Movin' On Up....

We realized last week that it may be time for Ian to get... a bed. He was starting to look really cramped in the pack-n-play. He was also getting up slightly earlier each morning, and consistently had little raccoon circles under his eyes. Sarah mentioned that it may be time. It seemed kind of early to me, but then I had a picture of him about 13 years old, all curled up in the pack-n-play like some kind of wild animal. It then occurred to me that I may not want to hold him back. So we made the jump and decided to get him a twin mattress and boxspring (the frame can wait). The guys at the Mart stuffed it into our Honda Fit (barely) and the rest is history. No more pack-n-play, my boy is growin' up. Ian's little mind quickly interpreted what it was: a giant, cushy bouncy toy. He must have wondered what he did to deserve something so awesome. He promptly made good use of it. I then took it upon myself to do what I do best: teach my son something while I lay there like a lazy sack. You can see for yourself here. He finally realized that he could lay on it and sleep, though he'd still rather play around in his room for a while before actually doing so. (Play = make car noises and repeatedly try and open the door). Last night was his first night in it. Amazingly enough, he didn't play too long. I thought we'd find him curled up in the closet, or collapsed in a heap on the floor. Instead, he was curled up on the mattress, a little pile of drool under him. He stayed there all night. It was nice to wake up to the sound of him trying to open the door instead of yelling and banging on the wall, per the pack-n-play days. I'm so proud of him. At the same time, I can't believe how fast time is going. It seems like yesterday when I had to rock him to sleep in his car seat. Next thing I know, I'll have to teach him how to shave. Crazy!

Our new baby!!

It's official! These are the first pics of our new baby. Sarah went to the OBGYN last week and got another ultrasound. They actually gave us pictures this time. As Sarah is over 12 weeks, they were able to give us a pretty solid guess on the gender; however, I will restrain myself from sharing, as I don't want to top my previous mistake of posting on Facebook that we were pregnant. I'm psyched to have these pictures. Psyched enough to clear the pile of crap off my scanner and use it for the first time in over a year. I saved the best pic for my desk at work, I'll have to add that one as well. :)

what do I do when Ian sleeps???

I suppose we didn't realize how insanely cold for May it would be when we decided to walk the mile or so to the park today. That's fine. At least we dressed for it. But the fact that Ian and why wore matching outfits? I don't know...

Fun with a laundry basket.

This is almost 6 months old, but I watched it for the first time a few days ago. This is classic Ian at one year old. I love making him laugh. You might want to keep track of the volume on this one, I get loud sometimes.

some nights are hard.

I like being a dad, but some nights are hard. That's for sure. This was so short, it could've been a tweet. Oh well.

I don't want to be a fat dad.

When I was single, I worked at a large company downtown. There was an army of fiftysomething men there, all with giant guts. I used to disdainfully look down on them, thinking about how they became hollowed out shells of their formers selves by roaming the same corporate halls for decades. Mostly, I would wonder at the giant guts they strutted around. "I will NEVER be like that", I vowed. As with many other things, my pride has been taken down a notch as I grasp HOW people get that way. I now feel bad for being so judgmental, as I understand how easy it would be for me to go that route. Being a good husband/father takes time. There are some things that have suffered loss, such as time playing guitar and exercise. If I don't consciously arrange these things into my schedule, which I don't often do, I simply don't do them. I find myself starting to gain weight. I've tried running/walking in the morning, but let's face it, I'm not a "morning" person. I'm lucky if I don't get hit by a car while groggily slogging across the street. I know good things take effort and are HARD. I know I need to stick it out and keep going in the morning, making it habit. I just find it hard not to stop doing so, as my time is already filled if I make NO concerted efforts at adding additional, me-only activities. I now no longer judge those older guys, but I still don't want to be one. For the sake of my health and my family. I know that needs to motivate me, but I find it difficult to draw motivation from that when I need to do so (rolling out of bed in the morning). I'll keep working on doing so, but am open to ANY advice from other dads who find time to work out. How do you do it? (over my lunch is not an option, since I do not belong to a gym and live far from home). That's my rant for the day!