Archive for the ‘Observations’ Category

So I was originally going to write about the awesome black eye that my daughter got this week but I realized a few paragraphs in that it wasn’t my story to tell. While it is a very important thing to talk about I felt like I had given to many “here’s a list of things” stories lately. So to switch things up a little, I’m going to talk about something that I struggle with on a regular basis here in the Reese household, balancing baby time with creative time.

Before my daughter showed up 7 months ago, I had all the time in the world. I was able to stay up late, randomly start projects and finish them as I saw fit but as any parent can explain, that all changed when that little bundle of joy showed up. Like most people struggling with life, you have to figure out what the balance is for you and for 24 years of my life, that was a really easy thing to figure out. I only had to think of myself. Yes, I had other people in my life: girlfriends, family and friends, but they always came second and for good reason. If you think about it, it makes sense really. If you aren’t feeling well then hanging out with friends might not be the best thing. But I digress, for this article isn’t about random instances in life but a very specific subject – creativity. Read the rest of this entry »

So this week has been particularly busy and that means that my blog post is last on my list of things to do. So it would appear that I need to have this thing written and wrapped up in the next 2 hours in order to meet my deadline for this week. But my main problem is this, what do I write about? I could bore you with some more details on my daughters adventures in mobility, or that she’s starting to move onto solid foods. But I don’t really feel like it. Sorry, but sometimes the truth hurts. Being 100% honest with you guys, I kind of what to talk about me. Not me as a father but just me.

Looking around the room that I’m in, the Xbox 360 is on and we’re sitting on the home screen. Diane is surfing the net on her computer waiting for me to finish so we can do something while the little one is asleep. This week was hard (like I said before), so I have my feet up and I’m just relaxing. You know, that thing you used to do before you had a kid. Yeah, it’s funny sometimes because I don’t know what to do with myself when I have free time. I can honestly remember being so bored when it was summer vacation in high school and wanting to go to school because I had too much free time. Not anymore. But that’s the curse of being an adult, you never know what you got until you don’t got it no more (or some other proper version of English). Also, I’m going rogue so spell checking is kind of out the window. Read the rest of this entry »

Along with all the great things my daughter is discovering lately (crawling, pulling herself up, solid foods, etc), the one revelation I could do without is the overwhelming need to be with us. You see, my daughter has developed an uncontrollable need to always be with me or Mom which is a nice bump to my ego but comes with the huge disadvantage of never being able to do something alone. Now I’ve done my research, I’ve taken the time to see if this is a natural thing and the good news is, yes, this should be happening. And as any parent can attest to, doing little things like going to the bathroom, relaxing on the couch or even trying to cook a meal can get really hard when your little one won’t let you put them down. Well, don’t pull all your hair out over this issue (you’ll need it later, I swear), the following is what I’ve learned on how to cope with infant separation anxiety. Read the rest of this entry »

As the title suggests, we’ve made a huge breakthrough this week. After several weeks of trial and error, my daughter has finally figured out how to crawl! Learning wasn’t always easy with her; she tried the butt wiggle, the caterpillar, and the frog launch even though none of them worked. But no sooner have we learned to crawl then we’ve moved onto running. Yes, the little one who never sits still is now trying to pull herself up into the standing position and my house has never looked more dangerous. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome back to the Plus One Blog, a random collection of thoughts, jokes and snippets from my life. This week I’m inviting Diane back to give you an update on what’s going on with us right now. Things have been crazy to say the least, but it’s always good to take a moment to reflect on the little things. As usual, feel free to check out Diane’s blog anytime at Tocket.info. Enjoy!

As I look around my toy infested living room, I realize that I’ve neglected to post any baby stuff recently. So let’s dive right in to the amazing and awesome developments.

Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago, my daughter got what most parents dread: her first cold. While I was at work, I got a few messages from Diane telling me of the heart break that was at home. Our happy go lucky baby kept sniffling, having trouble breathing, but was smiling through the whole experience. I guess we got lucky because she could have been cranky but I argue that it was just as bad. Our baby was so happy yet was sick, it was so sad to watch! But we made it through and everyone is healthy again but I wanted to share with you our experience and what we did to survive baby’s first sniffles. Read the rest of this entry »

This year for Christmas, my brother was a little short on cash and decided to get everyone in the family a Snuggie. Having never wanted one, Diane and I came into possession of 2. I have to admit that my brother did take the extra time and energy to somewhat personalize our Snuggies. I received one patterned with my universities logo and Diane got a lovely zebra print. Fancy, I know. When we got them we were happy because it was a thoughtful gift from my brother and that in itself was enough for us.

After my brother had left I opened mine up and ran around showing it off to family, friends and neighbors. “You look like a wizard” was the most common comment I got and in all honesty, it was true! Needless to say, Diane and I were stumped as to when we’d actually use the darn things as we had perfectly good blankets at home, waiting for us on the couch. Well my friends, I figured out what we use them for and it’s a lot more then I originally thought. Also, did I mention that I figured out why they invented the Snuggie™? Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to my mini-series entitled Dustin Vs. which follows the adventures of me, Dustin, as I go out to the cold city of Milwaukee to meet Diane’s parents, but I like to think of them as the in laws. Today I will be covering Diane’s mothers name and our wonderfully boring events around the house.

So yesterday I promised to explain how I don’t know Diane’s mothers name and I’ll start there before I go into the boredom. As it currently stands, Diane’s mother has 2 names: one for formal/distant relationships and one for those who know her. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve never met these people so I was unsure which name to use. I mean, I did father her grand child after all. Anyway, so which one am I? According to Diane, her mother would introduce herself and that would settle the whole situation. Well, I’ve been here for a few days and no one has yet to say her name! Her husband refers to her as “wife” and her daughter affectionately calls her “mommy”. Diane goes with “mom” most of the time. Read the rest of this entry »

This holiday season is almost over but I have yet to tackle the biggest hurdle. No, I’m not talking about Christmas shopping or carving some dinner ham. What I’m talking about scares most men senseless and prevents many of them from ever having a happy life. The subject of my holiday dread is, yes, visiting Diane’s parents for the first time. While previous “meet the parents” type situations have gone over smoothly, I have a feeling this one is going to be a bit differently. “Hello sir, nice to meet you. I knocked up your daughter” Yes, I can see nothing going wrong with this plan…

What follows will be a daily mini-blog experience as I travel from my cosy North-West life towards the snow covered fields of Milwaukee to Meet the Parents.

So far the trip hasn’t been that bad. It’s now the evening of the second night here and we managed to make it through the day in one boring piece. My initial experience with Diane’s mother, father and sister has been limited at best. It’s not like we don’t get along, it’s just that everyone is doing their own thing. To say that this family is a bit recluse would be an understatement. They have a particular way of doing things and they will be damned if that balance is thrown off.

For example, Diane’s mother (who’s name I don’t know, but I’ll get to that later) was nice enough to make us dinner tonight. I was playing with my daughter on the couch and thinking of the wonderful meal she was making for us when I heard her announce rather casually that it was ready. By the time I got up and over to the table, Diane was the only person there. It was then that I noticed behind us that her mother and sister were escaping up the stairs to do their own thing.

“No one wants to eat with us,” Diane said. Well damn.

In their defense, her family doesn’t have company over to much so I’m sure our presence is just as awkward for them as it is for us. I can only hope that they warm up to us before we leave it could be a fun couple of days here.

Check back tomorrow for more updates.

The other day I was having one of my regular play sessions with my daughter. During this session we were playing with some stacking stars when she started to get fussy. Noticing that we were approaching nap time I reach for her pacifier and said “Dustin has your pacifier.” Shocked at hearing me say my own name to our daughter, Diane turned to me with a puzzled look on her face. For me, it was simply a slip of the tongue, referring to myself by my name and not the tradition “Dad”. So this got the gears turning and I started thinking about names. In all reality, names our just labels we give things so we can easily organize people, places and things in our brains. But does it go deeper then that? So join me on a journey as I explore the the word Dad and labels in general as I ask the question: what’s in a name daddio?

Read the rest of this entry »