Self indulgent parent thread

[cliche]The Force is strong in this one.[/cliche]

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Mao, huge congrats!

Trashie, that is a simply astounding amount of cute!

I'm loving all the pics and all the cute. It's great stuff!

After teaching the boy to drive last week, I thought it was time he learned how to build a computer.

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Sheazy wrote:

I'm loving all the pics and all the cute. It's great stuff!

After teaching the boy to drive last week, I thought it was time he learned how to build a computer.

I think that was about the age my dad started teaching me to build pcs... ok maybe I was a bit older but I remember being about 3 or 4, my dad worked from home and had an office in the basement. His computer was on one side of the room and behind him he had a little desk with our C64 on it that was "my computer" where he would have me "work" while he was working... Shortly after that he taught me to build my first 286... good memories. I plan to do the same with my boy when he is a little older.

Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:

Bah, don't give in to the "must be quiet" scene... you'll only end up with years of "must be quiet" instead of only a few months of it.

...Says the guy whose son slept like a rock since he was born... (ymmv). Sometimes I would poke him, just to make sure he was still alive. He must get it from me.

Our first nanny/babysitter would try to hush me when my daughter fell asleep, and I would reply, ,"WHAT? YOU WANT MY KID TO ONLY FALL ASLEEP WHEN IT'S QUIET?". But again, both our kids started sleeping through the night at 11 weeks, and we did the "falls asleep by yourself" process a few weeks later. Man that was difficult the first time (you do bedtime ritual, put them in crib, pat them, and then leave. You come back after five to ten minutes of crying, pat them again, say goodnight again, maybe crank up lullaby toy again and leave. Three hours later they fall asleep. 2-3 days later, they figure out that you are not going to pick them up so...screw it they just go to sleep.)

When my daughter was around 4 (so like a bit over a year ago) I took her and my son to her friend's birthday party. Lots of 4 year old girls running, yelling, popping balloons. My son, age 14 months, got tired and fell asleep in his stroller. Add to this that few fathers in Greece do much...fathering or going to birthday parties. I had a room full of Greek women staring in wonder at my sleeping son, then me, then my son, then many remarks in Greek, repeat.

Admittedly, my son had it much easier. My wife and I had to take turns restraining each other from "saving" our crying daughter as she learned to fall asleep by herself. With my son, it was much more..."forget kid, we know this s*** works.". We were so much more relaxed, he learned in half the time.

Learning to listen to an infant cry and not feel offended, or guilty, or something was a huge leap. Thankfully it made the leap to listening to three year old cry to manipulate you into giving what he wants, a much shorter leap. Kids learn what is effective, and what is not really quickly. My wife not so much. She has some super strong emotional mothering connection (thank god) that makes child crying and fussing her super weakness. The boys were totally different kids the week she went to Vegas for a trade show. They just changed from what is effective with Mom, to what is effective with Dad, on the first day.

Ghostship:

Same here. My wife is amazing in so many ways, but disciplining the kids is not one of them. One "You don't love me anymore!" and she folds like wet tissue. She used to complain that the kids were totally angelic as long as I was around.

I guess the upside to a serious heart condition is that the little guy falls asleep at the drop of a hat, never really cries and has slept through from about 11pm to 5 am since day one and he's 10 weeks old tomorrow. I'm assuming that once he's had his sternum split, ribs spread and the heart tinkered with Tony Stark style all my understanding of how he works will go out the window.

Also:
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I was wondering how you guys were doing during this wait. Thanks for putting this up.

And don't worry - that happens with kids even without any of that sort of modification. Be prepared for him to change pretty much daily for no reason you can discern for most of his childhood and you'll be in better shape.

Mrs P. is taking him down to the Children's hospital on Tuesday to talk to the surgeon and set a date for the op. He's only put on about 700 grams (24-25 ounces) in the last 10 weeks.

Prozac wrote:

... a serious heart condition

Oh NO! I need to read which thread?

momgamer is spot on there. It's practically scientific probability that he will change his mood, nature, and personality over the course of his childhood. We cannot and should not prevent that. We can only design to guide him to develop in the paths that we choose.

May I suggest installing a Mass Relay in his crib?

Ghostship wrote:
Prozac wrote:

... a serious heart condition

Oh NO! I need to read which thread?

This one

Bombcast April 17
Paraphrase:
"Parenthood. Longest escort mission evar"
I lol'd. My wife asked me what I was laughing at. She's not enough of a gamer to get it. Had to come here.

Ghostship wrote:

Bombcast April 17
Paraphrase:
"Parenthood. Longest escort mission evar"
I lol'd. My wife asked me what I was laughing at. She's not enough of a gamer to get it. Had to come here.

Damn and here I was thinking it was a hardcore free for all

BTW my People's Liberation Army is starting the Post Natal Cutie Corps, and I can see that this thread will easily be the best place to start recruiting. Keep those pictures coming!

You know I still can't quite wrap my head around the enormity of this whole "I have a son" thing. It's like trying to comprehend the scale of the universe: it just makes me go very quiet, neep a bit, and crave snacks.

Enjoy. You'll know you're there when the bathroom is your favourite place because it's quiet, you can be alone, and nobody is hitting you in the junk.

Wait, you don't get bothered in the bathroom?? How did you manage that?

mudbunny wrote:

Wait, you don't get bothered in the bathroom?? How did you manage that?

Maybe his kids can't walk yet? Mine manage it and they don't even live here anymore.

momgamer wrote:
mudbunny wrote:

Wait, you don't get bothered in the bathroom?? How did you manage that?

Maybe his kids can't walk yet? Mine manage it and they don't even live here anymore. ;)

I tried locking the door once. That was a colossal mistake, and simply resulted in the door being rattled loudly and a screaming child.

Now, the only way to get privacy is for me to say "Stay out, it is going to stink in here." Of course, that gets me physical privacy. It still leaves my daughters outside the bathroom, noses to the floor, sniffing like dogs to see if it smells bad.

As I said to my wife, "You know you've got kids when you think of a trip to the grocery store as some quiet alone time."

I once wrote a long, heartfelt blog post about the glories of school nights.

mudbunny wrote:
momgamer wrote:
mudbunny wrote:

Wait, you don't get bothered in the bathroom?? How did you manage that?

Maybe his kids can't walk yet? Mine manage it and they don't even live here anymore. ;)

I tried locking the door once. That was a colossal mistake, and simply resulted in the door being rattled loudly and a screaming child.

Now, the only way to get privacy is for me to say "Stay out, it is going to stink in here." Of course, that gets me physical privacy. It still leaves my daughters outside the bathroom, noses to the floor, sniffing like dogs to see if it smells bad.

That's just absolutely hilarious. And oh-so human, the way we are deep down.

Yes! I needed that laugh. Thank You all.

A typical exchange with my 4 year old daughter when I try to go to the bathroom:

"Daddy! What are you doing?"
"I'm on the toilet".
"Daddy, is it a wee or a poo?"
"Both".
Pause.
"Daddy, is it a smelly one?"
(Scrabbling sound. My 1 year old son's fingers appear beneath the door)
"Daddy, are coming out yet? Daddy!" This is repeated until I emerge.
When I open the door, two little faces beam at me, and my daughter goes to investigate whether it was, in fact, a smelly one. I am berated accordingly.

One early morning after the baby had woken up, my four year-old daughter followed me as I stumbled, eyes a-squint into the bathroom for my morning pee. She stood beside me as I leaned forward and put my hand on the windowsill behind the toilet and let loose into the bowl.

After I finished my business and tugged up my underwear my daughter said to me, "Daddy. Your penis is awesome!"

lostlobster wrote:

Your penis is awesome!"

Thats what every man wants to hear...just not that in that context!

I'd go out of my way to explain that penis' are not awesome and in fact are extremely dangerous for girls under 18. Avoid them at all costs!

We have teeth!

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I love this place. One moment of existential bliss and I'm bought violently back to earth with "You'll never sh*t in peace again" =)

In other news, Stellan is back from the hospital after getting a follow up scan to check his UTI wasn't symptomatic of a larger problem. He's got the all-clear and has celebrated by fulfilling his civic duty:

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Maq wrote:

I love this place. One moment of existential bliss and I'm bought violently back to earth with "You'll never sh*t in peace again" =)

Oh, no-one said that. Between 10 and 13, you should get some peace.