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Posts Tagged sullivan

Parenting: heart-wrenching bedtimes, week 1.

Aug 14

Posted by Aaron in Musings | 2 Comments

Now imagine him crying. :(

Now imagine him crying. :(

Today is the end of the first week Sullivan has gone to bed by himself.

Up until this past Monday, Sullivan had been co-sleeping with us. Pretty much since he was born. When he was an infant, we had his crib side-car’d to the bed (for safety reasons). There was a brief while when we moved his crib into his own room (around age 1) and I would lay him down in his bed at around 9pm. He would inevitably wake up around midnight or so, and we’d end up just bringing him to bed with us. It was tough; Mel and I were both full-time students so we just really never had the available time to dedicate to getting him into a routine. Plus, it’s just really hard when you’re holding the door shut so he can’t open it, all while he’s screaming tearfully and trying to get you to let him out (“Yah-yeeeee!!!! Maiiiii!!! Baff? Toyees?”) Read the rest of this entry »

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Biking, Blackberries, and Pancakes [Sustainability Saturdays]

Jun 27

Posted by Aaron in Sustainable Living | 4 Comments

sulandlena_onbakfietsThis morning, my friend Mark stopped by to see if Sullivan and I were interested in going on a bike ride.

Mark has a really cool Dutch cargo bike called a “Bakfiets“, it’s like a normal bike except it has a wheel-barrow-sized cargo bay up front. It has a bunch of other nice amenities as well, including handcuff lock, internal-gears, and head/tail lights. They’re kind of pricey and a bit difficult to get used to, but definitely handy to have!

One of the nice features in the Bakfiets is that the cargo area has seatbelts built for children. We strapped Sullivan into the cargo area, right next to Lena (Mark’s daughter), and grabbed a plastic container for collecting blackberries (the fruit, not the PDA). Read the rest of this entry »

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Parenting: much ado about sleeping

Sep 22

Posted by Aaron in Musings | 1 Comment

Sullivan!Look at that face — Could you possibly resist it if it were crying?

Because that’s precisely what pretty much every “parental guide”, other parents (including our own!), and advice column has advised us to do at night, when he wakes up. “Just let them cry it out,” they say, “they’ll get over it after a few nights.”

I just can’t do it though — we’ve tried it. For about 2 or 3 days, when he would wake up, I would callously make him wait before we went in. First wait-period was 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 15 — every time he wakes up (which is a bit of a mis-statement, as he never really goes back to sleep) the duration of the delay increases.

The problem is, it doesn’t work. One night he cried for 2 and a half hours solid. Seriously. He’s done this in the car too. The kid’s got lungs like the Three Tenors. Read the rest of this entry »

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Thoughts Fueled by the Midnight Oil

Aug 18

Posted by Aaron in Personal | 1 Comment

It’s midnight, and I should really be sleeping, but my brain is hyper-alert right now. I think it’s the chocolate cake we ate for dessert. Or maybe I’m just dehydrated, I don’t know. This has been an interesting week so far.

Biking

My third straight week of biking was this morning. I have only missed one day, and that was because I got my first pinch-flat. (Rear tire wasn’t inflated enough and I went over a bump a little too hard and it popped the tube). Fortunately for me, Mark & his family were able to come over that evening for dinner, and he helped me do my first tire patch. Exciting! It rides great now. i just have to keep the tires better-inflated; comfort be damned.

Moths Read the rest of this entry »

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Sullivan does something cute

May 5

Posted by Aaron in Friends, Family & Pets | 1 Comment

Today, when I was leaving for work, I knelt down and kissed Sullivan on his head and said “Bye stinker!” then I kissed my wife goodbye and walked towards the door. As I was unlocking the door, I heard Sullivan make a noise and I turned around. He went “Dah!” and was waving his arm.

Sullivan was waving goodbye to me!

As I backed out of the door, I continued to wave back at him, and he continued to wave back at me.

What an adorable little kid. :)

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