New Year Resolutions

Every year around this time most people make new years resolutions. Some of the most popluar resolutions are to be healthier, go to the gym more often, lose weight. Some peoples resolutions are not to curse, be nicer, volunteer their time.

I use to make New Years resolutions evey year and never accomplished them. I am sure most people don't accomplish them. This year I am going to make some  resolutions based on one thing, my son.

The number one resolution is to have more patience. I thought I had it but the older my son gets the faster I lose it. I need to relax and take it slow.

The number two resolution is not to be frustrated. It is easy to lose your temper when things don't go well especially with children. Sometime you tell a child to do something and the don't listen or follow through.

The number three resolution is to listen to advice from my dad. One dad to another. As adults we think we know it all and we don't . Sometime parents give advice to their children about your children. The years of experience outway mine. I should listen and then make decisions.

What ever resolutions you make. I hope you keep them. I will try to do my best to keep them and remember that another year is over and a new one is beginning.

Happy New Year! 

Horrible Three's

In October our son turned 3 years old. I thought we were out of the woods with the terrible two's. I was so wrong. I am calling this the Horrible Three's because it is worse than the Terrible Two's. It has been a big challenge because now Peter is more challenging, more verbal, and worst of all more physical. It is just horrible. I hope this faze goes by fast even though I know the older they get the bigger the problems are.

It started just after his birthday, just two days into being three. He has become a little monster. I have seen a big change that I cant believe is going on. He has a temper now which was never shown before. He is also defiant. My patience has never been short until now. I can see why some parents end up killing their children unintentionally.


You will tell him not to do something. He will look at you and do exactly what you say not to do with a big smile on his face and mock you just with the smile. I get so upset because I know he is pushing my buttons and I just walk away.  I get so mad. I should not walk away. I should attack it right away to prevent it from happening again. I have to think before I react. That is my problem.

The worst part about the whole thing is that we try not to give him everything he wants. He is our only son and it took 11 years to have him. I try not to spoil him but I can see how parents spoil their children without even realizing it.  Everything on TV he wants and says, "I want that" or "Buy me that". I do not cave in most times.

He started to go to daycare in October. He loves going there. He has adjust well I thought. Yesterday the daycare teacher has said that he has been very aggressive in the last two day He is hittng, kicking children. We can not figure out why. He even bit a younger girl. My wife and myself reached out to the parents of the other child. It was nothing serious and no skin broken but I am worried that this will get out of control. I don't know if it is because he can not express himself or he gets frustrated. We asked him and he said, "yes". He said he did not like two younger children. I hope he out grows this fast.

I am hoping that the horrible three's go by fast and hope that 4's are fantastic. I am praying and doing the best that I can to help him through this rough time but I know this is growing pains of being a toddler.




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Adventures In Potty Sitting

It has been a long road. A road that began a while ago. A question to answer too. Do we teach him to stand up or sit down on the potty. This question has been asked before. There are many that say let sit first and then stand. Others have said let him stand. What do we do?

Peter was always curious about going to the bathroom. He would always try to get into the bathroom anytime I was in there. He had a fascination about going to the bathroom. "Why does daddy stand and mommy sit?", he would ask. I would have to explain to him in the simplest way. Mommies and daddies have different organs that we use for going to the bathroom. That's why daddies stand and mommies sit when going pee pee on the potty.

We decided to make him sit at the beginning of his potty training because it was just easier on the little playschool potty. Now he is standing on the regular toilet bowl sometimes. It depends on his mood. He is definitely sitting on the playschool potty. I am sure that if he stood by the playschool potty he would pee all over the floor, the walls and me.

He refused to poop on the potty. I am trying to have patients with this. He holds it and then goes in his underpants. I have caught him once and was able to get him on the potty. I ask him why he does not want to go on the potty and he changes the subject. I can believe it because he is only three years old. My wife and myself do not want to put pressure on him to poop on the potty.

He is finally starting to poop on the potty now. We are so proud of him because sometimes it is like a road that constantly curves without a straight road or sometimes it is like a circle, never ending. We encourage him constantly and give him praise for the accomplishment.

Just as soon as we got him into a routine. He started daycare which made him revert back a bit because there are children that are littler than him. He sees them in diapers so he figures why can't he go in his underpants, There are also children older than him. The reason he also doesn't want to go to the bathroom is because he believes he will miss out on a lot of playing. When he went in his  underpants he felt embarrassed. The older children would also encourage him. After a two week adjustment he went back on the potty. Yeah!

It has been an adventure and a challenge for all of us and will continue to potty train as much as we can. There have been ups and downs on this road. It may be the I don't know what potty to go on adventure, or the stand or sit adventure, or the pooping adventure. We will encourage him and hope that this adventure will end soon because a new adventure will begin.

Rad Dad Tees Giveaway

Rad Dad Tee's are cool and unique tee shirts for Dads to proclaim their Dad-hood. If you are a Rad Dad these tee shirts are for you.

Each Rad Dad Tee is make with American Apparel Tee Shirts. They are one hundred percent cotton except for their heather grey ones.  They are ninety percent cotton, ten percent polyester. These tee shirts are made here in USA. 

Each tee shirts designs are fun and different. I love the stamp on the inside of the backside of the shirt. Not only does it it tell the size . It tells you to wash it inside  out to protect the graphics. Here it also says," 100% Cotton, 200% Comfy" which is true. I also like the four lines written for a positive attitude. It says, "Today, I am going to be the best dad I can be. Then, I'll do it again tomorrow.". There is also a label with instructions how to make this shirt last longer which made me laugh. It states to wash the tee shirt inside out, tumble try low or hang dry. Failure to do so will cause the tee shirt to explode.

Everytime I wear my tee shirt people always ask me where I got it. I tell them Rad Dad Tees which is online. I have the SuperDad one. It is a picture of an image of superman flying through the city. On his face he has eye glasses and sports a mustache. The logo on this chest has the initials SD which stands for SuperDad.  It also says SuperDad under him flying above the city.. The graphics are great and so are the colors. The shirt is in the color of superman blue. 

Yes I am a Dad and yes I like to show off my Dad-Hood  by wearing this fun and unique tee shirt.

Two lucky winners will recieve a Rad Dad Tee in my first ever Giveaway.

Thank you Rad Dad Tee's. You are Awesome!

Disclaimer: These  views are my own opinions. I did not get compensated by Rad Dad Tee's. Rad Dad Tee's graciously sent me a tee shirt.

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Road Trip with a toddler Part 2 The Voyage Home

We left Beavers Dam NY a day ago still dreading the 5 hour car ride home. We left at 11:30 am which I knew was a bad idea because when we would get caught up in rush hour traffic. We did it took 7 1/2 hours to get home back to Queens. Peter was a real trooper again with an even longer ride. 

All during our journey Peter has been on  road potty training too. He is almost fully potty trained at home but on the road it has been a challenge. He did better than I expected. He told us each time and we would pull over to a rest stop and go into the bathroom. Afterwards I would sing his potty song that I made up. He would sing and dance to it. 

Anyway our travels with Peter in the car were great and I am hoping our next adventure will be just as good. Hopefully our next trip will be on a plane. Fingers crossed that that trip will be just as good.

Road trip with a Toddler Part 1

Summer is almost over and Kate and I decided to take a trip up to Kate's parents house in Beavers Dam NY because we haven't seen them in a while.  Beavers Dam NY is about 5 hours in western NY state. It feels like forever to get there. The only thing I could think about is dreading getting into a car for a long trip with a child who doesn't like really long car rides and wants go get out of his car seat all the time. Oh let the stress begin.

Yesterday we began our adventure traveling a little more than half way. We left Queens about 10:30 am and headed to out destination. Kate is an excellent packer. She packed for herself and for Peter which made it easier.  She packed some of his favorite toys including a dvd player so he can have some inflight movies and some of his computerized toys to keep him occupied with learning.

The reason we went more than half way is because it was a lot for Peter sitting in the car seat and on Kate because I do not drive. Long story. We stopped in Binghamton for a overnight at a hotel which Peter loved to explore. It was a basic room but had everything we needed just to sleep and continue in the morning.

This morning we continued on our adventure heading to Beaver Dam NY. Yes we made it and are going on many adventures with the family and my in laws the next couple of days. I am glad we made it without any really bad incidents with Peter. He is a real trooper. This is the longest car ride he has ever been on and hope the trip back to Queens will be just as pleasant as the road trip up here.

Accomplishing A Goal

Last week I decided to do something that I haven't done in a long time. I started running again. I haven't ran since before Peter was born. I never ran far just a short distance because I didn't think I could run like other people.  I decided then that next year I was going to do a race that was at least 3k no more than 5K. Why you ask? Because to me it major accomplishment. I am half way there.

Most times as parents we put things aside because we have no time. We tend to our children and forget about ourselves in the process. We never take time for ourselves. I was talking one night at a Dads Nights Out with the NYC Dads Group to a dad name Joe about running because I saw a status on Facebook about him running. I asked him how does he find the time because he is a stay at home dad and is always busy.  His response was find the time and just do it. Joe you have been such an inspiration to me giving me hope that I will make my goal . Thank you. You are awesome!

Why do we give up on our goals? I think because it is easier to give up instead of pushing ourselves. That is with everything we do. You can do anything you put your mind to and be determined to complete the goal.  Even the smallest goal can be accomplished. Just when you think you can't someone or something drives you.

The next time someone tells you that you can't do something remember anything is possilble with determination and support. I have both in accomplishing my goal of running a race.

Playing hooky from work

Peter and I were do for a daddy/son adventure so on Monday of this past week I decided to take a daddy day to spend the day with my son Peter. I didn't feel guilty about taking time off of work because I feel that sometimes I miss a lot of his accomplishments. This also gave time for my wife Kate to have some time to herself. I know my co-workers will see this but hopefully they will understand. My job has some flexibility as I work for the City of New York and I am a permanent employee so I am luckier than most other dads who might have to worry about losing their jobs or risking not getting a promotion because they are not at work.

I was thinking, "what should we do?', "where should we go?". I was undecided because the weather was also a factor. It was summer which could mean possibly very hot or stormy weather. I told Peter that we were going on an adventure. Just him and me. I asked him what he wanted to do. He said that he wanted to go to the park which he always wants to do. We got dressed and I decided to take him into Manhattan or as us locals call it the city because there are more things to see and do. We live in the borough of Queens so it would take at least 40 minutes to an hour to get there. We decided to go to Central Park to go to the worlds famous Central Park Zoo and have some fun in the park itself.

Peter loves to take the buses and trains into the city. He always tells me especially when we are on the trains he wants to visit me at work and when he sees the skyline of the city he tells me Daddy works there. On the train ride that day he talked about when he gets older he wants to work in the city just like his father. He looks up to me. He showed me the skyscrapers and talked about how tall they are and made up names for then even though some of them are landmark buildings. I didn't correct him because we having fun. It is the greatest feeling in the world when you see your child happy. He loves to have fun and so do I. I am a child at heart even though I am turning 50 this year. It is great to know that your child has your sense of humor and is following in your footsteps. That day I realized we have a lot more in common then I thought.

We walked and ran into the park on the way to the zoo. This time we made up names for statues, trees and buildings. We even saw a man who made gigantic bubbles. I asked my son what is his name out of curiosity as we were walking towards him. My son called him Bubble Man Sam. We laughed so hard. I had tears in my eyes. I called him Bubba the Bubble Man. He laughed just as hard as I did. My son did not call this man this name nor did I to his face because that is just cruel. We are not bullies and do not believe in that. A child with a sense of humor is priceless. It was all in good fun and nobody got hurt in the process. He did not mention that name ever again. He ran to try to pop the bubbles but they were just so big that they would pop before he even touched them. I was so proud and happy that my son was having so much fun spending time with his dad. It was very special.

When we finally got to the zoo Peter was so excited to see all of the animals. the first thing he did was run to the sea lions. I had to say, "Peter wait." I had to run after him. He mimicked the sound of the sea lions. There were two of them. He name them George and Sally. we stayed there for a couple of minutes because he was so interested in them and amazed by them. I had to read to him the sign about the sea lions. I don't know if he understood what I was saying but my son was very curious. We then ventured to see the penguins. They were inside of a building. There was a glacier and water for them to swim. You can see underneath the water. My son ran up to the glass and watched them swim by. He kept saying, "look daddy look at the penguins". We booth stood there in awe. We saw a mother penguin and their child cuddling. My son said it was like daddy and him. It was another moment when I realized my son enjoys the time he spends with me even if it just cuddling.

We made our way to the children's zoo. It is very interactive. They had a net made into a spiders web that children can climb on. My son even convinced me to climb on it but once other children came over I got off because it said it was only for children. I broke a rule. There was also a hallow tree trunk that children can crawl into to be close to some animals. I tried but I could not fit and almost got stuck so I got out. My son loved it and so did I. I became a kid again.

After the zoo we went to two of the playgrounds to let Peter run around and have more fun also to tire him out. No such luck. One of the parks have a giant slide built into the rocks and made out of smooth rocks which Peter loved. The first time he went down it he flew off of it and landed on his butt. You can tell he was very scared and he hesitated about going on it again and did not cry. He went on two more times. I almost went on it but I did not. The next time I will. I did not because I was getting tired. He did have a ball at the two parks and I did promise him a park but he got two.

Then we stopped by the boathouse and saw people rowing row boats. He told me in his own words when he gets older he will row a boat with me in it and I can sit back and enjoy. I then realized that eventually my son will grow up and I could of missed out on may opportunities if I didn't take off of work occasionally. we spent the entire day out full of fun. A full day at work if I was there. It was the best day in a long time. Do I reget taking a day off even though I had a lot of work to do. Absolutely not it was worth it for my son and especially me.

Introducing Teddy Spaghetti- Book Review

Introducing Teddy Spaghetti is a childrens book written by Diane Zizzo. The story is about Teddy who likes to do things but best of all he liked to eat spaghetti. Teddy is Diane's real dog who the book is based on. This book is written as a rhyming story because Diane loves to write poetry and always has. It is very cute and sweet. Children will love it. It is one of my sons favorite new books to read . It is worth taking a look at. Each page has paw print borders on them. There is even a page  to draw a friend for Teddy and a page to draw your own pet. The illustrations are draw by Earlene Gayle Escalona. The publishing company is Xlibris LLC. You can get it in Softcover and  Ebook. Hardcovers are limited editions. They are available online at Amazon.com,  Barnesandnoble.com and all other major bookstores.

       Here is the real Teddy and his book.

Feeling Guilty

As a dad I never thought I would feel guilty about anything with my son. I usually don't but things have changed recently due to an event that happened this past weekend. Which made me feel awful and very upset

It started out as a wonderful day. It was warm and sunny. We were out to Long Island for the weekend. My sister in law went to go to her parents upstate. My brother in law works nights and did not go upstate with my sister in law so myself and my wife with Peter went there to watch my niece. We were debaiting what to do. Should we go strawberry picking on a farm out in Riverhead?  Should we go to Splish Splash which is a waterpark for the day? Or Should we go to Adventureland which is a Amusement Park.

When we mentioned Adventureland to my niece her eyes lit up with excitement. To those who think they have heard the name Adventureland. A movie was made in 2009 about a college graduate who works at an amusement park in 1987 . Jesse Eisenberg played the starring role. The movie was written by Greg Matolla who lived and grew up in Long Island. He use to go to that amusement park as a kid.

The day was going well. We were all having fun. Peter and my niece were going on all of the kiddie rides. Then myself, my wife Kate, Peter and my niece went on all of the family rides  Then myself and my niece would go on the big rides. God Bless my niece because she went on most of the rides with me. I love her very much and did not pressure her to go on anything she did not want to. She loved the log flume and the spinning swings. We went on the log flume 4 times in a row. It was hot out it felt good.  We rode the swings 3 times. I love all kinds of rides. I felt like a teenager again.

I decided to go on the teacups with my niece and Peter. The ride started and we were laughing having a good time. I started spinning the car slow. Then I started to spin the teacup faster. The teenager in me came out. I spun the teacup very fast. I didn't realize that the force would take down my son.  Peter flew forward and hit his head first on the wheel that you spin. Flew back and clocked the back of his head on the back of the seat. Then went down on the seat. I grabbed him first then tried to stop the teacup from spinning. Everyone knows that it is very hard to stop them from spinning. I thought I killed him. He was okay he just laughed. I almost started to cry.

I never felt so guilty. I didn't think and I could of hurt my own child who I love more than anything in this world. It still haunts me because I have never done anything that would endanger my child or hurt him because he is too precious to me. I still see the image in my head what happened and what could of happened. I know the guilt will disappear eventually and I know that there might be more times were I will feel guilty but thats when you realize that you are not a perfect parent.

5 Things I have learned since becoming a Dad

The first thing I have learned since becoming a dad is having patience. Ever since my son Peter was born I have learned to have patience. The older he gets the more patience I need to have. As an adult you seem to lose patience the older you get but by having children you learn quickly that things take time with them and it takes time for them to accomplish tasks.

The second thing I have learned since becoming a dad is showing more love.  I thought I knew what love was. Love comes in many different ways and forms but when my son was born I never experienced the love I have for him. Love is the greatest gift God could of given us and every day I see more love from my son with kisses, hugs and I love you Daddy which makes me do and show it more.

The third thing I have learned since becoming a dad is showing more politeness - Even before my son was born I was polite to people but since he was born it is even more instilled in me. Please, Thank You, Your Welcome. I do not force my son to say it in order to get something or do something in return. I show him how nice you can be to someone. Politeness is lost in children these days because parents don't institute it. I want my son to be respectful to everyone regardless of people's disrespect for other's.

The fourth thing I have learned since becoming a dad is being disciplined, you read that right. Ever since my son was able to talk. I have learned to have discipline. Children hears and sees how a person acts and what a person says. They are sponges and pick up things fast even though you think that they are not listening. Children even mimic every move you make. I am now very cautious about what I say especially cursing and my actions.

The fifth thing I have learned since becoming a dad is sharing. My son shares this toys and things with everyone. When I mean sharing I mean time. The term sharing is caring makes me laugh because it is so very true. Sharing time with a child and a wife are two different things. Although I love spending time with my spouse, nothing compares with time alone with your child especially if you work full time. I take off whenever I can to give my wife some time alone and do things with my son. I enjoy it very much and look forward to a lifetime of sharing.

These are the 5 things I have learned since becoming a dad. I am sure there will be more things to come  just as my son grows up and gets older.

What is a Dad?

According  to Websters Dictionary the defintion of a Dad is a father. You ask what is a Father? According to the Websters Dictionary, a father is a male parent. This is too vague for me. To be a father is far more than a male parent. Anyone can a father but to be called a dad is far more special.

Dads have been portraited on tv shows, in movies and books in different ways. Some are positive and some are negatitive sometimes giving a good or bad rap to the role of a dad. Sterotyping is also used causing people to blur the lines of reality of being a dad.

Some dads want to have nothing to do with their children for different reasons. Any male figure in their lives can be a father to them. Uncles, Grandfathers usually step up to take the role of a dad. Even when a person remarries sometimes the stepfather is more of a dad than their birth father.

A fathers role in a child's life is very important regardless of who the father figure is. If he is nurturing, loving, full of support, gives lots of wisdom and advice, makes you feel safe.  This is what a dad is.

I have the best dad in the world. He has gone above and beyond what a father is. He has been all of the above and more.  As a child I had the perfect childhood. My friends use to call my house the Cleavers. You know the tv show , Leave it to Beaver. Anyway my dad was a city worker who worked hard to provide for his family. He always helped my mother with everything when we were small. He use to start to cook because he would be home from work before her. He would also help clean. He and my mom both instilled morales and values which have benefited myself and my sister over the years .He is also the best Grandfather in the world to Peter. Because of him I am the man and father that I am today. He is loving , caring, always being supportive. He gives me advice still till this day which I appreciate even more.  What is a dad you ask? You are looking at one.

Happy Father's Day to all of you Dads!

Write a caption

What do you think he is thinking?

Gender specific toys

I don't understand with all of the fuss is with Gender Specific Toys. Years ago there were certain toys that were made for specifically for girls and certain toys made for boys. Things have changed over the years and toys are just toys for the children to play with. Toy companies need to get with the times. Marketing to just one group is just wrong. Why cant they market to both girls and boys?

On TV today I saw a commercial for a Disney App. In the commercial a boy was playing with a Sofia the First game on his tablet. Then they showed another boy playing with a Doc McStuffin game  on another tablet. I was so glad the Disney has taken steps to show that boys also like Sofia and Doc McStuffin. Both of these shows are excellent and my son LOVES them. They both have wonderful messages at the end. They also have a big following by boys too.

Some companies have now added toys to change with the times . It is about time.  There is an easy bake oven geared to boys and I also saw a Nerf bow and arrow geared to girls. Legos also put out a collection for girls. Play kitchens use to be associated with girls but now there are some kitchens that have a more masculine look for boys. Years ago only a women cooked. That was in the 50's and 60's. Which toy kitchens were made to emulate moms at home. Today men are in the kitchen just as much as women. Boys could be just as good as girls in the kitchen. Hello, men chefs.

I have heard so many horror stories about people out with their children and people saying to them, "That is a girls toy" or "That is a boy toy". Children do not know the difference. All they know is that that is a toy they like to play with. My wife had that same experience with my son. He has the Doc McStuffin Doll. If you do not know about Doc McStuffin she is a cartoon on Disney Junior. She is an African American girl who is 8 years old.  Her mom is a doctor and she plays doctor to help sick or broken toys. Her stethoscope makes the toys come to life. Her office is in her playhouse. My wife explained to the women that Peter really likes the show and the doll. The women would not let up on my wife which was getting her really mad. My wife had enough and replied, He is learning to be a really daddy not a babies daddy.

Hopefully one day all toy companies will get with the trend of selling and marketing toys to all children not gender specific and people in general will see them as just toys.

Tips for Working Dads

The hardest part about being a working father is spending quality time with your children. It is a hard balancing act. Here are some tips that might be helpful to to you in spending the most time with your children.

1. The most important thing is take time off of work when you can.  I know it is hard if you are the one who is bringing home all of the income and you have a lots of responsibilities. If they are young take a half a day of work and spend the rest of the day with them. If they are older leave work earlier and pick them up from school or surprise them by being at home when they get home.

2. Take a vacation that is geared to your children. It is always fun to be a kid again no matter how old you are.

3. Always do something that your children love to do even if it something that you just don't want to do. They will enjoy it even more. If that means sitting watching the same movie for the 300th time and you can repeat each line word for word. Suck it up Dad.

4. If they are older go on school trips with them instead of Mom. Sometimes moms need a break if they are stay at home moms and spend most of the time with them.

5. Join a group,meetups or local dads that do things with the children as groups. This will allow you to talk to other dads and create new bonds with other dads and also have fun with your children. 

6. When staying home with your children on bad weather days be creative. Do home made crafts. Create an indoor obstacle coarse. Even little kids like this. 

7. Go to a museum especially the ones that are hands on. Children's Museums are perfect for that. Children love getting their parents involved. 

Whatever you decide to do with your children when you are home. Enjoy them and love them. Cherish the moments because by the time you  know it they will be adults.

 

Love you with all my heart

We all think we know what love is until we have children. I thought I knew what love is.  Boy was I suprised how much I didnt know about love. There is so many different kinds of love.  The love of a spouse,  the love of parents, the love of grandparents , the love of a sibling, the love of a pet, the love of a friend they are all different but nothing compares to the love for your children.

I didn't think I could love someone as much as I do my son Peter. The day my son was born my whole life changed. Seeing that  baby which came into this world earlier than he was suppose to. He was due to come into this world by C section on November 14 but showed up on October 20th 2011. The love was there from the beginning. Seeing him with all tubes in him made me realize how fragile life really is and how much love was there for him. He just swallowed fluids and had a hard time adjusting to breathing until the fluids cleared out. He had a feeding tube too to make sure he ate. It actually looked worse than it was. He was in the NICU Unit for 3 days.

I tell him all the time I love him to let him know and to also show him that it is okay to show your love and affection. Sometimes men in general have a hard time expressing their love.
It is okay for a man to hug and kiss another man exspecially when your come from Italian heritage. Thats the normal greeting. He sees this all the time when my whole entire famiy is together.

I know he knows what love is. He says it all the time. Love you Daddy always with a hug and a kiss. It is the most fantastic feeling in the world. Or when I come home from a hard day at work or stressed from work. He comes running screaming, "DADDY" and hugs the legs. When I see this it reassures me that I am doing a pretty good job as a father.

From the day you were born to the day I die. My love for you will continue. Whatever you do in life or whatever decisions you make regardless if they are not the right ones. I WILL LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART.

Peters first Hockey Game

Since Peter was about one and a half years old he liked hockey. When he was fussing my wife Kate would put him in front of the television and turn on a hockey game. He would calm down  and sit there and watch the game. As he got older he screamed for hockey. One time we went to Wild Buffalo Wings in the summer. The only thing that was on all of the television screens were baseball. Little League, Major League and Minor League and everything associated with baseball. Peter screamed HOCKEY until I put You Tube on and found him a game. He kept quite and watched the whole game.

Today Kate and I took Peter to his first hockey game. Kate's girlfriend Hilary got all of us tickets to the New York Islanders vs The NJ Devils game. They were playing at The Nassau Coliseum . The seats were not bad they were high up and we had really had a good view of the ice. I am not a really a hockey fan but thought it would be fun since Peter has a fascination with hockey.

All Peter said on our way to the game was hockey jersey house. When we finally got there you should of seen his smile on his face. It was priceless. He had a ball and enjoyed ever moment of the game. He kept saying, "Daddy look hockey". He clapped every time Lets Go Islanders played. He really did not move out of his seat during the game . Sometimes children get antsy sitting still for long periods of time. Kate did take him to a shop to buy him stuff to remember this game. He ended up with a small hockey stick and a stuffed islander bear which he calls Puck. 

The final score was 6 to 1. The Islanders did lose big time to The Devils and the fans from Jersey will gloat but the experience I had today with Kate and Peter will last a lifetime. When Peter gets older I will tell him about his first hockey game and show him pictures to relive the day we all had together .

SNOW, SNOW AND MORE SNOW

This winter has been awful here in NY. It has been cold and it has snowed so much that everyone is so tired of it.  Guess what's coming within the next three days? More snow possibly a major storm.Yeah I am so looking forward to it. NOT.  I guess we got spoiled with all of the warm winters we have been having for the past couple of years. You can  blame it on global warming. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Snow use to be so much fun until you have to shovel it. I lived in a house growing up and helped my dad with the snow for years.  When I got married I lived in a two family house and did not have to worry about shoveling. After a couple of years  we moved from an apartmment in the two family house and to an apartment building.  We lived in the apartment building  for 5 years.Today I am back to the house were I grew up.  Sometimes now I have to shovel. Hours and hours of fun shoveling. It beats going to the gym. You work every muscle in you body giving you a full bodywork and you have to do this more than one time during a storm possibly 3 times. YEAH!

Seeing snow in my childs eyes gives me a new perspective of snow. I forgot how much fun it was. Peter loves playing in the snow. He likes to lay down in it and make snow angels. He likes to make snowmen too. We haven't used the sled yet. I still have my red flexible  flyer sled which is an antique these days. Don't you remember that wood and steel sled? Things have changed over the years but one thing remains. Why do we as kids love snow?

I really dont have an answer. Is it the pureness of that white fluffy stuff?  Maybe. Is it because it is different than what they are use too. Maybe. Could it be because it is associated with Christmas and the holidays? Could be or is it because it is really fun. It might be a different reason for each child.  I dont really think we will ever find out why.

Falling Snow 

See the pretty snowflakes
Falling from the sky;
On the wall and housetops
Soft and thick they lie.

On the window ledges,
On the branches bare;
Now how fast they gather,
Filling all the air.

Look into the garden,
Where the grass was green;
Covered by the snowflakes,
Not a blade is seen.

Now the bare black bushes
All look soft and white,
Every twig is laden,
What a pretty sight!

Poem written by Anonymous

Terrible Two's

I have heard some stories about children reaching the Terrrible Two's and they were awful. I thought that Peter was going to miss that faze because he has been a wonderful good boy so far . Well in the past couple of days The Terrible Two's came knocking on the front door and came in unannounced .

He has never said, "No" before to myself or my wife. Nor has he ever screamed and cried so much before. Nor has he hit us. That has changed big time. He is like a devil spawn child who makes Rosemarie's baby look like a saint.

In the last two days Peter has broken two tablets. Everyone has said, why did you give a two year old a tablet . He has apps on there for learning which he does very well with. The first one he dropped and the on button broke off and can not be replaced. The second one he threw. No more tablets for him. 

Why does The Terrible Two's get such a bad rap?  Because most adults  don't understand what a child goes through during this period of their lives. Children can not always express themselves at that age and have a hard time expressing what they want or need. This sometimes causes a child to act out. This is very normal. But to us adults it is not. 

With everything in life, this will pass too and I am looking forward to Peter growing and learning. I really hope this stage  passes very fast. 

Fly

One day when Peter was giving me a problem about changing his diaper.  I decided to do something fun in order to get him to his changing table to change his diaper.  I decided to make him fly by carrying him.

Since he loves Super Why and has many Superhero pajamas he loves to fly just like them. He flies over his toys. He flies over mommy laying sometimes on the couch. He flies over furniture, all while I am trying to avoid killing myself. It has been the best upper body workout a dad can ever have. Who needs the gym?

When he does fly he pretends not to crash into walls or other objects . Sometimes he goes flying though clothes that are hanging on a clothes line.  He also flies into the crib when it is time to go to sleep and says, "Made it Safe". It is one of his favorite thinks to do. 

Why do kids like to fly and be superheroes? I guess it is being a kid. It makes them use there imaginations and gives them hope that they can accomplish anything. 

Off we go again! Super PC to the rescue!

Lets start from the beginning

Hi all!

This is my first blog and I am so excited and nervous at the same time. I have read so many others blogs from dads and thought it would be fun to jump right in and have a crack at it.

Let's start from the beginning. As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be married and have children. In my twenties I really enjoyed myself. I had lots of friends and I was always doing something but in back of my mind I always had the dream of marriage and children. As time went on the dream started to fade and reality set in. I might end up being a bachelor and never get married and have children. I am very picky and would not settle for just anyone. My thirtieth birthday was approaching. I kept on going, having fun and enjoying life but felt life was incomplete. I thought it was over. At thirty one I met Kate through a family member. At first I wasn't interested in her because we are completely  opposite. She is very quiet and me coming from an Italian family I am very loud. We were always together for one occasion or another. I got to know her really well. We became really good friends. At the age of  thirty four I was married. Dream one was completed. I was hoping for a child with in  the first two years. As time went on, the hope of children started to diminish.  Kate and I both had checkups to see if the plumbing was working. All checked out for me but for Kate there were problems. She has poly cystic ovary sydrome. We both came to the conclusion that we were both going to be good Aunts and Uncles to our three nieces.

We tried and tried again to have children. For one reason or another it never worked out for us. Stress plays a major part of it. Kate and I gave up.  The stress was off of us because that was it. We stopped trying for a while.
We decided to give it another shot and try again. Kate had so much stress on herself because she lost her job and all of our bills fell on me. She decided to go visit her friends for a long weekend in Maryland.  She started not feeling well down there. Her friends spouse gave her a shot for the naseauness. For a couple of days she felt awful. When she came home she was still feeling really bad. One  day when I got home from work Kate  had problems breathing. She wanted to go to the hospital. So we went because she became scared and I began to worry. They did some tests but had to go farther .They were going to take x-rays of her chest.The doctor said that she needed to take a pregnancy test before they can give her x-rays . She argued with the staff at the hospital. I know my own body. I am not pregnant. I left to go get something to eat because I was starving. I hadn't eatten since that morning . The x-rays came back and she had pneumonia. Thats what she told me that day which was true but she didn't tell me the rest.

Two weeks later when I came home from work Kate said she had to talk to me. I sat in my comfortable chair and she looked into my eyes and said," You know I love you". I had no idea which way this conversation was going. In my head I was saying is this an episode of Jerry Springer. I said , "Yes I know you love me". I was waiting for some bad news but she didn't anything. Then she tells me that when she was in the hospital not only did she have pneumonia but she had something else . Then she got very quiet and started to cry. I thought she was dying with cancer. I got so upset. I told her just tell me. She said she was pregnant and thought I would be upset because we had just talked about being a good Aunt and a good Uncle. I was so relieved that my my wife was not dieing. I started to cry not only because I was relieved about my wife but because my second dream came true about being a dad.  It took eleven years to happen and yes I am an older dad but I feeI very blessed.