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!

Why Avery is the Top Baby Model

Does that come off as boisterous? Well, maybe it is…..a little, but if you’re a parent, you already know the answer; because your baby is always the top model!

Furthermore, I’d say us parents think of our offspring as the best for anything! If I’m wrong, I hope your little one gets self confidence somewhere.

This past weekend, Going Mom and I snapped a few a lot hundreds of photos of Avery and they were the best baby pictures we’ve ever seen! I took a few of her sitting in her Mamas & Papas chair as she gave a softer version of the Blue Steel pose from Zoolander. If you haven’t seen the movie, watch it!

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Then Kelley shot a few pics while Avery rolled around on our bed. I swear, she furnished smiles that would melt the hearts of even the scroogiest of scrooges. But that’s a daily thing…

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She was even good and tilting her head and giving that “I want to play” kind of smile. Maybe not knowingly, but she is the best at everything afterall!

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And I mean c’mon, what baby knows to just look straight out the window and be still so mommy can take a picture? What? Oh, that many? Well, I’m pretty positive Avery is a better window looker outer than those other babies.

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So maybe I’m biased, but what parent isn’t? I’d feel downright ashamed if I’m like, “Wow, those people have the cutest baby, I wish our baby was that cute.” And I hope Going Mom would slap me across the face if I were to say something like that.

Luckily, I will never say that, so my face can rest assured it won’t be slapped…….at least not for that reason! By now you get my point, most parents think the world of their own baby just like they should, and by giving them this love, I feel it helps build a healthy self-esteem.

Kelley and I tell Avery how much we love her and how beautiful she is multiple times a day, and I hope you do the same for your little one(s). If you haven’t, go right now, and with a smile on your face!

I’m lucky enough to have two beautiful ladies under my roof and I need to make sure I tell them both how wonderful they are and how much I love them.

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Admittedly, I did try to submit a few of these pictures to an online photo contest of sorts where agents can see them, but never went through with it. Not because I don’t have confidence in our beautiful baby, not at all, but because the site was trying to charge just to submit photos!

I get they are “helping” Avery be seen by agents and whatnot, but I’m not trying to get her in the modeling business, I just wanted to show my beautiful baby to the world and maybe enter her in a little contest. So, I cancelled the submission once I saw the signs to enter credit card info.

I asked Avery how she would like to have an early career in the modeling industry, but I don’t think she was too interested…

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Yeah, we’ll stick with learning how to crawl, walk, eat, sleep better, and playtime at this age, nothing more.

Have you ever considered entering your child in a photo contest?

Or have you entered your child before? Any awards?

Do you feel like your baby is the best at everything and everyone else’s is subpar or at least just not as fantastic as yours?

How I Plan on Wearing My Baby in the Heat

Do you live where there’s hardly a transition from Winter to Summer? Sure, there’s the season we call Spring, but here in Texas, it seems likes it’s either cold and miserable or just plain hot.

Yes, I’m exaggerating a little, there are some nice days, but Texas heat turns on rather quickly around here. It doesn’t help when humidity is thrown into the mix; ugh.

But I am a lover of the heat and will take drenching my clothes in sweat over shivering in layers of clothes any day. Go for a run early in the morning? Not me, I prefer early afternoon with the sun beaming down on me.

I know my performance would be better in cooler weather, but I love the drained feeling after a hot workout. That said, I need to be more mindful now that I have a baby to bring along wherever I go.

Lately, I have been running with Avery in our B.O.B. stroller and using a weather shield because I thought she’d get too much dirt blown in her face. Well, Going Mom set me straight and told me how you shouldn’t use the weather shield in great than 65 degree weather; it’s only for precipitation anyway.

Yes dad, you're stupid.

Admitting mistakes is not my strong point, but I’m admitting it now, I’m a doofus for subjecting our beautiful girl to the shield. Next run, I’m make sure it’s open to the fresh air! Sorry, Avery, and thank you, Kelley, for showing me the light!

Good job, Daddy, way to admit your stupidity! I love you!
Good job, Daddy, way to admit your stupidity! I love you!

Since I’ll also be wearing Avery when we are outside, I need to have a plan to keep her cool and comfortable. Thankfully, Onya Baby has a very simple solution to keep your baby cool when wearing them in hot weather.

All you need is a baby carrier with front pockets (such as, say….the Onya Outback!) and a freezer/ice pack. I’m sure you know what’s next, just put the ice pack in the front pocket of your carrier and now you’ll have a one cool baby!

I did this when wearing Avery in the Onya while reel mowing with our Fiskars mower on a hot day and she kept cool and calm the whole time. Actually, she took a nap like she has before!

So, it’s that easy, use one or two cold packs when wearing your baby under the scorching sun and keep them safe! Onya Baby wrote a post on their blog about using the ice pack and included these additional tips:

– Dress yourself and your baby in loose, lightweight, natural fiber clothing
– Carry an umbrella to provide portable shade for both yourself and your baby

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– Place a lightweight cloth or flat diaper between yourself and your baby
– Remove your baby periodically from your carrier to allow both of you to cool off
– Check your baby often by touch and sight to be sure he’s not overheating.

Click here for Onya’s original post.

I’ve used an umbrella several times and it works great, but if it’s windy outside, it can be a hassle. That’s when I recommend and giant brimmed hat with a neck strap!

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Overall, be mindful of the weather when bringing your baby outside. I admit to being slightly stubborn/ignorant of this and have my lovely wife to thank for snapping me out of it. Again, thank you, Kelley!

Do you have to deal with heat where you live?

Any tips of you own on keeping baby safe in the sun?