Matt Dad Stuff, Inner Monologue, Sometimes

SOMETIMES… AND ALWAYS

Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing a good job.  Am I reading to her enough?  Playing with her enough?  Talking to her enough?  Teaching her enough?  Am I behind on giving her more and interesting foods?  Do I take her out enough?  Do I take her out too much? 

Sometimes I’m embarrassed of being a stay-at-home dad that I play it down when I’m talking to people.  I’m afraid people will judge me and think I’m a failure in the working world.

Sometimes I wonder if Ellie would be better off with her mom being at home.  Is it possible that women are just better at this thing than guys?  Am I just trying too hard just to prove that I can do it?  ALL of the coupons and rewards programs for baby products are marketed towards moms.  Maybe they’re right.  Maybe dads don’t know what they’re doing. 

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Matt Dad Stuff, Family, Mallwalking, Outings

STRANGERS, SNUGGIES, AND THE EZ CRACKER

When Aya’s mom is in town, there are always a few stops we have to make.  We always venture out to the Somerset mall, or as they call it, the Somerset “Collection.”  This place has all the exclusive stores like Tiffany’s, and Louis Vuitton so they can’t just call it a mall, even though they have a GAP and a Macy’s like every other mall does.  After the “Collection” we hit Target and Bed, Bath, & Beyond.  I don’t mind going shopping with them, and especially now with Ellie around, I have a buddy.  Also with shopping at a different mall, I can scope out the mallwalking situation for a possible mallwalking trip.  This mall is three times as big as my mall, AND it has three floors!  And a Starbucks!  However, the Somerset “Collection” does NOT have a Big Boy like my mall does.  Maybe if we’re all lucky, one day they’ll make that addition.  What better way to celebrate your purchase of a purse that costs more than my mortgage payment than by eating a Big Boy’s Slim Jim? 

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Matt Dad Stuff, Food, Japanese

HALVSIES

Ellie is half Japanese and half American.I guess if you want to get really technical, she is half Japanese, and the other half is a mix of Polish, Hungarian, Irish, English, Dutch, and CANADIAN!I just found this out last Easter.We were going through my grandma’s family papers and it turns out her grandma was born in Toronto.No one knew we were part Canadian this whole time.I felt so deceived.So to get in-touch with my roots I got a donut from Tim Horton’s.When Ellie is old enough, I will celebrate her Canadian heritage in the same way.

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Matt Dad Stuff, Food

APPLE OF MY… CHEEK

Since I’ve been eating healthier these days, I have been eating apples for snacks.  Ellie will stare at me while I eat them.  So I started letting her have a couple mini bites.  She’ll open her mouth big and then her little teeth will bite in and then she’ll give a big smile.  She’ll chew and chew and then ask for another bite.  We do this for a while until I finish the apple.  Later, Ellie was sitting on my lap and we were playing and talking when she got this look on her face.  She was focusing on something on my face.  Then she made her make-out face and started to lean in… and bit my cheek… and then gave me a big smile.

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Matt Dad Stuff, My Adventures

WHERE’S MY BELONGING?

I haven’t actually winterized my yard for the past three years. But with the weather being so nice this week, I thought it’d be perfect to spend the day outside doing the final cut, and prepping the yard for winter.  My mom was going to have Ellie all day, I had my to-do list written, and a highlighter in hand ready to start crossing things off.  Let’s do this!

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