Sick Daughter

You would think that four weeks is enough for a little girl to be sick...well, think again. After four weeks of breathing problems, and medicine after medicine, my little one will be home for yet another week. She just can't catch a break. If there is a good thing about it, I am able to spend more time with her since she can't go to school:-) That is a good thing! I love when I get to spend extra time with her. The nights where she asks daddy to climb into bed with her because she is coughing so bad...those are the nights I will never forget. Or when I should be at work, but she has talked me into watching Sleeping Beauty on the couch with her head on my chest, yeah, I won't forget that. I just wish it would not be at the expense of her health.

I had another employee fired last week, which puts me VERY short staffed again. The kids are acting out because we are so short, and I can't wait for Tuesday night to be done, because I need the long weekend. I need to find a better way to balance my job, and still spend the extra time with the little one. Someday it WILL happen!!!

Until next time...

Football or Scooby Doo????

What a choice for a guy to make on a Sunday...Well, actually, it is not hard at all when you have a three year old who offers to cuddle with you on the couch! That's right. All it took was my daughter looking at me telling me she would cuddle with me if I put Scooby Doo on. Truth be told, I would have put Scooby on anyway, but who can say no to cuddling with a little princess???
Until next time...

October 31st

Working in a public school, the "H word" has been banned, so we have to refer to it as October 31st. To be honest, that sucks!!! My three year old loves Halloween, yes I said it!! I am going to her school party tomorrow, and she is going to be a wicked witch. Does anyone want to guess what I am going to be???? Come on, give it a shot...Well since you are not going to guess, I will tell you. I am going to be a daddy wicked witch. Yes, you read right. I AM going to let my daughter paint my face green and I will wear a witch hat. You know what the sad part is? As I leave her school to go to work, I am going to have to wipe the paint off my face. I can't enjoy this one day where it should be alright to pretend. I have to follow the rules. I don't want my daughter to ever think it is not okay to express herself or to pretend. Kids grow up SOOOOO fast, why not let them be kids for a while? Why can't a first grade student think he is Spider-man or she is Hannah Montana for a day? What is the harm in that? As a counselor, I will answer that question...Nothing!!! That is why as long as my daughter wants to paint my toe nails or face, it is okay with me. As long as she wants to sing Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus with me in the car, why not!!! Let kids be kids. They have to grow up too fast.

Until next time Bloggerville!

Comeback Take 2

I have still not caught on to the whole "blogging phenom," but it still interests me how much time my wife spends blogging and talking to her bloggy friends. I really would like to give this one more try and tell about the joys of being a 'Daddy!!!" The past month, I have been working crazy hours, and have not spent the amount of time I would like with my little one. The good news is the time that we have had together has been awesome. Tonight, my wife had to work, and I let the little one stay up a half an hour past her bedtime to watch Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin Patch. She was curled up on the couch and snuggled up on me. She actually got mad at the television because there were so many commercials. She kept saying to put Charlie Brown back on. How cute was that. After her bath, i read her Bambi...then she read me Bambi. It is amazing how good a three year old's memory is. She looks at the picture, and knows exactly what they are saying.
I determined that I need to take a couple of days off. Things at work have been so bad, that they are affecting home, and I do not like that. Maybe next week, I can get some vacation time in.
Until next time...

Father's Day

Father's Day...Oh, what a day. My wife and daughter took me to a minor league baseball game where my daughter ran the bases against the mascot!!! What a Father's Day gift. And on top of that. Wally Backman Jr., son of former major leaguer, Wally Backman, even walked to my daughter and gave her a baseball!!! I don't know if I could have scripted it any better. Not only do I have a great daughter, but I have a great wife as well.

Let's try again

So the first comeback post lasted, well, a day:-( It is time to make sure that I am better able to write about the joys of fatherhood. It needs to be out there that being a DADDY is the BEST job in the world. My two-year-old is now three and it seems like she is growing up WAY too fast. She is so independent, and loves to read. I NEVER liked to read as a child or an adult, but for some reason, I love it now. Reading to my little princess is better than going to the College Wold Series. I never thought that I would say that. We went to our second ever Milwaukee Brewers game a couple months ago, and it was there that I realized she is so much like me. It is amazing to look at this little child, and see yourself in her, good and bad, including the nail-biting and wiping wet hands on your t-shirt. She truly is perfect.

Comeback

This is my comeback post. I have spent the last month working way too hard, and not spending enough time with my daughter. After having to call the police the past two days for work because of students behaviors (I run an after-school program for ED/BD kids) I have decided that enough is enough. It is time for me to put my foot down, and stop working so many extra hours without getting paid for it. My old job was crazy and I left because I was expected to do more and more while other people literally sat around and talked all day. I am not going to get myself into another situation like that. My daughter is way too important for that to happen. I need to take that next step to make sure that I do not fall into that trap again. It is one of the down falls to being a hard worker, people tend to take advantage of it.

On a positive note...our little one is finally potty trained. She has gone three weeks without an accident, except for an occasional bed-time dampness, and is so proud of herself. Okay, I am even prouder of her:-) She has not had a #1 accident in months, but she did NOT want to go #2 on the potty. One night, she decided it was time. I love her sooooooooooooo much!!!

Hannah Montana

What a subject to blog about. Hannah Montana! Who would have thought that The Daddy Diary would ever blog about Hannah Montana? Well, here it goes. My daughter absolutely LOVES Hannah Montana. She sings "The Best of Both Worlds" everyday in the car on the way to school. We watch Hannah Montana EVERY Saturday morning. I think Miley Cyrus has even replaced such legonds as Arthur, Dora and yes, even the Wiggles!!! Since we are crazy in Illinois, and my school has Lincoln's Birthday off, I was going to take her to see the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus movie today, however, six inches(and counting) of snow has postponed that. I think Saturday would be a good day for this Daddy to make his little girls day and take her to see the movie. I don't believe that I just admitted to the world that I am going to see the Hannah Montana movie!?!? Please DON'T tell your friends:-)

Bad Driver

On Friday, we had so much snow that my agency sent out pages to everyone that all of our offices and schools would be closed for the day due to weather. ROCK ON!!!! After I finished snowblowing the 12 inches of snow and spending some quality family time, I decided to brave the roads and go to one of my favorite stores, T.J. MAXX. I asked my daughter if she wanted to come with me, but she informed me that she was going to stay home with mommy:-( I love taking her shopping with me because she is GOOD at spending my money. I was about 5 minutes away from home when my cell phone rang. My wife informed me that our daughter has been crying hysterically since I left because she decided she wanted to go with me. Being the nice wife that she is, she told me to keep going and not worry about it. Being the daddy that I am, of course I turned the car right around. When I got back home, my daughter was so excited to see me. She was all ready to go. I came into the house when my daughter asked my wife if she wanted to go. After thinking about it for a while, my wife said sure. The topper to this story was that I had taken my wife's VUE instead of my car. When we were getting ready to walk out the door, my wife asked me if I wanted her to drive? Being the guy, of course i said "No, I'm okay." When without ever thinking, my daughter pipes up with, " Noooooooo daddy, you don't drive. Mommy drives mommys car. Mommy is a better driver!?!" Are you kidding? How do you not laugh when a two year old tells you that!!

Home Again:-(

Just when we thought she was better, it got worse today. Could it have been that the wind chill was -20? No matter what it was, I have had a great day with the little princess. The morning was rough, but we have had a great afternoon!!!! Anyhow, how do say no to a two year old who looks you in the eye and says, "I stay home with Daddy today, please." Yeah, I'm behind at work. Yeah, she has been home for most of the past two weeks. That doesn't matter. The work will still be thee when I get back. Anyway, how often does a dad get to see his little girls face when she goes poop on the potty for the first time? What a great day!!! My wife and I promised to by he the Little People Zoo when she finally did it, so being the sucker that I am, I bundled her up (really tight) and took her to two different stores to find it. As I am sure any parent as already guessed, she has been playing it non-stop. Word of advice, if you want your child to take a nap, DON'T buy a brand new toy before nap. Wait until AFTER!!!

The things we learn as our kids grow up:-)

Sick daughter:-(

What a week it has been. Our daughter was diagnosed with RSV shortly after birth and has had trouble with her breathing ever since. Thank God, it has gotten better in the last two years, however, that does not take away the pain from seeing a two year old girl gasp for air.
I think being a parent has made me realize how much people in the world take for granted. The air we breath, the food we eat and the water we drink do not come so easily for some people. You might think I am crazy because before my daughter was born I would have never thought that you could take the air for granted. I, nor anyone in my family growing up ever had asthma, and my wife's asthma is a lot better now than when she was a child, so you just don't think that some people actually struggle to get air in their lungs. It becomes even worse when they are little lungs that are struggling to get the air. And yes, still even worse when they are "daddy's little girl's" lungs that are not getting enough air.
I am very thankful that my little girl is such a fighter. She is improving a little bit every day, and that is amazing.
On the positive note, I have been able to spend the two best days home with her this week. My wife and I have alternated days, and I can't put into words what it feels like to have this sweet little angel laying her head on my chest just to catch a couple minute nap. I really don't think life gets any better than that.

Just in case in ten years my daughter ever reads my blog and checks out some old posts, I wanted to leave her a special message, "Pumpkin, you have been such a fighter this past two and a half years, you have given me strength that I did not know that I had. Always remember to Fight the Good Fight, and Daddy will ALWAYS be in your corner. I love you."

Any Given Sunday

What a way to spend a Sunday afternoon. My wife had to prepare her lessons for the two classes that she is teaching at the local University, and every time I would leave the room to do anything, the little one would try and get mommy's attention and she could not finish. I decided to be a good husband, and even a better dad. I asked my daughter if she would like to spend some quiet time with daddy? After she realized that this did not mean going to take a nap, or going to bed, she said sure. I thought what a better way to wrap up a busy weekend than to lay in bed with your daughter in your arm and watch football. Before you think I am one of those dad's who just sit around and watch football all day, let me explain. My daughter and I watch every University of Michigan football game that we can see together. After that, it might be on in the background, but we never take the time to sit down and watch for an extended period. I could not believe how much she loved being in my arms and watching the game. I really don't think that life gets any better than a two year old grabbing your face and giving you a kiss. What a way to end a weekend.

I love you, too!!!

You never really listen to the words until they come from the mouth of a two year old. I was putting my daughter to bed a couple of nights ago, and after telling her, "I love you," I turned to walk out of the room when this little voice said, "I love you, too." Yes, it has been said to me before, but has it ever been with that much meaning? It is amazing to listen to the words and soak the in. When a spouse says it, you take it for granted, but when a two year old says it, it has a whole new meaning. More later.

Nighttime Scare

Talk about a nighttime scare...my daughter was sound asleep a few nights ago when all of a sudden she started screaming for me. I told my wife to stay in bed and I would go and look at what was going on. When I got there, she grabbed on to me tighter than she ever has before. She just kept crying and telling me that it was going to get her. After about an hour of comforting and rocking, I was finally able to realize that it was a lion that she said was going to get her. Try explaining to a two year old that there really is not a lion in her room when she had a nightmare about it. Needless to say, it was a sleepless night for me. She would wake up every time she started to fall asleep. Anytime I would try to move from her bed, she would wake up screaming and grab on to me tightly.
As much as I felt bad for her having the bad dreams, it was nice to know how safe she felt wrapped up in my arms. The joys of fatherhood!!!