No=thin=g] ac]=cording to plan

Even while starting this post, the little DanPar came up and started getting excited and mashed the keyboard once or twice. So, just a small dedication to all the things that just don't go according to plan.

We taught the kid what a train was, and he was so enthusiastic, that he decided to make his own trains. This is achieved by putting a cup inside a bowl of yogurt.

He was waving hi to his mom around the banister, and she made me put the pillow there, just in case!

Last week, I saw a bird catching a worm. It was so iconic that I called the little guy over. He came just in time to see the bird poop on our porch and fly off.

He is actually wearing pajamas over top of more clothes. They overdid it with the AC there!

The boy loves to wave hi. At dogs, at bubbles, at thunder, at pictures of monsters on his ow pajamas, but if you try to get him to wave at a human, he clams up in an instant.

Bubbles!

When reading one of his favorite books, Bunnies!, he'll point to a tree, a bush, a cloud, but as soon as you say "stump", he hears his favorite dance move, and he stomps his feet, usually kicking the book out of your hands!

"Boo-boo!" (You may kiss my hand.)

He's the sweetest little boy. And it will be so sad when the boo-boo on his hand heals, because he asks for everyone to kiss it better.

And of course we do. <3

Cups of Coffee, 7/6/2016

     Little thoughts about my little man!

Cup of coffee #19:  Dinosaur nuggets!

Dinosaur towel! Rawr!

        The other day, I proudly picked out some cheap dino nuggets for me and the boy! (Jessi opted for the more not-blended-chicken-stuf nuggets.) The kiddo loves dinosaurs, and he's starting to play with his food, but, well, I'm still not entirely sure if he enjoyed them or not!

Cup of coffee #20:  Deputy DanPar

Practicing his horse riding skills, the little buckaroo!

        So, DanPar's gonna be an older brother soon. And in my experience of being the youngest, I was dragged around, teased, and yet still managed to have a great time with my older brothers. But it will be tough for the little munchkin. We're gonna make it as gradual as possible on the kiddo, and I'll soon implement the "Quiet time" sign, with the words "LOUD TIME" on the back. (Not really; still haven't figured out what the other side will say.)
        But I was a teacher, by gum, and so I want to emphasize that it's not just that I won't be able to devote 100% attention to the little man, but rather that I need his help! Someone's gonna have to be my deputy, and it sure won't be the little blob that will be Crash!



Cup of coffee #21:  Brushing teeth like a champ!

        What can I say? The little boy loves toothbrushes, and he can't wait to learn to do it on his own!

Kewl kids brush at least twice a day!

Kewl kids don't have plaque!

Kewl kids...use their toothbrush as a spoon, I guess?

The day got an A!

Yesterday was great. And it's important to write down good memories.

First off, I have a SUPER cute kid.

And that just makes every day better.
In the morning, I had to quickly get things cleaned up, because I knew I'd be having a bunch of people over that evening. Because it's Thursday, and every third Thursday (Thurdsday?) is DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS.

Then we went to the zoo with Aunt Amy and Uncle Bryan! And we ate crackers, with terrifying results!

Bryan taught him to say "Mush" when I'm pulling the wagon.

Cousins!

Drums!

I know there are animals at the zoo I should probably be taking pictures of, but my kid's still the best.

Watching the penguin feeding!

Choo choo!

After we rode the train, which looked just like the one from one of his favorite books, (it was like a dream come true for the little guy,) the kiddo and I headed out to have lunch with Jessi/Mama. DanPar was given his own cup with a straw, and he knew exactly what to do. Man, what will we do when the answer to "Do you need a kid's menu?" is yes?! Luckily, he's was satisfied eating bratwurst and macaroni.
When we got home, the boy fell right asleep. For two and a half hours.

Didn't even wake up during the diaper change. That is one sleepy kid.

During this time, I scrambled to get my DnD game together, creating disasters for them to encounter on the treacherous seas, where they'd been dragged off by a KRAKEN!  (Represented by 8 pieces of green ribbon.) I finished just in time, and even though I failed once again to get ANYONE eaten by monsters, it was a great time to spend with friends, family, and giant squids.

Hodey said he'd be late, so he got grabbed by the kraken!

When everyone left, Jessi was retrieving the boy from Grandmom's house, so I grabbed a couple burritos, and we ate delicious Chipotle while looking at the pictures of the day. Apparently our boy had a LOT of fun watching BattleBots!

It was a great day. And I wanted to make sure I wrote it down.
:)

DanPar's vocabulary!

Some guy outside the Dollar Tree once told me to write down all the words my kiddo knew. It would be amazing how many he knows someday.
At the time, around a year old, DanPar only said about eight words. Now he knows lots more. And he'll be 18 months tomorrow!

Dog
Ball
Stars
That
Car
Woof
Vroom! (He'll be a car person if Jessi's dad has anything to say about it!)
Milk

Meow
Rawr!
*horse's whinny
Toes
Snacks
Brush
Ice (whispered)
Hot (also whispered)
Shoes
Button
Dance! (Usually said as a command, encompassing "Turn on the computer, put on music, and then dance for me")
Delicious
Bawk bawk! (chicken, usually in cooked form)
Oink oink! (pig, usually in applewood smoked form)
Chugga chugga! (Took him a few days to complete the thought)
Yay!
Yes
Hat
Cheers! (And then we touch glasses to sippy cup!)
Stick
*explosion sound
Eyes
Choo choo!
Cheese (pronounced "shhzzz!")
Ooh ooh ah ah! (monkey!)
Balloon
Jacket
Diaper
Another
Yogurt
*fire crackling sound
Cracker
Wee wee (usually accompanied by sticking his hands down his pants)
Hi!
Buzz buzz! (for bees and birds)
Banana
Batman (DanPar = coolest kid ever)
Dad
Mama
Fish
Water (often confused with watermelon)
Watermelon (often confused with strawberry)
Strawberry (often confused with water)
No
Bunny
Shh!
Bus (thanks, Ms. Frizzle!)
Wheel
Flowers
Chips
Tree
Whoa!
Pants
Shirt
Beans
Baby
Grapes
Fan (his first sign was pointing at the fan, and waving it in a circle)
Done!
Bib
Rockets
Apple
Bye bye! (with a blown kiss, which is actually just the boy kissing his own hand, and stopping in that position)
Wagon
Book
Papa (whispered) (this refers to grandpop, Jessi's dad!)
Uh oh!
Grass
Dirt
Butter (meaning "peanut butter")
Elbow
Rings
Hands
Trucks
*siren sound
Downstairs
Night-night!
Stuck
Butt 
Bath

I'm certain it's an incomplete list, and I certainly padded his resume ("downstairs" sounds more like "dastah" currently). In any case, I tried to put them in an approximate order of his first saying them. And there's plenty more words that he knows, but he doesn't say, such as "poopy butt".

Nothing but skin and bruises!

When DanPar was but a wee lad, he was one clumsy little guy. He'd topple into toys, and bonk his head however he could. And when he was but a wee lad, whenever he fell or bumped into something (which is what babies are pretty much perfectly designed to do), he'd look at his mom and dad, and we'd lift up our hands, and say, "Yay!"
We wanted him to be fearless in exploring, even if he took a couple hits on the way. And you know what? It worked! He isn't afraid of anything! He'll run around with reckless abandon, he'll climb up and stand on furniture, he'll squeeze himself into small spaces, he'll slide down stairs rather than take them slowly...
You know, it definitely worked, but sometimes I worry that it worked too well. He laughs through all his misadventures now, but as Jessi and I say about our little dude, he's nothing but skin and bruises!
And he's the happiest little beat-up dude ever. :)

Running outside in the rain, because you know what? Our kid is great, and clothes are easy to wash.

Sitting in the wagon meant for toys. He climbed in all on his own!

Aforementioned "standing on furniture." That's my boy!

Flopping down in the pile of cushions he put there himself, so that he had something soft to fall into!

Self-help!

My super-talented, super-amazing wife just got her Professional Engineering thing, which is HUGE. She's now batting in the same league as her bosses, and although it was several months of her nose to the grindstone, she did it!

Hats off to Mom! (Or hats on, I guess!)

Meanwhile, I've realized that since I no longer have a job job (not to be confused with a job, which I do have), self-improvement has fallen onto the back burner. The most progress I've made recently in my life is that I'm a few steps closer to unlocking all the ships in FTL.

I'll get you someday, Federation Cruiser Type C

Everyone's different, but here's what holds me back personally:
1. When I don't see results quickly, I fall off the bandwagon.
2. Since I pretty much do my job 24/7, free time is usually spent being anything but productive
3. I'm just plain lazy.

But not as lazy as this good-for-nothing freeloader!

So, I'm gonna try and get my butt on the move by reading self-improvement books. Because one thing I love to do is read, read, read.
I'm starting with The Art of Manliness' free ebook, 30 Days to a Better Man!

For me, it's good to have an end in sight. So, the limit of 30 days appeals to me.
(Plus, this is the bunch that convinced me to start using a safety razor, which has greatly improved my life and my looks.)

I won't make a point of how each day goes, but I did want to share the fruit of Day 1. "Define Your Core Values."

1. Humility
2. Identity
3. Community
4. Nurturing spirit
5. Truth

All of the most powerful moments of my life have been from the perspective of humility. I've knelt before the Lord in fear and sacrifice. I've surrendered myself to become a couple, greater than the sum of our parts. I've looked up at the stars in an empty soccer field, and the solitude of being one man crept through my nerves in a physical sense. Pride is what topples us, makes us believe we are worthy of all of God's gifts, and makes us take others for granted.

Sprouting from our humility is the power of untethered identity. Although we are small, we cannot let ourselves feel reduced to an unremarkable drop in an ocean, but rather we must be a part of the world with a purpose. We are free, and must all be free in our beliefs and talents. And only with this freedom can we be together, a force of individuals.

In this, we find strength in community. To cooperate with our neighbors and function as a larger body, to protect each other from injustice and injury, and to build lasting and powerful friendships, for the sake of ourselves and all of mankind.

It stems from this that we should value a nurturing spirit. To care for each other is everyone's lifelong responsibility. To heal the sick and make bodies well, to embrace the brokenhearted and make minds strong, and to celebrate all souls and make them bright. Our commission is to live for the improvement of ourselves as well as each other.

Finally, truth is the domain in which we exist by necessity. To be honest and open with one another, and to seek, always, a greater understanding of science, humanity, and goodness.

Dadmaster's soapbox talk on race

To simplify things, let's say that white privilege is simply not having any prejudices stick to you. Anyone in our country can think up dozens of stereotypes for hispanics, blacks, and people with Asian ancestry. Every stereotype is a harmful one, which takes away from an individual's right to create their own identity. American society, a white person basically has no race.

Also, race has no genetic reality. There is no magical boundary between skin colors that separates black and white, and there isn't a "check one or more of the following ethnicities" chromosome. It's a cultural thing that's been made up, so it's only real because it is taught.

When I became a teacher, I was forced to take a one-on-one class in multicultural education because I simply disagreed with the texts' conclusions. So I worked with someone we'll call Dr. Wright.

I had been assigned story after story of people of color telling their personal narratives, and how they had been reduced to their race time and time again, by unintentional jokers, or stereotyping passers-by, or even trusted colleagues. And I dismissed it all. I felt that if I were in their shoes, I could've taken it in stride, and nothing would have changed. But when Dr. Wright asked me to imagine that, instead of some invisible writer telling these stories, it was a person of color that I knew, I put my student Don in there.

I had some great students in my classes. Some fantastic ones. I had some students whose thank-you notes I will probably never throw away, because I know they learned so much from me.

Not Don.

Don spent my classes running around, playing with other kids, and doodling on the assignments. I have no qualms with saying that he was a terrible, terrible, student. But every day, Don came and gave me a hug. Even if he was with another teacher, he'd run out of the line to hug me, because he had a big heart.

Don was 8. But all of a sudden, I was putting him in the shoes of all these people. So he was growing up being told to be more realistic with his dreams of being an architect, because he was black. He was constantly being told by fellow college students that he couldn't be from the US, because he was Asian. He was being told in his job that his accent made the customers uncomfortable, because he was Mexican. Then I knew that it mattered.

I couldn't shut it out anymore. I couldn't just believe that it was only these few people who had decided to write about it, and I couldn't just disregard something that affected them, and not me.

I don't believe that racism is only seen in isolated incidents, and it isn't perpetuated only by outright racists. I think that our world is flooded with prejudices and stereotypes that are subtly taught by society and subtly applied to people according to their race.

I sincerely believe that if we're going to truly work out the insanity of how we see race in today's society, we need to admit that race takes up space in our minds, and that we can and do regard it, so that we can have level-headed dialogue about it, however we can, with those we disagree with, and with those who have a different perspective.

I know this doesn't have to do with DanPar or fatherhood or anything, but it's been on my mind, and this blog is the biggest soapbox I have to stand on.