It's been a while.....

So to start, it really has been a while since I've written on this thing. It's been a little busy in this thing called life. In my last post I talked about Adrien being sick. Turns out, it was a virus. It's called Roseola. Starts out with a high fever and then around the third day they get little red spots all over the trunk of their body. His went all the way up to his neck. Poor baby. But it went away and all was well again. So not much else has been going on in this life of mine. My wife is now out of her school duties and is officially home for summer. Which is very nice. FYI, I'm now typing on the iMac and not the iPad so my spell check and correct is off. Dangit. Anyways today sucked ass. Not only was it hot as balls in my house because the air was broken but there was poor air quality outside due to the hellfires brewing. Which i was told were after me. I don't think so though. But what should i do? Sit in the living room and stay semi-cool under the ceiling fan while the fat man played or should i take him outside and expose his tender little lungs to the smoke? For me, i would've been ok out there considering Ive been a smoker for 13 years. He however has never been exposed to smoke. I didn't believe in smoking around him. But you will be happy to know i am now 19 days tobacco free. It is by far the hardest thing i think i have ever endured. All i can think about is buying a single Black n Mild. Or buying a can of dip. Just to satisfy my craving. But then i remember how long i have been at it now. My previous record was either 2 or 3 days tops. I cant remember which. either way 19 days is a super long time and I'm very excited. Not only am i starting to feel much better, but i am saving loads of money. I actually can make it through a full week with my weekly monies. Anyways that's about all i have for you at this point. I am trying to make myself get back to at least 3 or 4 posts a week. If you enjoy any of this, give me a little nudge on facebook to get something together. I hope all is well in your world. Come back now, ya heard me?

My up and down days this week.......

So Wednesday really wasn't the greatest of days. It starts with a wake up call from Adrien at 5am. He has a fever of 102.something or another. Not so fun. Mainly because I'm up at 5am. Adrien was actually pretty happy as he usually is. So we go about our morning and I gave him some Tylenol and he started feeling better. So after a little while he goes down for a nap and I try to get a few things done. He wakes up screaming, as usual, but a little worse. I go in and check him and he is burning up. Just a piece of advice to new parents or maybe when you have kids, don't use ear thermometers. Pardon my language but they aren't worth a shit. I feel like I'm violating him when I have to do his temp rectally but I feel like it's the truest temp I can get. So I do that and he is up to 103.4. So I'm thinking to myself ok this is pretty bad. Gave him more Tylenol and called the dr. They said they could get me in later in the day so I just held it together and kept him happy til we got there. Walked in and he was happy as could be. Nurse comes out and gets us and we walk back. Lay him on the little weigh station and he is fine. Get in the room and he is fine. She breaks out her thermometer and sticks it in his armpit and all hell breaks loose. I'm not sure why he didn't like that, but he didn't. So for the next 30 minutes I'm consoling, well trying to, a very unhappy baby. Just so you know it isn't as easy as you think. You can go through many emotions with a screaming baby. Dr comes in and he is still screaming and does a throat swab. A little more crying now. Nurse comes in to prick his finger and as she is squeezing the blood out of my son's finger, I look down at his face. He looks back at me and my heart breaks. He can't see through all the tears in his eyes. He can't breathe through all the snot in his nose. And there is this lady, hurting him worse. This isn't a good feeling. All said and done I leave the office being told he has a little virus and just to ride it out the next couple days. I can't help but think to myself, I just put him through all of this for this guy to tell me he has a small virus and to give him ibuprofen. Damn. Anyways we get home and he is happy to see his mommy. So every night this week he has gotten up in the middle of the night and doesn't want to go back to sleep. During the days he is fine until his fever spikes. These are the times I want to choke myself. He can be happy go lucky one minute and the next screaming. I guess the moral of this post is, sick babies are not fun. At all. Choke yourself bad. So beware. Your time will come when you have to see this. Nothing makes them happy. Nothing. Not daddy, not mommy, not moo moo milk, not water, not spinach puffs, not Elmo, not the bouncy ball, not the basketball, not going outside, not nothing!!! Well, spraying him with the water hose made him a little happier that evening when we got home. And doing it sure did make me feel better.

What's the right music for a baby?

So what do you listen to while in the car with your baby? I can't do kids songs. Not now. When he can sing along, maybe. But right now I can't. I try to keep the rap to a minimum. Usually while he is sleeping. Mainly for the simple fact of I dont want his first word to be f#%k or b@#&h. I would feel pretty horrible about that. So I listen to STP and Kings of Leon and The Black Keys. He doesn't know Scott Weiland is a junkie. Was, is? Who knows these days. I like the rockabye baby stuff but I need words. I need to hear something other than what sounds like a xylophone playing Metallica or GnR. Decisions, decisions. Gucci Mane is a def not. Bloodhound Gang really won't do well. Five Finger Death Punch would probably scare him. Gnarls Barkley is pretty good I guess. Cee-Lo by himself, not so good for the kid. So it's not like I can really put the iPod on shuffle. I wish I could pick up Pandora in the car and just keep it on the children's folk music channel. But I can't do that. Radio is always hit or miss. I refuse to listen to country so that's out of the question. Religion channels, no. Talk radio, no for the simple fact I dont want him to care about politics. Because they are all crooks. Hispanic music, no. So I never really know what to play. I can't wait til you get a little older so maybe you can choose. So here's to waitin on you buddy.....

Things I've learned being a parent, and things I'll never understand.

First and foremost, Patience. I thought before Adrien, I was a pretty laid back and easy going guy. I was fairly patient and easy to get along with. But once you have a child, there is a new kind of patience to learn and it will be tested daily. The crying, the whining and most of all the lack sleep. Who knew babies were such hard work? I've learned how to read his cues though. Which is good. I can tell which cry is an actual bad cry. There is a whine cry, a mad cry and an I'm hurt cry. I only pick him up for the latter of those. Just to comfort and rub the booboo. I've learned when he is ready for sleep even though he is still running and playing. I can smell a poopy diaper 10 ft away. Which really isnt a great thing, but is a good thing. I've learned the things that make him laugh and the things that make him cry. Say "arms up" and he lifts his arms and let's you tickle his underarms and squeals with laughter. Turn the handle on the jack in the box and out comes the pterodactyl shrill followed by crying. I've learned how to trick him into eating foods he doesn't really like. You give him a bite of something he likes and then 2 bites of what he doesn't. These are just a few things that I have learned. Now for a few things I will never understand. I don't understand why other parents get 2 hour naps from their kids. If he naps on me, 1 hour. Lay him in the crib, 30-45 mins. Why does he have to cry like a maniac when he does wake up in the crib? Be it when he wakes up at 7 in the morning or each one of his naps during the day. Always crying. Why does he have all these toys but would rather play with a broom or the fly swatter? Really Adrien? A fly swatter? Why is his idea of fun just running around? Why does it seem like a good idea to eat the books as I try to read them rather than just sit and listen? Why do you have to have a rat tail/baby mullet? Why do you pick up the heaviest container of blocks you have and grunt and moan and scream carrying it around? Why does thunder wake me up but not you? I could go on for days. Maybe one day I will learn these things too. But for now I just have to sit here and scratch my head. And on occasion want to body slam you. Not hurt you. Just make you realize you aren't a pterosaur. But thank you for loving me. And snuggling me. And waving and blowing kisses when I leave for work. And for reaching for me when you want me to hold you. Those simple things make everything I go through day to day all worth it. I love you boy and don't you forget it!

Kind of a preface.....

So I know that I should have maybe said a few things about myself before the first post, but I must admit I got a little blog happy. So here are a few facts about myself, in case you don't already know. Im happily married to the best wife anyone could ask for, Kim. We have been married for 3 years and some months. And if you're wondering, yes I just counted on my fingers. I have the most adorable and handsome son in the world, Adrien. He is almost 15 months old and all boy. We have a dog named Kelly and an outside cat Banana. Outside now because he likes to pee in the house. Never a good thing. We live in our house out here in the country and enjoy everyday. By day I am I stay at home dad. I cook, clean, grocery shop and most importantly watch this wild youngin'. At night I go to work at the drugstore in town which I will leave unnamed. I used to be an assistant manager but now hold the title of shift supervisor. I guess hard times means crappier job titles. By the way, after taking the cbt on social networking I must say all the views expressed herein are mine and not my employers. As if anyone would think differently. I have worked there a total of almost 8 years. With a brief stint in between at another employer. I misspell big words alot so bare with me. My wife says I'm the devil's advocate, I like to say I see all sides of a situation. I'm very analytical. Which can be good at times but most of the time not. I don't tell alot of people this, but I don't neccesarrily believe in God. I'm not sure what I believe in. If I can ever get the gumption I'm going to finish reading The Tao Te Ching. It's tough finding the time really. All of my posts on here may not be family related. Sometimes it may just be an outlet to get things off my chest. But as long as you can take away from this that I am a great husband and father and friend then my job here is done. I love my wife. We don't always have a perfect relationship. But I'd rather be imperfect than be without her. As for Adrien, well this blog is named after him. Well, his jammies. His shirt says sleep is for humans. And clearly from the pterodactyl shrills he let's out from time to time, he is all monster. But this is my life. As I see it. And I hope you enjoy.


AJ

Things I wish babies would understand......

As much as I love my son, I wish he realized everything didn't run on his time. I wish he knew it hurts when he climbs all over me and steps all over the very organs that created him. I wish that he knew how unappealing it is to whine. I wish he would understand that no means no. It doesn't mean I know you just said no, but I'm still going to do it, and then smirk at you. I love you to death boy, but goodness to everything alive, you drive me crazy sometimes. But without you in my life, it's not whole. I love you and your mother more than life itself and this blog will chronicle all of it. Does that even make sense? What does chronicle even mean? I don't know to be honest. It just sounded good there.



This is my first blog ever and hopefully not my last. We shall see how goes it.