Daddy Dan

It's All About The Babito

Archive for category The Babito

Three

Aug 31

Posted by Daddy Dan in Parenting, The Babito | Comments off

Babito,

It finally hit me at your birthday party’s after-party that you had become a little boy. After your party at My Gym, some family and friends came back to the house to watch you open your presents.

When you were done, and everyone left your playroom to go into the den, you stayed behind to play with some of your new toys. Ten minutes later you came walking into the den carrying someone’s large purse. You said “Someone’s phone is ringing!” And you were right.

That thinking about others has been something you’ve had deep inside you since you were very young. You love to ask people (especially your Mommy and Daddy), “Are you happy?” whenever they look a little down. By the way, you also like asking your Mommy and Daddy if they’re mad when you know you’ve done something wrong.

I think both of these questions are wonderful. It shows that you care about others, and that’s a great trait to have.

I was also very proud of the way you handled your birthday party. You were running around, having fun with all your guests, and not worrying so much where Mommy and Daddy were. You’re starting to show some independence. You also stuck up for yourself with other kids, once when they were teasing you asking who’s birthday it was and another time when your friend Mason tried to blow out your candles. Keep it up. Remember to always stick up for yourself, because someone else (Daddy) won’t always be with you to stick up for you.

Although you’re getting more independent, I’m glad you still love to hang out with your Daddy. I still can’t leave the house to run an errand
without you asking to go with me. On the weekends you go everywhere with me, no matter how boring the errand. I know this won’t last forever, so I’m enjoying every minute of it.

You’re a very quick learner. You got the potty-training thing down in one day. Mommy and Daddy dreaded the coming experience for nothing. We should have known you’d pick it up quickly. You’re also very good at remembering the lyrics to songs. I can’t even count the number of songs you know the words to. You are definitely a music lover.

The last thing I’m very proud of is how polite you are. You’re always saying thank you and you’re welcome to everyone, even without Mommy and Daddy reminding you to say it.

Happy Birthday, Babito! Your Mommy and Daddy love you so very much, and are so grateful that God decided to bless us with such a wonderful, loving little boy.

Babito’s Birthday Presents

Aug 19

Posted by Daddy Dan in Daily Life, The Babito | 6 Comments

So, I bet you’re all wondering what we’re getting The Babito for his birthday this year.  I’m glad you asked, but first you have to promise not to tell him.

Agreed? Ok, I’ll tell you.


His big gift this year is a Schwinn Roadster Tricycle. He’s just now learning how to pedal his current tricycle, which is an old hand-me-down model that’s past its prime. This shiny new model will be quite the nice replacement. He’ll be riding in style now. The new trike features a low center of gravity, air-filled rubber tires, a real wooden deck on back with the burned-in Schwinn logo, and a bell and tassels on the handlebars. He’s going to LOVE IT!

tricycle

We also got him a Fisher-Price Pirate Ship. He’s fascinated by pirates (he was a pirate last year for Christmas and he loves riding Pirates at Disneyland). He’ll love playing with this ship, and he’ll have plenty to do. He can lower the ship’s sails, drop the anchor, and fire the three cannons. It even features a plank that he can make the pirates walk. Another cool thing about ordering this ship from Amazon is that it comes in “Frustration-Free Packaging,” which means no plastic bindings or wire ties. According to Amazon, this packaging eliminates 36 inches of plastic coated wire ties, 1,576.5 square inches of printed corrugated package inserts, and 36.1 square inches of printed folding carton materials.

pirate ship

His last gift is the Melissa and Doug Ice Cream Parlor Set.  The Babito loves playing in his little kitchen, and he already has a few of the other Melissa and Doug wooden food sets, including the birthday cake set and the sandwich set.  He’ll have a lot of fun serving us wooden ice cream, and it’ll give him lots of practice for when he gets older and we ask him to serve us real ice cream.

ice cream

Now don’t go telling him what we got him, ok?


Death in the Family

Aug 18

Posted by Daddy Dan in Daily Life, The Babito | 3 Comments

I didn’t mention it here, but Bubba, one of the two new goldfish we bought the Babito passed away less than a week after we brought him home. Clearly I made the right choice in not becoming a marine biologist. He died the night before my parents were babysitting the Babito for the day.

I discovered him floating on his back and quickly removed him and gave him a proper funeral in the bathroom.

The next morning, Babito noticed that Bubba was missing. He asked my Mom about him and she told him that he’s probably sleeping under the pirate skull. Thanks Mom!

He never brought Bubba up again.

A few days ago, Nemo joined Bubba in the great fish bowl in the sky. It was late at night when I discovered him. He too got to take the glorious ride through our sewer system to the ocean.

The next day, I emptied and cleaned out the fish tank and put it out in the garage, where it will most likely stay until some lucky person buys it at a garage sale five years from now.

My wife and i decided that we should tell the Babito that Bubba and Nemo were gone. I started thinking of all the questions he might ask me about it, just to prepare myself.

I decided that I was going to tell him that Bubba and Nemo went up to live with Jesus, and that they were so happy to be up there living in a giant fish tank with all their friends and family.

Last night, I started off by saying “Babito, Bubba and Nemo went bye-bye.”

Babito said “Oh, they went bye-bye?”. He looked over briefly at where the fish tank had been, and said to Mommy “Bubba and Nemo went bye-bye, Mommy”

That was it, no questions at all. He went right back to playing.

I thought about going through my whole speech about Jesus and the fish and the giant fish tank in the sky, but why complicate things, right?

Tags: , , ,

He’s Just Tired

Aug 13

Posted by Daddy Dan in Parenting, The Babito | 2 Comments

For the thirty-six childless years of my life I’d heard the following phrase whenever a small child was being a brat:

“He’s/She’s just tired.”

And for thirty-six years I would think to myself “Yeah right! What a lame excuse! Your kid is just a spoiled brat and you just haven’t done a very good job in raising the little snot.”

I want to offer all of those parents a sincere and public apology. The so-called lame excuse is a fact. Even the best of kids turn into raging, whiny, bratty demons when they’re beyond the need for sleep.

Babito is a prime example. He’s a compassionate, sensitive, loving toddler when he’s well rested, but miss his nap or bed time and he becomes a very young juvenile deliquent. He does exactly the opposite of what you tell him to do and the smallest incident can lead to a big tantrum.

Scary thought: I’ve heard many parents farther along the parenting road than us warn me that the terrible twos are not the worst year, that the threes are much worse.

I’m hoping that Babito is just advanced for his age.

Tiredness leads to constant testing by the Babito. When he’s tired he loves to see what he can get away with and how we will react. And what’s worse about this time is that it’s usually when we’re tired too after a long day of work.

We try to remain consistent and calm with our discipline, and for the most part I think we’ve done a pretty good job of it, but i can’t deny that it can get exasperating at times.

So all of you out there without kids, please take it from me: “He’s just tired” is a very accurate and honest statement. I don’t have to tell you parents – you already know. And once again, I offer my apologies.

Tags: , ,