Spain Dad, a baby blog

I recently published a book called Becoming Dad: A True Story of One Man’s Transformation from Clueless Husband to Involved and Nurturing Father. I’m giving away a big chunk of the book (the pregnancy section) as a free ebook. http://www.becomingdadbook.com/free-ebook/ Enjoy!

Alleke has been trying to convince me all week that the sun is a planet.

I’ve watched so many episodes of Caillou in the last week while our family has been sick that I can’t get Caillou’s whiny little voice out of my head. I think I may have done some permanent damage. I’ve decided they should come up with a TV rating for shows like Caillou called “Not Suitable [...]

Alleke’s teacher, Elena, and I stood at the classroom door and looked down the hallway. Alleke was sitting on a bench with her arms folded and a big lip, pretending not to notice us. “This is the first time in months Alleke hasn’t wanted to go to school,” I said to Elena. “I think I [...]

“Why do you want mommy?” I asked. “What does mommy do that I don’t do?”

“She does lots of better things that you don’t do,” Alleke said.

I always appreciate when the moms at the playground praise me for being a nurturing and involved father. I need the encouragement. Still, I often wonder what other dads think of me. How will I ever convince these men that I’m one of them?

1. Most children go to school by age two, although school is not mandatory until age six. Children are placed in a class based on the year they were born, so Alleke is in a class with all the kids who were born in 2006. 2. Choosing a school is based on a points system. [...]

I spent this past weekend praying with cloistered nuns in a monastery. When I arrived, I turned off my phone and took the miniature video camera out of my pocket and tossed it in the suitcase.

April and I decided that this year we would send Alleke back to school after lunch. Last year she was the only one in her class who only went to school in the mornings, and this year she is one of only three students in her class that still goes home for lunch. I started [...]

We visited our college friends, Dan and Julie Perkins, on their organic farm in Indiana last Friday. Their son, Harper, was waiting in the red Radio Flyer wagon with his muddy boots when I lifted Teo into the wagon behind him. Dan pulled the boys in the wagon ahead of us through the fields, pointed [...]