Stella Leaves Home

A couple of weeks ago my parents mentioned that they wanted to pick up Stella at The Cottage on the last Thursday of August and bring her back to their house for a couple of days. Lisa, Marni and I would pick her up after we closed The Cottage on Saturday.

We weren't sure if she would go for it. She loves Nana and Papa, but she's never been away from us for an extended time. A few days later we asked Stella if she would like to do this. She seemed to be excited about it and said yes.

As the fateful Thursday approached, we asked Stella a few more times to make sure she understood the plan. She still said yes.

Last night Stella excitedly helped Lisa pack her things. Clothes. PJs. Books. Bear. Toothbrush. Before she went to sleep, she reminded Lisa not to forget to move her car seat into Nana and Papa's car.

This morning my parents showed up at The Cottage. Stella was still psyched. By mid afternoon she was ready to go (well before my parents were ready). She even offered to sit in their car and wait.

The car ride home was uneventful. Stella slept part of the way. When she got to Natick, she immediately got into the swing of things and pulled out all of her toys. Tonight they go out for spaghetti.

She's going to have a blast!

The Marni Vocabulary - Part 1

At 16 months, here's a recap of the Marni vocabulary. She knows how to say mommy, up, Dora, Elmo, bye, and - on occasion - Stella. Additionally, she understands bottle, airplane, daddy, doggie and can identify her mouth, eyes, head, feet and ears. If you ask her a question like "Who likes ice cream?", she will reply "me!".

Fascinating huh!

Ooops... And One More Thing - Me!

Seems I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Steve. I'm an I.T. manager on Wall Street (use to be a tv producer in an earlier life). I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn with the three girlie-girls. Originally from Natick, Massachusetts. What's on my iPod? A lot of Genesis and Tom Jones. Before Stella came along I don't think I had even picked up a baby my whole life. I really had no interaction with kids (since being one myself). That's all changed... BIG TIME! I've always heard that having kids changes your life. That's an understatement. But it's all for the better.

Fun at the Beach

The girlie-girls have been "summering" in Maine. Between splashing in the surf, digging holes in the sand, and eating Popsicles; Stella and Marni have learned a few new "tricks". Stella has figured out how to call me (endlessly) on the office phone that I've installed in The Cottage. Just today Marni learned how to call the receptionist and giggle. Marni has also begun to potty train herself. Yesterday she opened the lid on Stella's potty, crawled onto it, and pooped. Although she was still wearing her diaper.

The Cast of Characters

It all started with "Mommy", aka Lisa; the love of my life. Met in 2000. Our first date was a 35-mile bike ride complete with two punctures (mine). Married in 2002. Popped out Stella in 2004 and Marni in 2006. When not being a fantastic Mom, she's busy running her own personal training company, Solo Fitness (www.solofitness.com).

Next came Stella in May 2004. Lisa was in labor for 36 hours and almost had a c-section... but everything ended up ok. Living with Stella has been amazing. Although shy with others, she is razor-sharp, kooky, sweet, and stubborn as a mule. Every day has been a wonderful adventure. She has a sparkling smile and a mop of Shirley Temple curls.

In April 2006, Marni came along. Her delivery was fast. A few days after her birth she popped out a tooth which had to be removed shortly thereafter (it was loose). Till this day she has just one new tooth (the others are afraid to come out!). Marni is quite different from Stella. She is much more easy going and independent. She's a daredevil and is game for anything.

The Beginning

Better late than never. Stella is a little over 3 years old right now and Marni is a little over 1. I've thought about documenting the experience of being a Daddy to these two beautiful girls but, until now, I haven't done anything about it. So let's see how the blog thing goes. I mean... pretty much everyone else has a blog by now. Why not me?

This blog may not be of any interest to anyone else. That's ok. It's purpose is to allow me to chronicle the adventures of Daddyhood and to pass this on to my girlie-girls when they get older.