BayDad

So, this was going to be a “help!” post, but that’s because I titled it about 3 months ago.   So, I’m going to turn it into a story…

About 3 months ago, Mr. Busy was 15 months old, and we were really trying hard to get him to enjoy books & reading.  It was sort of a struggle, where we would straddle that fine line between forcing him to sit in our laps and listen, and tricking him into sitting still for a few minutes to listen…

It was a real dilemma — were we going to have the boy who wouldn’t read?  Were were going to go straight to TV?

Well, I’ll say that the answer is ‘no’ and it’s all thanks to Thomas The Tank Engine.  Yes, those silly words, and those silly characters.  At that age, Mr. Busy had already begun his fascination with all things transportation, and the only thing left to close the gap in his reading was for him to find a TTTE book on the shelf.

Overnight, he went from “I don’t want to have anything to do with your silly books” to “Please! Train! Up! Up! Train! Woo Hoo!”  which is his way of saying “Dearest Father, Would you mind lifting me into your lap, opening this book, and reading to me?”

Its great.  Now he loves books of most kinds.  We have a great large format word book with pictures of all kinds of stuff.  He loves sitting there identifying things, and having me point at things and name them.  His favorites?  Orange. Horsey. Banana. Truck! Train! Copter! Airplane! (Fire) Engine!

Tantrumlicious – adj

Any item that is so good tasting that it will inspire a violent temper tantrum if not given or if taken away.

“Wow, I didn’t realize how tantrumlicious that kids toothpaste is!”

“Let’s not walk down that isle, there are too many tantrumlicious items down there”

“Okay, he can have one tantrumlicious item, but no more.”

“Since when are pomegranate seeds tantrumlicious?”

At the time of the writing of this post, there were zero google search results for “tantrumlicious”.  Hooray for new words!

If you’re hanging out in downtown Los Altos, or if you’re looking for a fun nearby park to mix things up a bit, you should head over to Shoup Park. I think its my second favorite park in the area. (Second to Mercy-Bush in Mountain View…)

We’ve been going to the Severex Lights Display for the last couple of years, and I’ve been surprised to find that lots of people don’t know about it.   So, here ya go:  Get yourself over to severex.com, where you’ll find their address in Sunnyvale, and make some time to go down there some night.  I’d recommend a weeknight after 8pm or so, which I know is a bit late for those of us with toddlers, but its worth it!

If you’re looking for other lights in the area, there are lots.  A coworker of mine made this Bay Area Kids Holiday Fun Google Map that shows the locations and links for a bunch of the bigger neighborhood displays, including the severex one.

Wow, Safari West looks cool!

Have any of our readers ever been there?  What’s it like?  Is it worth it for a toddler?

Yes, fall has come upon the bay area, for whatever that means weather-wise.  Since the leaves don’t really change colors here, one of the best things to do is go and visit a Pumpkin Patch!

We went to Webb Ranch last weekend, and had a pretty good time.  Its a nice place, at the intersection of Alpine Rd. and Highway 280.  They’ve got a good selection of different styles of pumpkins, and a “U-Pick” area up on the hill that we didn’t really visit much.  It seemed like the best compromise between “authentic” and “not too far away”.  There are lots of local patches along El Camino, but its just doesn’t seem right to pick your pumpkin in a vacant lot betwen Arby’s and Jack In The Box.  Webb Ranch really fit the bill.

Other places you might consider, if you’re willing to drive farther:

• Useugi Farms (Palo Alto)
  
• Half Moon Bay (and Pumpkin Festival Weekend if you want a crowd)
• Spina Farms (San Jose)
  
• G&M Farms (Livermore)
• Joan’s Farm (Livermore)

Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day 2008!

We’ll be weekend tripping to Seattle, and I think 16 months is a bit young…

When I was speaking of high-society strollers, I clearly forgot to mention the Quinny.  Sheesh, what kind of parent am I, anyway?

(No, we have not bought this, and I believe that our current plan is to just re-use the Baby Trend Expedition that we’re currently mustering through with.  If the Expedition kicks the bucket, then we’ll just have to see.  Oh, did I say double stroller?  Whoops!)

Svan High Chair. Oh sweet bliss!

What I really want for our second kid is the Svan High Chair but a few things have to happen before thats possible:

1. We need to finish our kitchen remodel.
2. We need to justify junking or gifting away the Baby Trend Zanzibar Chair.
3. We need to resign to being “one of those parents” who buys expensive swedish-made highchairs.

Again, maybe my tact should be to just plead with Ikea to rip off this design and make something thats exactly the same but costs $39.99 and is named Svaan.

As we’re expecting our 2nd kid, one thing that I’m wondering is: “How can I be a better Dad the second time around?”

I mean, you might think that I’m beating myself up here, but really, its not like that.  I its more like:  I’ve been given the blessing of being able to raise a second child, so how could I do it differently?

The one thing that was really hard for me was the breastfeeding phase with Mr. Busy Belly.  He was quite a finicky eater, and as a Dad, it was really hard.  We were trying to not feed him formula too much, because that has the double-detrement of both reducing “supply” and getting baby used to the feel & speed of a bottle instead of “the real thing”.  There were times when he’d be crying, and my wife would be at her wits end, and I just didn’t know what to do.  This is the one thing that I think I could have been a better Dad, but I’m still puzzled as to what the right solution was, and I’m a bit nervous to have to go through it again.  I always felt that pumping+bottle was the only way I could really help out, but I also understood my wife’s aversion to the entire pumping situation, and I agree that it feels ridiculous to be pumping when there’s a hungry little person sleeping just feet away…

There are lots of other places where I feel I could have been better, but I also realize that having a second kid is going to be totally different.  Maybe my job this time will be to take Mr. Busy Bottom away for a few hours?  Maybe it’ll be the opposite and Mom will want to spend time with the “big kid”.  Maybe its something new entirely?

So, fellow Dads, what did you do to get through that breastfeeding phase?  You know what I mean — its that time when baby is off-limits, where you have to tread litely and watch what you’re saying.  A misplaced “I think he might be hungry” and you’ll get quite an earful…   And whats it like having a second (or third?)  How does the role of “Dad” change for the first 3 months?  How’d you make it through, and what can I do to prepare?