Ken Bruce
You Do What??
Funny how many men react to me when I tell them I stay at home with Emma….. The older men are especially puzzled. I guess I would have felt the same way some years ago. It seems like the old way of thinking, that the man was the provider and the woman reared the children, is alive and well today. Over the last couple of years, when I have been introduced to someone new I have been greeted with mixed reactions. It seems that virtually every woman who I have met that was told that I stay at home with my daughter has reacted overwhelmingly in a positive manner. They all say that it is a great …Read more […..]
Health Club, Comments on Kids’ Amazement
I have always worked out and exercised but the last couple years have brought a change to my workouts. Instead of lifting weights and playing basketball I find myself walking a lot, riding my bike with Emma on board, and generally chasing her around, etc…. I recently brought her to the health club and had her stay in the child care area. The first time I stayed with her for a while then snuck out for 20 minutes as she played with all the new toys. The second time I brought her I left her while I worked out. I made the mistake of trying to peek in on her before taking a shower to make sure …Read more […..]
“I’m Happy†“I’m Talking to You†“I Love Youâ€
So, Emma’s vocabulary is exploding now. She is forming sentences and has her own favorite phrases that are just cracking us up! She tells us her feelings now and even tells us our own….. When she is happy she says, “I’m happy.” When she is mad she says,”I’m mad.” She tells us that we are happy and mad too! “Momma’s happy” and “Dada’s happy” are commonly heard around here. One of her favorite phrases to say to me is, “I’m talking to you.” She knows it gets a laugh from me and says it quite often, especially when I am not really paying attention to her! I respond by saying, …Read more […..]
Birthday Party, Lion Returns, Thoughts on Sitters & Lack Thereof
Yesterday we went to Taylor’s birthday party. It was great because Emma got to not only see her cousin but was able to touch and attempt to hold some bunnies(bundies). I’ve added several pics of her feeding the bunnies hay. She has always loved bunnies, especially the Easter Bunny who she gets to see in person every year! The last week has been a definite challenge for me as I have felt antsy and anxious. I call it the lion in a cage feeling. I am not sure that anyone can relate to this but I have a feeling that Dads that stay at home definitely could. I believe that men are not naturally …Read more […..]
Late Night Dancing Queen! PooPeeDoo!! Party, Party!
Last night we were at a wedding reception and Emma was a dancing machine! She was with all the familiar relatives and was passed around among all the women and girls…. She also picked out some women that she never met to dance with her. She sat with Italian women that spoke very little English and saw her favorite, Jella. We didn’t leave until 12. Since she didn’t eat much–she never eats much at parties– she requested chicken while we were driving. Since McD’s was closed we went to BK and they have chicken fries, Emma’s favorite! She ate on the way home and didn’t get to sleep until 1am. …Read more […..]
Just another 1/2 hour, To nap or not to nap?
Sleep…. Essential for us all. There are many guidelines and recommendations for the amount of sleep that we need. Everybody is different so variations are subjective. This applies to children also. I have read many articles on this issue and we have talked to many people regarding how much sleep our 2 year old should get and whether she should still take naps. Just like the current political landscape, everyone has their opinion. Just like today, I often find myself thinking that I hope she sleeps another 1/2 hour so I can finish what I am doing. Although this sometimes makes me feel guilty …Read more […..]
She Did It! Weeeee!
For the last month or so Emma has not been able to climb up the car slides at the mall play area. She always wanted my help and would say, “I can’t do it” when I would encourage her to try. I have told her that she needed to crawl up, etc but she just got ad and frustrated after giving a half-hearted try. Today, however, was a different story. While I was not paying attention, ahem, she proceeded to start crawling up the purple car slide. I watched out of the corner of my eye and when she got 2/3 up I praised her and said, “See you did it, I told you you could do it!” She got to the top and …Read more […..]
Play with Kids! Drive the Orange Car!
Emma has started to really like to play with the kids at the mall. She loves running laps for awhile before crawling through the tunnel, standing on the butterfly, and going in the red boat. Her favorite thing to do is to sit in the yellow car. She likes to steer the wheel and bounce(Bunce) on the seat. She gets along with the kids very well and “Plays nice.”
Lala, Hook, No Water!, New Phrases
The cutie pie has started to like the riding cars at the mall. She has graduated from the merry go round to the big kid toys. Emma’s cousin Lauren (Lala) is here from Florida and has been staying with us for a week. Emma has gotten used to waking Lala up in the morning and now requests to do so. When Lala goes home it will be a change for Emma. We went to Navy Pier and Emma enjoyed people watching and the water. She liked looking at the buildings, boats, and was especially interested in the pirate statues. There is a pirate in the movie Shrek that Emma is interested in. The pirate at …Read more […..]