Home Alone with Dad

Crystal went back to work this week leaving Bron all alone with me. So far it’s been a great week and I’ve enjoyed every second. Bronwyn and I have played in the play area, read several chapters of Winnie-the-Pooh, and taken many naps together. Bronwyn even got a bath on Tuesday and enjoyed it.

I’m pretty stinking proud of myself for that last one. I gave her a bath by myself and she didn’t cry, whimper or give any indications of misery. Way to go Dad!

It’s only Wednesday and I have already been able to witness two firsts this week.

The first was Bronwyn actually playing in the play area (see video below). Prior to Monday, her adventures in the play area consisted of a few quick glances at her surroundings before crying for somebody to pick her up out of the brightly colored jungle. I love watching her kick to make the cellophane beneath crinkle and swat at the butterflies and caterpillars hanging above. I even caught her gripping one of the rings with her thumb in the small thumb hole and fingers around the ring. She’s a smart cookie!

The second first was today. Bronwyn now watches the animals on her mobile circle above her head. Previously if she was awake in the chair, she would look everywhere but up. Check her out:

If you look closely at this photo, you may notice Bronwyn’s clothes are on backwards. I didn’t catch this until Grams (Grandma Patti) stopped by for a visit and corrected things.

I’ll be honest. I’m not excelling at the whole baby clothing thing. On Monday, I had Bron all dressed up for a few hours before realizing that purple pants look terrible when paired with a green shirt. I’m starting to get the feeling that I won’t be the one dressing Bronnie for her first day of school.

Sorry Bron, clothes aren’t your Dad’s strong suit (hey that's almost a pun!).

The Angry Onion

One of my jobs as a new dad was to wake Bronwyn up when she fell asleep during a feeding. I hated this job because waking up a peacefully sleeping baby made me feel like the biggest turd in the world. The trick was doing a diaper change - necessary or not. For the first few weeks, Bronnie hated diaper changes so this never failed to cause her to wake up screaming mad. If I dared console Bronnie after a diaper change but before her feeding was over, Crystal would give me a dirty look and sometimes call me a dirty name to go with that look.

Nowadays, Bronnie doesn't mind diaper changes so much. She's accepted them as a very frequent part of life. When she did mind, every diaper change made me feel like that butt-hole farmer in Burger King's Angry Onion commercial with Bronnie playing the role of the innocent onion.

I'm posting the commercial here in case Bronwyn reads this in 15 years and wants to know why Mom has always been her favorite parent. It's because your old man got his parenting techniques from this guy

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Bronwyn has enough green in her wardrobe to make it through a month of St. Patrick’s Days without getting pinched.


Normally we only share the happy or subdued photos of Bronnie. I made an exception for this worry-face. She’s cute even when she’s upset.


Bronnie practicing her sign language. Here's her “No.” We’ll work on making that a “No thank you.” (I should probably divulge that there was no context to the "No" and therefor this was probably not an intentional sign. The same disclosure applies to those of you I have bragged to that Bronwyn was now saying words like "Cow" and "How" and "Wow." Really she was just crying in a funny way.)

Video: Play Time

Green House is Cooking Up a Storm

The last couple of weeks have been a return to normalcy after returning from Bronwyn's 10 days at the hospital during her illness.

A big part of that has involved cooking more meals. Last week I made slow roasted lemon-thyme-garlic chicken. I didn't pay enough attention to the word "slow" when reading the recipe and neglected to notice the 4 hour roasting time. We ended up eating it at 11pm. It was worth it though!

I also made Kevin's favorite "Birthday Dinner" blue cheese chicken. He could have it every week and be happy. I prefer to cook it occasionally myself, just to preserve the special occassion-ness of it.

I attempted to re-create The Matador's garlic prawns without much success.

This weekend was spent doing some serious cooking. Here's a run-down on some of the things Kevin and I banged out in the kitchen.

Honey-Ginger-Garlic glazed chicken wings, garnished with cilantro.
These were particularly outstanding. The night before I purchased 5 pounds of wings for our favorite buffalo wing recipe. We quickly realized five pounds was far too much for one dinner and decided to save half of the uncooked wings to experiment with a new recipe the next night. I'm so glad we did! I cannot wait to make these again.

Homemade Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce.
Oh. My. Gaw. Incredible, Just like what we had in Rome. We made a huge batch, cooked off half and froze the rest. This was a time-consuming, multiple-step involved process but it was very easy technique-wise and had a huge payoff (plus it's cheap). Who knew the humble russet potato could produce such spectacular results. I'm looking forward to cooking off the frozen batch and making it again and again.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Not a bad effort. The cake is complex, rich and dark tasting. Not too cloyingly sweet, something I appreciate. But like many cakes made from scratch, a bit on the dry side. The frosting needs work. I'd double it next time and find another recipe.

Blueberry-Lavender Chutney Crostinis.
This was provided at my baby shower and was a big hit. The recipe is Kathy Casey's and can be found online on her website www.kathycasey.com

Kevin and I followed the recipe somewhat, substituting cream cheese for the goat cheese (I'd try the goat cheese in the future). We also mixed it up a little and made half of it with just the chutney and melted blue cheese on top. Keivn and I preferred the latter.

*I bought the Blueberry Lavender chutney at Metropolitan Market in Tacoma (by Dish D'Lish, a Kathy Casey product).

Bacon wrapped, blue cheese and walnut stuffed dates.
Kevin didn't dig these. But I did. It's exactly what it sounds like. Kevin took issue with the texture of the dates and I admit they're a bit gooey-mushy. But my! They sure taste mighty fine.

Someone told me that some women gain weight during pregnancy and some gain weight during nursing. I didn't gain much weight during my pregnancy and it came off almost instantly after the baby was born. Not that it matters in the bigger scheme of things, but I was pleased all my pre-pregnancy clothes fit within five days post birth. I'm starting to suspect I might belong in the second category of women who gain during nursing. Nursing definitely increases my appetite and my desire to cook has conicided with my stay-at-home maternity leave, giving me ample opportunity and time to explore my culinary forays.

Nila Wafers.
Okay. Lest you think I'm making fancy-pancy dinners each and every day of the week... the reality is I had a colossal binge that lasted 7-10 days and revolved almost entirely around Nila Wafers and Vanilla Pudding. It was bizarre. Some days I ate an entire box of Nila Wafers and 4-5 puddings. Did you know that Safeway sells Nila Wafers for almost five bucks? Did you also know that Target sells the same Nila Wafers for 2.79? Well this is something I now know. My box-a-day Nila Wafer habit was quickly becoming expensive. Thank goodness for Target.

When it began, the first couple of days, I could delude myself with "you don't have time to eat/cook. Just shove those wafers in your mouth and get back to the business of taking-care-of-baby." But it quickly escalated into a "very bad habit" and by the time the weekend rolled around... I was still shoving those Nila Wafers down my mouth like they were going out of style. Kevin became concerned and attempted to intervene a time or two.

Somehow I weaned myself from them and am relieved/embarrassed/proud to say I have kicked the Nila Wafer habit.

The vanilla pudding is another matter.

A Few Of My Favorite Things...

Some things I can’t live without…

My Moby Wrap
Best. Invention. Ever. I love it. Mom gets to have her hands free. She loves it. Bron gets to be next to Mom. Both of us are happy campers.
Big Blankets
We got a ton of blankets as gifts and thank gaw. Because we use them all the time. Bronwyn is quickly comforted by swaddling her in aforementioned blankets.

Breast Pump
I would have gone crazy without a pump. Sometimes Bron doesn't feed every 2 hours but I'm ready to express milk. The pump has been a life saver and a comfort measure for me. Plus it has given me freedom early on to leave the house and let Kevin bottle feed her. It's especially handy during those 3 am feedings when Kevin can help out and feed her.

Organic Wool Nipple Pads
Never thought I'd type nipple pads in a blog anywhere but such is motherhood. It reduces you to talking about things like nipples and poopy diapers (just wait, I'll get around to it). But the ones I bought at Best Loved Baby in Tacoma are the best! They're so soft and the natural lanolin in them essentially means they're self-cleaning since lanolin is akin to soap.

Video Monitor
This is definitely one of the perks technology has to offer. It's hand-held and portable so I can keep an eye on Bronwyn from anywhere in the house. It's nice when she's asleep in her crib/cradle/etc and I want to go to the bathroom or get ready for the day.

The Backseat Mirror
Super handy for when I drive and want to see Miss B in the backseat. Is she asleep? Is she choking on her spit up? Is she looking at herself in the mirror again (yes she is)

Last Week of Maternity Leave

Tomorrow begins my last week at home with Bronwyn. I know it will go back fast. I'm trying to focus on the many positives and count my many-many blessings. But I have to admit, I'm not ready to go back just yet.

It's hard to know where the time has gone and now my 6 weeks of maternity leave is nearly over.

I've spent hours holding Little Miss B each day... and before I know it, it's time to start another day. She has been an amazing addition to my life and I often have no words for it. It is everything I expected it to be (motherhood) and so very much more. There aren't many aspects of my life and my life experiences that render me speechless. There are just no words adequate enough to explain how I feel about Bronwyn and being her mother.

But I adore watching Bronwyn grow and change. Something new happens every day! She's growing right before my eyes, literally.

Today she discovered mirrors. Daddy held her up in front of the bathroom mirror. We put a play mirror in her crib and in the car. She stared and stared! Of course we think she's gorgeous. I think she's starting to realize that about herself too. Mirror Mirror on the Wall indeed.

Bronwyn Bear & Mom

Crystal's Kangaroo Pouch

Crystal and Bronwyn loooooove the Moby wrap. It allows Crystal two free hands and I think it reminds Bronnie of the womb.

Late Night Conversations

Sleep deprivation causes me to periodically confuse the real world with a dream world. If I don’t have an opportunity to regularly fall into a deep sleep, I’ll often wake up before the part of my brain that knows what is real and what isn’t wakes up. I don’t know that I’d call it talking in my sleep because I’m cognizant and am able to remember my ramblings and thought processes.

I have several memories of waking up in the middle of the night during my “stint” at Ft. Benning trying to figure out where the hell I was. Basic Training is not a good place for catching up on one’s sleep. Luckily these episodes didn’t turn into a blatantly obvious state of sleep-walking. The Army frowns on sleep-walking.

Little Bronnie’s middle-of-the-night feedings have brought on the same confusing half-asleep episodes in me as the drill sergeants who stomped up and down the barracks at 2am yelling and streaming together obscenities that really didn’t need to be streamed together to be effectively vulgar.

Last night’s conversation is a good example of how I function when I’m between worlds. I woke up poor Crystal about a half hour after I fed Bronwyn a bottle of milk at 3am.

Me: Was that last bottle of milk from the Pennsylvania DOT?

Crystal: What?

Me: Was that last bottle of milk from the Pennsylvania DOT?

Crystal: DOT?

Me: Yeah, the Department of Transportation

Crystal: Huh?

Me (frustrated she’s not answering my question): That last bottle of milk….

Crystal: ….yeah?

Me (pointing to Bronwyn); …the one I gave her 30 minutes ago…

Crystal: …okay…?

Me: Did it come from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation?

Crystal (pausing a few seconds pass to consider the question): KEVIN, WHAT THE F--- ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!

Me: (thinking that tone is really unnecessary for such a simple question): What state did the milk come from?

Crystal: What state?

Me: Yes! State! What STATE did the last bottle of milk come from? What state?!

Crystal: ...Washington?

Me: …Washington? That doesn’t make any sense.

Crystal: No it doesn’t. Go to sleep, Kevin

At this point Crystal figures out I’m not 100% in the game and I start to doubt that Crystal is as dumb as she sounds right now. When we get to this stage of the discussions, I usually roll over to go back to sleep and hope Crystal forgets I ever started this ridiculous conversation by morning.

In my defense, I’ve been involved in a consuming project at work that focuses on State Department of Transportations across the country.

In Crystal’s defense, before last night we’ve never discussed getting Bronwyn’s food supply from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation nor do I suspect the PADOT is in the business of supplying bottles of breast milk for infants in the Tacoma, Washington area

I’m looking forward to getting my nights of deep sleep back to avoid these awkward conversations.

Overdue updates

I can’t believe it’s been almost three weeks since we last updated the blog. We have excuses, really!

Aside from the obvious, “we have a new baby in the house,” we also spent 10 days at Mary Bridges Children’s Hospital as Little Bronwyn fought her way through both pneumonia and bronchulitus. The poor kid wasn’t even two weeks old when she made her first trip to the E.R. She’s much better now, but that was a rough time for the new family.

I have returned to work after my 3 week hiatus to celebrate the birth of my daughter and to watch anxiously as said daughter struggled to breathe. Crystal has taken on the temporary role of stay-at-home Mom for a few more weeks before her and Little Bronwyn go back to work. Her employer has a generous policy regarding mothers and their infants in the workplace.

Crystal has done a great job during her first week at home alone with Bron. I know it’s an exhausting task but didn’t really understand until I had my first home-alone session with Bronwyn. Crystal visited some friends on Saturday, leaving the two of us alone for 6 hours.

Bron and I got along marvelously but by the time 6 hours was up I was exhausted and somehow the house was a disaster. Clothes and burp rags littered every room, dishes and milk bottles filled the sink, kitchen cupboards and drawers were wide open with their contents very askew…you get the picture. I realized that simple household tasks are performed much differently when you have a crying baby in your arms.

More updates to come, though probably not every day. One of the tasks made very difficult by a crying baby is sitting on a computer to update the world.

Thanks all for the support and words of encouragement during Bronwyn’s recovery.


Here's Bron's enough-with-that-dang-camera face

Hospital Pictures

Little Bronwyn in Dad's arms



Bronwyn and all her equipment

Bronwyn slept in the cradle on the right. Crystal and I slept in the fold our chair on the left. I don't think any of us were very comfortable.

Bronwyn on one of her last days at the hospital. She kept ripping the oxygen tubes out of her nose but by this time she was breathing well enough to not need it. The nurses finally gave up on trying to put it back on her face. Like mother like daughter. It reminded us of Crystal in labor when she kept ripping the monitors off her belly much to the nurse's annoyance.

Video: Bronwyn on Oxygen

Here is poor Little Bron hooked up several monitors, an oxygen tube and an IV. When she first arrived at the Emergency Room, the nurses strapped her to an oxygen mask that was bigger than her face. She looked so helpless. That same night, the doctors in the E.R. gave her a spinal tap, two sets of chest x-rays and took her temperature a few times in ways I'm sure she's happy to forget.