Archive for November, 2008
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008
new video – babble
with each passing day, it seems like jackson is getting closer and closer to his first words. currently, his favorite syllable is “ba”. my goal, of course, is to slowly turn that into “da”. so be sure to visit our video page. jackson is just dying to talk to you.
Monday, November 24th, 2008
the daddy list
as promised in my previous post, i have compiled a list of my favorite things that i use as a dad. if you know me at all, then you know that i love gadgets. and i would say that my obsession with technology is borderline unhealthy (i am often spotted in best buy helping other customers). so, why not merge a passion for design with the gift of fatherhood? and thus, the list.
1) logic bag – the ideal diaper bag for a father. sleek, simple, and unobtrusive. it allows you to carry only the items that are necessary and nothing more.
2) changing pad – dirty diapers happen at the most inconvenient times. having a changing pad that wipes down and folds up is a must.
3) canon g9 – in case you haven’t noticed, we take a lot of pictures of jackson. this camera has been labeled as “photographic genius”. it shoots gorgeous photos, solid video, and is surprisingly compact. it’s everything you need in one simple package.
4) apple ipod touch – my absolute favorite device i’ve ever used. phenomenal. it allows us to carry all of our music, photos, and videos wherever we go. not to mention podcasts, tv shows, and movies. and it cruises the internet better than most computers. like i said, phenomenal.
5) apple tv – so we have all of these great photos and videos of jackson on our computer and ipod. but wouldn’t it be great to show them on the tv in our living room? enter apple tv. this little unit allows us to listen to music, flip through photos, and watch all our videos directly on our tv. plus, you can rent movies (yes, in hd), watch tv shows, search youtube, and listen to podcasts right from the comfort of your living room. simply beautiful.
6) baby monitors – if there is one item the dad should be in charge of, it is the baby monitor. there are so many to choose from, and all of them have a ton of bells and whistles (literally). trust me guys, you will be playing with these things like a kid on Christmas morning.
7) swiss card – every guy needs a pocket knife. the problem is that most are so bulky and highly unsafe around your child. but this nifty little item has everything you would expect in a swiss army knife, all packed into a housing the size of a credit card. and while jackson has tried to eat it, i can assure you that he cannot hurt himself with it.
8) energizer charger – my cell phone seems to die at the most inopportune times. with one of these, i can recharge it anywhere, anyplace, anytime. a lifesaver as a parent.
9) how to raise a gentleman – a book within a series of many published by brooks brothers. i have collected them all, but this one is my favorite. it is a guide for teaching your young man how to conduct himself as a gentleman. and yes, they do have one for little girls as well. it is entitled “how to raise a lady”.
10) field notes – as a parent, you find yourself jotting down notes and making lists all the time. usually, those lists get scattered around everywhere. this is why i carry a field notes brand notebook. about the size of your back pocket, these things are perfect for keeping all of your thoughts in one place.
11) fisher space pen – what good is a notebook without a pen? i prefer the fisher space pen. i figure if astronauts can write with these in space, then they should work just fine for me here on earth. plus, they are super compact and fit great in a pocket.
12) purell hand sanitizer – it’s like once you have a child, you suddenly develop some sort of sixth sense that detects germs. you find yourself wanting to disinfect your hands constantly. just keep one of these little bottles in each diaper bag and in each vehicle. that should do the trick.
as we said before, we hope that these lists prove to be helpful to many. and if you have any favorites of your own, we would love to hear about them. just remember, while none of these things can possibly compare to the pure joy of being a parent, they can certainly help.
Friday, November 21st, 2008
favorite things
i can’t tell you how many times kelly and i have been asked about our favorite baby products. usually it’s people looking to buy a baby gift, newly expecting couples, or just other parents curious about what works for us. so, just in time for the holidays, we wanted to do a little roundup of our favorite things. in no particular order, these are the baby products that we have come to love.
1) stroller – it’s genius. the carseat moves from vehicle to stroller without even having to remove jackson.
2) play yard – this is where jackson sleeps when we take trips. plus, on some of those long sleepless nights, it allowed him to sleep in the same room as us.
3) play pad - a permanent fixture in our living room. play time would not be complete without rolling around and trying to eat the dangling toys.
4) swing – one of jackson’s favorites. as long as he is moving, he is so content. music and flashing lights are an added bonus.
5) breast pump – kelly’s new best friend. the whole kit packs up into a backpack for easy traveling.
6) baby bjorn – carrying jackson around can be tiring on anyone. with this, we can walk around with him while leaving our hands totally free.
7) boppy – the unsung hero. feeding jackson is so much easier with this underneath him.
8) diaper genie – the solution for our dirty work. it gets rid of jackson’s diapers in the most efficient way.
9) sound machine – sleep is precious. this creates wonderful ambient noise to help jackson nap. our favorites? rain, ocean, and heartbeat.
10) butt paste – he may not know it, but jackson will thank us for this one day. say goodbye to diaper rash.
11) bottle cleaner – bottles are difficult to clean. this makes that process much simpler, and it has found a new home in our kitchen.
12) lamp dimmer – almost every light in our house is set up on dimmers. why should the lamps be any different? this helps us achieve the perfect night light for jackson.
while some of these items are no-brainers, we still hope this list proves useful to many. and for all of you guys out there, i have a real special “daddy list” coming soon. stay tuned.
Monday, November 17th, 2008
more new stuff
since my previous story was such a long read (thank you to those who stuck it out), i have decided to keep this one short and sweet. new video. new photos. new music. now go have fun with it.
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
one crazy night
it began just like any other monday evening. kelly left to go to work, and i had the rest of the night with jackson. he had been great for my mom that day, staying right on schedule and taking solid naps. it was the perfect setup for a wonderful night. piece of cake. so after dinner we had our regular play time. rolling around on the play mat, staring at the gas logs, and chewing on teething rings. pretty standard stuff. then, his eyes started getting heavy. he was right on time for a nap. so i laid him down in his crib and began to walk away. i had no more than shut the door when i heard the first little whimper. then it became more like a whine. quickly we were at a scream. and then we graduated to a shriek. this was not good. sure, we have been letting jackson cry it out, but this was much more than a cry. something was clearly wrong. so i started running through the checklist in my mind.
hungry? no, kelly fed him right before she left.
dirty diaper? no, i changed him right after kelly left.
burp? no, he burped three times after his feeding.
it just didn’t make sense. all the signs were pointing to nap time. but believe me, jackson did not want to nap. naturally, i went back into the nursery and scooped him up from his crib. he continued screaming loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear him. honestly, he was acting worse than ever. about that time, my phone rang. it was kelly.
“how are things going with jackson?”
as i tried to overcome the loud screaming in the background, i responded, “um, not so good.”
“maybe you should try getting out of the house. you could bring him to see me at work.”
what a great suggestion. i packed him up quicker than ever, and we were out the door. my surge of excitement did not seem to have an effect on jackson. he continued to scream the whole way there. as we pulled into the parking lot, i called kelly back.
“we’re here”, i said with a glimmer of hope in my voice.
“give me about 5 or 10 minutes.”
i wondered if she had heard the screaming child in the background. ”5 or 10 minutes?”
“i’m busy at the moment, but drive around for a few minutes and i’ll call you right back.”
and drive we did. before i knew it, we had been all over town. after a while, i began to wonder why i had not heard back from kelly. as i reached down to check my phone, i noticed that it was off. oh great, my phone was dead. how long had it been off? had i missed kelly’s call? better yet, how would i get in touch with her now? luckily, somewhere during my driving frenzy, we ended up relatively close to our house. perfect. i got home, set jackson down, and went to get my phone charger. as soon as i plugged it in, i heard the back door open. now, i will admit, we sometimes think jackson is advanced for his age. but i’m pretty sure he is not walking and opening doors yet. so who else could it be? as i walked around the corner, i saw kelly. there were no words, only tears.
“oh my gosh dust, i was so worried about you guys. i must have called you fifty times.”
as she’s talking, i am putting all of this together. while i was driving jackson around town, she was trying to call me. and now she had left work to find us.
“kell, i am so sorry. my phone has been dead.”
fighting back more tears she said, “i called the emergency room and asked if they had seen a stressed out 27-year-old white male with a screaming 5-month-old baby.”
she grabbed jackson and immediately began to hug us both.
“i’m just glad you guys are okay.”
once everything was smoothed over, kelly headed back to work. after all of that, jackson had actually calmed down. so i thought i would try the nap routine again. let’s just say that wasn’t the best idea. everything that happened earlier in the evening was happening all over again. jackson was more uncontrollable than i had ever seen. i sent kelly a text message stating my recurring emergency. she responded with the same obvious solution. take him to see her. oh boy, here we go again. i put jackson in his carseat, grabbed the diaper bag, and headed out the door on a mission. there was nothing that could stop me this time. i shut the door, took two steps toward the car, and immediately realized the unthinkable. i forgot the keys. i looked back at the door in defeat. yep, it was locked. here it is late at night, freezing cold, and i’m standing helplessly with a screaming baby in our driveway. once again, i franticly called kelly.
“you did what? are you kidding right now? how the &*## did that happen?”
“i’m definitely not kidding kell. i think i’m losing my mind.”
“okay, i’m on my way.”
even though i had just got off the cell phone with my wife, i immediately went into male survivor mode. i started looking for shelter and warmth. the vehicle that i was standing beside seemed to be the logical choice. we climbed in, and i tried to keep jackson entertained and warm for the duration of our wait. miraculously, he stopped crying and started to laugh. i was glad that someone could find humor in all of this. shortly thereafter, kelly pulled up in the driveway. she unlocked the door, and we all went inside. at this point, she was laughing along with jackson. she had called my parents for reinforcement, and they were on their way. once they arrived, they joined in the laughter as well. it seemed that everyone except me found all of this to be hilarious. once she caught her breath, kelly headed back to work. i sat down to talk to my dad while my mom took jackson. she rocked him for about two minutes and he fell asleep. ah, the irony.
Monday, November 10th, 2008
new stuff
well, this week is certainly getting off to a great start. we have all kinds of new stuff waiting for you.
first of all, we have a new video called “morning greeting”. the title says it all, and we feel like you are going to get a real kick out of this one. you know, some people start their mornings with a nice blend of coffee. some like to take a hot shower. others might watch the morning news. but jackson starts his mornings with a slightly different tune. literally. just go watch the video, and you can start your morning with a nice little laugh.
also, we now have a november album on our photo page. it already contains some brand new pictures, and you can rest assured that there will be many more to come.
and finally, as promised, there is a new featured artist on our music page. if you are looking for a little soul to brighten your week, then look no further. just spend some quality time on our music page.
so sit back, relax, and enjoy. we’re glad you are here.
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
music
we love music. it is an unswerving passion that exists in us. one that we want to share with all of you. and for that reason, we have an individual page on our website devoted to the music we enjoy. now we realize that this page is not for everyone. but for all of you audiophiles out there, we want to give you a place that you can visit weekly for new music. weekly? that’s right, over the course of the next few months, we are going to be featuring new albums and artists every week on our music page. it’s the stuff we love, and we want you to hear it as well. so, in case you missed it, there is already some new music waiting for you. do your ears a favor and check it out.
Sunday, November 2nd, 2008
tootsie roll
for those of you who haven’t heard, jackson was a tootsie roll for halloween. how fitting, right? his costume was absolutely adorable, and believe me, we definitely put it to use. it seemed like we were all over the place this halloween. we packed more activities into two days than we do in a typical week. that being said, we thought you might enjoy a little rundown of all the festivities.
thursday night, we took jackson to the annual trunk and treat event at our church. the parking lot was packed full of vehicles, and the vehicles were packed full of candy. it was a beautiful scene, and we weren’t about to miss an opportunity for jackson to score some treats. and he did just that. he racked up on candy, which as you all know, means that we racked up on candy. if you came to our house right now, you might think that we ran a secret underground candy operation. oh how i love halloween.
friday afternoon, jackson hosted a costume party for some of his closest friends. he may only be five months old, but he’s plugged in to the social scene. let’s see, there was adriana (dressed as a chicken), leanna (dressed as a peacock), and colton (dressed as a monkey). and right in the middle of it all was our little tootsie roll. it was so funny to watch how they reacted to one another, and i’m not sure what was more colorful – their costumes or their personalities.
friday night, we met our families at cracker barrel, where we enjoyed a great meal, a roaring fireplace, and of course, a little more candy. at this rate, jackson is not going to be the only one in our family without teeth. it was so great to have everyone together, and even better to see jackson back in that costume again. he had the attention of pretty much everyone in the restaurant, but by the end of the meal, he was tuckered out. we put him in his carseat, tootsie roll and all, and headed back home.
with halloween now behind us, i can’t help but be excited about all that is to come this holiday season. it is such a special time of the year, and i can’t think of a better way to spend it than with our little tootsie roll.
