Post 4 (3/26/14)

Hey gang. How have you guys been? Things have been pretty great around here. Super busy, which might explain why it's been a couple weeks since I last posted, but otherwise great. 

What's new around here, you ask? Well, not much that would seem big to a lot of people, but to parents, the little things really matter. 

Our son, Bodie, just finished cutting his 4th tooth. It's pretty cute because the first one up top was way over to the side, almost his canine. He already had the two front, bottom teeth and this one on the side was so adorable every time he would give us a huge smile, which is quite often because he is so happy. I couldn't help calling him our little snaggle-tooth baby. So funny. 

Our daughter, Cali, is coming up in her 3rd birthday and it's starting to show. I'm not sure who coined the term, "Terrible Twos" but I'm pretty sure they didn't have kids. I think they were just trying to work on making something that sounded clever, or they just had rotten kids. I've confirmed this with most of the more experienced parents I know and respect, and threes are much more terrible than twos. The closer my daughter gets to three, the more I see what they're talking about. She's developed this ability to completely ignore her mother and me. She also has discovered the joy of screaming and hitting when we have to leave somewhere that she's been having fun. Right after she's pushed us past the point of tolerating it, she likes to look at us and her most dramatic, cheesy Disney live-action TV show style voice, say, "I'm so so so sorry, mommy/daddy." 

The hard part is, she's apologizing, and doing it usually without being prompted anymore which is great, so we feel like forgiving is the right response. She then thinks that means all is past and the world is happy. She's pushed my wife to the point where she just doesn't want to talk to Cali for a few minutes, wanting some peace and quiet for a minute. She then apologizes, my wife forgives her, and then she starts trying to chat up a storm with my wife. At what point do we expect her to understand that an apology, followed by forgiveness, doesn't actually change the mood instantly?

Well, I'm pretty sure that this is one of those things that you just have to be consistent, persistent, and patient. She'll eventually grasp the concepts, as she has with everything else. It's only difficult because she's so smart and grasps other things that we would never expect her to grasp. Stick around for further adventures of Ms. Cali and the lessons of life (for Dad). 

So,etching else I'd like to throw out there, mostly for you parents out there with multiple kids. How do you balance the attention you give each kid? I find, from time to time thoughout the day, that when I'm addressing an issue with the baby (as those are so hard to ignore) my daughter is beginning to act out in an effort to get my attention. I'm just curious what other parents do in these situations. 

Post 3 (3/6/14)

Well gang, I'm into my third week of this amazing adventure. I was going to try and give you guys a post a week, or so. Seems like that may be a little overly ambitious of me. The biggest reason for the absence of a post was illness last week.

It all started out with a sore throat. That got steadily worse and even started creating a bad taste in my mouth, like crushed aspirin. My lymph-node on the left side was super swollen. I eventually went to the doc and was tested for Strep, I was so worried about getting the family sick. Test came back negative, thank God. The next day, I had a blaring headache all day, and this was the second day of the week with just myself and the kids. At this point I was seriously contemplating asking my wife to come home early, but I really didn't want her to think I couldn't hang. That night things started feeling a little worse and the wife volunteered to stay home the next day. Such a blessing to have her home because the next day I was nauseous and having hot flashes. Rest assured everyone, by Saturday, most of the symptoms had subsided and I was starting to feel better. I still don't have much of an appetite and the bad taste is still in my mouth, making eating slightly less enjoyable than usual, but I'm feeling much better. 

Needless to say, my second week as a stay-at-home dad was a very long and disappointing one. I'm hoping this week goes better. I'm sure that it will if only because I'm feeling better, and better able to deal with whatever comes up. Unfortunately the wife is starting to have similar symptoms, and she is the one that has to go out and earn the big bucks for us. 

Well, keep your fingers crossed that there is minimal illness left here. I'll try and update you guys again soon. Thanks for letting me vent :)

Post 2 (2/20/14)

Okay, I'm now 2 days into this stay-at-home dad stuff and these kids have a knack for making sure you never know what's coming next. 

Yesterday was an awesome first day. I got up with the kids, around a reasonable 8:30. I was able to get them both fed, start the laundry, and even enjoy a cup of coffee. Then I got the little one down for a nap and completely caught up on some dishes that had been piling up while the older kid watched Nick Jr. Then Pappi (my dad) came over and had some lunch with Cali. By this time Bodie had been up a while and playing. I got him fed and then both kids fully cooperated with a nap. While they were sleeping (including Pappi) I was able to get some more laundry done and get the kids packed up. Then we took the kids to the aviation museum here in Sacramento

(Not sure about the Crab Feed 2014. I sure didn't get any crab).

Cali and Bodie both did awesome and we even went to the killer playground they have there. So, all in all, yesterday was a smashing success. 

Today, and it's only 10am, is not going nearly as smoothly. The big one, she's been great. Even trying desperately to help me with her little brother. That little guy, on the other hand, has not been a happy camper at all. I'm pretty sure he's cutting more teeth, he's already got two. But man, his sister was not this difficult as far as I can remember. He woke up at 7:00, when mommy was getting ready for work, was fairly content till she left. Then things took a sad turn. He's been fussy and sad non-stop until about 10 minutes ago when he finally exhausted himself to sleep. It's been a gambit of letting him cry long enough to feed his sister, then try to make a bottle that he won't eat. 

Needless to say, as triumphant as I felt yesterday, these kids have a real gift for giving us a reality check. I know that we'll get through this, as with all things, but the fact remains that parenting is hard. That's all there is to it. Unlike most jobs where you have a schedule and there is a certain set parameter of things that can and will happen, parenting can and will involve every possibility. I've been really blessed so far that there haven't been any extreme bad events. Praying that it continues that way. 

Thanks for listening you guys.

The New Chapter (or...The Beginning)

         

 Shifting gears in my life has always been the norm. I'm one of those people that believes, if you're truly not happy, or what you're doing really isn't what's best for your family, then you should absolutely do something about it. That being said, you should not do anything that isn't a step forward, in one way or another.
          I have now embarked on another shift in gears in my life. As of yesterday, February 12th, 2014, I am an unemployed, stay-at-home dad. This comes after working only 6 and a half months at PG&E, as an IT Help Desk Analyst. I obtained the job while I was still studying IT at Heald College out here in Northern California. I loved the job, the pay was pretty good for an entry level position, and I actually enjoyed most of the people I work with. Not to mention, I was actually working in my field of study, that seems to be a rare thing these days. Everything at the job was looking good and they were setting me up to be promoted and work towards a life-long career. Pretty exciting stuff really.
          As things really started to gain momentum with the job, things were going great at home, and we were starting to get in to a rhythm again after our 2nd child joined our family.

My wonderful mother was watching the kids for us on Wednesdays, and we had a fantastic babysitter who came to the house on Thursdays and Fridays. Well, my mother soon realized that watching two kids all day every Wednesday was not as easy as it was when my siblings and I were all little. Age has a funny way of making some things much more physically difficult. The truth is, my wife and I never really wanted our parents to be babysitters anyway, we really wanted them to be able to be "Grandparents" and be able to enjoy purely spoiling their grand babies. 

          Now, let me be perfectly clear, my amazing mother not once asked us to relieve her, but I know my mom and I love her dearly. I did not want my kids to feel like a burden to her, whether they already did or not, things were heading that way. So, Jess (my wife) and I started discussing alternatives. Let me tell you now, there weren't very many truly viable options.

          What we were looking at was; 1. putting both kids in daycare, 2. paying our babysitter for a third day, or 3. me becoming a stay at home dad. Now, by the very nature of this blog and the preface here, you know which choice we went with. Option 1 was not really an option either of us were comfortable with, because the boy is only 5 months old. Option 2 was just too expensive, leaving only $200 a month out of my paycheck, which then gets spent on gas and vehicle maintenance.

          So here we are, living option 3, and I'm staying home with my kiddos from now on. I'm very excited about this in reality, even though I'm pretty nervous at the same time. I stayed home for the first 2 years of my daughters life, being a full time student at the same time. But, I'm now watching 2 kids, which any parent of more than one child knows, it's a lot more than just double the work. So I'm starting this blog more as a diary/journal for myself, but would love to have followers who want to join me on this journey. Stay tuned for more fun and Real-life adventures of Daddy.

-Shane