Benjamin was born 9/15/09 at 4:33:AM. He was 7lbs 7oz & 20 1/4 inches long.
Abigail was born 9/21/11 at 4:40:AM. She was 8lbs 2.1oz & 20 3/4 inches long.
This blog will record the events of his life and the thoughts of his parents.
Baby C2 is due October 5, 2011.
My in-laws are my babysitters two days a week. They took a vacation so I needed to take two days off of work to look after him. Ask me how upset I was about that. (really not upset at all. I wish I could do it everyday)
On Monday it rained, so I took Ben for a haircut, then we watched some movies and played some games inside. On Tuesday I took Ben to Disney's Hollywood Studios. It was a great day. The sun was out. It was about 70 degrees with a light breeze. That's winter in FL ladies and gentlemen.
We started off at the Little Mermaid show, then we ran across to the Playhouse Disney Live on Stage show, then we went to meet Mickey Mouse, then we had a pretzel and a Mickey bar, THEN we did some other stuff. It was a busy day.
Ben made a friend. A girl friend. A girlfriend! I'll tell you about it, but first I need to get something off my chest. What's the deal with Brazil? Does anybody work or go to school there?
I've had passes to Disney World 3 out of the 5 years we've lived in FL. EVERY TIME I go to Disney World, I see multiple groups of kids and chaperons from Brazil. EVERY TIME!
Anyway, back to Ben and his girlfriend. Ben was doing people watching from his stroller. All day he was looking around quietly. While we were waiting on line to buy a Mickey Bar, Ben saw a group of girls from Brazil. He started pointing to her, smiling and screeching. She came over and pinched his cheeks. Ben smiled and got bashful.
She was a little too old for Ben and a little too young for me. But I compliment Ben on his taste in women. Brazilian girls are....ok....I better stop now, take a look at the pictures of Ben below.
Every year since 2006 I have been keeping track of the number of plays each song on my iPod gets. At the end of each year, I turn the top 40 songs into a playlist. Last year and this year's list got burned to a CD so I can play them for Ben when he gets older.
This brings me to another topic. There are so many songs on my iPod with curses in them, it's ridiculous. I initially noticed this when I made a playlist for his birthday party. It wasn't a big deal, I found enough songs for a 3 hour party. But now that I pick him up from the sitter's house 4 days a week, I play a lot music for him, so it's becoming an issue.
Ben tries to sing along. He dances and most recently we taught him how to fist pump, so he does that too. He's not talking yet, but I'm afraid he'll hear an F-Bomb or other curse words in one of the songs and repeat it. So anytime a song with curse words come on, I skip to the next one. I do a lot of skipping.
Oh also...there are sometimes curse words in other languages in music. Here's a tip. If you don't know what the words mean, don't post them as your Facebook status. (a la - Girls, Girls Girls - Jay-Z: see below)
Anyway, here is my top 10 of 2010 for your enjoyment. What songs are in your top 10?
10. New York State of Mind - Billy Joel If you're from NY, you have to like Billy Joel. I think there's something in the water.
9. Say Goodbye - Dave Matthews Band DMB is awesome. This is one of my favorite songs by them. I still can't believe I've never seen him in concert. How is that possible?
8. Fix You - Coldplay I used to think Coldplay was stupid, but then I saw them in concert and now I think they are awesome. This song is great.
7. New York, New York - Frank Sinatra Another song about New York. Yankees fan or not, you grow up in NY, you know this song. It was played at my wedding and a lot this year in my car and office.
6. Girls, Girls, Girls - Jay-Z I love girls, girls, girls, girls...I wanted to enter to this song at the wedding reception, but it was quickly vetoed. Still a great song though.
5. I Can Transform Ya - Chris Brown Personally, I think Chris Brown is an a-hole. But he still makes good music. this was on my running playlist. It will get your energy up quickly.
4. Wonderwall - Oasis Another favorite from the 90s. Funny story, I didn't like this song when it first came out. It took me a few months. Then I really got into their songs.
3. Mo Money, Mo Problems - Notorious B.I.G. This song never gets old. Great since the 90s.
2. Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance This has been one of my favorite songs since it came out in 2006. It has been #1 in 2006, 2007, 2008. #2 in 2009 and #3 this year.
1. Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys Yet ANOTHER song about NY. I loved this song since the first time they performed it at the MTV awards.
Honorable Mention: You're The Best - Joe Esposito That's right. The fight theme from The Karate Kid. I put it on my running playlist. It made me laugh everytime it came on and kept me running again when I was thinking about stopping. Doubt me? Try it. You'll laugh, then pick it up a notch.
And he also loves Toy Story 2. He did not love Wheezy though (penguin toy) turned away and got upset anytime he was onscreen.
He's laughing at Woody playing with the dog. It's so crazy that he can watch something and react to it now. He's not a baby anymore, he's a real live boy.
We had mini-strawberry shortcakes for dessert last night. Ben didn't want the cake or the Cool Whip. He only wanted the strawberries. And he wanted to eat them in a most peculiar way.
I made a list of goals for 2010 instead of having a new years resolution. It worked out pretty well for me last year, so I thought I'd try it again in 2011. Check out my list of goals in 2011.
Goals for 2011
Spend more time with Ben and Allison.
Finish writing my book.
Make more money off of my writing.
Run 500 miles. (not at once)
Learn how to juggle.
Learn how to play Super Mario Bros theme on my keyboard.
Remain a size 34 pants for another year.
Post a picture everyday in 2011.
Teach Ben to say "Daddy" & "Awesome".
Do not curse in front of Ben.
Get my grandfather's trains and my RC car back into working order.
Work hard everyday. (Like you do the first few months of a new job)
Eat healthier and take care of my stomach.
I feel like there are more things I want to accomplish next year, but I can't remember them. I'll add them as I check things off.
Wish me luck and tell me what some of your goals are.
This is going to be a little harder than writing my Best of 2009 post. My 2009 was documented. Possibly over documented right here on this blog. I did very little blogging in 2010. I'll have to make this list by memory (Oh dear God) or by looking back at pictures. Just like last year, I'm sure I'll leave something or someone out. If you's like to add something to the list, comment below. And now..onto my list
January: 1) Had a dance party with Allison and Ben to Neil Sedaka - Waking Up Is Hard to Do 2) Water pipe burst. Not a best moment, but very memorable. 1/10/10 3) Watching the NY Jets playoff run. It stopped in Indy, but it was a great unexpected thrill. Favorite post: Almost 4 Months Old
February: 1) Ben's photoshoot with Victoria Shade. www.victoriashade.com 2) Watching the Winter Olympics 3) Opening a Garden City office with a stomach bug during a snow storm. Favorite post: (only post of February) A Really Long Time
March: 1) Trip to NY for Danny & Bridgette's Wedding. 2) Taking Ben to see his first Mets game. In true Mets fashion, they lost to the Braves in extra innings. 3) Lunch at Hooters with my old CA crew. 4) I wont tickets to In The Heights - Broadway Across America. Favorite Post: It's a Nightmare
April: 1) Ben started crawling (I think) 2) Great American Pie Festival - Yes! It's as awesome as it sounds. We were even on the CBS Early Show. 1:40 mark 3) Ran a 12K (7.46 miles) 4) Personal best 5K - 4/24/10 - 27:45 Favorite Post: I'm a Bad Dad
May: 1) Ben started cruising (I think) 2) Ben took Survival Swimming 3) Family trip to Cocoa Beach and I got a new hat at Ron Jon. Favorite Post: Poop, Poop, Poop
June: 1) Disney Vacation! 2) My 34th Bday 3) I got World cup Fever 4) My 1st fathers day and the 1st annual Father's Day eve poker game. Favorite Post: Disney Vacation Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 A, Day 3 B
July: 1) July 4th vacation on Miami Beach 2) Allison got a new car (new to her. It's a 2008 Honda Pilot) 3) Ben had ice cream for the first time. Favorite Post: Dad vs Parent
August: 1) Went to NY for work and got to go to my niece's 5th birthday party 2) I got to see Citi-Field for the first time (only the outside) 3) Started writing for a Dearwomen.com Favorite Post: (only post of August) Bi-Weekly Update
September: 1) Ben's 1st Birthday 2) Ben took his first steps - at the babysitter's house! 3) Ben's 1st Birthday party - we had 4) Allison's birthday. I made her an AWESOME BBQ King Crab dinner 5) Ben's first haircut Favorite Post: Happy 1st Birthday Benjamin
October: 1) Ben started walking full-time 2) Trick or Treating with Ben and his friends 3) Weekend beach getaway with my wife's family from NY Favorite Post: Today Was a Good Day
November: 1) Thanksgiving in NY visiting with friends and family 2) Playing Bingo for the first time at Foxwoods Casino 3) Taking Ben to the Yo Gabba Gabba show. Favorite Post: Fun in the Sandbox
December: 1) Watching Ben open gifts for Hanukkah and Christmas 2) Going to see Jay's Lights with Ben, family and friends. 3) Hearing that Ben got his first kiss. Favorite Post: NONE
OK. Onto my favorite things of 2010 Favorite moment of 2010: Ben's birthday. We were supposed to have 94 people at the party. Due to sickness and Disney on Ice, we ended up with 76 people! It's a wonder feeling that that many people wanted to celebrate Ben's birthday with us. Favorite song: Don't Stop Believin' - Glee (shut up! don't judge me LOL) Favorite CD: Eminem - Recovery Favorite movie - Drama: Extraordinary Measures Favorite movie - Comedy: Date Night or Little Fockers or She's Out of my League Favorite move - Action: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt1 Favorite new show: Raising Hope Favorite gadget: iphone 3GS Favorite App: Angry Birds Seasons Favorite Website: Facebook & Twitter Favorite Radio Station: XL106.7 Favorite LOL Moment: Taking Ben out of the bathtub and holding him over the toilet because I saw him trying to poop.
On New Year's Eve 2009 I wrote down my list of goals for 2010. Some I met. Some I didn't even come close to meeting and some are just laughable now that I know what life with a kid is like. I have a well behaved, joy of a child, but still my personal time is very limited. So while goals 2, 3, 9, 10, 11 and 12 would be awesome, they just didn't make the realistic cut.
But 2011 is a new year! So we'll try it again. I'll post 2011's goals in the next day or 2. Here's how I did in 2010. Goals I met are green. Goals I didn't achieve are red.
Goals for 2010
Spend less time on Facebook and Twitter and more time with Ben and Allison - I did a good job of this. I don't get on Facebook or Twitter until after Ben is in bed and Allison and I are both usually on Facebook while we watch TV together.
Spend the first hour after Ben goes to sleep writing. I find this hilarious. Ben goes to bed between 8-8:15. I then finish cleaning up after dinner and doing whatever chores need to get done. It's usually 8:30 - 9:00 before I can say we are "done." Add an hour of writing onto that and it's bed time. I'd never spend anytime with Allison. I'll need to address this in 2011.
Finish writing my book. See above.
Make money off of my writing. This I did. I wrote for http://www.fireflyworldwide.com/ and also for http://www.dearwomen.com/. I didn't make enough money to retire, but I did make enough money to ensure that at least something went into savings every month.
Run a 5K under 30 minutes - I achieved this goal 3 times. My best time was 27:45 on April 24th. I also recorded 27:47 on June 15th.
Run a 10K in an hour - I didn't run a 10K this year, but I did run a 12K in April. What's a mix of red and green? I want partial credit.
Run a 15K - just finish, without stopping - See above
Run a half marathon - just finish without stopping - I didn't register (or train) for a 1/2 marathon. I am however partnered up with my wife's cousin to run Disney 1/2 marathon Jan 2012.
Learn how to juggle - I tried to juggle a number of times, but just like William Hung, I have no professional training in juggling.
Learn how to play Super Mario Bros theme on my keyboard - I can play the first 6 notes, but that was not the goal. A friend sent me the sheet music, so I'm that much closer. Check back with me mid/late 2011.
Learn how to play Clocks by Coldplay on my keyboard - I can play Ode to Joy, but I didn't even try this one.
Learn how to play NY State of Mind by Billy Joel on my keyboard - I can play when the Saint's go Marching In, but I didn't even try this one.
Remain a size 34 for another year - I won't lie, there were days when my pants were not buttoned because I couldn't button them, but right now, on 12/29/10 my size 34s are buttoned! Another year? that's gonna be a tough one, but let's try it!
Create a new blog and post a picture on it everyday in 2010 - I had fun doing this, but I ran out of time. I got too busy to post. I'll try it again. I really did enjoy it and I learned some tricks to post faster. I posted 236/365.
Teach Ben to say "Daddy" & "Awesome"- Ben can say Dada, but it sounds like Na-Na. He cannot say awesome, but he can fist pump. That's a win if you ask me.
Do not curse in front of Ben - I have curbed a lot of my swearing by saying "son of a nut cracker, jerk-face and ah CRACKERS!," but I still drop the occasional swear word here and there. Luckily, he's not talking yet, so no copycat swearing.
