. Dead.Wrong. I thought there was more time. I thought it wouldn’t
happen, until, ya know, Sophia actually hit two! Nope. They seem to have arrived a little bit early.
It’s not that she behaves badly, it’s just that the reactions, and of course, overreactions have gotten a little over-the-top. She’s also not a fan of listening when we tell her not to do something. Then again, Sarah tells me I don’t listen, but I usually don’t hear her tell me because, well, I’m not listening…
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Do You Wanna Play Repeat? No, Do YOU Wanna Play Repeat…?
There comes a point in time when you have kids that you realize it’s time for you to really watch what you say. That point is NOW. When they say that kids are like a sponge and they soak up everything you say or do, they are correct (whoever “they” are, anyway). Having to watch what I say probably isn’t going to be an easy thing for me to do. I’m not gonna lie and say I don’t have a potty mouth. I do. Do I like the fact that I do? No, of course not. It’s a habit I’ve been trying to kick for a long time. Continue reading
Bring back that Christmas-y feelin’, whoa, that Christmas-y feelin’
It’s crazy how Christmas can change for you as you get older. As a kid, Christmas is the
greatest day of the year, bar none. Even when you forget that you’re supposed to be grateful for the things you do get and not complain about what you don’t get (like an Eagles hat your brother got… only to get the same hat later in the day… I’ll never live that one down). As you get older, into your teens and then into your 20’s, Christmas is basically a chance for you to ask for all the latest technology devices, video games, sports equipment, and clothes. Something seems to be missing from Christmas when you hit those ages. At least for me it did.
Words, Words, Words
“Do you understand the words that are coming outta my mouth?!” — Chris Tucker in Rush Hour
Learning to talk is a big deal. Heck, I’m 30 and I barely have a handle on the English
language when I speak (and write…). So, needless to say, witnessing and helping Sophia learn to talk has been fun, awesome, entertaining, and sometimes, downright hilarious.
Ex-Shoes Me?
“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” — Marilyn Monroe
There’s just something about females and shoes that go hand-in-hand. Women, young or old, love shoes. I don’t know how to state it any more clearly than that. Yes, I’m sure that some women will say they don’t loveshoes, and that may be true, but that is more than likely a smaller percentage of the female population. Ladies, please don’t call me out on this and tell me I’m wrong. I’m not. Anyway, what’s the point of all of this? Ah, yes, the point.
Perhaps it hadn’t quite dawned on me just yet, or I’m in denial, but I didn’t think Sophia would become interested in shoes, just yet. Maybe wait until she’s, oh I don’t know, 10 or older. But, nope! My little lady has developed quite the shoe obsession, already… Continue reading
The First Obsession… ELMO!
Having a daughter, I knew it was only a matter of time before the first obsession reared its head. Little did I know how soon that first obsession would appear, nor did I think the first real name Sophia learned wouldn’t be any of her aunts or uncles names, or even the dog’s name. Nope, the first obsession and the first name she learned are one in the same. Sophia’s obsession, thy name be ELMO! Continue reading






