Year 5, Day 200

As Miles has consumed more media and started having more complex, intentional conversations with people, he's started to deepen his well of common phrases and idioms. Recently, when he picked up some of his toys in the living room, he casually tossed one of them out. "Easy peasy," he said, finishing the tried and true … Continue reading Year 5, Day 200 →

Year 4, Day 341

The phone rang this evening while Jaclyn was out retrieving Miles from daycare. When I said, "Hello?" it wasn't Jaclyn's voice that greeted me. "Daddy, mommy needs help," Miles said. If Jaclyn was there, she wasn't saying anything. "What do you mean, buddy?" "Mommy needs help and she can't do something." At this point, with … Continue reading Year 4, Day 341 →

Year 4, Day 110

My phone rang when I was driving between jobs tonight, and while I expected to hear Jaclyn on the other end, I was met with, "DADDY!!!" "Hey, buddy!" I said. "DADDY!" he merrily shrieked again. "Yeah, it's me!" I said. "How are you doing, buddy?" My question went unacknowledged. "DADDY!" Then he hung up. A … Continue reading Year 4, Day 110 →

Year 3, Day 115

As his vocabulary grows and he develops a greater understanding of verbal communication, Miles has latched onto a number of frequently used phrases. "That's a big one." "I want ice cream." The perennial favorite, "NO." There is one, however, that is a bit vexing: "Ow-wee, ow-wee, ow-wee!" Obviously we want to know when Miles is … Continue reading Year 3, Day 115 →

Year 2, Day 258

Miles has hit a new milestone recently, as he's started using two-word sentences to communicate with us. So far we've heard, "More egg," and (of course), "Need Elmo*," but I'm frankly a little surprised (and relieved) that we haven't heard, "Hell no," yet. * We're going to have to start clarifying "wants" vs. "needs" soon … Continue reading Year 2, Day 258 →

Day 49

The key to newborn parenting success, whether you're trying to clean or watch a movie, is planning ahead. Parenting is like an elaborate chess game. Like...three-dimensional chess. The point is, you need to know not what you need now, in this moment, but rather what you're going to need 30 minutes from now. Now if … Continue reading Day 49 →

Day 44

Here's a fun new game Jaclyn and I have been playing. I'll be looking for an item -- maybe a pacifier, or a burp cloth, or a blanket -- and Jaclyn's response will be, "It's next to his..." and then her voice will just trail off. So I'm left with a vague understanding that the … Continue reading Day 44 →

Day 28

Miles was a little fussy this morning, and I was feeding him while Jaclyn worked out. I fed him a bit, he'd get fussy again. Feed him, fussy. He finally quieted down for the most part, and I put him down so I could have a cup of coffee. He started whimpering again when Jaclyn … Continue reading Day 28 →