Should my child become a model?

While I am not a fan of Bruno, this video is very disturbing! I have never liked parents that push their children into modeling. This video only confirms why I can’t stand those parents. They will do anything to get their children into the spotlight and they pay no attention to their children’s needs or desires.

If you are this type of parent than you need to take a step back and look at how your selfish actions may be hurting your children.

Obviously we need children models for commercials, movies and print ads. If you desire to enter your child into this crazy world, make sure you go about it the right way and ensure it is something your child would like to do. Your children can’t protect themselves. It is the parents responsibility to make sure they are being taken care of.

Roger Stephens – You are a disgrace to the entire Human race!

Who in their right mind would slap a 2 year old? Roger Stephens, 61, may be the biggest jerk to ever grace this earth. Roger was at a local Wal Mart and there was a crying 2 year old nearby. He had the nerve to walk up to the mother and tell her that if she didn’t shut her baby up, he would. A few minutes later, down another aisle, he grabbed the 2 year old and slapped her 4-5 times. Then told the mother “See, I told you I would shut her up,”. You can read the story here.

For anyone that has children you know that sometimes it can be difficult to take them out in public. With everything that is going on in their young bodies, sometimes they just have a bad day and nothing will calm them down. What is a Mother to do when she can’t calm her kids down? She can’t put her life on hold, she still has to get things done. For the most part people are very patient with crying children in public, especially if they have children of their own. We have had moments where we could not calm our children down and we have had strangers come over and try to help us out.

I am not sure what I would do if a stranger slapped my child in that situation, but I can guarantee he would receive more than 4-5 slaps. It is already a high pressure situation for the Mother, throw in a jerk like Roger Stephens, and I am sure my wife would have sent him home in a body bag!

The Middle Wife

I received this email from my Grandpa today and I think it is hilarious. Kids say the craziest things, and if this story is true, it is right up there with some of the craziest stories I have heard from a child.

Enjoy!

The ‘Middle Wife’ by an Anonymous 2nd grade

teacher

I’ve been teaching now for about fifteen years. I

have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the

one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always

have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over

shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids

bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they

catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any

boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in

to school  and talk about it, they’re welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright,

very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the

front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.

She holds up a snapshot of an infant. ‘This is Luke, my

baby brother, and I’m going to tell you about his

birthday.’

‘First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their

love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom’s stomach, and

Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an

umbrella cord.’

She’s standing there with her hands on the

pillow, and I’m trying not to laugh and wishing I had my

camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.

‘Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts

saying and going, ‘Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!’ Erica puts a

hand behind her back and groans. ‘She walked around the

house for, like an hour, ‘Oh, oh, oh!’ (Now this kid

is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

‘My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers

babies, but she doesn’t have a sign on the car like the

Domino’s man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like

this.’ (Then Erica lies down with her back against the

wall.)

‘And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she

kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up

and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!’ (This kid

has her legs spread with her little hands miming water

flowing away. It was too much!)

‘Then the middle wife starts saying ‘push,

push,’ and ‘breathe, breathe.’ They started

counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a

sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff

that they all said it was from Mom’s play-center

(placenta), so there must be a lot of toys inside there.

When he got out, the middle wife spanked  him for crawling

up in there.’

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow, and

returned to her seat.

I’m sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since

then, when it’s show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder,

just in case another ‘Middle Wife’ comes along.

What Love means to a 4-8 year old

My grandpa sent me this email over the weekend and I thought it would be a great message to share with Thanksgiving coming up.

Touching words from the mouth of babes. A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, ‘What does love mean?’ The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined See what you think:

‘When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.’

Rebecca- age 8

‘When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.’

Billy – age 4

‘Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.’

Karl – age 5

‘Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.’

Chrissy – age 6

‘Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.’

Terri – age 4

‘Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.’

Danny – age 7

‘Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more..
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss’

Emily – age 8

‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.’

Bobby – age 7 (Wow!)

‘If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,’

Nikka – age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)

‘Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.’

Noelle – age 7

‘Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.’

Tommy – age 6

‘During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.

He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.’

Cindy – age 8

‘My mommy loves me more than anybody
You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.’

Clare – age 6

‘Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.’

Elaine-age 5

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and20sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.’

Chris – age 7

‘Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.’

Mary Ann – age 4

‘I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.’

Lauren – age 4

‘When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.’ (what an image)

Karen – age 7

‘Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.’

Mark – age 6

‘You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.’

Jessica – age 8

And the final one

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climb ed onto his lap, and just sat there..

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

‘Nothing, I just helped him cry’

Halloween and Kids Safety

Halloween is such a fun time for the kids to get all dressed up in their costumes and go trick-or-treating. However there are a lot of things that can make such a fun occasion go sour real quick. Make sure you are watching out for your kids, and make sure to keep them out of harm’s way. To avoid the many dangers children face while trick or treating, use common sense. Be aware of potential Halloween hazards and take precautions to eliminate them. Consider heading for an indoor Halloween party and bypass any chaos or danger.

One thing that is gaining in popularity is trunk-or-treating. This is where a bunch of people meet at a central location, usually with a big parking lot, and hand out candy from the trunks of their car. This eliminates the risk of drivers not seeing your children as they walk around the neighborhoods. Also, it eliminates the risk of going to a house that has people that can harm your children.

One idea I have heard and will use with my children is to feed them before they go Trick-or-Treating. By doing this they will not be tempted to sneak some candy while they are out knocking on doors. That way we can inspect all of the candy before any of it is consumed.

I have compiled a list of things we can do to make sure our kids are safe this halloween. If I have missed anything please leave us a comment and let us know any additional safety tips you have.

Halloween Safety Check List:

• Wear flame retardant costumes.
• Make sure your Halloween costume is colorfast so the color doesn’t run onto your other clothes if it rains.
• Try on costumes before Halloween to allow time for altering.
• Hem your costumes so you don’t trip and fall.
• Apply reflective tape to your Halloween costumes.
• Avoid cumbersome masks. Use make-up instead.
• Make-up should be hypoallergenic and non-toxic.
• Wear comfortable, practical shoes.
• Double tie your shoelaces so you don’t trip.
• Keep your costume and wig away from candles.
• Don’t carry fake swords, guns, knives or similar accessories that look authentic. Make sure they’re flexible and cannot harm anyone.
• Carry a flashlight with fresh batteries after dark.
• Take along money for a phone call.
• Wear identification that’s easy to read.
• Always trick or treat in groups, accompanied by an adult.
• Follow a curfew and take a watch with a backlight.
• Plan your route ahead of time.
• Stay on the sidewalks and out of the streets. Cross only at intersections and designated crosswalks.
• Walk. No running.
• Don’t trample through flower beds and gardens.
• Watch out for open flames in jack-o-Lanterns.
• Trick or treat in familiar neighborhoods.
• Walk with your head up and be aware of your surroundings.
• Only visit well lit houses. Don’t stop at dark houses.
• Don’t enter any houses unless you know the people.
• Carry a spare Halloween bag — in case yours breaks or you fill your original one.
• Don’t approach unfamiliar pets and animals.
• Don’t cut across yards and stay out of back yards.
• Follow traffic signals and don’t jaywalk.
• Always watch for cars backing up or turning.
• Review the “stop, drop and roll” procedure in case your costume catches on fire.
• Never accept rides from strangers.
• Respect other people and their property.
• Be polite and say “thank you.”
• Don’t eat any candy until it’s inspected for tampering under bright lights.
• Avoid candy that has loose wrappings, is unwrapped, has puncture holes, or is homemade.
• Small children should not be allowed hard candy they may choke on.
• Report any suspicious or criminal activity to an adult or the police.
• Consider having a party instead of Trick or Treating.

Also, there has been a candy recall of “Pirate Chocolate Coins”. Here is the link:
http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp

With Halloween upon us you can’t be too careful!

Christmas in October?

I received an email featuring a Christmas product today. I work in advertising and I understand Q4 is the busiest time of year, but we aren’t going to start promoting our products until after Halloween. Should we start moving our time-line up to compete with other companies? In the companies defense, the email was for a Disney Christmas decoration so it does warrant an early season promotion. I know my wife and kids would love it, but Christmas in October? I do my Christmas shopping right around December 24, so this would not be beneficial for me at all.

For those that need to know, here is the product they were promoting:

The Wonderful World of Disney Christmas Tree

What do the Baby Specialist women think? When do you start your Christmas shopping?

How do you keep your children warm at night?

It is getting colder, and I am worried about keeping our kids warm as the temperature drops at night. Our 2 month old is fine, we bundle him up and he stays warm all night. Our 20 month old is a different story. We put blankets on her, and she always manages to kick them off while she is sleeping. She is like her Mommy in that she is very mobile during the night. Many times I will go in there early in the morning and she has kicked her covers off and she is cold. I always put the covers back on, but I have no idea when she kicked them off and how long she has been laying in her crib without the warmth of the blankets.

It is not feasible to watch her all night obviously to make sure she keeps her blankets on, and I think she is still too young to pull them back on if she wakes up cold. So, we are turning to the more experienced Baby Specialists of the site and asking for suggestions. What do you do to keep your kids warm at night? I think the best solution would be to wake up every couple of hours to check on her, but that doesn’t seem like the right thing to do.

Please help us keep our children warm at night! Leave a comment and let us know what you have done that has worked for your children.

Poop on the Baby Specialists pants?

I am a huge football fan, and I have had the opportunity to teach Brandi a lot about football in our short marriage. One thing that I have taught her is the love for the college gameday atmosphere. We love going to games on Saturday, and we have a blast watching our favorite team play. We have been able to take both of our children to football games over the past 2 years, and it has been fun to see them get excited about all of the commotion. It is not always easy having children at the games, but it is worth it when I see how excited they get at the games. Hunter is still very young, and he has been to 2 games already. He may not know what is going on, but there is no doubt he is very alert during the game. It is a blast, and I recommend taking your kids to a game if you have not already done so.

Last week we attended a game, and afterwards we went out to eat. While we were at dinner I noticed a brown spot on Brandi’s pants. I asked her what it was, and she told me Hunter had a blow out during the game and it got on her pants. For anyone that knows Brandi this was out of the ordinary for her. I was shocked at how calm she was while telling me about it. Brandi is always very clean, and her appearance is always top notch. So for her to not be worried about having a poop stain on her pants all day was pretty remarkable. She is doing such a good job taking care of our kids. She has certainly put our children first, and I am so grateful that I am married to such a Baby Specialist!

I promise all of my posts will not be about such messy subjects.

I am becoming a Baby Specialist, one stinky diaper at a time

As Brandi announced here, I am Travis and I am the husband of the true Baby Specialist! Having 2 kids has pushed me to do things I never thought possible. Things like changing diapers and singing nursery rhymes were very foreign to me a couple of years ago. I have come along way, but there is always room for improvement.

Being around babies was not necessarily new to me, I had 7 nieces and nephews by the time Lexi joined our family. I knew what was required to take care of a baby and I knew the work that was involved was not easy, or sanitary. Until Lexi came along I could always give the baby back if they started to cry, or needed a diaper change. I was quite happy being the fun uncle that would play all the time. In fact when my cute little niece Caitlin found out I was going to be a daddy, she asked her mom “does that mean Travis will have to grow up now?”. Caitlin is very relieved that I did not “grow up”, and I hope that I will never disappoint her in that aspect.

The journey technically began when we found out Brandi was pregnant, however my journey as a father really began the first night in the hospital. Everything had gone smooth with the delivery of Lexi, and we had a great time visiting with our family afterwards. Once the dust settled and everyone had headed home for the night, I decided it was time to step up and face one of my biggest fears. Changing a diaper.

Everyone had offered to let me change their child’s diaper, but I was reluctant and insisted that the first diaper I ever changed would be my own child. In my mind I felt it would be different. You know how sometimes the smell of your own farts don’t smell nearly as bad as other people’s farts? I thought this would apply to diapers as well, and my child’s diapers wouldn’t smell as bad as other children’s diapers. I had never been further from the truth on that assumption. A dirty diaper is a dirty diaper, it does not matter who produced the dirty diaper. They all stink!

Lexi’s first diaper did not dissappoint, and although other people had warned me about the first couple of diapers, I was not prepared. If you have babies, or if you have changed a newborn, you know what is found in those first couple of diapers. If you have never had this experience, than I will try to describe it to you without chasing you away from the site. The first couple of diapers are filled with a tar like substance, that is extremely difficult to get off. I have no idea what it is, or how it gets inside babies, but it is there and it is worse than regular baby poop.

My brother Shane had yet to see Lexi, and I had not had any food since lunch. He called to congratulate us and asked when he could come visit. I told him if he brought me food he could come anytime that night. I knew he was on his way, and Lexi was messy, so I decided to step up and change her for the first time. This way she would be clean when he showed up, and he could hold our little bundle of joy. Brandi took a minute to give me a lesson on how to change her, and answered all of my ridiculous questions. She was pretty out of it from labor and pain pills, and I knew I would be doing this alone. I was under-prepared and what happened next was not pretty.

I began my journey by taking off the existing diaper, and checking out the damage that had been done. I saw the tar-stuff, and it had started to creep up her back. A blowout on the first diaper, just my luck. I held her legs in the air, and started looking for the wipes in the changing table. (After 2 kids I now realize the importance of laying out everything BEFORE you start the changing process. Once you get started there is no turning back!) Finally I found the wipes, after much searching, but what I realized next sent a shiver down my spine. These wipes were not what I had expected to find. I thought the wipes would be nice and moist to help clean up the mess, but these wipes were all dry. At that moment I heard a knock on the door, I told whoever it was to come in. I hoped it was a nurse that would be able to step in and save me. The door opens and in walks Shane with our food. I can only imagine the scene he just burst in on. I was holding Lexi’s legs in the air, with tar-like crap all over, and no idea what to do with these dry wipes. Luckily Shane has a daughter as well and had some experience. He jumped right in and moistened the wipes for me, and taught me how to change a diaper. I had no idea you had to wipe girls a certain way, I always had thought that as long as the poop was off you were good. Now I know you have to wipe from the front to the back (This prevents anything from being pushed into areas it does not belong). As I started to wipe, I realized that as I was looking for the wipes I was not very careful with Lexi’s feet. She had the tar like substance on her little feet as well. I had Shane running back and forth moistening wipes for me, as I tried to clean Lexi up from the disaster. We probably used 20 wipes in the whole process, but she was finally clean. I am just glad Shane’s first impression of Lexi was her dirty little bum being held in the air, while her Dad stood there in shock as to what needed to be done.

I have changed many diapers since that first one in the hospital. While I am not a perfect diaper changer, I am improving. My speed is picking up, and I am figuring out new ways to plug my nose as I change the diapers. I have found that if I hold my breath the whole process speeds up quite nicely. Although being a dad can be messy, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. There is nothing like having your child look up at you and smile! I love being a Dad to my children, and I hope I can contribute to this site by sharing my stories. I am becoming a Baby Specialist, one stinky diaper at a time.

Please leave a comment, and let us know when your journey to becoming a baby specialist officially got started.