September 2012
THERE ARE NO STRINGS ON CONOR
Conor may be his own man but it turns out that babies don't swallow solid foods automatically. As it turns out, they have to learn how to swallow. That's why they start out with soft food and slowly learn to eat things that have a thicker consistency and eventually little pieces of chicken and beef mixed in. I always thought they ate soft foods because of they had no teeth. But that was only half the story. Here, Conor hasn't grasped the idea of swallowing. Poor little guy.
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FLYING WITH OUR 11-MONTH OLD IS PLEASURE
Is having a kid supposed to be so much fun or have I just lost my marbles? I remember when I was afraid to fly with my family the first time. Screaming babies who rattle my nerves and those around me was a complete waste of energy thinking about. Conor is now 11 months old and a blast to be around. Our 2 1/2 hour flight from New Orleans to Boston was really a pleasure. Seeing my son look out the window of a plane traveling 37,000 feet above the Earth was like being a kid all over again myself. And when he'd get tired of playing and come over and crawl on me like he's a little monkey just makes me laugh. And makes me proud to be a dad.
WWII MUSEUM IN NEW ORLEANS
The old lady in the elevator didn't think the WWII Museum was appropriate for a baby but we had fun. The museum focused on the invasion of Normandy and the war with Japan. We highly recommend the museum if you're a WWII buff but Conor was only good for about an hour of it before he got antsy and wanted to stand in the stroller instead of sit. Considering he's only 11 months old at this point, I'll consider that a victory. After he waived the white flag, we gracefully made our exit.
CONOR GIVES THE NEW ORLEANS AQUARIUM TWO THUMBS UP
It's our fifth day in New Orleans and we're staying about 5 minutes away from the New Orleans Aquarium. We decided it might be a good way to start the day. So we took Conor. He enjoyed the fishes for about 5 minutes but was really interested in crawling through the aquarium. This didn't seem like a really good idea so we let him sit or kneel but kept the crawling to a minimum. Here he is saying hi to the local eel. - See more at: http://dadsdecoded.com/blog/index_files/archive-sep-2012.html#sthash.fuCD9zcQ.dpuf
MY COUSIN WHIT GOT MARRIED TODAY
Weddings are such a great excuse to get together and see family you never get to see except at weddings and funerals. This was a chance for Conor to meet his uncles, aunts and cousins. I know he won't remember them next time he sees them but it's a good attempt at starting a tradition of meeting on a semi-regular basis so that he has some roots when he grows up. Conor got to meet his great Uncle John who's a lawyer and likes to duck hunt. And his great uncle Whit who's a pharmacist and likes to bullshit. I wonder which of those traits Conor will get?
CONOR GOES TO NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans is known for its many shops, rituals and parades that honor the dead. Conor's not so sure he likes the practice. - See more at: http://dadsdecoded.com/blog/index_files/archive-sep-2012.html#sthash.fuCD9zcQ.dpuf
WHEN IS IT APPROPRIATE TO DISCIPLINE A CHILD
12/09/12 15:12 Filed in: child development | discipline
Conor is now 11 months old and as he gets into more stuff, I started wondering if it's okay to start disciplining him. Studies seem to point to just baby proofing the home for now - covering up the electrical outlets, putting the breakable stuff out of reach, blocking 'off limits' places with baby gates and the like. It's okay to give your baby some boundaries but redirection is key and not correction at this tender age. Experts favor just enjoying and appreciating Conor's fascination with the world.
I like that idea but with a dog in the mix, there's some rules that Conor's just going to have to learn. And the dog's crate being off limits is one of them. So we set out to teach Conor to leave things alone that aren't his. It's as simple as saying in a different tone of voice that gets his attention, "That's not yours," when he tries to go into the dog's bed. It's actually fun as you can see in the video. He doesn't take the rule as a correction. He sees it as fun but knows the rule is to stay away from the crate.
I learned this technique when training dogs for the handicapped years ago. We were actually told not to say, "No" to our dogs because there was too much negative baggage wrapped up in this word and it came out in the way we said it to our dogs. Instead, we told our dogs, "Don't" because it wasn't as emotionally charged. The idea is that you give your dog a command. It's not telling the dog he's done something wrong, it just tells the dog to do something you want. If he doesn't do it, then he gets corrected. I took this idea to Conor's training and when we tell him to do something or not do something, it's always fun. By being consistent, he knows we mean what we say. Now I have to remind myself that he's only 11 months old and while it works right now, it might not always work. But it's working right now and that's what matters.
THE DOG WHISPERER SHARES HIS DINNER
According to Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer, “Dogs see you only for who you are—not who you want to be. You cannot fool a dog. A dog doesn’t listen to your words; it reads your body language, which can’t lie. Before you begin a conversation with a dog you have to acknowledge how you really feel.” At this time, Conor feels hungry yet generous. And El Dog is not one to disappoint.
8-YEAR OLD BOYS COULD JOIN THE NAVY IN 1812
Conor, Valerie and myself took a couple of our friends from Ireland to see the U.S.S. Constitution today. The tour is free and is quite good. The ship is still a commissioned U.S. warship and sets sail approximately twice a year to sail around the harbor. The U.S.S. Constitution is also known as 'Old Ironsides' because when the English tried to sink the ship, their cannon balls were seen to hit the side of wooden the boat and bounce off. One of the jaw dropping facts we heard today is that boys as young as eight could join the Navy back during the early 1800's. Turns out the compartment where the gunpowder was kept was quite small and boys could get in and out of their easier than a grown-up. So boys were taken to see and sent into battle because they were the right size. What's even more shocking is that both sides knew that the small boys were the ones who were running for gunpowder. So it was important to try to shoot the boys when possible to slow the soldiers down from being able to load their cannons. My, my how things have changed. Unless your an Al Queda terrorist, then it's okay to send 8-year old boys to their death with explosives strapped to their bodies.
CONOR DOES THE CROCODILE WALK
With each new day, Conor's getting better at walking. If you'll look at the daily posts, only two days ago you'll see how he fought my help to put one foot in front of the other. For a couple of weeks he wanted nothing to do with this cute walking toy given to us by our good friend, Michaela. Tonight's a different story.
WHY KIDS PLAY PEEK-A-BOO
Conor has enjoyed the peekaboo game since he was about 6 months old. He would pull a blanket up over his head and then drop it and laugh. Then pick it up again and do this about 5 times before he had enough. But there’s something especially cute now that he can crawl and can hide from a distance. Why do kids find this so exciting? Because they are testing a new concept as their brain matures called, ‘permanence’ which is a fancy college word for ‘things still exist even when I can’t see them.”
CONOR RAIDS THE FREEZER
04/09/12 15:30 Filed in: child development | food
Conor raids the freezer just before bedtime. He's never seen the inside of the freezer before. We hardly ever use the dang thing.
THESE SHOES WERE MADE FOR WALKING
04/09/12 15:27 Filed in: child development
If you keep up with my blog, then you'll notice 3 months ago to the day, I saw Conor stand up for the first time. And I wondered how long until he would actually walk. Through a little research, I discovered it would take 1000 hours of practice before he would be ready to take his first steps on his own. As I visited my dad in Texas, he asked if Conor was walking yet. I told him, 'no'. He was watching Conor standing and swore he was on the cusp of the first steps. He asked where Conor's shoes were and I laughed and said he didn't really own any shoes yet. My dad bet that if Conor had a pair of walking shoes that he could walk. So off to Wal-Mart we went. And my dad bought Conor his first pair of "walking shoes." We came home and strapped him on Conor's feet hoping to see a miracle. Conor hated those things on his feet. But when the shoes were off, they became his favorite toy because of the shoe strings.
I did the math just now and realized that Conor has logged about 810 hours of practicing so far. And if my calculations are right, Conor has 18 more days before my #1 son takes a giant step and makes history. I'll keep y'all posted.
WHEN AMERICAN INDIANS CARVE A ROCKING HORSE. WOW.
I found this ro
cking horse in Montreal in an Inuit gallery. The name of the gallery is "Indianica". I keep wanting to design and build a rocking horse for Conor but if I tried to replicate this one, I wouldn't finish it until he was completing high school.CONOR THINKS EVERYONE IS CLAPPING FOR HIM
03/09/12 15:31 Filed in: Wedding
Tonight, Conor went to his first wedding reception. The little party animal thought that the clapping for the speeches was actually meant for him. He had the best time laughing and looking around at his fellow admirers. At 10pm I had to extricate him from the party and put him in his jammies, read him "One, Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" and see him off to bed. What a great day I had with Valerie and Conor as we spent the day sightseeing and sharing the evening with friends in Montreal.
CONOR DANCES AT HINDU WEDDING
VIMEO VIDEO GOES HERE
Conor wasn't the only one who was alcohol-free at tonight's Hindu wedding for one of Valerie's friends in Montreal. Turns out that alcohol isn't served at Hindu weddings. Nonetheless, we had a really good time and the Indian food was unbelievably good! Conor may only be 10 months old but the little guy knows how to party.
Conor wasn't the only one who was alcohol-free at tonight's Hindu wedding for one of Valerie's friends in Montreal. Turns out that alcohol isn't served at Hindu weddings. Nonetheless, we had a really good time and the Indian food was unbelievably good! Conor may only be 10 months old but the little guy knows how to party.