Big Girl Bed or Bust? When’s the Right Time to Switch From a Crib

Big girl bed or crib for this little cuddle-monkey?

Big girl bed or crib for this little cuddle-monkey?

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

I don't trust you, snow. Not.One.Bit.

I don’t trust you, snow. Not.One.Bit.

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…?

What’ did you just say? Oh, well let me repeat that…

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

Sophia and I watching a special message from Santa

Sophia and I watching a special message from Santa

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.

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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

Sophia eating her ‘fren fwiiis’

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.

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Heartbreaker

Let me take you back, boys and girls, to a time not that long ago, a time before the words “Daddy” and “Nick” were interchangeable. A time when I fully expected to hear the phrase “you’re having a boy”. Like most guys who find out they’re about to become the father of a

Sophia and Daddy!

girl, I had the same reaction… “Oh, grrrreat. Someone buy me a shotgun so I can prepare myself to scare the boys off when she gets older.” So, yes, I had the typical reaction. Fast-forward to 13-plus months of having a daughter and, yes, I’m still fairly certain that I’m going to be scaring boys off in the not too distant future. But, I’m also pretty positive that based on recent events, Sophia is gonna be able to hold her own when it comes to boys. Continue reading