Brandon's Blog

My Daddy Job Just Got a Little Tougher

The Toddler Miracle Diet (something to look forward to)

Kristy has done a great job of finding books and other resources to help us move from 'total parenting ignorance' to 'mostly parenting ignorance.'  Often, these resources do a wonderful job of capturing the comedy that often seems so inherent in the whole parenting sphere.  Once such book spells out 'The Toddler Miracle Diet.'  As Kristy read it to me, I only got parts of it due to the laughter that overtook her and kept her from being very coherent.  I'll just give you a few of the highlights:

I Love Being a Daddy

I love being a daddy. Does it matter that Caitlyn often turns into a sprinkler head when she spits up while I'm holding her?  (You know, swiveling around back and forth, 180 degrees?)

Nope.  I love being a daddy.

Child Vaccine Developments

There've been some interesting developments in the child vaccinations issue recently.  As you may be aware, there's been a lot of suspicion and even anger over the science and medical community's refusal to link the rise in autism with vaccinations.  (Even Jenny McCarthy has gotten in on it.)  I understand that "there is no scientific proof" that the myriad of vaccinations that children get today actually causes autism, BUT the stubbornness of the scientific community to do further aggressive research on the statistical link has caused, what one specialist admits, "a crisis of trust." 

Wired Magazine has the scoop on the American government's new initiative to restore the public's trust by creating a working group that will get significant public input in setting the priorities of the initiative.  What's interesting about the research being done is that there's a new theory that a pre-existing condition called mitochondrial dysfuntion may be the culprit in the vaccination/autism problem.  This post from Science Blog has more.

Attack of the Toy & Vaccinations

It's been so much fun watching Caitlyn change lately.  The sounds coming from her are beginning to sound much more distinctly girly (at times a little squeely).  She's beginning to giggle more, though we can't seem to find one consistent thing to maker her laugh.  At times it's even kinda random.  She just about always responds to our smiles with her own big smiles, however.  Her coordination is slowing getting better as well.  Typically, though, when she picks up a toy, before long it looks as if it has developed a mind of it's own and is attacking her face, leaving a rather puzzled look on a fussy Caitlyn as if to say, "I just want to get this thing in my mouth!  What's going on??!"

Off to Spend Christmas with Family

The three of us are off to the States tomorrow morning with much anticipation.  Should be a memorable time introducing Caitlyn to my side of the family (as well as to Uncle Aaron and Aunt Laura in Colorado).  She already enjoys looking at the pictures of her cousin Justus that are hanging up next to the changing table. 

I'm happy to say that the next time I post on this blog, it will be from a MacBook.  My current laptop is getting along in "computer years."  In PC terms, I believe that's about 25 years for every 1 human year, making my Toshiba Satellite well beyond retirement age.  So I ordered the MacBook and had it shipped to my parents' place in Washington State.  But I promised my wife I wouldn't spend the entire holiday tinkering with it, so . . . we'll see how that goes.  A big thanks to all my Mac friends who've answered my question, "What are your complaints about your Mac?" (a question which Mac people just see as an opportunity to rave all the more about their Apple toys. Obviously I've been persuaded.)

So I guess we're coming into the season of life and marriage where Christmas begins to have that fresh sense of joy and excitement.  Nobody does Christmas like kids do!   We're really looking forward to the challenge of centering the Christmas season on things that matter as a family.  That sense of awe for the Incarnation.  The spine-tingling excitement of being invited to join God in what he's doing on the earth.  The joy of giving and of serving others.  It's really just the stuff of "life to the full."  Christmas just seems to highlight those things anew.

(Oh, and be sure to have a look at Santa's Ghetto in the next few weeks.  Very cool stuff.)

Pure Caitlyn

We've been so encouraged by the e-mail messages and comments on the various blogs.  Since we're not able to keep up and respond to every message, we'll just send out a big "thank you" to everyone!  Go raibh míle maith agat!  (One thousand thanks to you!)   And while we're throwing in the Irish, Caitlyn's name is derived from the Gaelic form of "Caitlín" and means "pure."  Put the name together with Amber and it gets pretty interesting.  Something we hadn't even considered until a couple days after she was born!

Culture Night & SURPRISE!

Kristy and I connected up with our friend Holly for Dublin Culture Night on Friday.  It's a brilliant way to promote the art, history and other cultural highlights of the city.  CLICK HERE to read about our time over at The Dublin Expat Experience blog.

Also, this afternoon, Sheryl McElwee threw a surprise baby shower for Kristy.  She'd been planning it all week and I had several "undercover" phone conversations with her over the last few days.  As far as Kristy knew, we were going over to the McElwees' for coffee and hang-time. 

Unfortunately, I was behind Kristy when she walked in to the McElwees' kitchen and the ladies jumped out from behind the counter and shouted, "SURPRISE!"  So, I didn't get to see her face, but everyone said it was quite the "surprised" look.  All 8 or 9 ladies involved helped purchase the car seat that we'd been looking at, which was a huge help.  We're grateful for cool friends here in Dublin!

I've got another picture of Kristy giving me "a look" after she realized that I'd pulled off the surprise, but she made me promise not to put it up on the web.  =)

Just Another 3 Weeks or So to Daddy Time

The fact that we're about to become parents in the next 3 or 4 (or 5??) weeks is beginning to sink in.  After months of shopping and weighing the pros and cons on various prams/push chairs/strollers (or whatever you want to call them), we finally purchased one yesterday.  It's a Maclaren Techno XT.  When my wife first mentioned it, I told her I didn't think we should be shopping for dirt bikes just yet.  "Techno XT?"  Does it come with anti-lock brakes or a GPS or something??

The next big purchases we're now feeling overwhelmed by are the car seat and the crib.  We now realize that maybe these should have come first, given that we won't even be able to leave the hospital without a car seat and, oh yeah - where's the baby gonna sleep?? 

Naïve Reflections on Being a Parent

Kristy and I had a great conversation the other day about the ways we want to be intentional in raising our child (or children?).  I think our conclusion essentially boiled down to raising him/her in an offensive way rather than a defensive way – in a way that nurtures their character and equips them to be agents of change in the world rather than in a way that just protects them from the world.  (Else they turn out something like THIS.)

I look forward to helping my son/daughter think about the culture around her – in film, TV, internet, advertisements, music, etc. – challenging and equipping him to identify the things that are true, beautiful, life-giving, and just, as well as the things that are destructive, abusive, warped, and self-obsessed.  I look forward to the challenge of helping her see that the divine love that is in her is bigger and far more powerful than the evil that is out there.  And I can't wait to look into his eyes and tell him about his mission to be salt and light and aroma. 

Of course, this has huge implications for us as parents.  I’m beginning to realize that our character will have everything to do with good parenting.  Whether we like it or not, character shows through.  Dangerously enough, it shows through in spite of our efforts to put our best foot forward and look like we have it together.  It seems that's especially true in the family.  There's just no covering up who you really are at home.  Which is scary.

On the other hand, what an amazing opportunity for accelerated character transformation.  The stakes are getting raised.  My character development (or lack thereof) no longer just affects me – it affects my family.  I think Kristy and I have been confronted by this in our marriage.  Now it's just being highlighted all over again with a critter on the way.

(Notice the new "parenting" category on this here blog.  I have a feeling there's gonna be a lot of material in the months ahead.)