We Have a Crawling Baby!

She did it today at about 4:45 and her mom got to see it!! And yes it was "proper crawling". I will be out to the store to get more child proofing supplies this evening. Stand by for pictures.

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Parenting Costs and Diapers

Check out this great post:

Vancouver Dad - Fatherhood in Vancouver, British Columbia

It inspired me to do some number crunching of my own. We try to use cloth diapers as much as possible and so I came up with this crude analysis of the costs. I used my memory of the costs that we shelled out about seven and a half months ago, so the numbers may not be precise, but they are in the ballpark.

I figured that we go through about (on average) 7 diapers a day. We bought equipment for 36 diapers. The numbers extrapolate the cost over 12 months. After 5.5 months or so the initial costs of cloth diapers are recouped as the average cost per diaper decreases over time, though the cost per disposable diaper is constant.

I think that the only variable I haven't accounted for is the power used by the washing and drying of the diapers. (If you were wondering the vinegar is used in the diaper pails... you know... odour).

Of course, one of the best reasons for going cloth is the environment. If you know how I can integrate the cost of the landfill and the pollution from the disposables into this let me know. Until then, shall we say the cost to the environment is incalculable?

Here's the information:

• The data used to build the graphs
• The average cost of diapers over 12 months
• The cumulative cost of diapers over 12 months

Please let me know what I've missed or if there are better prices that I could have used. The information is easily updated. If there is interest I will post the excel sheet.

Technorati Tags: environment, parenting, parenting costs, diaper costs

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No Dads Allowed

Sigh, this is the time when dad's can really start to bond with their babies and it is an important time to learn about how to care for them.

globeandmail.com: Political correctness gone too far, ADQ Leader says

A Montreal community health clinic has come under fire for excluding men from their neonatal classes to accommodate the sensibilities of Muslim, Sihk and Hindu women.

A tip of the hat to Canadian Cerberus for the link.


Technorati Tags: Parenting, rights, equality, religion, canada,

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Starfish Files: Final Lesson and a Waterslide

Yesterday our little one graduated from the Starfish programme at the Beban Pool in Nanaimo. The final act of courage for your intrepid duo was a trip down the big water slide. To be honest, we (I) had been looking forward to this lesson for quite some time. I love water slides and the chance to take the little one down with me was very exciting. I am proud to say that we went down three times and enjoyed it each time. The instructor was great and encouraged everyone to go - and everyone did. Now we can go find some water-parks (and no, Vancouver doesn't count).

My thoughts on the whole Starfish programme are very positive. Both of the instructors that we had were very friendly and seemed to really enjoy teaching the littlest students. Most importantly it gave me an opportunity to discover what kind of limits and boundaries there are in taking a baby to the pool, and to my surprise those boundaries are further than I expected. So, it gave me confidence to do things in the water and the appreciation that my baby is tougher than I thought.

Photo by Hans Hillewaert. This starfish was sampled on the Belgian Continental Shelf in 2000.

Technorati Tags: Swimming, lessons, swimming lessons, STAHD, parenting, family, Red Cross Preschool, Nanaimo, BC

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Staying at Home

I found a comment on this post at Daddy Dialectic who comments on it here:

Pieces of a Whole » Blog Archive » Stay at home dads

I am saddened by this post for a couple of reasons. If I can assume that this person is a member of the so called "Christian Evangelical Right" then how does this kind of an attitude "focus on the family". I would have thought that anything that would build good strong families would be welcome, especially ones that seem to reinforce the importance of males in the rearing of children. There are some that say that fathers are no longer essential for modern families. Oh well here are some thoughts on the post:

The post sets forth two arguments:

The first is an ideal of strict gender roles that are based on some conception of scriptural hermeneutics apparently from 3 Genesis.
There is a lot to be said against this kind of straight-jacketing. Few
fathers regardless of whether they stay at home or not would accept the
kind of gender roles for their daughters so why should they accept it
for themselves? So, unless you are willing to raise your daughter to
believe that they have one purpose in life that is predefined by her
gender then so might the fathers. But, I think most fathers are willing
to raise their daughters to believe that their daughters can play many
roles in life, and what better way to show that to them than as a
father who too is willing to have many roles.

The second
argument is one that is much easier to agree with: More fathers ought
to spend time with the kids even if that means taking a pay cut. My
problem is that by railing against stay at home dads the post is
removing the one option that might best achieve that aim. Parental
leave taken by fathers is one of the ways many men (including yours
truly) get the opportunity to stay at home. And here is the rub it
often comes with legal protections against job loss and discrimination
- unlike taking a 10% pay cut as the post suggests in order to work
less and play more.

Technorati Tags: Parenting, stay at home dad, fatherhood, family, christian evangilism, focus on the family

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Access & Hypocrisy in Nanaimo

Oh! the hypocrisy. Downtown Nanaimo is one of the most stroller unfriendly places. I went into the Royal Bank at the corner of Commercial and Bastion to use the automated teller. There are three entrances to the bank, all of which have stairs leading to it. There is also a sign that says to use the Commercial street entrance if you want to use the ATM. So, after circumnavigating the large bank I went to the Commercial street entrance where there were three steps a very small landing and a door. Once on the landing with the stroller it was next to impossible to get the door open while remaining on the landing.

Forget all of what I just said, the bank is actually very accessible, there was a handicap automatic door opener - complete with wheelchair icon. In addition there was a handicap icon on the ATM. Don't ask me how someone in a wheelchair could get up to press that button and then get to the teller! The hypocrisy!


Technorati Tags: Access, Handicap access, parenting, Nanaimo, BC, Royal Bank

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If you love me you'll buy me this c/o WalMart

I'm glad that I have a few years before this really becomes an issue. Maybe by then stores will have moved beyond this kind of marketing (unlikely), or maybe I and other parents will have come up with ways of dealing with this kind of nonsense.

Parents shocked at Wal-Mart's online wish list

As retailers begin to roll out holiday season marketing strategies, Wal-Mart has upped the ante with the launch of a new toyland website that encourages children to review a parade of toys presented by two animated elves, Wally and Marty. The retail giant offers 100 options some as pricey as the Fisher-Price Power Wheels Ford Mustang for $249 and children either discard them into a dump truck or send them to a rocket ship to be delivered electronically to their parents when the kids provide their addresses.

There are a couple of issues here. The first is the victimisation of parents by a corporation that is co-opting the love that parents have for their children in order to sell toys. Then there is the value that we put on and ecourage our children to give to toys and other distractions.

The first issue can, I think, be abbeted by showing corporations like wal mart that there wholesale disavowal of any ethical decency in the name of a banner Christmas sales season is revolting and could backfire.

As for a solution to the other issue, I will have to get back on you.


Technorati Tags: WalMart, Christmas, shopping, parents

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What to do in Nanaimo?

With the rainy season upon us (my rain-widget has recorded 7+cm of rain in the last 72hours), what is a new dad in a new town to do? It's pretty hard to get out and stroll about town with all the water coming down and I don't want to become a mall rat. The prospect of hibernation is not very attractive either. hmmm...


Technorati Tags: Nanaimo, BC, Parenting, activities

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Starfish Files: Pictures!

We haven't been to Starfish since last Thrusday, and we are going tomorrow, but the whole family went swimming Sunday and used up just about an entire roll of film in the hopes of getting some good shots. I think we succeeded. I will post more as I get my act in gear, but until then here are some pretty good shots of our little starfish. The picture of the blob beneath the surface is Heidi underwater.

Photo by Hans Hillewaert. This starfish was sampled on the Belgian Continental Shelf in 2000.


Technorati Tags: Swimming, lessons, Starfish, STAHD, Swimming Lessons, Parenting, family, Nanaimo, BC,

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Crawling? Who Needs it?

Who needs to crawl? Heidi sure doesn't. Today she has shown that she can roll most anywhere she needs to go. We've been trying to get her to crawl; she really seems to want to go places, and now she's found a way.

Technorati Tags: Babies, parenting, family, STAHD

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The Starfish Files: Underwater

It was a big day for our little Starfish! We have a new instructor (I am no longer the only man) and he was very keen to get the babies learning some confidence skills by repeating certain movements and sounds - cueing. So, on the count of 1- 2 - 3eeee we would move our starfish sideways through the water. As the babies' confidence increased we were encouraged to move progressivelt deeper through the water. Well, Heidi went all the way under this morning! I think she was the only one to do so. She had absolutely no problem going under, but was a bit confused when she emerged.

I developed the pictures from the last roll of film, but there were no good pictures from the pool, so I have another roll in my camera that should be better in low light conditions. I will try to take lots of pictures in various conditions and maybe one will turn out (Oh! To have a waterproof digital!)

Photo by Hans Hillewaert. This starfish was sampled on the Belgian Continental Shelf in 2000.


Technorati Tags: Swimming, lessons, Starfish, STAHD, Swimming Lessons, Parenting, family, Nanaimo, BC,

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Daddy Friendliness

I'm thinking about starting a running post on places that are accessible for Dads and babies around Nanaimo and Southern Vancouver Island. Of course, I can't check out every place so if any of the throngs of dads who are loyal readers of this humble blog would like to participate, please let me know.

admin (at) chrismaier (dot) net


Technorati Tags: Fathers, Dad, access, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, babies, parenting

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The Starfish Files: Nice Pool

Today was our second lesson. Heidi had a great time and was quite interested in a young man by the name of Devon. We learned a few new holds and some songs.

If you want a great way to get a baby to sleep take them swimming for 40-50 minutes. Heidi went straight to sleep the moment I put her in the car seat and then remained asleep after I took her out of her car seat. She did wake up a few minutes later. However, after her first lesson she slept for twice as long as normal.

Now, what I wanted to talk about was the great facility they had at the Beban pool here in Nanaimo. The first thing I noticed was the great family friendly facilities. Their are male, female & FAMILY change rooms. In the family rooms are several seperate rooms with benches, showers and a Koala Bear Kare safety chair. This lets me shower and change without worrying about Heidi. It also lets the whole gang get ready together. The pool itself is very kid and family friendly. There are lots of toys and very fun kid pool. The waterslide is GREAT!


Photo by Hans Hillewaert. This starfish was sampled on the Belgian Continental Shelf in 2000.

Technorati Tags: Swimming, lessons, Starfish, STAHD, Swimming Lessons, Parenting, family, Nanaimo, BC

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Favourite Food

Heidi has started eating solids, but for some reason her favourite food is strap. Whenever she is near a strap she goes for it and sticks it in her mouth. I still have not figured out how to sterilise a strap, or puree it. 

Tired Jester

The joke around here is that we don't parent so much as we are official jesters for our little one. But, dewspite her small size and meager caloric consuption, she can sure tire her jester out. Being at her beck and cry is tough. Right now our little one is trying to crawl, but hasn't the strength; so, she cries after she puts herself on her tummy beconing her jester to come hither. Of course then there are the times when only a song and dance will do. Don't get me started on the acrobatics! She just loves being held upside down.


Technorati Tags: STAHD, parenting, dad, baby

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The Starfish Files: First Day

Today was our first day of STARFISH! Starfish is an introduction to swimming for babies. We spent about a half hour with the instructor learning ways to hold onto our little starfish and how to explore the water safely. Heidi had a great time. She was fascinated with pretty much everything around her. There was so much for her to see. At one point we were playing with a ball, something she loves at home, but was so completely engrossed with the other babies, the water and her environment that she ignored the ball.

What I found amazing was how much these little babies enjoyed the water. Not a single one was afraid or showed any discomfort. They all bravely splashed around and most were smiling widely the entire time. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

I took a few pictures of our morning at the pool, but they are sadly on a 35mm film roll. So until that roll is finished and I can invent a time machine so that I can go back in time and find a place to develop the film all my eager readers will have to wait. Don't worry it won't be long.


Photo by Hans Hillewaert. This starfish was sampled on the Belgian Continental Shelf in 2000.

Technorati Tags: Swimming, lessons, starfish, STAHD, swimming lessons, parenting

Parenting: A Competitive Sport

What is this all about?  It seems like there is a whole undercurrent to parenting that I was oblivious to when I was growing up. Maybe it is a new thing, but I doubt it.  The only glimpse that I had of this competitive world of parenting as a kid was the high-stress-chain-smoking-hockey-mom that I would meet in the arena, but I always thought that they were more of a curiosity, akin to a funny monkey in a zoo - mostly harmless but good entertainment.  I'm assuming that this coach is a parent (Don't coaches have to be parents at that age?). I guess some parents take this stuff pretty seriously.  Too bad.  It seems to me that the important thing that kids take away from sport at the age of 9 is fun, teamwork and sportsmanship - but also the ability to cope with loss.  I guess there is a tragedy in all of this, and that is that the spirit of youth sport has been lost for at least two generations; the coach must have missed it as a kid too.

The Blogfathers » Blog Archive » Youth Coaching Gone Horribly Wrong


Technorati Tags: parents, parenting, coaches, sports, competition

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Sterilising

I don't get it! Why do I have to sterilise almost everything? Most books will tell you to sterilise things with an almost religious intensity, however, I don't sterilise the floor, most of her toys or her hands! when is it safe to stop sterilising things?


Technorati Tags: Baby, Dad, STAHD, Sterilising

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Good Times - 6 Months!

Things have been going very well here in the Daddy Daughter Department. Heidi started munching on crackers today. She took right to them. Originally I thought you couldn't get much messier than a baby eating mush, but I was wrong. Giving a baby a cracker to munch on is a very sticky mess. The mostly masticated mush melds to toys, clothes, parents and carpet. I'm guessing that even this is not the messiest thing yet. Honestly, I can't wait to see what's next. I'm eagerly awaiting the day that we can jump in a puddle and soak mom. That's probably a couple of months away.

I've also noticed that Heidi is becoming a music fan. The first bars of Baby Baluga put an instant smile on her face, andshe loves the beat of When the Saints go Marching in. Today we spent the evening listening to Glen Gould's rendition of the Goldberg Variations - she was mesmerised. I'm not sure why anyone would buy Baby Einstein (tm). The real thing works wonderfully. Combine a beautiful piece with one of the Windows Media Player (tm) visualisations and you've saved yourself a $25 DVD. Of course, if you have no appreciation for quality music check out Baby Einstein (tm) and they will make the choice for you. We're happy. 

Pooptastrophes

For some reason parents of small children (babies) talk a lot about their kid's bodily functions. Strange as it may sound, these functions have provided the topic for many conversations. In the diapering department we have a term for a messy #2 - a pooptastrophe. Today when I was taking care of a dirty one I got to thinking: "what is a pooptastrophe?"

Being the philosophical sort that I am, I felt the need to define and distinguish this concept. First of all it refers to the end state of a dirty diaper. If one is refering to the ongoing process of dirtying a diaper, then one is probably talking about a poopathon, that is an ongoing or prolonged... well, you get it.

An ordinary diapering occurs when only the diaper needs to be changed. There may be some light secondary cleaning, but nothing dramatic.

So I figure that there are classes of pooptastrophe:

Class 1: The diaper and at least one other thing needs to be changed or cleaned. For example the diaper and the babies clothing need to be changed, or the diaper needs to be changed and an appendage (hand or foot) needs to be cleaned.

Class 2: The diaper and at least two or more other things need to be changed or cleaned. For example: in addition to the examples given in a class 1 pooptastrophe the diaper pad may need a good cleaning.

Class 3: After all is said and done the baby needs an immediate bath. When you've experienced a Class 3 pooptastrophe, you know it. Ther is, afterall only so much that you can do with little wipes. A class 3 requires serious cleaning - usually because the baby has squirmed so much and covered so much surface area that a weapon of mass cleaning is required to restore order. 

Access

Well, I will go on a rant here. This afternoon Heidi and I went for a walk downtown. I brought the stroller. On several occasions we found ourselves in a position where we had to back up and retrace our steps (at least a block) because the place we were going could only be accessed via stairs. We are not the only folks around town that can't do more than three or four steps. Nanaimo bills itself as a great place to retire. Oh well. Don't even get me started on the poor positioning of crosswalks.

On to Bananas

Today Heidi tried out Bananas. I captured her reaction here. Really, she did actually like them.

In her regular style much of the mush ended up on her chin, tray, hair and anywhere else in the 3 metre blast zone.
 

Tough Day

Yesterday was a tough day. It seems that one should not underestimate a baby. They are smarter than you think. The little one slept past her normal feeding time so I assumed that she was hungry, but when I gave her the bottle she would have none of it. Clearly she was insane. No rational baby would refuse a bottle. So, I kept trying to give her the bottle and she kept refusing it. Well, this must be her way of telling me that she is not hungry. So I let her play. She became exstrmely fussy. Daddy's hampster was spinning and the cogs were turning. If she is hungry and yet refuses the bottle Daddy must be the crazy one! So I went and produced another bottle which was eagerly consumed. In other words she was saying Daddy you don't know how to follow the simple instructions on the can of formula and I can tell the difference. Maybe one day she will be able to tell the difference between highland and lowland single malt Scotch. - Oh! To Dream!

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Vaccinations

Yesterday we all went into town to take Heidi in for some immunizations. Mom took Heidi to see the nurse while Dad took care of some paperwork. Heidi did very well. It wasn't until much later that she became upset, and then only for a short while.

Negotiating with Terrorists

She looks so innocent, yet there is another side to that demeanour. What are you to do when there is a hungry, tired and very cranky baby? Do you feed her? try to calm her down? put her to bed? or try to teach her baby-sign-language for "I am tired, hungry and mad"? Well I don't have the answer to that.

I just let her scream while I quickly cave in and meet her demands for a bottle. That usually brings back the cute little grins, maybe that's all that matters, or maybe I'm in for a big surprise when she's two. 

Fun Meal

Heidi was very helpful with this morning's feeding. She would take a spoonful of pears, consume 2/3 of it and then stick her bib into her mouth. The result was very funny, and useful. Her face, which was previously covered in goop, was wiped clean. 

An Update on the Duo

Well, there have been two big developments recently. The first is the addition of Heidi's galactic command centre. This new exer-saucer is a favourite place for her to hang out and command her toys on their mission of galactic domination. While in her saucer she goes by the name 'Space Lady Spiff". The saucer was generously lent to us by a friend with a young boy named Liam who has outgrown the saucer, but who's younger brother will be using it in about 5 months time.

The other big development occured this past Thursday. Heidi has commenced eating solid food. That is to say she eats half of the meal and donates the other half to her chin. We started her on Pears and she seems to like them. She gets about two meals a day. We will sit down to eat breakfast after we drop Mom off at school and then we eat supper just before six. It is a lot of fun but quite a mess.

Introductory Post

Now that I am on parental leave and firmly established in Nanaimo, I felt that I would use some of my time to keep a blog about the adventures that Heidi and I get into. Who knows what will come of it, but I think it will be fun.

Heidi, sitting right beside me is quite excited about the prospect. So, here's to the online adventures of a stay at home Dad and his cute little Daughter.