Tag Archives: being wrong

My Wife Wins Again, Our Baby Throws Food, and More Banana Fun Facts #5

Why must I be so stubborn all the time? Even if I know I’m (probably) wrong, I still end up trying to stand my ground. This part of me seems ingrained deep within, and I’m sorry to those who have to witness my hardheadedness.

Recently, okay, almost everyday, but still, work with me here, Going Mom and I had slight disagreement about something. It’s one of those small things most couples will argue about at least once; the toilet seat.

As the one who stays home all day, takes in a lot of caffeine, and subsequently pees a lot, I always keep the seat up. It makes it easier for me to go in, do my business, and get out back to Avery. Months ago, I even wrote a post defending my “right” to leave the seat up.

In that post, I clearly thought I won this argument fair and square. Turns out, the dispute was still unsettled. During Avery’s bath time, Kelly asked me in a nice tone to please start putting the seat down since Avery is now mobile and can easily make her way to the toilet. I stubbornly said “Just don’t let her.” as if it is always that easy, and thus our small argument began.

We kind of ended the tiff without further discussion, and I resorted to asking other dads on the Dad Blogger Facebook group I am a part of. The responses quickly came one after another with the majority of other dads taking not mine, but my wife’s side. After several of them mentioned crawling/walking kids getting into and possibly drowning plus just having really “pissed” (ha ha, get it?) off spouses, I realized my battle was lost; just like before Going Mom wins again.

So, to my wife who I still haven’t told that I now keep the seats down, I am sorry. Hopefully you’re reading this post today and can find forgiveness; you always do! 🙂

Now that I’ll be putting the seats down after each use, I’m looking into getting toilet seats with the soft/slow close hinges. I live in constant fear about making a loud noise when Avery is sleeping, and slamming the toilet seat is the last thing I want to do, so it only makes sense. Thanks to all of the dad bloggers who pointed this out!

Another “issue” we’ve been having lately is Avery throwing her food on the floor during dinnertime. This is the only time we give her solids since she’s still on breast milk, but she used to actually eat a little before just tossing the food. Before, she’d accidentally drop food on the floor and we’d laugh thinking it’s cute, but now she’s fully aware of what she’s doing.

Goodbye, broccoli!!
Goodbye, broccoli!!

Going Mom still laughs and does a bad job at hiding it, but it hurts me to see good food go to waste. I realize this is part of raising a baby, and I accept it, but no reason to laugh at her which I think makes her think it’s okay.

What, it's not okay?
What, it’s not okay?

I’m pretty sure discipline at this age is frowned upon, so I just try and tell her that’s not okay to do, and then I’ll take a bite of my own broccoli in hopes that will help. So far, it doesn’t….

Another healthy snack for the dog.
Another healthy snack for the dog.

Go ahead, laugh at me, you more experienced parents, I know it only gets worse. Oh well, it’s hard to ever stay upset with her for more than a minute; hopefully that never changes!

Maybe we’ll start introducing fruit to see if she likes the sweeter things. We wanted to start with veggies so she wouldn’t get used to sweeter things first, but I know bananas are always a tasty treat! Speaking of, I have some more banana fun facts in continuation from last Friday’s post.

  • The fastest marathon ever run by a competitor dressed as a fruit was 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 20 seconds—recorded at the Barcelona Marathon on March 6, 2011. The runner was Patrick Wightman from the United Kingdom, who dressed as a banana.
  • A few varieties of wild bananas include bubblegum pink bananas with fuzzy skins, green-and-white striped bananas with pulp the color of orange sherbet, and bananas that taste like strawberries when they’re cooked.
  • Banana peels are actually edible if cooked.
  • A man in India once ate 81 bananas in a half hour.
  • More songs have been written about bananas than about any other fruit.
  • The scientific name for banana is musa sapientum, which means “fruit of the wise men.”

I’m off to enjoy the rest of Friday now, hope you do the same! Kelley is having a girl’s night out tonight, so it’ll be just Avery and me for bed time. It shouldn’t be too bad…..as long as she actually eats her veggies!!

Do you have any tips/tricks on how to not let your child throw food? Or should I just give in and accept it?

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

wpid-20140417_165030.jpg
– 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!

Babywearing with big hat

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?