Spain Dad, a baby blog

Us and Ang Photo by kellyandapril. Marrying April is one of the smartest things I’ve ever done–of course because she’s a great listener, she’s intelligent, she’s got a cute squishy nose, and she loves me, but also because my wife happens to be cousins with half my high school graduating class. We are from Iowa [...]

Alleke got some exercise doing pilates with Mom and Aunt Heidi after lunch on Christmas Eve. Video footage courtesy of Alleke’s Uncle Rick (age 16).

Baby foot Photo by jamesmorton. “I’m serious,” April said, looking at Alleke lying on the changing table. “Already?” I asked. April smiled. “Try it,” April said. She put her hand around one of Alleke’s tiny ankles and held it up. I looked at April and shook my head, then took Alleke’s foot and bent down [...]

Dad’s Perspective Photo by kellyandapril. One of the first habits I made after Alleke was born was the ability to not stand still with the baby. Alleke liked to keep things moving, so I got in the habit of bobbing up and down to a steady rhythm. It didn’t matter if we were waiting at [...]

Holding Hands Photo by SparklieSunShine. “Okay, I think we can go,” April said, propping Alleke up against her chest with one hand, using the other to help herself out of the rocking chair. Heidi was there in the recliner waiting with outstretched arms. “The milk is in the fridge, and the bottle is right here,” [...]

Christmas Present Drive Photo by billerickson. “So how was shopping?” I asked April. Her mom and sister had taken off work for the day to go Christmas shopping. April thought for a second. “Put it this way: for every two hours during the day, I’m breastfeeding Alleke for one of them. We left at eleven [...]

Photo by yelahneb. I do remember somewhere towards the end, just before we fell asleep, turning over so I could see April, or at least her silhouette, and asking her what it would take to wake up in the morning and feel like a good dad. We had talked for a while about being a [...]

April and I stepped inside, me swinging the car seat by my side. We climbed the steps to the living room. Alleke was under one of her blankets in the car seat shrieking like a balloon losing air. I set the car seat down and pulled off the blanket. For a moment she was quiet, [...]

Alleke reading Photo by kellyandapril. I was sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop and a cup of Christmas tea when my mother-in-law walked in the room with a cardboard box. “I found the toys,” she said, smiling, as she set the box down next to the sink. She squinted as she looked in [...]