However, Daddy Still Rocks

I don't want anyone to get a bad impression of Tyler's fathering skills, because he really is quite awesomely talented.

(crap, again, video exhibits a, b and c are not loading!)

Example #1:

The other night I had a baby shower to go to, so he was in charge of bedtime. He was playing with her for about 15 mintues--running around, chasing/being chased, standard fare and all of a sudden Clara stops and says "no'. Apparently the scene went like this:

Clara: No

Tyler: No? I'm gonna get you!!

Clara: NO

Tyler: Oh. . . . you're all done?

Clara: Up

Tyler: Oh! You want to go up! ok! (starts to throw her up in the air)

Clara: No

Tyler: Oh. You don't want that?

Clara: Bed

Tyler: Ok, lets go to bed. Do you want a bath?

Clara: No

Tyler: Ok. Puts her in a diaper and jammies and holds her for a second

Clara: Bed, down

Tyler: Ok. Good night Clara!

Boom. DONE. He walks out and doesn't hear a PEEP out of her!

No bath, no freak out about a lack of bath balls, no teeth burshing requirements of him brushing at hte same time, no ear cleaning, no drink of water, no bed time book, no fifteen blankets and 32 stuffed animals (or not stuffed, plastic planes), no leg warmer requirements or specific jammie requests, no three rounds of prayer--NOTHING.

In case you were wondering, yes, I must satisfy anywhere from one to all of the aforementioned requirements for Clara before she will go to bed for me.

Example #2

Clara: Movie! Movie! (pronnounced "jeeya! jeeya!")

Anna: Ok, what movie do you want?

Clara: Daddy movie (pronnounced "Gaga jeeya")

If I try to put anything other than the Incredibles in, she'll freak out. If I try to persuade her to another movie more to my liking, she's obstinate. The SECOND I put The Incredibles on, she sits on the couch and doesn't move. It's like she's channeling Tyler home through the movie.

I think Tyler watched it with her one time and from then on, only Daddy's movie will satisfy. Fortunately for me it's getting better with repeat viewings, but still.

Example #3

Tyler can make a funny face and Clara will try to imitate it and then laugh out loud hysterically. I tried to make funny faces with her the other day and she stared at me like I was retarded. No imitation, no laugh. Nothing. Just this look of "Um. . . you probably shouldn't make that face in public because you look retarded"

I just hope I can get the videos to load because lots of his parenting can't really be explained, you have to see Clara and her reactions and how she looks at him to understand how great a Dad he really is : )

When Daddy is in Charge Part III

He takes Clara on the slides at the Weasel's Den meant for 5-12 year olds. . . .

(Shoot, my video isn't loading)

She was able to go down all three of the big green slides at least once. She still got knocked around a bit, but nothing too bad until she tried the middle one again and smacked her ear on the side of the slide and started screaming.

FORTUNATELY on her way up the stairs to go down that slide her foot slipped and she smacked her forehead against the plastic slat leaving a nice red mark. . . sooo. . . . . yeah. : )

When Daddy Is In Charge Part II

Tyler took Clara out to go potty at church today. She didn't have to go she just wanted to play. So he stayed outside with her until the sacrament was over. While I was sitting in teh chapel I THOUGHT I heard Clara's cry and I THOUGHT it sounded like a hurt cry, but I dismissed it thinking there's lots of kids out there and Tyler just probably won't let her play with the elevator so she's not really hurt. But still. . . .I thought it.

AND I THOUGHT RIGHT!!!

Turns out Clara decided she wanted to try jumping down the stairs with both feet. So she made it one step (her hand was on the rail) and the second one but she lost her balance and started tumbling.

Tyler was right there and just missed grabbing her when she jumped down the first step. He tried to get in front of her but she fell sort of sideways so she was parallel with the steps and he didn't want to step on her. Not only that, but the church stairs are REALLY steep and narrow, so he probably would have fallen and broken something if he tried to leap over her to catch her.

Fortunately it's a short bout of stairs, but long enough to give him a good scare and leave her with some good bruises. She was a little cranky the rest of the day, but no signs of concussion or anything like that. Just some solid cheek bruising and a forehead bruise/scratch. (I couldn't get a good picture of it though)

I really felt bad for Tyler though because it did give him a pretty good scare. Would have given anyone a good scare given those stairs! But to be honest it probably would have happened if I was watching her because she's NEVER tried to jump down stairs before. She's always been really good at stairs even before she could walk. I don't know what got into her. But now we're both a little nervous with her around stairs.

When Daddy Is In Charge . . .

Blood is involved and I am not told about it until I find blood on the couch that he didn't see.

scene

I get home. Clara's napping.

A: How was she?

T: Fine. She should be waking up here soon.

A: Oh, ok. You put her down before Lunch?

T: Yeah. She hasn't had lunch yet.

A: Ok, that's fine. (as I'm walking aro

und the living room to the short end of the

couch) Wha. . is that. . . is that blood?

T: Oh. . . there's some over there?

A: panicked, wide eyed face WHAT?! There was more?!

T: Yeah, there was some over there and over. . . she's ok! (in response to my incresingly panic stricken face) She's fine!

A: YOU SHOULD HAVE STARTED WITH THAT!!

T: She's fine! She's fine! She just cut her finger.

scene

Apparently she was playing--unsupervised--with some seaglass (which she's done before, but usually supervised as soon as I know she has it) and

somehow either broke a chunk so it had a shape edge or found the one piece in the entire collection that randomly has an edge sharp enough to cut.

Tyler was in the bedroom and all was quiet on the living room front. Eventually Clara comes in with her finger in the air (second on her left hand) covered in blood.

"Gaga. Hurt. Help" she says/signs.

She's not crying, but very calm and Tyler tries not to overreact to not freak her out. He washes off her hand to see the cut, it's not bad. He wraps a paper towel around it and scotch tapes it (I told him we had band-aids, he maintained they were too sm

all for her tiny fingers.)

He goes into the living room and realizes that she must have c

ut her finger awhile ago because there's blood all over the couch (ALLLLLL over he said) and on her little mini couch and some on her leggings and thighs. He cleans it up (except for the part he missed that I saw) and they sit down and watch a movie together and.

Clara sits with her left hand up, finger in the air, on Tyler's lap and eventually falls asleep. Tyler puts her to bed. I get home and there you have the beginning of the scene.

I have a picture of her eating with her left hand up. The mini soft-cast he made for her made her really favor her right hand and leave her left alone. Which was good, I guess. But it would have been better if she HADN'T BEEN CUT IN THE FIRST PLACE!!

He felt so bad the entire day she basically got whatever she wanted. So did I for that matter (namely help in the kitchen, hugs and reassurances that I"m not fat just pregnant, that I'm super awesome and that I'm the best wife ever).

PS. Please excuse the filthy wall behind Clara. We've pretty much exited our "throwing food" stage so I need to strip it and repaint it because when I wipe it off (which, yes, I do clean it) the paint comes off too so it looks even worse--and yes, that is possible.

Way To Go, Dad.

Tyler had clara absolutely cracking up today. Of course she stops the belly laughs the minute I turn the camera on. THere's a few good ones in there, but the best is the end.

Man I'm Good

That's right ladies.....Who makes the best lookin' babies???????

THIS GUY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Ladies

I love'em

Ty

Clara Estelle Young

So here she is, little Clara. She weighed 6 lbs 13 oz and was born yesterday on our 3rd Anniversary. I can't believe how much I already love her. Thanks to everyone for your phone calls and messages. Anna's been great through the whole pregnancy and delivery, especially since she had to get an epidural and then a C Section. It's a good think though becuase she had the cord around her neck twice. Had she stayed in longer and Anna tried to deliver her normally Clara would have been in trouble. So everything turned out great!!!!

Ty

P.S. Sorry about the 'stache -- It's Moustache March!

Tyler's Wish List

You know I've heard a lot lately from Anna's family about Roombas and Scubas made by IROBOT. Nice machines I'm sure but what I could really use is the IRobot Warrior Bot. Forget vacuuming, GIMME GUNS! Do they have these at Bed Bath & Beyond? I've never actually paid attention in the store, I usually just slowly walk around the aisle that circles the store drifting in and out of conciousness.

-Tyler