23

On the subject of Pack apparel, check out Andrew's shirt

3/9/2015 8:51:48 AM

Super cute!

Biscuit's birthday pictures deserve better than the bottom of the page.
We survived an entire year!

3/9/2015 9:51:49 AM

Nora went to the game on Saturday...things went better than expected.




[Edited on March 9, 2015 at 11:17 AM. Reason : embed fail]

3/9/2015 11:14:09 AM

I have an NC State bib that says "I Only Cry When Tarheels Hold Me"

I got it from Olly Oxen
http://www.ollyoxen.com

3/9/2015 11:58:32 AM

I guess that is where his shirt (Onesie) came from. I just noticed the logo on the back.

3/9/2015 3:23:42 PM

The girl who opened Olly Oxen is an NC State graduate

She had a booth at Packapalooza a couple years ago when she was first starting out

3/9/2015 3:47:29 PM

The onesie is on my baby registry, can't wait to see my little guy in it later this year!

3/10/2015 6:36:08 PM

3/19/2015 8:50:10 AM

Adding myself to this list!

Say hello to Bobby Light Jr.

2 Weeks:




[Edited on March 19, 2015 at 10:32 AM. Reason : .]

3/19/2015 10:23:55 AM

Can somebody recommend a glider chair? All the Stork Craft reviews on Amazon say they don't last, but we really don't have $400+ to shell out for a Dutailier. The Shermags in the middle don't have good reviews either.

3/31/2015 11:00:07 PM

We spent about 500 and customized one from buybuyBaby. Totally worth it. As a nanny I have sat in many uncomfortable chairs for hours while rocking sleeping babies or sick kids. You want something comfortable.

4/1/2015 8:23:32 AM

Go to Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby, bring a 15 pound sack, and sit in a bunch of chairs. Spend time in them. Don't just sit down and think "this is soft" and get back up. If you're going to be breastfeeding, do the positioning, and see whether you have arm support or if it's too far away. Can you get out of the chair with your "baby" sack (not pushing yourself up), and not tip the chair over? Is the back high enough that you have head and neck support?

I don't know that you need to drop a ton of money on a glider, but you do want one that is comfortable to you, more than anyone else.

4/1/2015 2:33:04 PM

4 months old now...the time is flying by!

5/4/2015 4:27:56 PM

Are there any forums on the net for dad's to be/future dad's to be? I've googled, but havent found much.

5/11/2015 4:28:42 PM

https://m.reddit.com/r/daddit

5/11/2015 6:50:50 PM

http://www.brentroad.com

5/12/2015 3:01:32 PM

5/12/2015 3:53:34 PM

Brandon1 if you find one let me know

5/15/2015 11:22:09 AM

Reddit daddit and predaddit are pretty good. Predaddit seems like a great place for any and all questions, but seems like most of what gets posted are "graduation announcements" (moving from predaddit to daddit after baby is born).

I'd still like a place like my wife has, her online community is awesome and has an answer for any and all concerns.

On the positive side, we had our first ultrasound yesterday. Healthy little bean inside, measured correct for her being 8wks 2 days, 170bpm heartbeat. I teared up a little when I finally saw the little thing on the screen.

Ever since I've known (4 weeks), I've been , a nervous wreck. So many things are changing and are about to change, and its hard for a new dad to get a grip on that (life, wife, addition of baby etc). I was hoping after seeing the baby on the ultrasound I'd be a little less terrified of things, but I think seeing the reality that there is a little thing growing inside my wife has made it more like . I'm still terrified and nervous, and seem to struggle with staying positive. I'm super excited, but there are millions of things running through my head 24/7 that terrify me.

Any dads on this thread have the same type thing, or were you super confident from the get go?

5/16/2015 9:59:21 AM

James Maxwell Maximadrvr.
7.0 lbs, 20.5"
7:41 pm

5/16/2015 10:30:15 PM

Congrats man, I cant wait to get to that point.

5/17/2015 5:45:31 PM

My wife had a very easy pregnancy.
It started with her being a planner, and knowing she was about to enter her busy season at work (CPA).
We set up the whole nursery, bought clothes and diapers, and all the needed accessories like swings, rockers, and carriers when she was less than 20 weeks. She actually won her office pool on when she would deliver, at one week early.
She never had morning sickness and her hormones were only slightly crazy.
We took the classes offered by the hospital on what to expect, breast feeding, department tour, and the lemaz/birthing info.n these helped both of us be a lot more comfortable with everything that was going to happen.
I did read the entire parenting thread on here for pointers as well.
My wife went into labor at 39 full weeks. She wasn't even sure she was in labor, but stuff didn't feel right and she wanted to come in. When we got here, she was at 6cm. From 8am till 2pm she did not progress. She did most of that time walking around or standing. From 2 till 4 she made it to 7cm, when we decided to ask for an epidural and break the water. Water was broken before the Anestesiologist could make it in, and she had 30 min of hell.
From 4 to 6 she made it to 9cm but stalled again. Petocin slow drip started, and the boy was born at 7:41. She ended up pushing for about an hour to get him out, with a little damage happening along the way. I wasn't planning on it, but I did cut the cord myself.

Funny enough, growing up I babysat for the head of NeoNatal for the district. I also babysat for the head of anesthesiology for the hospital we are in. The anesthesiologist ended up being a guy who we were at his son's wedding. It was like a reunion in delivery and recovery.

My wife's last three weeks were definitely the hardest. She was just ready to be done, and tired of being fat.

5/17/2015 8:14:21 PM

Quote :

"Reddit daddit and predaddit are pretty good. Predaddit seems like a great place for any and all questions, but seems like most of what gets posted are "graduation announcements" (moving from predaddit to daddit after baby is born). I'd still like a place like my wife has, her online community is awesome and has an answer for any and all concerns. On the positive side, we had our first ultrasound yesterday. Healthy little bean inside, measured correct for her being 8wks 2 days, 170bpm heartbeat. I teared up a little when I finally saw the little thing on the screen. Ever since I've known (4 weeks), I've been , a nervous wreck. So many things are changing and are about to change, and its hard for a new dad to get a grip on that (life, wife, addition of baby etc). I was hoping after seeing the baby on the ultrasound I'd be a little less terrified of things, but I think seeing the reality that there is a little thing growing inside my wife has made it more like . I'm still terrified and nervous, and seem to struggle with staying positive. I'm super excited, but there are millions of things running through my head 24/7 that terrify me. Any dads on this thread have the same type thing, or were you super confident from the get go?"

I am not a Dad, but my husband is a Dad, and I think this is all super normal, or at least something he's gone through.

There will be times where it becomes more real for you. Even if she can't feel the baby yet, it's still real for her, because it's a change in her lifestyle right now. But the minute you feel your son/daughter move inside her, it'll become more real for you too.

You are going to be nervous. And you should be! But it's a good nervous. Take this time to get your house ready, but don't panic if it's not done. Your baby isn't going to be using all the toys or the crib or the nursery immediately after he/she gets home. Take this time to learn, but realize that ultimately, your baby will be different and have different needs than every other baby out there. You, as a parent, will know better than the books whether you need to sleep train or not, co-sleep or not, breastfeed or bottle feed.

Trust yourself, and trust your wife. And support her, she is going to go through a lot in the next year, physically and mentally. So let her lean on you, and be her champion, because she will need it.

As far as actual baby skills, before we had our daughter, my husband had probably held two babies ever, and had never changed a diaper. He took a "Daddy Boot Camp" class at the hospital that was one morning on a Saturday. They taught him how to swaddle, change a diaper, and soothe a fussy baby. He also got an opportunity to talk to experienced Dads and ask questions. You might want to look into something like that, geared towards Dads, and taught by Dads.

Good luck!

5/18/2015 10:37:25 AM

I'm not so much worried about the actual baby and raising the child, my wife nannied for 5yrs and seems to have a pretty good grasp on it, and I'm willing to go to whatever classes I need to to make sure that I'm prepared.

What I'm more worried about is the change between my wife and I. Pretty much as soon as she told me she was preggers, things started to change. I liked what was going on before, our routines, sex life, enjoying each other etc. Now, change is immediate and it wont return to normal for a long time. I worry about sharing my wife with another person. Ever since she told me I've felt stronger about her than I probably ever have, but I feel its because I know that I'm about to become 2nd fiddle to the baby for a while.

Each day that goes on it gets a little better, some days are better than others. She's been great about talking with me and making me feel better, and her first trimester hormones have been non existent. She has however felt very nauseous for the past month, so that limits what we can do/where we go.

This week will be a month since I've known (she's 9wks), and I was hoping to be calm cool and collected by now, but I'm not. I've tried to help her out in every way, anything I can do to make her life more comfortable I'll do. The only thing I know to do now is help her, cant really do anything else.

Now that my emotional stuff is out there, I'm going to have to go do something manly.

[Edited on May 18, 2015 at 11:33 AM. Reason : .]

5/18/2015 11:23:19 AM

My advice as a dad of a 4 month old...

-cherish the time you have before the baby comes. yes, the cliché is true...a baby changes things. make memories, do cool shit, travel, camp, go to the movies, do things that you obviously can't do with a baby (within reason...she's still pregnant, after all). stay awake all night and watch the sun rise (voluntarily), go out on the town, go on long road trips, rent a compact car and go crazy.
-don't freak out. just understand that you'll still be you. you'll just be you with a baby. don't change who you are, just be a better you when dat 190% baby arrives.
-despite all the bullshit people talk about how you shouldn't take babies to certain places, babies are resilient as hell. maybe it is because my baby is a fucking trooper, but in my opinion (results may vary) babies can go to all sorts of places as long as you're prepared. camping, music festivals, football games, baseball games, concerts, bars, food truck rodeos, etc. have all been fair game as long as we have had our diaper bag and kept feedings/changings/naps/bedtimes under consideration. no...we're not staying out till 10:30 like we once did, but going home and watching that baby sleep is worth calling it a night.

if she plans on breastfeeding...
-have lots and lots of sex. breastfeeding (and some sleep deprivation) will affect the motivation to have "sexy time". get it in while you can.
-cherish and play with those boobies! they will change and they will not belong to you anymore. they will leak or squirt milk at odd times, they will hurt, they will feed your baby. they will turn from sexual objects to feeding stations. enjoy them while you can.

when the baby comes...
-smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! smile!!!!!!! your baby "feeds" off of you and your energy. this is a GREAT time in your life. enjoy the infant stage as much as possible.
-cherish every cry because these are pitiful little things that rely on you to live. they don't cry to annoy you, so never take it personally. just think to yourself "aww....this little thing needs me. now I need to put on my tech support hat and figure out what the problem and solution is".
-be supportive to your baby mama. she will need you to really be supportive. blah blah blah...you know what I mean by this. if you don't know what I mean by this, you'll eventually see what I mean by this. use this time as an opportunity to step up your support game. that is all.
-learn changing, swaddling, and try to figure out your special technique on how you can make your baby fall asleep. that shit is priceless. I've always been able to put my daughter to sleep when my wife couldn't and she finds that to be baller as fuck.

overall, I love being a dad. it's cool. I have someone other than my wife to consider and protect now and I guess that means I have obtained "Purpose: +1000".

Don't be nervous Brandon1, you've probably done more difficult things in your life than this.

congrats MaximaDrvr!

[Edited on May 18, 2015 at 11:49 AM. Reason : w w w....]

5/18/2015 11:45:23 AM

^100% agree with that post.

5/18/2015 11:57:57 AM

obligatory "here's me being a dad" pic




[Edited on May 18, 2015 at 12:21 PM. Reason : ]

5/18/2015 12:19:28 PM

Great post afripino, its hearing stuff like that that keeps me in positive thoughts about this. Its not that I dont think this is a positive thing, but its hard to think that way when your mind is racing a million miles an hour.

Although the boobies going from sexual objects to feeding stations makes me (as shallow as that is). I'm not ready to give those up, in fact, maybe I'll just remind the kid that they are on lease and I want them back asap.

5/18/2015 12:49:18 PM

You people and your babies have me reconsidering the whole "I'll never have a kid." Seriously. I've been able to look after and spend time with some of my friend's children and I see the unconditional bond and excitement that comes with raising offspring. I think it helps that I can actually see myself having children with my girlfriend, perhaps one day...

Brandon1, we haven't talked in a long while, but congrats to you and your wife!

MaximaDrvr, Nat and I miss ya! Hope to see James soon.

[Edited on May 18, 2015 at 7:20 PM. Reason : .]

5/18/2015 7:19:20 PM

Well, he made it two dayse, and we are home.





35th percentile in weight, but 87th percentile in length. I have a string bean.
He is apparently near finishing up he black tar phase, which I am excited about.
Looking at the sharpened pencil makes me wince a little.

[Edited on May 18, 2015 at 8:36 PM. Reason : .]

5/18/2015 8:34:46 PM

sharpened pencil?

5/19/2015 11:14:41 AM

Circumcision

5/19/2015 11:55:48 AM

ah! I had a girl so I'm oblivious to the sharpened pencil

5/19/2015 4:08:00 PM

MaximaDrvr remember to pull the foreskin back to keep it from growing back together. The Dr. didn't initially tell us that with our first boy and at one of his visits they had to pull it apart. Wasn't terrible but could have been worse had they told us then.

Good post afripino. The wife is breast feeding this go around (Tried with first for a month but never worked out). The boobies are missed

I also have a patented sleeper hold that works pretty well. Only down side is my back kills me at times.

Oh and pics:
Here is a pic of Andrew on his first day going to day care


Jack tracing numbers



[Edited on May 20, 2015 at 4:37 PM. Reason : pics]

5/20/2015 4:21:32 PM

Maybe this will help someone out someday.

My 4 month old has really bad eczema. All over his back, legs, arms, etc. It was especially bad behind his knees since i'm sure it stays sweaty, etc.

We've tried Hydrocortizone, Eucerin, Aveeno creams...as well as a nightly Aveeno eczema bath (colloidal oatmeal). The bath seemed to help a bit after about 5 consecutive nights, but then we tried a new cream and it was MUCH MUCH better after just one application.

Triple cream - http://www.triple-cream.com/

Wow, what a difference. If you've tried the rest and arent getting any results, give Triple cream a shot.

6/15/2015 9:25:44 AM

5 months...still no hair, but a very happy baby!

6/15/2015 9:42:20 AM

We have made it 5 weeks. No one (the wife) has killed anyone (me) yet.
James does not like to be put down, and it is getting to be stressful.
Working on trying to get him to self sooth.

6/20/2015 8:27:46 PM

my neighbors' kid was like that. someone pretty much held that baby through its every waking hour for a straight year. it was pretty pathetic.

6/20/2015 8:45:16 PM

MaximaDrvr if your little one is only 5 weeks old I suggest you do some research on self soothing. Most infants aren't capable of that until between 6 to 9 months. There are lots of growth spurts around this age and all baby will want is snuggling and mama milk/formula.

I have no idea if you are using CIO to teach little one to self soothe but there have been some recent studies refuting that method. They studied babies brains while crying it out and instead of self soothing like people thought they actually were entering a kind of survival mode, saving resources because their brains have determined they have been abandoned. Which means if a baby is left to cry it out to sleep before being old enough to actually self soothe their brains are almost shutting down, inhibiting brain growth and development. Plenty of babies have survived and thrived during it but I encourage you to do some research before heading down that road. And if you have I apologize.

I will offer that babywearing is a phenomenal way to get through growth spurts, leaps, teething, and clingy phases. With the right device for you and your baby it will help tremendously. And the Wonder Weeks app/book will help identify when these leaps are coming and help you get through it. Good luck!

6/21/2015 10:12:09 AM

We only let him cry for a minute or two, unless he melts down when driving.
Just trying to work with him to know where his hand is. Once that hand hits his mouth, he is good again.

No real method yet, mostly trying to get him to sleep in a crib, bassinet, pack-n-play. He will fall sleep on us without problem. We put him in something to sleep, and 10-15 minutes later he wakes up and wants to be held a again.

6/21/2015 1:43:12 PM

We wore him a ton during those phases and splurged on a mamaroo. We would transfer him and then tuck rolled up muslin blankets on each side to make him feel secure. Swaddling helped a lot, too.

6/21/2015 7:47:02 PM

Happy Father's Day, all! My wife surprised me by entering (and winning) the News & Observer's Father's Day photo contest. So now I'm somewhat of a local celebrity for being a dad and I won tons of awesome prizes!

BEST.

FATHER'S DAY.

EVER.

6/21/2015 9:43:09 PM

Always always always enter those things! Thanks to facebook contests and online photo casting calls my son was in a photo shoot for Aden and Anais, we got 200 dollars worth of aden and anails goodies, and I've won a Summer Infant 3D stroller, buzzy 4 shots deluxe bag, wrap scrap hip pack, baby shoes, keychains, teethers, a cool giraffe toy, an EZ PZ mat and set of utensils, and a handful of other things.

Congrats! The ones where you are chosen for reasons other than random number generator are the most fulfilling.

My three playgroup mom friends started entering stuff after I won the stroller and collectively they have won a Tula ringsling, pie, nursing cover, photo mini session with a local photographer aND about half a ton of Jamberry merchendise.

[Edited on June 22, 2015 at 8:34 AM. Reason : .]

6/22/2015 8:31:17 AM

how does one get into these online photo casting calls? people keep coming up to us and taking pictures of our baby saying she's really photogenic. I know it's common because people love babies, but I think our racially ambiguous peanut has a shot.

6/22/2015 9:46:50 AM

Our baby is super white but pretty much every other baby at the shoot was mixed race and gorgeous. Both Aden and Anais and Baby Gap list them on their Facebook. You submit 3 photos and answer a few questions and wait.

[Edited on June 22, 2015 at 10:22 AM. Reason : .]

6/22/2015 10:22:15 AM

half a year already with this mixed race baby...loving every moment.


[Edited on June 30, 2015 at 11:15 AM. Reason : ]

6/30/2015 11:13:32 AM

Ha my little girl also turned 6 months (yesterday) and is also a mixed race:





[Edited on June 30, 2015 at 1:59 PM. Reason : a]

6/30/2015 1:59:15 PM

playdate? u in Raleigh?

6/30/2015 2:55:08 PM

In Morrisville. Let me talk to the wife and see if we can set something up.

7/7/2015 2:12:40 PM

cool. PM me and we can get the wives / babies together.

7/8/2015 11:04:50 AM