Above Average

Is it normal that my 5 month old child just went to sleep in 24 month pajamas and they weren't really that big on him? I can't believe how big this kid is. It is kind of ridiculous and awesome at the same time. Ryan weighs in at about 24 pounds and no longer fits into clothes that are smaller than 12-18 months and that size probably won't last very long. The really crazy part is that most kids do their biggest growing once they start solids and Ryan hasn't come close to starting solids. We have tried to get him to eat rice cereal and oatmeal but he has no interest! He still has the tongue thrust reflex where he pushes the food out of his mouth without giving it any chance of reaching his throat. This is a normal reflex that usually goes away between 4 and 6 months. With Jack it went away early because that boy wanted to eat! Ryan on the other hand seems to be pretty content with just the formula for now. For the first time the other day we saw him getting really interested in food. Caroline was sucking down a yogurt in front of him and he was really interested in what she was doing.

This is what a recent attempt at feeding look like...

He is quite a messy eater.

This is what Jackson looked like not long after he started eating solids!

Needless to say we don't make small boys in the Gray family!

No power....again

I sit down to type this post from my in-laws house in Natick, Massachusetts because we cannot be home without power.  We lose power more often than anyone ever should.  In the three years that we have lived in Newmarket we have lost power over 7 times and twice we have lost it for than a week.  This is ridiculous!  The worst part of losing power is that we have to uprooted our entire family and interrupt the lives of friends and family.  If it were just Annie and I with the older two kids we might have tried to stay but with Ryan we just can't do it.  He can't have a blanket because he is too young and with no heat he would just get too cold. 

A big thank you to Lee, Rocky and Colbs for letting us crash their place last night.  When the Gray's come to spend the night it is quite an event.  With five of us it quickly looks like we are moving everything we own into whatever house we enter.  With the two porta cribs, blankets, pillows, clothes, formula, snacks and car seat we are quite a sight rolling into town. 

Today, upon arrival at the Grandparents house Jack and Caroline turn into a tornado of noise and excitement that cannot be contained.  As they are doing laps around the inside of the house Annie tells me, "oh, my parents are going to read in here." I think she was hoping the kids would quiet down a bit, but I told her that her parents knowingly gave up any hope of peace and quiet when they allowed us to come and stay with them.  Annie's mom quickly agreed and told me how she has told Annie's dad to enjoy the quiet while it lasted this morning!  I call this the calm before the storm! 

Anyone want us to come over and bring the storm?  I am hoping for power by Tuesday, but I won't hold my breath.  Until then the tornado of noise and excitement will remain at the Grandparents house!

Too Smart, Too Soon

Those of you who read my blog are aware that Jack has a bit of a nudist issue. It is only an issue because he wants to be naked ALL the time. Well, today we went into Jackson keeps his clothes on boot camp. What this means is that we are working on keeping Jack's clothes during the day and night. This is a big challenge as he is always trying to get naked. Today, I came home from work to watch Jack and his friend Gavin for a couple hours while Annie took Caroline to the dentist. Not long after I was home Jack went pee in the bath room and came streaking out of the bathroom butt naked. I quickly told him to get his clothes and put them back on. He then went about his business playing with his friend for a while until he had to pee again. This time he comes out of the bathroom butt naked saying, "Pants wet, Daddy. Pants wet, no wear." I again told him to go and get his pants so I could check them. He ran and got his pants but quickly threw them in the hamper. "Pants wet!" Upon inspection I find the pants and underwear bone dry. This little 2 year old dude was running game on me! Is it normal for 2 year olds to be smart enough to run game on their parents? Apparently he tried to do the same thing to Annie yesterday. He is too funny!

On another note, Ryan is so in love with his older sister. Tonight Caroline leaned in to give Ryan a kiss good night and his little face lit up with a huge smile. He does that almost time he sees her. The other day Caroline and I were laying on the floor with Ryan on his belly looking at us. No matter what I did Ryan would not take his eyes off of his sister. It is so awesome to see your kids interacting together and loving each other. Can't wait to watch them grow up together.

Don't We Have a Say Too

My friend, Erin, sparked something in me that she had no intention of sparking in her blog, A Day in the Life, when she asked "already mommies" for advice on parenting stuff. Those two words or one's similar to them get me inappropriately angry. Why you may ask? When I see those statements that ask only for other women's advice on parenting I see that as saying that we dad's are useless or at best second class parenting citizens. Who died and made women the only one's who know how to parent? I get it that there are a lot of men out there that stink at being dad's and prefer for their wives to make all of the decisions and to deal with all of the parenting, but that isn't all of us. I am a completely involved Dad and I know more about parenting than many people want to give us men credit for. I may forget to give my kid his medicine from time to time. I may let my kids stay up later than Mommy would. I may let Jack pee off the deck once in a while. I may encourage them to do dumb things from time to time. I may try to sit on the couch as long as possible and hope that Annie will change a diaper, clean up the toys, get the kids their baths, vacuum the house and whatever she does. But, when it comes to the nitty gritty stuff of parenting I am there and I am involved every step of the way.

I actually have heard a few women say, "Well I pushed him out so I get the final say!" Um, no you don't. I give women all the credit in the world for being able to give birth to enormous things and I respect that it is an experience that can't truly be understood by us dudes. However, that does not give the mom a special veto in all parenting decisions. My own wife tried to play this card when we were debating what to name Ryan. She didn't win that argument, but she did try! Ryan will thank me one day for fighting the good fight on this one as his mother wanted to name Elijah...not a bad name...for someone else's kid! Anyway, the point here is this...we men want to have a say in the lives of our children and if you ladies would listen to us once in a while I bet you would be pleasantly surprised by what we have to say. Rant concluded!

Bedtime Shenanigans

Don't these two little kids look so cute? Well they are cute until one of them refuses to go to sleep. Jack has been doing so great at sleeping lately and has been sleeping in and through the night. Over the past several weeks he has been giving us a run for our money when it comes to actually falling asleep. Tonight Annie put him up to bed a little before 8 and he was quiet and as we thought asleep by 8:30. Right now we are putting Jack to bed before Caroline because he can't handle her being in there with him as he tries to fall asleep. If they are awake in their room together Jack will without a doubt get Caroline to start playing with him and madness will ensue. In just minutes the two of them can turn a nice clean room into a war zone of stuffed animals, books and trampolines. It seems that Jack has learned a new trick recently. When Annie and I think Jack is asleep we go in to check and make sure he is actually asleep. In the past when he wasn't asleep he would poke his head up and smile or laugh at you. Well, now he is being diabolical and pretends to be asleep. Thinking Jack is asleep we bring Caroline in so she can go to bed. Not too long after Annie or I leaves the room Jack can be heard goading Caroline into playing with him.

If this kid wasn't mine this would be so much funnier! Tonight Jack decided that he didn't want to go to bed so we moved him out of the room to allow Caroline to sleep. I put him into an extra large portable crib in my room and told him to go right to bed. He says, "Otay Daddy!"

A few minutes later as I am sitting down watching TV I hear loud thumping noise repeatedly. Jack decided that it was time to jump in his gigantic portable crib making so much noise that I thought for sure he was going to come through the floor into the living room. I decide to move him back to his bed as Caroline was now asleep and he does sleep better there. Once I get back downstairs Jack starts yelling, "Mommy, Pee. Pee, Mommy! Mommy...peeeeee!" This kid is awesome and ridiculous all at the same time. Finally asleep sometime after 10pm.

Just a reminder to some of you who may not have seen it...this is how I found Jack the other night after he had fallen asleep. His diaper and Pj's were on the floor next to his bed and he was in his birthday suit. "No need diaper, Daddy!" Yes, need diaper Jackson!

Sleeping, cursing and nudity

I am going to try to come back to this Daddy Blog thing. It has been a long time since I have posted on this blog and lots has happened since my last my post which I don't even remember! Since my last post Annie and I welcomed Ryan Paul into our house. There was a time there where I was thinking of sending him back because he was interrupting my sleep on a regular basis and I was not down with that. Well, in the last few days all of that has changed. Annie and I decided that it was time for Ryan to learn how to put himself to sleep on his own. We did this same thing with our older two and it was probably the greatest parenting decision I have ever made. Both of our older kids took less than three nights to learn how to go to sleep without throwing major fits. Caroline was a dream sleep and was sleeping through the night before she was even 4 months old. Jack on the other hand didn't start sleeping through the night until he was almost a year and a half, but he could go down on his own.


And now on to Ryan's experience. A few nights ago we decided to send Ryan to sleeping boot camp and Annie put him down to bed while he was awake. He cried for less than 20 minutes and the greatest thing happened after that...he slept through the night! He went from 8:30-6:30am! And the next night he went down and cried for less than 10 minutes and by night 3 three he wasn't crying at all. This was the first time I had slept through the night for two nights in a row since Ryan was born! And Annie certainly had it way worse than I did since I was a bit of an idiot from time to time and refused to help! I am a good person, but interrupt my sleep and I get downright nasty. I wouldn't even begin to share some of the words that came tumbling out of my too tired mouth in the middle of the night. Thank goodness Annie was the only one who ever heard that side of my vocabulary. I think some people would be shocked!


Getting back on track here...we are now into night 5 of Ryan putting himself to sleep and it is awesome. He sleeps through the night. He takes better naps and has a more regular schedule of awake and sleep time. I haven't cursed at anyone or anything in 5 days and I feel all the better for it!


On another note, at some point we are going to have to deal with our little nudist named Jackson. As soon as Jack wakes up he gets naked. When he comes home he gets naked. Sometimes he is outside and he gets naked. At what age can you be charged with indecent exposure? Related to this is Jackson great pleasure in peeing every where but the toilet. He is potty trained (he wears a diaper during nap and nighttime) but he loves to pee in all kinds of places. He gets naked, goes out on the back deck, leans back and then starts peeing in a high arc. Today I had him downtown fishing in the river behind the church and when I turned around I found him with his pants around his ankles while he was peeing in the water. He was so excited. "Daddy, pee water! Daddy, PEE WATER!!" There is a nudist camp down the street. Maybe someday he can move in over there, but until then we may need to work on him keeping his pants on a little more.


I have lots more to add, but I think I better stop for now. Sleeping, cursing and nudity is enough for tonight! Hope you enjoyed!

A Day In The Life

Here is an update on what the past 24 hours have been like in my house. Last night we were awoken by the sound of a barking seal in our house and I think to myself, "I don't remember bringing a new pet home!" What could that be I wondered? Turns out it was Jack and not a seal. Jack was just doing a spot on impersonation thanks to his croup! Being the ever dotting dad that I am I ran in and scooped him up, tried to make him feel better for several minutes (it was actually probably several seconds) and then woke Annie up. She snapped into action, grabbed the boy, brought him into the bathroom and threw the steam on. Jack was much better in there, but when you took him out it was back to the honking seal. Annie says, "I'm taking him to the ER!" I say, "I'm going back to bed." No sooner does my head hit the pillow I hear Caroline start to cough and cry. Awesome. Since there is extra room in the bed with Annie at the ER I brought Caroline into bed and went back to sleep. Being the great dad that I am I woke up and 6am with Jack and had no idea where Caroline was and what had happened at the ER. I am so connected and with it sometimes I even surprise myself.
Jack and I survived the day. There was some fussiness and the afternoon hours were less than fun, but we survived. Annie couldn't get home from work soon enough! The evening went great! I was helping Jack and Caroline do somersaults and teaching Jack how not to get off the bed. (He justs walks off like he is on flat ground still. If it wasn't so scary it would be funny.) And then it was bedtime. Bedtime is when it gets fun again!
Jack is coughing. Caroline starts crying. Annie runs up to see what is the matter and then I get the call. "Come up here now! Caroline is throwing up!" Yippee. I run upstairs to find Caroline donating her dinner to the toilet. I say what do you need me to do? Caroline starts vomiting again and I stand at a safe distance and watch. I don't want that stuff on me! Annie says, "Will you help!?! I move closer, but do nothing. Annie, "Hold her hands so she doesn't get it all over her!" "Get me some towels!" I start moving, but not fast enough. "Hold her hands!" "Get me some towels!" I am torn, so I do nothing. More watching! I am good at watching the vomiting. Finally, I get the towels and then clean up the mess. We get Caroline back in bed...she is much better and still sleeping.
It continues. Sit down and start watching TV...finally. And then, Jack starts screaming. Annie goes to take care of him and I get sent on a mission to find generic ibuprofen, which in NH means a 15 minute drive to CVS.
That is my day. I am home now and everyone is sleeping but me. Good times in Newmarket! Best news for me is that I am at an all day conference tomorrow very far from my house! I may just sit in my car somewhere and sleep! Don't tell Annie

Already Passing the Buck

Caroline is growing up really fast. It is happening right before my very eyes. This weekend she started riding her bike all by herself (a little tricycle) and thought she was really special. Which she is! Also, now not only does she use her little potty by herself, but she cleans it up and washes her hands all by herself. She sits in the bathroom and if you go in she says, "Leave me alone!" and you better or she might start yelling at you!

The clincher was the other day when she farted and tried to blame it on someone else and knew it was funny. I heard her toot and she giggled and said, "What was that?" I replied, "You farted!" She says, "No I din't." Me, "Yes you did." Her, "Nooooooo. It was Jack!" (With a big smile on her face!) Me, "I heard you. It was you." Her, "Nuh uh. It was Fred!" Me, "Nope." Her, "Daddddddy did it!" Me, "Hey, don't try to pin that one on me." Her, "You did it daddy!" Then she runs away laughing.

Interesting happenings at the Gray House in New Hampshire. My little girl...growing up fast. She already knows how to toot and scoot!

I want to know

I want to know who came up with the word "why" and why on earth is it that children become obsessed with the word! I understand that Caroline is learning about her world and has lots of questions but if I hear the word one more time I might go a little nuts. Here is an example from today. I spilled something on the deck outside and got the broom to sweep it up. Caroline, "what you doing?" Me: "Getting the broom." C: "Why?" Me: "Because daddy spilled something on the deck." C: "Why?" Me: "It was an accident." C: "Why?" Me: "Daddy wasn't being careful." C: "Why? Me: "Because." C: "Why?" Me: "Because." C: "Why?" Me: "Because." C: "Why?" Me: Walk away shaking head! C: "Where you going?" Me: "To put the broom away." C: "Why?" And on it went for the rest of the night. WHY ME? Why...why...why...why me!

He's Lucky He's Cute

I just want to say that Jack is very lucky that he is super cute! This morning he started waking up at 4:30! That is AM not PM. There is nothing right about anyone being up at 4:30 in the morning and there is even less right with my child being up this early. I refused to get out of bed until 6am as that is the earliest time that I will allow Jack out of his bed. So, at 6am I grudgingly went into his room and I can say that I was not a happy camper. Jack had been waking me up on and off for over an hour and I was grumpy...very grumpy. So, I went into his room and what did I find? A little boy having the time of his life. He looked at me and the biggest grin came across his face and I couldn't help but be happy to see him. What a dirty trick that is! He is so freakin' cute that I can't even remain grumpy when I am awoken too early for my liking.

Jack doesn't mind getting up at the crack of dawn because he gets to nap. It is 10:15 now and he is working on his second nap of the morning. He had a 30 minute nap in the car and now he is in his crib working on another one! Me, I am still tired and there is no nap in my future. I guess that is life.

To wipe or not to wipe

So, Caroline is doing incredibly awesome with the potty training. In no time at all we have gone to her sleeping through the night with no pull up and we are officially done with paying for pee and poo catchers for Caroline. She had one accident the other day when I forgot to have her pee in the morning before I took her to daycare. She got to daycare and I forgot to have her pee there as well. When her teacher came out to where caroline was playing on the playground she noticed that Caroline was acting a little weird standing behind a play structure. Poor girl had peed all over pants and shoes. Ooooops on Dad!

The new problem is getting this girl to use the charmin after making a number two. Tonight as like world war III as I tried to get the girl clean properly. She was crying, Jack started crying and I was less than enthused. Any other parents have some strategy for this situation? I tried to convince her tonight that she didn't want skid marks on her pj's, but she didn't buy it.

On another note, I never thought that I would be sitting here writing about my daughter's poo. I guess it is a parent thing or it might just be a me thing and I am some kind of weirdo. Who knows! I am sure many of my friends have an opinion on that last part!

Why we're fat

I saw an advertisement for the new kentucky fried chicken sandwich and it tells us all we need to know about why this country is so freakin' fat! A bacon and cheese sandwich with fried chicken for the buns. Excuse me! Bread isn't enough anymore, now we need to eliminate the bread and just wrap our food in food. I heard someone say once that you can tell that the food isn't good for you if you can eat the container it comes in. Just think about for a minute. Bread bowls...awesome, but not good for you. Burrito...awesome, but generally calorie packed. Tacos...awesome, but makes your ass bigger. And now, the KFC Double Down enters the picture. The Double Down has 540 calories, 10 grams of saturated fat, 145 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,380 milligrams of sodium and a gram of sugar. Delicious! If that isn't enough for you maybe you should grab the Wendy's Baconator Triple topped the list, with 1,330 calories, 38 grams of saturated fat, 345 milligrams of cholesterol, 3,150 milligrams of sodium and 11 grams of sugar.

I think we all need to back away from the Double Down and run from the Baconator triple! Put the burger or chicken wrapped bacon and cheese down and go for a walk. I am no shining example of health, but at least I know that these foods are disgusting! Just think, added to these sandwiches people usually add 4 pounds of fries and a gallon of coke. I feel fatter just looking at the pictures of these things.

Whose Idea Was This?

Let me say this right upfront...I absolutely love my children to pieces. I love them more than I thought I could ever love anything. Here it comes...BUT, having two kids is so freakin' hard sometimes. Today I picked the kids up from daycare and brought them home. Caroline didn't want to go inside, but instead wanted to play outside. I thought to myself, "It is so nice outside, this should be fun!" Well, turns out the kids had fun, but dad did not. We started with playing chalk on the driveway for Caroline and sitting in the grass. Before long Caroline wanted to ride her bike. So I get the helmet and I get the bike. Then Jack starts crying. So, I run over and take of him. Then Caroline reminds me she wants to ride her bike. So, I run over and put on the helmet and give her a push on the bike. Jack starts crying again. Take care of him again. Caroline yells, "I need help." Run over and give her another push. Jack cries, so I pick him up. Caroline, "I need a push." Jack, "Waaaaaaaa!" Dad starts sweating! Caroline doesn't know how to petal so I get to push her around while carrying a 27 pound 8 month old who is squirming but no longer crying. Put Jack down because Caroline now wants to ride her electric princess car. Get her on that and turn to see Jack with a rock in his mouth. He is loving it, me not so much.

So, I go and get the rock out of Jack's mouth and then Caroline drives straight into the storage cabinet in the garage. The crash doesn't hurt her, until miss coordination tries to get off of the little ATV thingy and hits finger on a cabinet in the garage! Jack puts more rocks in his mouth. I decide it is time to go inside! Caroline gets a cartoon, Jack gets to mess with whatever he wants and I crash onto the couch exhausted from my hour playing outside with the kids! I need a shower!

Don't Call Me

If there is ever anything wrong at your house that needs fixin'...don't call me! I got further confirmation of this feeling today as I tried to replace the roller shades in the kids rooms only to have one not fit (too small, which is the worst!) and the other lost its spring tension and I am still working on fixing that problem. I know how to fix the last part at least! It will just take me time. So, let's got through the list of failures that I have had with home improvement:

1. Tried to replace the insides toilet and it leaked and leaked and leaked and leaked some more. Finally used a whole tube of silicone caulk and it worked like a charm! It only took me about 4 days and several trips to Home Depot, Lowe's and Ace hardware!
2. Hung shelves in the living room and a few months ago one of them just fell off the wall. No kids around, but it went smashing to the floor. Finally, the other day I put the shelves back up and used super duper brackets and a stud finder. Seem to be holding for now!
3. Installed garbage disposal in sink and have since had to re-install two times! Gets loose and then starts making a pool under the sink! I think I have isolated the problem and it was definitely installer error!
4. Hung my bike in the garage and that came tumbling down not long after! Better wall mounting screws later it is still suspended in the air in the garage.
5. Replaced screen on the front door and since then the dog has jumped out the door and caroline liked to stick her head outside through my fixed screen! Three attempts later I have half a front door screen that is tight and as it should be and another that flaps a bit in the breeze. At least it keeps the kids and the dogs inside for now!

Needless to say, I am not quite mr. fix-it, but I am persistent! I keep trying until I get it mediocre! It stays and it works, but you just have to wiggle it the right or pull it just so or talk nicely to it or pray to God that whatever I fixed does what it is supposed. I really think there should be a law that says that all male members of the Gray family not named Les (my carpenter, handyman grandfather) are not allowed to attempt to fix anything and should be barred from Home Depot, Lowe's and any other hardware store. Well, I am off to go try and fix that stupid shade in Caroline's room! Wish me luck!

I ordered a Zima, not emphysema

You know what I have trouble with? People who smoke anywhere near me! I can't stand it. It makes me sick (literally) and I can smell someone smoking from a mile away. Driving down the road if someone is smoking in the car ahead of me; I can smell it. Sitting in my living room and someone smoking on their deck down at the end of the condo; I can smell it. People smoking just outside of the door to non-smoking establishments; I can smell it. Now, I know that people have a right to do what they want, but why do I have to do it too? Second hand smoke is gross. You want to choose to kill yourself and get lung cancer...fine, but don't give it to me!

This all came about because I was outside at my church today selling food during a half marathon in town and there were so many people smoking. I felt like I had smoked half a pack of cigarettes without taking a single puff! I do believe that smokers have the right to smoke and outside is a great place to do it. I just wish that I had a moving no smoking zone around myself. Maybe a 50 foot radius within which people aren't allowed to smoke? Enter my area with a cigarette and you get an electric shock or something. Or maybe you smoke inside my radius and I kick you in the shins until you stop or move. I don't know. Smoking is just so nasty. Sorry to any smokers that I know, but I think your habit is nasty and I don't want it near me!

Why?!?

The other day I am sitting on the floor watching TV and the dog comes over to me like he often does, leans in and says pet me. Well, I thought that he was saying. Then I heard it...the noise that we all know. That noise that says move fast or you are getting puked on. I moved and just in time! Seconds later came a pile of things he had eaten earlier in the day. The best part was that the pile moved! I look closer and there it is...a worm! Gross, gross and more gross. After a visit to the Vet with some poo in hand we find that the dog has round worm. Let me tell you all that round worm is gross! My sister-in-law who is a vet tech said we don't want to know how many worms are wriggling around inside our dog! Gross just got grosser.

And that leads us to today and my ultimate question of why. Fred is on medicine and apparently it has upset his delicate little tummy and there is more upchucking going on. But my question is this: Why does the dog come over to me for a snuggle and then vomit right next to me? I had it out on the back deck for over an hour and no puke. He comes inside, slides in next to me and then the noise! Why does it have to be me? Can't he puke next to Annie or maybe even better he could do it outside. Either way, I am sufficiently grossed out about this whole affair and really wish the dog would chuck somewhere else!

My Dog Fred

Ok, so I am sitting here watching Private Chefs of Beverly Hills and there is a woman on this show who threw a dinner party for dogs and hired private chefs to feed the dogs! The dogs ate Ahi tuna and filet mignot and kobe beef. That is absurd. There are people in the world who have no food to eat and this crazy lady and all here crazy friends are spending thousands of dollars feeding their dogs. How about you throw some hot dogs on the floor and send the extra thousands of dollars to someone who really needs it. My dog Fred (to the left) gets to eat dog food that comes from the store in 40 pound bags that cost about $40 bucks. He loves every bit and goes racing to his dish every morning when he gets fed. For him, this $4o food is heavenly and he has no need for food that costs more than I make in a month. It is just stupid to spend that much money feeding a dog! I love my dog, but come on people! It's a dog!

From a Dad's Eye

So, one of my Natick High School friends (Becky Williams Whitney) told me today that I should start a blog because I am a parent of 2 awesome kids (I kind of agree with that) and I have an educated opinion! (That is very true!) Being the good listener that I am I got right on it and started this blog. As you can see from the blog title I will be blogging from the eyes of a Dad. I think that often we dad's get a bad rap and people usually ask other mom's how to do this or how to do that. Hello! I am a parent too and I have an opinion. Sometimes these decisions are based on knowledge and more often they are based on what will be the most entertaining for me! "Dad, I can puddle!" Translation, "Dad, can I jump in the puddle with my shoes on and no rain gear." My thinking: Experience tells me that jumping in a puddle without rain boots and a rain coat results in wet, cold child. My entertain me side says, "Go for it. Looks like fun!" Fun for me side wins out over experience and Caroline gets soaked in a puddle! A win for both of us, until her feet turned blue!

So, Dad's and Mom's out there, be prepared to hear stories from this Dad that will inspire you, enlighten you, make you laugh and sometimes you may even want to throw up! I am a Dad and I have something to say!