Why I Oughta...

For Father's Day this year, the girls gave me a few pairs of Bombas socks.  They have adopted the Tom's 'model' where for every pair purchased, they donate a pair of socks.  Turns out that socks are the #1 most requested item in homeless shelters. You can find out more or buy your own pair of Bombas here on their site . I asked for the calf-height version, but Nat veto'd that and gave me these ankle-height ones.  She, did, however, go with the right color:  orange. I've been wearing them for a few days and I do, indeed, think they're 'better' socks.  Just like getting a nice pair of Thorlos, these Bombas have some nice little advancements that make your life a little bit better.  From the blister tab on the back where your heel meets your leg to the honeycomb support on the arches, these socks feel pretty nice. We haven't put them through the wash yet, so I don't know how they'll do hold up, but so far, I'm impressed.

Who'd thunk that I'd be surrounded by all these women!  Here's my three ladies and myself out on the front porch this morning.  Last day of leave for a bit, so we're savoring every minute of it.  I'm a lucky guy! Don't think you can get a better Father's Day present that the new addition to the family - whom we're calling 'The Bird' here on the blog.   Her Papa, who was sick last week, also got his first chance to bond with The Bird when we traveled to their house to celebrate with him.

Just 36 hours after her arrival, we got the thumbs up to pack up The Bird and head home.  No time like the present to get going and start being a family of four plus a dog back in Elmhurst.  Love her already!

I'm learning very quickly that time moves very fast with little kids.  One day they can't hold their own head up and the next they're rifling through the cupboards below the sink.  My little girl just crossed the 15 month mark and on pretty regular occasions, I'm seeing her do some very grown up like things.  They're small little actions or body language, but they're definitely there.  Or at least, in my head, they are there.  Take for example this photo.  We were at the Country House eating burgers this week when I caught her lounging in her high chair.  She looks so at ease and comfortable and the way she's carrying herself just seems so NOT like an infant/toddler. Every time I look at her I rediscover how adorable she really is.  I couldn't love her more than I do and am so fortunate to have her in my life.  Nat has been doing an amazing job with her and each and every day we're both learning something together! For those of you frien...

Last week, Google (Full Disclosure:  I work there !) kicked off our fourth annual Doodle 4 Google contest - a competition open to K-12 students in US Schools.  Students are invited to create their own Google Doodle (those creative adaptations of our logo that run occasionally on our homepage) inspired by this year's theme of:  "What I'd like to do someday...". Google is upping the ante with some pretty rad prizes, but those are secondary to the top prize:  one lucky student gets a chance to have his or her artwork appear on the Google.com homepage for one day and admired by hundreds of millions of people! There are two key differences this year.  First, is that instead of making teachers/schools register their entire classes, we've now opened it up to anyone - parents can now register their kids, too!  Second, Google has recruited some celebrity judges (Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Davis - creator of Garfield and others).  To register now, head to the ...

The Babe landed herself a new snugglepal.  I'm (obviously) attempting to get her started early mostly because she's taking to her mother's iphone like a fish to water.  Had to fight dirty with the Squishable !

Back in the late 1970's and early 1980's, my father was a part-time police officer in my hometown of Frankfort.  He might have been called an auxiliary officer or something like that, but never-the-less he *was* still a copper.   That's him standing up in the light shirt farthest to the right with the mustache.   He looks great! In the back row, third from the left is my Uncle Ed.  He's my Godfather and meant a lot to me and my family.  This photo was shared with me by his daughter. It is kind of funny to think about my dad as a police officer.  Clearly, Uncle Ed had an impact on him to get him to join the force.  Frankfort is still a pretty small town (15,000ish people), but back in the late 1970's it was REALLY sleepy.  My dad grew up on the south side, so I'm thinking that after relocating from Hickory Hills to Frankfort in the 70's, he was looking for a bit of excitement.    He told me once that he had to pull his gun an...

Someone gifted the Babe this set of bath-time toys from Infantino when she was born.  They're pretty cute and have gotten a good workout these past few months.  For whatever it is worth, they (the toy experts!) say, that you're supposed to throw out bath toys periodically - to avoid mold build-up - so these are probably on their last legs.  Apparently if you don't drain them very well, they'll just trap water and get all gross on the insides.  They'll turn into about the last thing you want your baby to be playing with during their baths. Each one of the specific toys has a blowhole where you can suck in water and squirt it out.  On some they're in their mouths, but on this whale it is right where it is supposed to be - his blowhole. He looks pretty cute and normal, right? He's just fine.....until you take a close look at the tail - all by itself. Seriously?!?  How did something like this get past the quality control folks.  You have t...

A few months ago, we went to our friend Balone's birthday party out at his folks house in my hometown of Frankfort.  It was the first time we had caught up with our good friends Adam and Jill and their new baby boy - which was really nice.  It is always nice to see childhood friends, but when they come packing a new baby boy, it makes it even more special. Someone brought Balone a Coors Home Keg for his birthdayday and we celebrated appropriately - with a posed picture of us with our "babies". Here's the Babe and I, Balone and his shiny new baby, and Adam and his boy!  How adorable.

Previous Gift Guide Posts Star Wars Cookie Cutters If you're still looking for a Father's Day gift for your husband/dad and he's a crafty-kind-of-guy, you've come to the right place.  For $16.00, you can get him a gift that keeps on giving:  a sourdough culture . The Italian one will make the pizza-maker happy. For those of you know are unfamiliar with a culture, it is the starter batch that you add water and flour to in order to get the necessary yeast-like properties you need to bake.  If you continue to feed it flour and water - just about weekly - you'll have the starter batch to last you a lifetime.  That one above is courtesy of Wikipedia.   Here's their page on sourdough cultures . Often times, these cultures are living for years and years and take on unique characteristics that the local environment provides. A sourdough culture is sure to be a fun experiment for the baker husband/father in your life. I can't vouch for a culture, but I ha...

Last week, a friend asked a group of us what she should be thinking about getting for her husband for Father's Day.  I gave her one suggestion, but I'm not sure she took it, so I won't share it with you quite yet. But...for those Mom's out there looking for a great Father's Day gift for 2010, I'm going to throw out some ideas and see if I can help a Dad or two out. To begin with - for Dad's of all ages - I would look no further than Williams Sonoma and their latest cookie cutters.  These are the Father's Day gift that keeps on giving:   Star Wars Cookie Cutters .  I'm not so much talking about giving the cutters as a gift as I am about making Storm Trooper cookies for your Dad/Husband on Father's Day. Your husband/Dad will be eating Darth Vadar cookies for Father's Day and his birthday, and maybe even Christmas!

Last Friday, I spent some time at the Field School in Elmhurst as a "Special Person" of my nephew.  One day a year, every kid in the school gets to nominate a "special person" in their lives to come into class and see what they do at school. My nephew asked me to show up late in the day for his First Grade class.  He's really come a long way in just one year.  Last summer, he was living with us and really didn't have any reading skills.  His teacher was very proud as each of the kids in class stood up and read stories that we wrote together. My nephew and I had a great time writing our story.  It was supposed to be about a butterfly, but ours ended up being about his favorite "game" - Electric Hotdog Fighting.  I put game in quotes because it doesn't really exist, but he wants it to so badly.  He said that the packaging will say something like "Hotdogs not included, just like batteries not included!" I know I was his "spec...

Guess who turns four months old today?!?  The Babe is happy we're celebrating, but she's concerned that you might take her giraffe away, though.  Look at those brows! The Babe is getting to be such a big girl.  I couldn't be a prouder dad.  However, I'm even more proud as a husband.  The last four months have been challenging, but I've experienced NOTHING compared to what Nat has gone through.  And...she's done it with an amazing level grace and patience that I am simply in awe of. I do my best to be a part of my daughter's life and we spend countless hours together.  However, Nat is really the one doing the hard work.  She's there when the Babe wakes up, there when she goes to sleep and is there (really there!) every time she's hungry.   She could NOT be a better mom. The development I've seen in the Babe's physical and mental acumen are directly attributable to all of Nat's dedication and effort.   She's the one reading the books...

The Babe is getting older, happier, and more aware of everything.  Makes for a happy dad as I see her sit up, grab things, and recognize people in her life.  But...most importantly, we're getting smiles. Have I told you guys about the smiles?  I haven't yet?  Oh...well...as they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words", right? SMILES!  SMILES!  SMILES!

Coming home from class two nights a week, I get to barely see the babe before she's off to **bed** for the night.  (I'm using 'bed' loosely.  It really is a bassinet at the side of our bed and she's in and out of it throughout the night for feedings and changings and what-not.) It is a wonderful feeling to come home to a family and one that makes me race home safely each night.  When I do get to spend some time trying to get her to sleep we share a little song together.  One that was pointed out to me by my good friend Neil as a good lullaby.  He was right.  It's a good daddy/daughter number.  For all those dads out there, hopefully you can share this with your babe's too!

Leaving the house this morning for work felt a whole lot different than it did the last time I saddled up for the office in December. I knew it would, but I underestimated the emotion involved. This wasn't just a new year - but rather - a new life. A father's role today (more specifically -my role) is dual: provide for the family, and bond with the new baby. The first part used to come pretty naturally - waking up, going to work, going to school, paying the mortgage. I actually enjoyed a great bit of it. But this morning, something changed. I'm sure the same thing happened to millions of new fathers across the globe in countless cultures. Instead of the job being something that used me, I started to look at the job as something I can use. The role I have at the office is NOW just a minor part of my life. Although I still love every single second of my work, it no longer carries the same meaning. (I'm not trying to be profound here, I'm just saying what...