Saturday was one of those 14-hour stretches of time during which there wasn’t a second to sit down and enjoy the fact that there was no work - only play. Adult play isn’t as fun, though, considering our whole morning was eaten up by a car appointment, errands and an orthodontist visit that left my [...]

Filed under: Firsts, Husband & Wife | 2 Comments »

When I found out there were several places in Chicago that had baby music classes starting at 6 months of age, I was gung-ho to get Nola enrolled. When I discovered that 6-week classes, which had babies sit in a circle and learn about rhythm, would set us back $120 clams, I decided that we [...]

Filed under: Nola Eleanor, Thar She Grows | 3 Comments »

Normally when I’m in a bookstore perusing the stacks, I pretty much want to be left to my own devices. One hand clutches the coffee cup, the other hand pulls out books so I can read the jacket copy. Occasionally someone will try to strike up a conversation with me about their personal recommendations and [...]

Filed under: Diversions, Firsts, Matthew I.V.F. Miller | 2 Comments »

My ancestry is drawn mainly from several strands of German and Dutch folk. My grandparents were born VanHaaften, Miller (originally Mueller), Johnson and Datwyler, respectively. What those complicated collaborations of vowels and harsh consonants don’t reveal is that we also have a great deal of monster blood coursing through our veins.
This is my great great [...]

Filed under: Daddy Things, Hungry Man, Nola Eleanor | 3 Comments »

Perhaps the best part of working from home is the lunches. It’s not like I have the luxury of cooking full-fledged, gourmet eats every day of the week because there’s a lot to be done and the little one gets impatient with the whole chopping-stirring-plating process.
However, I don’t have to eat tuna fish and carrot [...]

Filed under: Daddy Things, Hungry Man | 2 Comments »

I can hardly remember a time when I wasn’t working from home, taking care of two full-time jobs during the waking hours of my every day. In the scheme of my 30 years on Earth, this new work arrangement has been a fly on the backside of a Brontosaurus, but I’m either working too hard [...]

Filed under: Daddy Things, Nola Eleanor, Work/Life Balancing Act | 4 Comments »

The only downside to having a baby in April is that now, finally, Nola is ready to hit the park. But the weather is no longer jiving with outdoor escapades so our time to swing is limited. Had she been a bigger girl, we could have put her in the infant swing sooner, but even [...]

Filed under: Firsts, Husband & Wife, Nola Eleanor, Thar She Grows, Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

Only a week after she perfected the art of sitting up alone, Nola pulled herself up to standing. She was in her crib (which is now lowered), supervised, where she commenced 7 repetitions of up-and-down. Her guns are ripped, so to speak. Hulkamania ain’t got nothing on Nola.
She’s only 6-1/2 months old, but she now [...]

Filed under: Daddy Things, Thar She Grows | 3 Comments »