The Evil Soother and the Fussy Baby

Well, we were warned the quiet train would be leaving the station, but we're confident it's not for forever.  Fia has had her fair share of restless nights, and fussy evenings.  Around nine o'clock it starts; a wah wah waaaaahhuhuhuhuh.  It's a real treat to hear her academy award winning whimpers trailing off into the night; so exasperated, she sounds like we've pushed her to the outer bounds of her sanity.  I've read that we have it better than most parents, but the few hours of walking her around and consoling her makes for a long night.

But lo and behold, we've found a solution.  Apparently, our girl really likes some soother time when she's drifting off.  I know there are some anti-soother folks out there, I say better she falls asleep with a soother in her mouth, than on the boob.  This soother business has made for a much more enjoyable evening, and I for one will be encouraging her to use it for the time being.

Rainy Day Parenting

The weather's cooled, and the rhythmic hush of a slow rainfall is reminding me of the last time I was free and clear of a daily grind.  I must have been about sixteen when I last had the chance to sit back and enjoy a rainy summer's day without the worry of a job I needed to go to, or the guilt of not finding summer employment quickly enough once school was out.  If only stay-at-home-dad were in the cards for me, my wiring's more in tune with this pace than any other.  Paternity leave is the next best thing, I guess.

Fia's growing right on schedule.  Rae and I are perpetually enthralled with her new sounds and expressions.  These really are the best times; who knew that a coo could warm our spirits, or that a fit of crying could dampen them quite so much.  

We've heard a lot of "oooh wait until she's not so sweet" comments, but these naysayers are out of luck.  Fia is still a calm and happy baby.  She gets a bit fussy at certain times of the day, but she's still pretty chill.  We're lucky to have the support of two parents at home, and Fia's especially lucky that we're not forcing her in to a rigid, un-natural schedule too soon.  She'll have a lifetime of schedules, and she's definitely got her own sleep, poop, eat routine hashed out, so we're not in a huge hurry to impose too much structure.


Neither of us can wait until we can make her laugh.  We were joking today that the creulest irony would be if she turns out too serious - living in constant embarrassment for her goofy parents.  I have a feeling she'll be in like a dirty shirt on some serious family inside joke making, and I look forward to subtly programming her with some quips.  We're seeing plenty of smiles and a few almost laughs, so it won't be long now.

Paternity Leave. Awesome.

My partner Rae (we've decided Rae sounds a lot better than partner, so we're going to start referring to her as an actual person.  With a name) and I consider ourselves very fortunate.  Not only do we have a cute and healthy baby, but I have the great fortune of not having to worry about work for the next few months.  Starting Monday, I'll be off for over four months on paternity leave.  I've also managed to use a chunk of banked vacation time, so really, I'll have only worked two days since Fia was born.  Two long, long days of work.

I can't imagine having it any other way, and count my lucky freaking stars for every second I get to spend with Rae and Fia.  Our family is truly blessed.  Truly.  Blessed.


What an amazing experience starting a family is.  For the first time in my life there is no confusion what my priorities are, and I'm filled with a great sense of purpose.  Being at work for today has really hit that home.  Why do these people care so much about this stuff?


Anyway, I hope to catalog as much as possible of it via this blog; I know there will be a few stretches where I'm too busy being a dad to write about being a dad (thank God), but I hope to keep this a pretty regular thing.  


So, here's to a great summer with an amazing partner and beautiful baby girl.  I'm the luckiest guy on Earth.

She's here!

Well, after a week, I'm finally getting around to posting the arrival of our beautiful baby girl Fia Simone.  In this past week I've slept on chairs and waiting room couches; I've laughed and cried and paced around not knowing what to do next.  It's been wonderful, and I knew it would be a great experience, but I didn't know how great it would really be.

There are not words to describe the abolute joy I've felt; this all feels so right.  My partner and I have a family now, and we're pleased as hell.  We're part of a club now, and membership comes at a high price, and delivers high rewards.  Outsiders have an idea of what it's like, but they don't really know.  I didn't know.  I know now.

I'm also happy to report that my partner and I have a knack for this parenting business.  Fundamentally, we stole our approach from a rather unlikely source (at least for us).  Tracy Hogg's book The Baby Whisperer was a real source of inspiration for us.  Fundamentally, she preaches a very simple gospel; treat your baby like a human being.  I'm happy to report this approach is working out so well.  We respect her; we speak slowly and explain what we're doing.  We also take care of her needs.  The result?  A very content baby girl who knows her parents have her back.  We'll worry about routine soon, but for now, we want her to know we'll be there for her when she needs us, and we'll do our best to take care of her needs.


As suspected, I have so much more to write now that she's here.  I can't wait to get into some of the specifics soon.