But no complaints here, I get plenty of pay in the form of….
….well, not the tongue sticking outing part, but just loads of love from Going Mom and our sweet (also crazy!) daughter.
I love them both, so dearly, and our current life is working so well! It’s been almost a full year since I left work to become a stay-at-home dad, and I never imagined how fulfilling this life would be. It’s wonderful and I know it will only get better.
That said, it also means I’ll be plenty more busy as Avery is no longer just an idle baby giving me quiet time during the day. Nope, she’s with me most of the day and we’re constantly doing something. Playing, eating, not sleeping, screaming, exercising, etc. Just part of the life, huh?
And now, on with the memories!!
1. Avery, you have become quite the chatter-box lately and “Dada” makes up most of your words. You may not know exactly what you’re saying, but you do know who Dada/Daddy is at this point.
2. Just recently, you started saying “Mama” too, and it’s usually accompanied by whining. I don’t think Mommy is too excited about that part, but it’s still great that you’re saying both Mama and Dada now.
3. It’s been really cold (for Texas), and working out in the garage is becoming increasingly difficult. You won’t accept being in your jumper much longer, but if I give you my weight lifting belt, it keeps you busy for a while.
4. Speaking of garage workouts, you’ve taken to attempting kettlebell training and it’s only a matter of time when you’re working out with me in the garage.
5. I’ve been having fun and keeping busy with making different meals for you and so far you’ve been doing great at eating them. But, some of the more savory items take some work to get you to eat. So as long as we play like you are a kitty eating kitty food, it seems to work….so far. You even make a cute squeak as your way of meowing.
6. What’s more, after eating something and not spitting it out (i.e. being a good kitty), we all clap for your good behavior, even you.
7. Of course, even if you like the food, it’s still fun to play kitty. You even come running for my NuttZo Pumpkin Protein Pancakes.
8. Now that you’re more aware of your surroundings than ever, you let Mommy and me know if you aren’t happy with us taking an extended walk. When doing our normal neighborhood loop, we sometimes take a longer way, and immediately after we turn, you start screaming. I guess you don’t like sitting in a stroller in the cold any longer than you have to. Can’t blame you, but hopefully your bear suit keeps you warm and this crying won’t last too long.
9. Surroundings aren’t the only thing you’re more aware of. Your diaper has become a perfect thing to unsnap whenever possible. This is a downfall of the snaps on cloth diapers, but you also tear at the velcro kind, so it’s a lose-lose situation for us. To combat your diaper removing ways, we have resorted to putting packaging tape across the front. So far, this works. For how long? No one knows….
10. Since you are eating a lot more now, and because it’s just good practice, we started brushing your teeth. You don’t seem to mind the all natural blueberry toothpaste and brushing, but you also clamp down on the toothbrush making the “brushing” part extremely difficult. Either way, you are doing better than we expected!
11. You seem to enjoy dancing when and wherever possible, and I’ll admit you’re already better than I will ever be.
12. It’s getting easier to tell when you’ve gone poop. For one thing, they smell a lot worse, but almost every time it gets quiet and you go to your chair, a poop is sure to follow.
13. Bath time used to entail both Mommy and me, but for a while now, just Mommy will bathe you as I clean up after dinner. I could (and should) put off the clean-up, but I get to worked up to have it done ASAP. Regardless, Mommy seems to enjoy her time with you in the bath. How can you not enjoy time with such a cute kid?!
14. You’re finally giving us hugs! Multiple times a day, you will come up and hug my leg as I’m cooking or washing dishes, and you’ll give hugs when we ask you to as well! It’s the best feeling having you come to us with your arms open!
Kissing is the next thing to work on. Sometimes she gives them, sometimes not, and sometimes she opens her mouth to eat our face when we go in for a kiss. Hopefully by 15 months she’ll be accepting of kisses. Things keep getting more and more fun and interesting around here!
