We came home from our trip to Las Vegas to find a baby who only slightly resembled the one we left.
First and foremost, this new baby—still named L, of course—has ditched the cold (and congestion) that was bugging her before we took off, and is now talking and cooing and yapping like always. She’s also [...]

Why do manufacturers put so much effort into designing baby toys? I wonder this every time little L plops down (in her Bumbo or on the floor) to play, since the only parts of her squishy blocks and caterpillars and whale puppets and other stuffed items she cares about are the tags.
Yes, the tags—those little [...]

One of the benefits of L’s new schedule is that she’s sleeping more each night—usually anywhere between 8 to 12 consecutive hours.
One of the drawbacks: she is taking fewer naps.
Today, for instance, the kid woke up at 9 a.m. and went to bed around 9 p.m. She took one 45-minute nap—that’s it. Yesterday, after sleeping [...]

Move over, Luke Wilson; AT&T has a prime candidate for a new spokesperson, and she just happens to be my 8-month-old daughter.
Over the past week or so, L has become obsessed with the telephone. Whenever she sees it, she starts yipping and laughing and smiling profusely. When she catches Powergirl or I are talking on [...]

Every baby has a personal lullaby—that one song that, no matter what the circumstance, seems to soothe them when they’re having issues (or “tame the wild beast,” whatever your perspective might be).
For L, that song is “Happy Talk,” from the 1949 Broadway musical, “South Pacific.”
It’s all her mother’s fault, really. My wife is a not-so-closeted [...]

My favorite part of every day comes around 8:30 p.m., when it’s time to put L to bed for the night. The process of shushing her and rocking her until she passes out is—and always has been—my job.
It is, quite frankly, the only aspect of fatherhood with which I’ve never needed practice.
I’m not sure why [...]

I’ve read the literature on co-sleeping. I know the Consumer Product Safety Commission warns parents not to place their infants in grown-up beds. I’ve heard the American Academy of Pediatrics agrees, warning parents about rolling over on their babies in their sleep.
That said, I admit it: both Powergirl and I spend a few hours alone [...]

News flash: though yours truly has been known to throw tantrums at inanimate objects, fatherhood is making me a calmer, gentler guy.
Evidence of this transformation occurred tonight before dinner. I was preparing part of our meal, sautéing some spinach with bacon and a bunch of other goodness, when I grabbed the handle of the pan [...]

If you see me this weekend and catch a glimpse of my black eye, don’t think of me as a pugilist; I got this shiner from my infant with the flailing hands.
Yes, now that L has discovered grabbing stuff, she flings her arms about whenever possible. Most of the time, Powergirl and I can steer [...]

It’s fascinating to me how quickly the “routine” of our (now) four-month-old changes.
For the better part of the last month, L was waking up every morning around 6:30 a.m., at which point I’d take over for Powergirl, play with her in her room and then bring her into town for a trip to the coffee [...]