Keeping a talkative 1 year old quiet in church is one of the most complex challenges a parent can face. There’s no way to discipline a child during a church service. Despite what you may have seen, stern disapproving looks made by desperate parents really have no effect on a 1 year old. All you […]

Yesterday, C graduated from year 2 of his swim lessons! In commemoration of this fine event, I have a brief tale from year one. Because year 1’s swim lessons happened during the day, I didn’t get a chance to see how he was progressing. So one Saturday, we all went to the local swimming pool […]

Once C got old enough, J started working weekends (she is otherwise a stay-at-home mom). The first weekend that J left, I was hanging out with C (this was before N arrived), and he asked where mommy was. I said “She’s working.” He looked at me for a second, and then said “No…She’s shopping.” I […]

Hello everyone! I’ve had some great feedback from you guys since I started this little project. Among other things, I’ve received the recommendation that I only update Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (instead of every day). Apparently, having the stories appear every day causes them to get "lumped together" and doesn’t allow them to be enjoyed […]

Before starting this one, it’s important to realize that C loves trains – all sorts of trains. For example, going to Disneyworld is simply a way of seeing different types of trains: the parking lot train (tram), the monorail trains, the indoor trains (the rides), the train around the park, and, of course, the "roller […]

We’ve sort of developed a "Sherbet" tradition here. That seems to be our dessert of choice after dinner: a scoop or two of Sherbet with a little whipped cream. C loves it, and it’s not too unhealthy. This evening we were eating dessert, and J thought it would be fun to put a little dollop […]

Believe it or not, C goes to swim lessons. The idea is to give the little guys some basic survival skills in the water – so if they fall in a pool or a lake or something, they have a shot at surviving until someone notices. Sounds grim, doesn’t it? Well, it is. But the […]

For those who don’t know, there is something called "Baby Sign Language". The idea behind it is to give kids who are too young to speak a way of communicating. It really is handy (no pun intended). The most useful two are "more" and "done". To make the sign for "more": take your right hand […]

For all of you trying to figure out how to spoon feed your baby, here’s a tip that may work: hand him another spoon. He plays with one spoon while you feed him with another. It keeps him from trying to grab your spoon while you put the food in his mouth. Thanks to J’s […]

This one isn’t so much about the boys as it is about me. In some ways, I came into this whole Daddy thing astonishingly unprepared. For example, I didn’t know any baby songs. All those great little ditties that help out so much when the kids are upset? I had none of them. As you […]