Im Your Daddy .net

Okay,

So I know it’s been quite a while since I’ve updated but you know, that’s how life is. It gets busy! So tonight you crawled for the first time, and Your mom, Pappa, and myself were here to see it. What’s funny is that if Crazy Aunt Jen had stayed just 10 minutes longer, she’d have seen it too!

 I was playing the piano, and your mom was on the couch doing Something. I think she was scrap booking. Anyway, your Pappa was sitting on the floor and he said ‘okay Alisa, let’s walk!’ and so he was crawling with you, and I’m playing the piano and I look over and you take one full step…. and then you take another full step (by step yes I mean crawling) and next thing you know, you’re doing it! So I run upstairs and get the digital camera which also records videos and we’ve got you crawling all over the place! It’s been just a matter of time for like a month now, I mean you’ve been getting up on your hands and knees and rocking, and you’d even move your right hand and do half crawling, but yo ujust wouldn’t move your left hand!

 We’re pretty excited but it’s also kinda scary… now you’re going to be Alllllllll over the entire house. I’ve got 110 DVD’s just lying on the ground, a DVD Player, my stereo speakers connected to the TV, and a Nintendo Wii! What are we going to do? One of the first things you’re going to have to learn is that touching Dad’s TV or Nintendo = Certain Doom! We certainly don’t want doom pending on you… so just make sure that you avoid the TV and nintendo. Okay and the DVD player, and the movies… so pretty much, don’t touch anything. Obviously that’s just not going to work.

 Wow how exciting is that, so now you’re crawling around… you love to wave to people and flail your hands about. Mom tries to teach you patty-cake but I don’t think you really quite understand how to do it.

 You know what’s really funny is that your pappa is always here when you learn something new. When you waved, when you crawled, pretty much everything except the first time you really consistently rolled over and that’s just because I made you do it

 I’m so excited at how big you’re getting. It’s like the fun just isn’t going to stop. I’m so proud of you.

You’re looking at me right now. Oh nevermind, it looks like you’re crawling towards mom. Completely. Wow! look at you go!!

That’s all I have to say for now. I love you ‘lissa bear!

Dad

Alissa,

 Last weekend you did something really neat! You perfected sitting up. What’s really odd about it is that you hadn’t tried it before. One minute you’re always lying on your back, the next minute your mom and I set you up and you’re completely sitting on your own. In fact, it took you like 10 minutes to fall over for the first time, and you weren’t even mad about it.

Most babies go through a series of steps for sitting up, such as “tripodding”. Babies lean forward on their hands and support themselves, and then slowly over time they push themselves up further and further until they’re ‘free sitting’. You bypassed all of this. You just started sitting up completely, supporting your own weight. you were even compensating your own weight when you started to drift. How crazy and cool is that? You’re way ahead of the times baby girl.

It’s actually kinda scary to think what’s going to be happening next. You’re not supposed to crawl for many more months, but we’ll have to see. I’m starting to think you’ll be early on that, too.

P.S… it looks like you’re going to be left handed. which is good, because historically the worlds most intelligent and successful people were left handed.

I love you!

Alissa,

Today was wonderful! Today was the first day you rolled over (about 5 minutes ago…10:00PM MST)!!!

your mom put you on a blanket in the living room in front of the TV saying “And now you’re going to be mad at mom because she’s going to put you on your tummy…. TUMMY TIME!”. And we were both watching you, and we noticed that you had pulled your right arm up above your head, and you began to kinda push your top weight in that direction. At that moment we both realized you could possibly roll over, and we saw you and so we started “Comeon’ Alissa! you can do it! Roll over! Kick that leg! Kick it!!!”

It took you a few seconds, but you were starting to fuss, so you “waa” and kicked, and “waa” and kicked, and “waaaaaa” and kicked, until you had completely turned over all on your own!

13 weeks and 6 days and you’re a rolling over baby! I’m so very proud of you.

You hold your head up so high now. I have to apologize to you, for not writing in your journal more frequently. I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn’t realize it would be this hard to set you down sometimes just to write in your journal!

You are just so big. You hold your head up so well on your very own. You like to look at us and make little “oohh” sounds, and talk to us. I swear your actually trying to communicate with us. you’re such a smart little baby.

When you kicked yourself over, you just kinda stared at the ceiling like “uh…. what the heck just happened???”… You didn’t smile or anything, nor did you frown. It’s like you were just amazed at what happened. probably like a “um… did I just do that? Or, who did that? what the heck?”

Now your mom is cleaning out your nose. that’s another event that has been taking place a lot lately. You seem to get really, really stuffy (did you get your dads allergies?) and so probably twice a day, especially just before bed and sometimes when you wake up, your mom has to take a blue bulb nose sucker thing, and suck out all the crap in your nose. Then she has to take little q-tips and stick it up in there and get the crap out. It’s actually really quite gross, but it’s necessary. you HATE it. I mean really… I don’t think i’ve ever heard such crying (except your mom says your immunizations were worse! good thing I was at work…).

A week ago or so you just stopped crying when mom cleans out your nose. I’m not sure if it’s because you know it needs to be done, or yo’ur ejust sick of crying about something you can’t fix.

Btw - If it’s the latter, than good for you. It’s a good life lesson to learn that you shouldn’t cry about things you can’t fix.

We are so proud of you Alissa. You are our sweet wonderful daughter and we’re amazed at every little thing and every little accomplishment that you make, on a daily basis.

Hi!

It’s been a long time since I’ve written in your journal here. Since we’re on your first official vacation, I thought now would be a good opportunity to write you, and tell you about some of the things that have been going on.

First off, it’s important that you know that I’m writing this from the back of Grandma and Grandpa’s van. We’re going to see your Aunt and Uncle Pam and Andy in California, and I was fortunate enough to have a laptop on the way. I’m actually laying across one of the benches with my back up against the window. Surprisingly, quite comfortable.

You have been growing up so well. You’re almost turning over, and you just love to look around and smile. You don’t smile too often, but when you do it’s obvious that you’re doing it. Such a cute little girl. You’ve been to church several times now, and you’re always so good when we go. I’m so happy that you’re such a good girl when we go to church. You just lie there and sleep, and sometimes you’ll even just sit and look around while we’re in sacrament meeting. That’s the really neat part. You’ve got like 10 other kids around you (big and little) and they’re playing around or screaming their heads off, or crying about something, or just flat out doing something that they’re not supposed to.

I can tell already that no matter where we are (especially at church) you’re going to be a good little girl, and not cause a ruckus… or are you? Admittedly I realize I could really have to eat my words on this one, but I am rather confident that you’ll always be a good girl and behave at church, and other public places.

Oh speaking of which!! You also saw your first movie this week. We went and saw “The DaVinci Code” and you were so good. You slept through almost the whole thing, and you even ate and got burped all during the movie! What’s better, is that you didn’t make a sound. We went with your grandpa Jose for his birthday. So, your mom takes you out to change your diaper before the movie starts. While she’s gone, this old lady and her husband sit down right behind us. Then you and your mom walk back in, and your mom has you in her arms. As she’s coming to sit down next to me, I see the lady give your mom a dirty look (your mom saw it too) and then whisper something to her husband. It was clear to me they were talking about ‘how dare they bring a noisy baby into a movie” or some similar riff raff. Well, turns out, you didn’t make a peep throughout the whole thing. Even while eating and getting burped! Guess who did? The mean old lady behind us and her dang contraband M&M’s, or whatever the heck she was eating. That’s all I heard throughout the whole movie was that stupid bag crinkling, and her munching away on whatever it was that she was eating… oh well, I guess we showed her. I knew you’d be such a good little girl!

For the record, I’d never take you into a movie and keep you in there if you started ot make noise. At the very hint of you throwing a fuss or causing a distraction for others, I’d get you out of there right away. I mean really, that’s only polite, right? People who think they have the ‘right to see the movie too!’ when they’ve got a screaming baby are insane. However, I’m a firm believer that if you can keep your kids under control, there is no where they can’t go. Your mom was wonderful about it, too. She even covered your ears at the loud parts.

Your mom has started to take you to work with her, and for the most part things seem to be going well. Little Adison absolutely loves you, and she asks questions about you all the time. For the most part Cate shows excitement and interest, but I’m not totally sure she’s sure what to think about you yet. I mean, she’s old enough to know what a baby is, and where you come from (that you’re Mom’s girl, that is) but I don’t think she’s totally sure that she ‘likes’ you yet. I’m sure she’ll come around, though.

Your Grandpa J has been buying you little outfits and toys and stuff already. He got you this really cute little dress that is hand made from somewhere in Mexico (at least, I assume it’s Mexico?) and on Monday, when we were visiting him for his birthday, he showed us this little tea set that he got for you. It is a little plastic set with Plates, napkins or table cloth, I’m not sure which, and a wicker basket to carry everything around in.

Your Grandma L in Washington sure misses you. She spent so much time with you in the first two weeks of your life, but because she lives so far away from you, you haven’t seen her since. I really hope that you’ll be able to spend time with her and get to know her. She’s a wonderful grandma and we’re lucky to have her.

As far as me personally, One of the greatest things happened a couple weeks ago. We were at Grandpa Bob’s house, and he was holding you. Mom was off somewhere in another room, and I walked in to find you fussing with Grandpa Bob. Now, he’s great and I’m sure you were just being a fussy little baby, but I took you from him and you instantly stopped crying, and went right to sleep in my arms. That was a real big sign for me that I am a father, and that you know it. It felt wonderful. Finally, a little baby that was looking for me and crying for me, and went to sleep when they found me J. That was definitely one of the most wonderful feelings ever.

You’re such a cute and wonderful baby, and I have been enjoying our time together so much.

I have started a new position at my work, that allows me to work from home two days a week, and one of my coworkers suggested I keep you with me those two days, like he keeps his son. In fact, his son is just a month or so older than you Are. Well, I tried it one morning from like 8 AM, and by 9 AM I just realized that I just can’t work and have you with me at the same time, so unfortunately you are going with your mom every day right now, even though I’m sitting at home working.

I hope you understand. I definitely want to take you when you get a little bit older, but I think you need to be just a little bit more self sufficient (Like… oh I don’t know, holding your head up?!) before I can take you for the whole day, and still get any work done. Otherwise, I think I’d be ripping off the company I work for… and I hope you know your dad really doesn’t want to do that. J

Well that’s all for now. You need to tell me to take more pictures of you though, Alissa. I’m not sure we’ve taken more than 5 pictures since you were two weeks old! Your mom complained to her parents all the time that there were no pictures of her, but there were lots of pictures of her sister Pam. And I mean “Complained!”. Your mom says there are hardly any baby pictures of her at all, and it makes her mad… but sure enough, she’s not taking very many pictures of you either, and I know you’re going to want to see a bunch of baby pictures, at least one day. So, we’ll try to be taking more pictures.

I love you little girl! We’ll see you next time.

-Dad

Okay little girl… I have got to tell you, one of the craziest, and funniest things to ever happen to me, just happened.

You shot crap on me. Everywhere. I mean it literally, too. So let’s start with a story:

Your grandma L passed you off to me, and said you smelled a little stinky. So I decieded I would change your diaper. By the way, your mom was up in the shower at the time. So, We put down a changing mat, and a towel (Your Grandma’s Idea… turned out to be a good one) and laid you down. I was a smart dad, and go together all the supplies I would need. Diaper, Wipes…. that’s about it.

I unbutton your clothes and your onesie, but I don’t take them off. I get off your diaper and take a look at your diaper. Not too bad, definitely manageable and “could’ve been worse”. So, I start wiping off your bottom like a good daddy, and remove the diaper from underneath you.

I held you up by your feet to reach for another wipe (We’re almost done. Poop is gone, you’re nice and clean) and that’s when it happened. You farted and pooped all at the same time. No big deal, except you literally shot me. You shot poop everywhere!! On the towel, ALL over my shirt, even some on the carpet. Your diaper, your onesie, it was like an atomic explosion right in our living room.

Now, I know a lot of parents talk about a bad diaper experience, but let me tell you something. My mother, and your mother, a CAREER Nanny who grew up in a day care, both agreed it was absolutely the worst diapering anyone has ever seen.

I did’nt konw what to say. For a second, I just stood there. shocked, and speechless.

Then it kinda went like this:

Me: Mom, I need your help…

Grandma: Why? What’s wrong (I could hear here trying not to laugh)

Me: I don’t think I can describe it to you… just get over here.

Grandma: Okay…

and as soon as she walked over, she just bust up laughing. then I said “Okay, so I’m going to need a lot of help… grab the camera”. Your grandma took a couple of less than perfect shots of the poop all over me, and then she helped me change you. The whole ordeal probably took 20 minutes to clean up!

Now I have to tell you baby girl, I never did get mad.. I laughed the whole time and still have a big smile on my face. but it was one of the grossest things I’ve had to go through yet. I have pictures, but because this journal is less than private, I’ll probably keep them to myself.