By Scott BabyBlogAddict.com My three-year-old and I go to the grocery store every Sunday morning. He gets a free sprinkle cookie and a doughnut each time. I get a few things for the week and a newspaper. It's one of our fun traditions. One thing he does each week as we're leaving is ask the cashier for a balloon. It seems innocent enough. But once we go outside, he lets it go. Every time. Living in Florida, he's a big fan of space and the space shuttle. He says he likes to see the balloons "go up to the astronauts in space." Today, after the balloon release, he said, "Maybe the … [Read more...]

By Scott BabyBlogAddict.com To me, baseball is something you have to see in person. Kind of like hockey, except that I like baseball. In person. I just get bored watching it on TV. Short attention span, I guess. In person, the sensory experience of baseball is different. When you're at the ballpark early in the season, the smell of spring is in the air. So are the smells of burgers and sausage dogs on the grill. The sounds are unique to America's pasttime: the crack of the bat, the music that is synonomous with ballparks everywhere, the P.A. announcer's words bouncing off the … [Read more...]

By Scott BabyBlogAddict.comAn outdoor football game with a three-year-old -- his first -- is kind of like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates reference: you never know what you're gonna get.Our alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, was visiting Orlando to play the University of Central Florida right down the road from BBA headquarters. Jack and I have watched a lot of football through his first three years, so we thought the timing was right. I asked Jack if he wanted to go see the Golden Eagles play and he answered with an emphatic "yes!".Perfect.We parked a 20-minute walk from … [Read more...]

By ScottBabyBlogAddict.comI made a tent tonight for the first time in decades. My cousin and I used to make them all the time and they would stretch wall-to-wall across his room. It was quite a sight to behold.Tonight's tent -- Jack's first -- was contructed quickly and with limited supplies but, to him, it was like the Taj Mahal. He doesn't know that it could be better and he doesn't care. All he knows is that he can climb inside, pile things in there with him and call it his own. It's his sanctuary and he's the boss. In my mind there are very few things better than seeing a child's excited … [Read more...]

By ScottBabyBlogAddict.comBefore Jack was born, I wasn't too sure about swaddling. I knew Jesus was swaddled, but how he got that way was a mystery. Despite my uncertainty, once I watched a helpful DVD and had an in-hospital lesson, I was a swaddling pro. Jennifer was a natural; like other things in parenthood, I had to learn on the job. But something happened between the hospital and home. We somehow forgot about swaddling.After a couple of rough nights with Jack, we realized we hadn't done it since we were at the hospital - a big mistake that was quickly corrected.Once we started swaddling … [Read more...]

By ScottBabyBlogAddict.comOur son came into the world in grand fashion. Not only did he arrive 12 days early, but he also managed (with the help of his uncle) to launch a full lockdown of the hospital.Jack's ankle monitor fell off and it was put aside to deal with later. When Uncle G arrived at the room, he pulled it apart to try to get it back on Jack's leg.Big mistake.Almost immediately, a nurse called the room to see if we had the baby, the elevators were stopped and, as far as we know, the rest of the hospital was briefly as secure as The White House. Oops.Heightened security like that … [Read more...]

By ScottBabyBlogAddict.comWith Jack nearing his third birthday, I've been thinking back lately to the day he was born. As prepared as we thought we were, that's how utterly unprepared we were. We took all the classes - child birth, breastfeeding and infant CPR - but nothing really gets you ready for The Day except The Day itself. For us, The Day came 12 days before it was supposed to.Jennifer was as typically uncomfortable as a very pregnant woman could be, but we just chalked it up to her inching closer to the due date. We had never done this before. We didn't know she was actually having … [Read more...]

By Scott BabyBlogAddict.comWHEN it was time for our breastfeeding class I was nervous. That's a weird place for guys to be. But Jennifer assured me that other husbands would be there to support their wives. After all, support is one of the keys to successful breastfeeding right?As we prepared to make our grand entrance into the hospital's classroom, I couldn't help thinking about the possibility I'd be the only guy there. Thankfully, I wasn't. There were two other guys in a room full of pregnant women. My first thought was, "Where are these guys? They're letting their wives do this alone?" … [Read more...]