Starting early

Thank goodness there’s a limit to what L can understand these days (though we still think she’s pretty darn smart). Otherwise, she might have laughed in my face during our pre-holiday trip to Target this morning.
We were in what I like to call the goody aisle; the aisle with all of the cakes, cookies and [...]

Those damn fish

It was with great joy that Powergirl and I welcomed Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain Goldfish into L’s diet this weekend.
Then we remembered why we banned fish from this house long ago: the things are addicting.
I can’t actually estimate how many of them I’ve eaten since we introduced them with L’s lunch on Saturday. Suffice it [...]

Go away, warty girl

At the ripe old age of 34, I’m starting to feel like a curmudgeon.
Today’s target: Another one of those parents who are such wild sloths that they simply can’t be bothered reining in their kids when the kids are invading others’ space.
Case in point: The scene this morning at our favorite local greasy spoon.
L and [...]

The holy sippy cup

There’s a great scene in Sam Apple’s “American Parent” where the author has his wife wrap him in a swaddling blanket so he can experience what it’s really like to be swaddled like his baby.
This weekend, during a 40th birthday celebration for my sister-in-law, I did something similar.
My stunt didn’t involve a swaddle; considering I [...]

F you, Gisele

Sure, Gisele Bundchen might be hot, but she has proven this week that she is, in fact, as dumb as the footballs that her husband throws for the Patriots.
In a nutshell, new-mom Bundchen sounded off with her opinions on breastfeeding, stating something stupid about an international law requiring all moms to breastfeed their newborns for [...]

The good girl

Today is Independence Day, which made it a fitting occasion for L to spend breakfast flexing her rapidly developing free will.
First, she demanded to share my bran muffin (the muffin, this nugget of goodness from our local bakery technically is dubbed “Berry Beneficial,” and has blueberries and blackberries inside). Then, after I complimented her for [...]

Little Dracula

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know I’m a huge (like, a maniacal) fan of CW’s teenybopper hit, “The Vampire Diaries.” Tonight, I learned that Powergirl and I have a little vampire of our own: Our fang-toothed daughter.
Sure, she’s given me hickeys before. But tonight—probably because she’s teething something fierce—she bit down on [...]

The best laid plans…

As my daughter’s personal chef, I privately vowed around her six-month birthday to feed her only organic foods until she was old enough to drink whole milk (in other words, her first birthday).
Apparently, she had other plans.
She made her intentions clear last weekend. We were out and about with some of my friends, lunching and [...]

Eureka!

I spent Thursday with L a good friend from Los Angeles cruising around the Sonoma Valley.
While we grownups downed wine at a variety of spots (if you’re visiting the area, the new cave at Deerfield Ranch is amazing), the baby imbibed what has become her favorite elixir: the 2009 vintage of Enfamil PREMIUM Lipil (for [...]

An open letter re: teething biscuits

Dear baby experts:
Thank you for all of the great suggestions you have given my wife and me in the ten months since our daughter was born. We loved your idea of changing her while she’s standing in her crib. The whole dissolve-in-their-mouths cereal thing? Genius! And, though I vowed to hate it, I admit that [...]