This Dad's Perspective

Two for the price of one

2009-03-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

Last night, as we do every night, Taylor accompanied me for a walk to let the dog do her business. Lately he's been even more excited about the whole process...

"Maddie gonna pee? Maddie gonna poop? Come get your leash on, Maddie!"

So we're out walking around and Maddie comes in for her final approach in the pooping grounds, when Tay comes up and attacks my leg. I wouldn't think this to be out of the ordinary, except he, too, is bearing down.

"My tummy kinda hurts, Daddy."

"Hold on just a sec, we'll go home right now."

"No way, Daddy."

So there I am, caught in the middle of a poop storm.

Strange Phenomenon

2008-12-14T07:25:00.000-08:00

Hi All...hope you're doing well. I'm awake, waiting for it to snow. It's been this way now since I was about 6, but I'm not about to change my ways.

Anyhow, let's get right to the point here. So Tay is absolutely obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine and his high-fallutin' English chums. We have a few DVDs that he wants to watch 24/7, but let's face it...one can only handle so many train sing-alongs in one day. But don't underestimate his persistence. Thus, a solution has been created: Mommy and Daddy get to enjoy a bit of time watching something other than trains, but Tay can watch 'Tommy' on YouTube.

Now we're getting to the awesome part. Evidently, Tay isn't the only super-fan of Tommy. The re-makes using Tommy feature are unbelievable, and here's a few collections from the library:

Personal Favorite: Thriller

Separated at Birth: Tommy and Fitty Cent

Off the Hizzle: Snoop D-oh-Double-G

So it's up to you now to let me know where else I can find such great mash-ups.

Happy Hunting.

Quite the party!

2008-12-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

So I suck and I'm a horrible slacker, but does it help if I say I'm not blogging because I'm spending time with the family? I'm sure winn winn says no, but to that, I say pfffftttt.

Anyhow, just wanted to give a quick re-cap of my company party this last weekend. In short, I came home with a new kickin' xbox, e. coli and scabies. Oh, you want to hear more, eh? Well, an intern found these awesome stuffed animals of germ organisms, etc. and Tay LOVES them.

Tay especially loves this lovely lil' bearded e. coli dude. How can you not think that is awesome??

Anyhow, we're ahead of the game this year and all of our holiday shopping is done (99.6% handmade), the cards have been sent, and the nog has definitely been drank. drunk? drinked? Sometimes I wish I spoke a different language, say Latvian, that I might understand a bit better.

Anyhoo, that's it for now. What are all y'all doing for the holidays?

Home Alone: Day I

2008-11-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

So it's now been a little over 12 hours since Shauna headed out for a much deserved girls weekend at the coast, and I'm happy to report that all digits are accounted for on Taylor, the dog, and me. I'm also happy to report that the Chips Ahoy we bought shortly after Shauna's departure are, well, gone.

There *may* be a few dishes to be done, but all in all, the place is in good shape. Now don't get all lippy on me. You know it's totally Taylor's fault. He's like a little pig in slop. And who am I to take him out of his element?!
So the agenda for the rest of the day:

Elmo
Tee-ball (Tay got his first tee stand today!)
Naps
Blazers game tonight

Wish us luck. Somehow I think we less apt to run into trouble than Shauna is...she seems to draw a somewhat questionable crowd.

Until next time.

Trip Report - Beautiful, Sunny, Creepy SLC

2008-10-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

So I'm in the hotel room after a successful trip to SLC to meet with a client. By far, the highlight of the trip was tonight's excursion to a bar called the Tavernacle (get it? get it? funny!), which is a dueling piano bar. And yes, my client did get one of the dudes to play "Hit me baby one more time" by Ms. Spears...classic. Before that, she wanted to take us to the beautiful town of Park City, which was deserted. So we hit up a dive bar, and the most terrifying woman I've ever laid eyes on (mainly because of her purple lips and black teeth) started off hitting on me, then moved on to my co-worker, then inferred that my client and I were married, and the grand finale was when she wanted to, er, get to know my client a bit better. Oy.

So I'm missing the fam like crazy, but luckily we were with another agency and a few of them have kids, so we got to trade stories, but it's still not much of a consolation. Luckily in 12 hours I'll be in PDX.

More later...peace out.

Keeping my word

2008-10-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

**NOTE** This was a post that I started on Saturday, so effectively this counts as the second of my two post quota.

Yo. How's everyone doing? This has been a good day. Shauna's been working her nimble little fingers to the bone most of the day on all things lemon drop, but we did manage to get out of the house for a bit to take Tay to Spooktacular. He was a U of O football player, and by gosh he looked pretty stinkin' tough.

I think we're going to carve the heck out of a pumpkin tonight or tomorrow...ya know, maximize the family time before I head out for SLC next week.

Go Ducks!

Shaking with Anticipation

2008-10-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

Like omigosh. I bet you all thought there'd been a tragic accident. 'What would possibly keep Trask from working on this awesome blog?' Well it is kind of tragic, I suppose. Yes, the 'e' word got to me...employment. I know, I know. Kinda rough.

Well, here's my oath to the 3 of you out there reading this: I'll commit to at least 2 posts a week moving forward (maybe more if I'm feeling especially generous). Deal?

Alright, so to fill you in on what I've been doing the last 8 months...I got a job as an Account Manager at a cool little marketing agency. I get to help companies with fancy products that cost lots of money sell to all sorts of important people.

But here's the funny part: parenting and business-to-business (call it B2B...it just sounds so rad) marketing are nearly friggin' identical. For example, most of the campaigns we create have two very important things: something to catch someone's attention (via flash, dazzle and pizazz) who really doesn't want to pay attention to you, and some sort of sweet offer to get them to give you what you're after. Hey parents, sound familiar? Not to say that CIOs and Directors of IT are babies, but...

So, I'm liking it a lot. Learning more everyday. Getting to do a bit of traveling (to Shauna's dismay (don't worry honey, I'll bring you a treat)) and meet some creative, intelligent people. Plus, I work in downtown Portland...and the blocks around the office have some really amazing hobo-watching.

Alright, that's it for now. To all of you who gave up on me, I want you back. I'll do whatever it takes. Just embrace me.

Screaming, Biting & Hitting...OH MY

2008-01-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

So we've got to that lovely point in a toddler's life when the simplest action can spark a fire of rage deep within its soul. I don't think that I scare too easy, but seriously, this can be some terrifying behavior. And here's the standard itinerary for a meltdown:

Said behavior initiated, usually by Shauna or me telling him that it isn't the best idea for him to be trying to eat the fish food or balance on the arm of the chair.
A scream that penetrates my bones is emitted and I am now face-to-face with 30 lbs. of fury.
A Riverdance-esque tantrum dance ensues (think the angriest, fastest tapdancing you can imagine).
Variable: A) He begins throwing his head back to plead with God as to why he has to be going through this -OR- B) Assumes the 'Downward Facing Dog' yoga position (still screaming).
Variable: A) If he's in close proximity to a parent, he will either hit or bite -OR- B) If we've escaped to a safe distance, he will either hit his own head or bonk it on the ground.
He manages some tears, whilst shooting death glares at us, or spits in our direction if he's still really steamed.
All is well and he's ready to give us hugs.

So our typical response is to ignore the entire thing and not give in. Unless, of course, he is hitting or biting, in which case the 'Naughty Chair' gets some company. This is the tough part, because these episodes end just as quickly as they begin, so it's not as if he even remembers why he's there in the first place.

Oh, and good news, Shauna informed me that, according to the weekly development e-mail she gets, this is going to be the future for about another 2 years or so...YES. Actually, I think I feel worse for the little guy. To be so 'passionate' about his feelings that he goes through these tantrums multiple times daily must be exhausting.

So, for all of you who have little ones on the brink of toddlerhood, patience be with you. Keep cool and resist the urge to bite back when bitten...evidently, this is frowned upon. And make sure to treasure the times when they give hugs and kisses and are angel babies, so you can refer to said cutesie behavior when they are shaking with anger. Peace be with you.

Lovin' the Yearly Memberships

2008-01-16T21:51:00.000-08:00

About 6 months before Taylor was born, Shauna and I decided that it was essential that we, as parents-to-be, get a membership to the zoo. And seriously folks, we couldn't have made a better decision if we tried. Here's what I remember about the zoo when I was little: Dad roaring at the tigers (which was always the highlight), trying to fight the massive crowds that are inherent on a summer weekend at the zoo, trying to cram every exhibit in ("We paid good money for this, and we're gonna see it ALL!"), and so on.

Simple solution...buy a stinkin' membership. You can go whenever (midweek in January, you'll be outnumbered by employees), you don't have to fight the crowds if it's busy...just go back another time, you can deduct it on your taxes, you can take someone else with you for free, no parking fee and you get the rad bumper sticker to stick on the car.

We liked having the zoo membership so much that we asked for a Children's Museum membership for Christmas...so now we can even tag-team them if we want. And here's the best deal: even if you aren't in Portland, get one at a zoo or children's museum where you live...most all of them have a deal with other zoos, etc. that you can visit for free or for a discount if you're in that town. Road trips just got a little bit easier now that you know there'll be at least somewhere that's kid-friendly to take the munchkino.

2 hour car ride in the backseat with a Toddler

2008-01-15T19:01:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back, Shauna, Taylor, my mom and I had to go down to southern Oregon. We stayed at Shauna's mom's house that night, and made the trip home the following morning. Shauna, the little doll that she is, kept Taylor company for a majority of the trip, so I volunteered to man the backseat post for the last leg of the trip. It was a gesture of kindness that slipped out of my mouth without even thinking, so I knew there was no escape.

To give a bit of background, on the way down, Taylor was inconsolable from around Salem all the way to Eugene. Crying, yelling, screaming...on the verge of hyperventilating. Needless to say, I was hoping and praying that it was a one-time show. This, even after a nurse friend recommended a tiny dose of Children's Benadryl, to, well, subdue the beast.

So, the time had come. I was strapped in, literally, because the seatbelt evidently thought I was an unruly child trying to bail out onto the interstate, so it locked up about 5 minutes outside of Eugene. Things started off pretty smoothly, and, to my delight stayed that way for the entire trip. And I think it was more about me learning that he was more bored than anything else.

Here's what made for a happy trip:

Around 47 games of 'This Little Piggy'
Putting Tay's socks over my ears every 3 minutes
Singing Patty Cake exactly 35 times
Taking turns drinking apple juice out of Tay's sippy cup
Lots of high fives
Teaching Tay how to do a cool-guy handshake
Balancing his shoes on my head, in tandem with socks on ears, when necessary

And here's the best part. What I thought was going to most likely be a long two hours turned out to be really great. Tay even managed to learn how to say 'Toe Toe' during the trip. All in all, a great couple of hours.

Quirks that make kids awesome...

2007-12-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

For me (and I know a lot of the other parents out there), one of the greatest things about watching your child grow is laughing at all the funny quirks they acquire. For Tay-man, there's too many to list, but one of my favorites is what Shauna and I have appropriately deemed his 'bulldog face.' See picture below for reference.

Tay's almost 17 months now, and is definitely now in the mocking phase...Maddie, our dog, likes to sniff at the bottom of the door anytime she hears somebody walking by outside. So Taylor, the observant little tike that he is, will get down on all four, scrunch up his whole entire face and start sniffing like there's no tomorrow.

But all of this mocking means something much more important, too: daddy and mommy have to, er, make sure they're on their best behavior. No more play hitting and definitely no more of the accidental 'no no' words. This became a startling revelation when I caught Taylor mocking Peter Griffin from 'The Family Guy' doing a little dance the other night...oy.

But all this mocking business isn't bad. Tay has learned that it's now okay to give kisses with a closed mouth, which really cuts down on the times he slimes us during the course of a day. And he gives high-fives, which he calls 'bams.'

All in all, I guess it all comes back to the old saying, 'actions speak louder than words.' And that's especially true with toddlers that forget to put on their listening ears : )

The Cast

2007-10-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

So I guess I'm putting the cart before the horse by not providing any proper introductions...so here we go! Let's start with the fabulous lady that keeps our family going...my wife of two and a half years, Shauna.

She's poured her heart into our family and it shows everyday. Seeing Taylor light up when she comes in the room warms my heart!

And now, for the main attraction...it's Taylor Daniel!

He's getting to be such a fun little guy. He's constantly surprising us with his antics. Suffice it to say, I think he's definitely going to be a candidate for class clown when he's in school. He's just over 15 months old now, and asserting his what we'll nicely call his 'independent spirit.' Those of you with munchkins with the same personality can relate! But all that goes by the wayside when he runs up for a hug and kiss (by this I mean him providing the kisses...very wet, slobbery kisses)!

The Essentials, Part I

2007-10-25T16:45:00.000-07:00

One of the things our family enjoys the most is getting outside and enjoying some fresh air. And, being the monkey he is, Tay prefers to hang out any way he can where he's physically attached to one of us. In the beginning, a Baby Bjorn front pack was a great way to get the monkey around. But I was lucky enough to get an Evenflo Snugli backpack from Shauna, and it's been a hit ever since. From hiking trips to days spent at the zoo, it's become invaluable. It's even been handy for trying to get chores done around the house, or even cooking dinner on those days when the munchkin doesn't like being on his own.

Now for all the friends and family out there, you know that Taylor's getting to be, well, husky. And the backpack has done an awesome job of distributing his, errr, huskiness. For all of you out there who don't have one, get one! It's got tons of room for bottles, diapers, cameras, cell phones, and the like.

More to come!

Kick-off

2007-10-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

Some of you might know that I recently got a new job...being an unemployed slacker : ) Actually, my contract ended at my last job and so I'm in the process of finding something new. In between the job search and resume updating, I've been able to spend a lot of great time with the fam. It got me thinking that I should devote some of the time that I happen to have now to jotting down some of my perspectives on all things parenting.

Stay tuned for another post, which should be coming shortly.