Stunt Dad: 100 Days for My Baby Girl: Week 6

Week 6

Six weeks in, you've probably experienced your baby's first smile, watched him or her track your face from side to side, and received the first of many golden showers to come. And don't think just because you have a girl that you're off the hook when it comes to the last one. I learned the hard way two weeks ago when (after my wife warned me, of course), I casually let my guard down while changing K2's diaper and subsequently received a liquid stream of consciousness from her. Aside from that humbling experience, you will finally start to see some 'action' out of baby. I know that sounds bad, but come on, let's face it - - you honestly couldn't tell the difference between still photographs of your baby or a 3 minute video. 90% of both Munch's and K2's pictures have them in one 3 places: on their back, on their belly, or on the boob. (and no, I'm not trying to compare their first four weeks to a Skinemax movie). Instead of being that adorable, blinking, little lump of yours, he or she will will start to bloom. Fists begin to flatten out, arms start to flail around randomly, and thumbs and fingers will start to be sucked. Who knew the pressing of palms together could be so exciting??!!! While, he or she is starting to grow, so is your family. Mom is getting more comfortable with her role as you are with yours. Between baby's mental development and physical growth, now is the best time to start recording all of it. So, Week 6 is going to be all about documentation. And, here are two things I'm planning on doing:

#1: Celebrating the StuntDad Firsts
With Munch, we have all of the big guys written down: first smile, laugh, sleeps through the night, sits up, crawls, yaddi, yaddi, yaddi... While those are all warm and make you feel extra special nice inside, I'm going to go the extra mile with K2 by adding on some additional firsts that probably aren't always captured. Since she is a rockstar at chilling in my arms for extended period of times, I'm going to start writing down each of the 1sts we share together on TV, examples below:

1st Sporting Event: complete with a picture of us in our jerseys, a newspaper clipping of the box score, noting the number of times I caught myself swearing at the referee, and the type (but not the amount) of beer I drank
1st Concert: capturing a picture of us in our ripped t-shirts and frayed jeans, jotting down the song list, purchasing an mp3 download of the show so that I can play it to her at night, and the type (but not the amount) of liquor I drank
1st Animated Movie: yep, you guessed it: a picture of us in our cartoon pajamas, purchasing a stuffed animal from the movie, permanently borrowing the DVD from Blockbuster, and and the type (but not the amount) of wine I drank

Oddly enough, the firsts (and life itself) can also extend beyond the TV world, so I'm also planning on documenting some out-of-home firsts such as: the first restaurant we take her to (scribbling down what kind of food, what did we eat, what compliments she received (if any—and don't think I'll make one up if we have to, if we don't get at least one), as well as grabbing a matchbook for a keepsake - [romantic, aren't I?]), 1st time we take her across state lines (logging where were going, when we first wanted to turn back, what the highlight of the trip was, and how many times we had to pull over), and finally, the 1st time we left her with grandma & grandpa (noting the type (but not the amount) of beer, liquor, and wine we drank - yep, that's it).

#2: Plant a Tree

I'm not a big environmentalist, I don't have a garden, and I only sometimes recycle—but, I really like the idea of planting a tree for K2. Sure, it will give us shade, produce oxygen, and all that good stuff, but its something that she'll always have, see, and feel as they both grow. And, as you've likely caught on to by now, it will be great to take annual pictures to see who is growing faster: K2 or The Big Wood. In fact, once K2 grasps the understanding of betting, my son Munch (the resident gambler), can start taking bets from kids all over the neighborhood as to who will reach 5 fee the fastest: the girl or the tree. I see a full line of merchandising opportunities to promote this event: websites, t-shirts, coasters. Wow, this sweet, sentimental, heartfelt gift may also now bring in some grocery money—score! And then, twenty years from now, as K2 is towering over me, Big Wood will be towering over both of us. An added bonus is that this gift requires no money (find a local nursery that are looking to give them away to clear inventory), requires no intensive labor (dig hole, drop tree, done), and requires no maintenance (thanks Mother Nature!). But remember, picking the type of landscape tree will also subconsciously select the type of girl you raise:

Magnolia: Girly Girl - exceptional beauty, fragrant, pinkish-white bloom
Apple: Girl Next Door - nothing says farmer's daughter better
Dogwood: Bi-Polar Girl - blooms in both spring and fall, that's just crazy
Maple: Sporty Girl - blooms in fall which is the only season where the Big 4 overlap (football, baseball, hockey, and basketball)
Spruce: Bitchy Girl - contains prickly needles, say no more
Birch: Nerdy Girl - better known for its bark than leaves, how lame is that?
And, finally the Oak: Cool Girl - tallest, strongest, boldest badass tree on the planet

Exciting times are ahead and pretty soon, your baby will be a walkin' talkin', jumpin' jivin' little person and if you don't start documenting now, you'll wish you had. It's easy to "skip that" or "I'll get the next one" or "I'll write it down later", but chances are, it will become a distant memory if you don't. Envision the plan, write down the plan, and execute the plan. And hey, if Hannibal, the coolest guy from 1983, can say, "I love it when a plan comes together", than so can you!

Are you doing anything for your baby girl that I can copy???? =)

Check out the previous weeks below...