All posts by R.C. Liley

I'm an ex-mutual fund accountant who left the cubicle world to be a stay-at-home dad to my beautiful little girl, Avery, who entered our life on 11/15/13. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, for 7 years as of 8/17/14. Sorry ladies... :) Fitness and nutrition is of the upmost importance in our family and we strive to reflect this in our daily life. I always prepare our meals at home and only go out if it's a special occasion, and even then I tend to not get much. Food should be fun and a joy to eat, not something quickly consumed from a fast food chain or scarf down before the next meeting. I have come from strictly logging high miles to train for the next marathon to keeping exercise varied and focusing more on strength. I still enjoy going for a run when I can, but nothing crazy, and I prefer hill sprints while pushing my daughter, Avery in the stroller. She loves it and I get a great workout! I want to show the world how to appreciate their body and feed it real, wholesome food while moving more throughout the day. In doing so, everyone would be healthier, happier, and we'd all live in a better place as a result. I blog mainly about my life as a stay-at-home dad and frequently include reviews, participate in campaigns, and share my thoughts on fitness and nutrition. If you ever have any questions or thoughts to share, please reach out as I'm always open to listening or helping others however possible. That is, when I have free time since Avery is and my wife are the number one priorities!

13 Memories From My 13th Month Since Going Dad

Time shows no mercy for us parents, huh? It feels like we should still be planning her first birthday, but that’s already whizzed by a month ago!

Over the course of just one month, we’ve seen Avery transform from a crawler into a tiny, wobbly walker. Things get more interesting every day now and we love watching her learn and react to her surroundings.

This girl is developing quite the character and I can already tell she’s going to be stubborn about certain things just like her mom and dad. Yeah, we’re in trouble! But no worries, we’ll go with the flow and ride the wave of craziness the best us parents can do and learn from mistakes (probably a lot) along the way.

With that, I have 13 memories, some mistakes, some lessons, and some just purely memories to share with our sweet little devil girl.

1. For your 1st birthday party, you were not the happiest in the beginning, but you finally warmed up to all of our friends and family that came over.

Even Nana couldn't console you.
Even Nana couldn’t console you.

2. I held you for a little while as Mommy unwrapped your gifts and you decided to give a gift of your own….Poop!

It's confirmed, Poop!
It’s confirmed, Poop!

3. I made chocolate pumpkin brownies for our guests and to make your birthday cake which was the first time you had anything with sugar. It was hard for me to get over, but I’m over it now.

4. Your icing was simply plain Greek yogurt with blueberries forming a “1” on top. Apparently, you weren’t impressed with Mommy’s icing and blueberry work…

You spend hours creating my cake, I'll reduce it to rubble in under a minute!
You spend hours creating my cake, I’ll reduce it to rubble in under a minute!

5. You received some pretty good gifts for your birthday, but a plastic flashy wand grabbed your attention the most. It wasn’t even the gift, it was just something extra placed on top!

Seriously, anything that lights up is an instant win!
Seriously, anything that lights up is an instant win!

6. Another toy win was the Catch-Me-Kitty one of our friends gave you. It moves around similar to a Rumba vacuum singing a taunting song until you catch it. And catching it you do, very well…followed by body slamming it multiple times!

7. I’m not sure how you grew so fast, but now you can reach the refrigerator doors and shut them when I have them open. It’s a nice thought, but does make it harder when I’m not done getting in there. Also, I really need to watch when I open/shut the doors as I might of bumped your head a few times. Sorry.

Just grabbing a beer for naptime....
Just grabbing a beer for naptime….

8. Mommy worked hard to clear out our front room so you have an awesome room to play in. We’ve been enjoying playing with your blocks and other toys ever since. Which means Mommy and I will build something and you knock it down.

Hmmm, a structure someone put effort into making.....DESTROY!!!
Hmmm, a structure someone put effort into making…..DESTROY!!!

9. I’ve been cooking a lot of different foods for you lately and some you like, some you don’t, but we’re having fun seeing you try new things. Omelettes, both sweet and savory, are my specialty and I’ve made ones with mixed veggies, chocolate and spinach, as well as butternut squash and cinnamon that have been a big hit.

Chocolate + Spinach with a little stevia makes a perfect omlette. Daddy doesn't mind leftovers!
Chocolate + Spinach with a little stevia makes a perfect omlette. Daddy doesn’t mind leftovers!

On the weekends, when I usually make pumpkin teff porridge for Mommy, I’m now making extra for you and Mommy feeds you. It makes me happy seeing both of my favorite girls enjoying the healthy food I cook!

Well, it's not mommy's milk, and it definitely didn't come from her boob, but it's good!
Well, it’s not mommy’s milk, and it definitely didn’t come from her boob, but it’s good!

10. You’re getting smarter every day which is wonderful, but also means you’ve become very difficult in some areas. For instance, you found out how to take off your diaper by pulling at the snaps in front.

Yes, can I help you?
Yes, can I help you?

11. You recently decided to undo your diaper just as you went poop with your footie pajamas still on. This resulted in poop all the way down your leg and smashed in your foot and some in your belly button. It was the biggest poop-tastrophe we’ve had yet, and called for an emergency bath time. You enjoyed the bath. Me? Not so much. Lucky for you, I have not pictures of this.

12. And FINALLY, you are walking!! I’ve only been making “bets” since just before your 10 month mark, and now you’ve made it! Mommy and I have to constantly keep an eye on you now and even that doesn’t work sometimes. You’re a sneaky and quick little girl on your hands and knees, and now just your feet too!

DSC_2678

The mounting stress aside, we’re very proud of you dear, and love how lively you’re becoming. Every day is an adventure with you and you are growing to be very smart and strong!

Keep on growing and learning, Avery, our love for you only grows stronger every day!

“The Importance of Dads” and a Fatherhood Video by Boba

If you’ve been following my blog and/or social media pages, I’m sure you know I’m a major advocate of babywearing. As a father, I felt it was my best way to get that close bond a mother and child have from the womb. I know that type of bond can never be fully matched by a dad, but consistent babywearing helps create a father-child bond that your kid will carry for a lifetime.

Of course the wonderful babywearing bond is not limited to only fathers as it’s excellent (and something I highly recommend) for mothers as well. Going Mom and I both wear Avery and I know our small family is better and closely knit as a result.

I just read a brilliant article on Boba’s website that detailed “The Importance of Dads” and wanted to share it with you here. You might think you know dads have a lot to offer when it comes to playing just as I did, but there is so much more to fatherhood than the playing part.

Don’t get me wrong, playing is essential to a child’s growth, but do you know why or how? Please, head over to Boba’s article on The Importance of Dads and learn just what exactly it means to be an “involved father” and how as a dad, you play a vital role in the cognitive, emotional, and social development of your kid or kids.

As a bonus, the article explains ways that you can become a more involved father and how it benefits the mother-father relationship as a whole. Being a stay-at-home dad, I’d go out on a limb and say I’m a pretty involved father, and feel the relationship between my wife and I is, and will remain, strong.

After reading, please come back and let me know your thoughts in comments. Anything you disagree with or is there something you can relate to?

One more thing I wanted to share from Boba is their section just for dads titled “You Made Me a Father”.  Don’t worry, moms, they have a section titled, you guessed it, “You Made Me a Mother” just for you too! Check out their thoughtful and touching video from their page below and see why all dads should be proud!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNRwFGuGMy8]