Organization is Everything

By ryan in Ryder 0 Comment

Organization is crucial to maintain a semblance of order within one’s household – particularly when there are kids around said household. Or so I’ve been told. Personally, I am very into the idea of organization, if not always the executional details. I have recently, however, become a devotee of David Allen’s Getting Things Done book and system (GTD). My dad, an inspired lifelong learner, is also into the system and the book – and if you were to never lay eyes on the physical space he calls his office, you might well believe the system is working well for him. I highly recommend GTD for all of you who don’t know what day of the week it is. Knowing what day of the week it is, as well as what city you’re currently located in are two key tenets of the system, and putting those ideas into practice has yielded immediate results. I’ve been organizing my life – which apparently falls into neatly labeled and organized manilla folders at this point. I’ve been enjoying the process. One of the main tools recommended by David Allen is an automatic labeler, in order to create professional looking files. Based on my dad’s previously mentioned enjoyment of GTD, I was lucky enough to receive a P-Touch labeler for Christmas. That’s how we roll. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Some might argue that I’m enjoying it too much…

Overzealous Use of the P-Touch Labeler

Day Care is a Hot Zone

By ryan in Rants, Ryder 0 Comment

Dustin Hoffman in a germ suit

This is something we have recently learned. We’ve been taking Ryder to day care since Caitlin went back to work in January. He went for a week and there were no problems other than, he told us with his gorgeous eyes, that he missed us terribly. Also, he told us with crying. The report cards he received from day care were stellar. We learned that he exhibits solid, if not somewhat advanced motor skills. We just thought he liked standing, and was fond of grabbing things. We were thrilled, and rethought our decision to gamble on not saving for college.

The next week, Ryder again attended day care – he goes on Wednesday, Thursdays, and Fridays – but he was sent home after running a “fever.” His an temperature was about 100.1, according the staff – but I brought him home, per their request. We hung out. He seemed mildly out of it, but not what you’d normally describe an adult as sick. On the following Sunday, visiting Grandma Kitty, Caitlin and I all came down with a nasty stomach virus within hours of each other. It knocked us out for a few days, and was highly unpleasant. Being a parent, I can strongly recommend against getting the flu. Ryder seemed to be fine during this period. The following week, he got progressively sicker, however, and we kept him home from the day care as he was wracked with coughing spasms and snot. It was a sad sight to behold. The toddler with the smoker’s cough moaning “Mommy,” in retrospect should’ve been our first clue that day care is indeed a hot zone. While one might imagine that you’d receive sympathy for your child being sick, and all that comes with that, most people we met in the sick period only said, as if they’d been the first to coin the phrase, “Welcome to day care.” The phrase seemed to us, neither clever, nor helpful. Luckily, we were not friends with any of those people, because we would’ve been forced to unceremoniously drop them. From everything we’re guessing, we have more sickness to look forward to in the future, as a Ryder’s presence in day care is a necessity. Ready or not…here we come.

Ryder’s first Christmas (3 Months)

By ryan in Ryder 0 Comment

Ryder’s three months old, and we are beginning to feel like we might be able to get the hang of this parenthood thing. We have returned from a beautiful visit to California where Ryder got to enjoy his first Christmas and to meet his great-grandparents. Everybody seemed to get along marvelously; Ryder edges out the great grandparents in terms of total number of naps, but only by a hair. Speaking of which, he has rubbed off most of his on the back of his head, creating a strangely fascinating “reverse monk” pattern. We hope that this is phase that passes sooner rather than later. We enjoyed some great weather in the desert, even though our home of Chicago has been unseasonably warm thus far this winter. Now that I’ve pronounced that, I’m sure it won’t last.

Ryder's 1st Christmas

Anyway – it’s hard to sum up the three months. It’s been fantastic, but certainly requiring the best of us to make it all work. Caitlin begins work this coming week, so we’re getting prepared for a new stage around here. We’ll keep everyone posted on how day care is treating us and the ins and outs of life. Now – of course, there’s lots I could write and talk about that’s happened in the three months, but let me more just make a public resolution to post to the blog more often. Future update topics that look promising include: things that Ryder puts in his mouth, Ryder’s friend Parker Johnson, day care, and parental status. Keep us honest! Cheers.