Seven Goals as a New Stay at Home Dad (SAHD)

01/28/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Today marks the end of my office dwelling days and the beginning of my house dwelling daddy days. I’m excited, scared, nervous, happy, relieved, worried, and anxious all at the same time. One thing’s for sure, I have zero regrets and am ready to be the best dad (and husband) I can be!

1) Figure out a good routine. First thing’s first, and this is a big one! Avery needs to be on a routine as well as I do for sanity purposes. Kelley has done a great job at setting the ground work, now I need to maintain and improve as needed.

I hope to see this more than the other expression.... — I hope to see this more than the other expression….

2) Keep a (somewhat) clean house so Kelley doesn’t have to worry about it when home.

3) Cook good food. I’ve already been doing this for years, but that was as a non-dad, so it could be a little more challenging. Either way, I want to make sure Kelley has a good, healthy meal to take to work and when she comes home. At first it might be my infamous one-pot meals where it’s just a lot of veggies and a protein source thrown together, but that will improve. I hope.

4) Post to the blog at least twice a week. This fits in with goal number 1 and hopefully will be part of the routine. I suspect I’ll be writing while wearing Avery……and she’s asleep.

5) Take a lot of pictures and video. I have confidence in the fact that you can only have too little and never too much on (digital) film.

6) Find time to work out during the day. This is a big one. I heavily depend on getting some form of exercise most days of the week. I used to just run long distance for exercise, but now I focus more on strength training. We have a fairly good setup with a squat power rack, bench, and Olympic weight set in our garage, so I just need Avery’s permission.

Just one set...Please? — Just one set…Please?

7)Make our own snacks. I used to do this often in the past, and hope to find time to do it again. A favorite around here are my homemade salsa goat cheese crackers and they keep Kelley a happy wife. And you know what they say about happy wives! They usually smile.
That’s not being overly ambitious, is it? Okay, probably, but I need to have something to work towards, and these goals will do just that!

Ready to eat. I might get one if I'm quick enough. — Ready to eat. I might get one if I’m quick enough.

So, without further ado, here I go!!!!

Do you ever try to do too much in too little time? I’m expert at biting off more than I can chew, but hopefully my mouth has grown since becoming a father.

New Life

Business Casual No More

01/27/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

After tomorrow, the 28th of January, I am going to happily put my dress pants, shoes, sweaters, and shirts away! I’m pretty sure hair gel or mousse or what-have-you will be very rare in my hair (see what I did there?).

Putting on dress shoes feels like attaching anvils to my feet. What if I had to make a quick getaway from a bear or mountain lion?! #screwed Okay, that’s a rare instance, but I like having shoes that allow me to run, jump, and play a whole lot better than the faux leather slip-ons I have. Same goes for the shirts/sweaters and pants; nothing fun about those cotton ~~prison~~ work clothes.

Nope, business casual no more for me, I’ll be dressing in one of my few pairs of athletic pants, a comfortable but not too loose shirt, and either my Vibram Five-Fingers or New Balance Minimus Trail shoes. Now I’ll show those bears and mountain lions!!!! How fast I can run away from them, that is.

Perfect for swaying side to side with a baby….

My body’s nerve factory is in full production right now, but I am excited for this journey to start and am comforted knowing I have a wonderful partner, Kelley, to be by my side. Where this new road in our lives will take us, no one knows, but that’s what makes it so exciting.

A working man's attire... — A working man’s attire…

Avery, if you ever read this, I hope you’re happy with the path we’ve taken.

Okay, time to wind down and prepare for my last day as an accountant. One door will be shut, but many more will open.

Baby Wearing

Baby Wearing and Peeing

01/26/2014 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

C’mon, I know other dads out there do this. I mean, you can’t interrupt a perfectly sleeping baby just because you really have to go. Or maybe you’re at the store; what else are you to do?

Still, no matter how many times I’ve done it already, it is awkward trying to pee while wearing Avery in our Baby Bjorn sling. For one thing, her legs are long enough now to give my arm one good kick and make me miss my target. At home, this isn’t so bad, but in public, it could lead to criticism or just dirty looks. So what!? A guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do. Agreed?

I’m sure as she grows older (and heavier), wearing Avery and peeing will prove more difficult, but I’ll deal with that as the time comes.

Avery Crying with Arms Flailing. A common sight..... — Avery Crying with Arms Flailing. A common sight…..

In other events, Avery had a major cryfest last night and Kelley and I could not figure it out. Gas did not seem to be an issue, she had a clean diaper, and wouldn’t feed anymore. It took several hours of Kelley holding and trying to calm her, a little time with me holding and singing random songs on the fly, going back to Kelley for a while, and then just laying on me squirming until she finally gave into sleep. Then she slept for almost 8 hours straight!

The sleeping part was nice, but still not worth it what she did beforehand. We’re hoping for a better run tonight; fingers crossed!

Only two more work days for daddy (me) before I start my new job as a stay-at-home dad. I have major nerves circulating my brain and body, but I’m excited nonetheless. Trying to figure out a schedule and a way to get in exercise which I so greatly depend on for sanity will be hard, but hopefully not futile.

Luckily, my workouts are in the garage and not running long distance as in the past, so hopefully that’s a plus on my end.

Any other dads out there have a certain way to deal with peeing while wearing your baby?
What about working out? I figure I’ll try while she’s asleep…..if I’m not wearing her!