11 rules

The following is a list of 11 parenting rules we think should be followed during the first year:
Rule #11 - Enjoy every moment, because it will pass. I remember thinking, when is he gonna start walking and getting in trouble? I'm there now, and it's cool. But those little times with no words, just stares, were amazing too. They are seeds of sweetness planted deep inside of him.

Rule #10 - When the baby cries, check this. Check if the baby is hungry, then check if he's tired, then check if he needs a diaper change. Lastly, make sure his little foot is not touching the cold water bottle attached to your running belt while you're carrying him.... oh... nevermind... that was just me.

Rule #9 - Trust your instincts. You know what's best for your baby. Well, I know. Call me. Unless it's past 10 PM in which case you should call your Pediatrician.


Rule #8 - Diaper changing is a shared task. Thinking I could negotiate my way out of doing this was foolish. And you know what, it's not that bad.

Rule #7 - Pack for the unexpected. When going out, take extra diapers, wipes, blankets, clothes, and food. You will eventually need all of it.
Rule #6 - Every month gets easier. Really. Unless you're a whiner about having to keep an eye on him when he walks. If you are, get over it. He's discovering his surroundings. If you want it to go smoothly, follow the next rule.
Rule #5 - Baby proof the house as soon as he/she sits up. Best to get it done early. Outlets, cabinet doors, things that break. Also, we're just learning that the taller he gets, the more stuff he can reach. And pull.
Rule #4 - Create a consistent sleep routine. Sleep deprivation may be the number one complaint of new parents. You can't do much when she's eating every 2 hours in the beginning, but by month 6, you should be developing sleep routines that may involve dinner, bath time, a quick read or cuddle time, and then sleep. Baby video monitors are God sent.
Rule #3 - Take time to reconnect with your significant other. It's just as important as caring for your baby. Make a conscious effort to find out how they're doing, how they're feeling, have non-baby discussions. Have a date every once in a while. Movies, dinner, you know, recharge the batteries.
Rule #2 - If you're ever lost, ask yourself - how can I make my baby feel secure? that is the most important thing to a little person. Feeling safe. Don't think that letting newborns cry in their crib "toughens them up" or prevents them from "being spoiled". Those are old misconceptions. When a newborn wakes up he has no idea of where he is. Make him feel safe!!!
Rule #1 - Give them your best. This is something Carlos, Tyce's godfather talked to me about. Bad day at work? give them your smile and love. Mad at somebody? give them your smile and love. Avoid arguing in front of the little ones. They may not understand the words, but their little sponge brains understand stress, and are very sensitive to feelings.

Do we have all the answers? I'd like to think so, but Maria tells me we don't. I trust her. I hope you trust these 11 basic rules to guide your way through that unforgettable first year.

Top 10 gone looney

I had this idea of sharing an assortment of Top 10s - pictures, moments, things I've learned about raising a kid - then I realized the amount of work greatly exceeded the potential benefits. Top 10s can't be personal - only funny or entertaining.
This was indeed a very exciting month. Let's see, Tyce is officially walking, teeth are officially out, and I'm officially back in school. He's so adorable - the first thing he does when he wakes up, or walks in the house, or when he first gets to the Daycare is point up. OMG - he is always pointing up to the light, the fan, the tree...then he looks at you waiting for you to say "the liiiiiiiight" or "the faaaaaaaaaaan". He better not tell us in a few years, "remember when I used to make you say "the light' a million times?". But I digress.

He continued with the swimming lessons and has realized the pool is not just a place for babies to do Aquatic exercises and nearly drown. Good for him. He has been spotted at the bottom of the stairs pointing up - I'm hoping he's just pointing at the light halfway up the stairs, and not indicating he's about to go up on his own. More on that next month.
Grace Alaniz Diaz was born today, June 15, 2008 - daughter to Guillermo and Erika Diaz. DA cutest little thing. You are reading here that the world became a better place since. For those of you that know Erika....ok....picture her saying, "that's the junk". Great. Now look at Grace's face on the picture above this and tell me that's not the same face. It's kinda cool speculating what Grace will turn out to be....I put my chips on MD, PhD, JD, professional triathlete.
That is one cool village she's surrounded by, an incredible supporting cast. These pictures are from a few days from today, the kind of thing you can do when using the time machine to go back and do June's blog article in July.
Sorry Tyce, Grace has completely taken over your blog. No, you cannot "get-her-digits". For goodness' sake, you just got Reese's (2024 USA Olympic team member). Kids.
The 1st draft of this month's video started with no song, a bunch of disconnected pictures, and worst, a complete lack of inspiration. Five hours later, I ended up with something whacky. I cannot judge my own masterpieces but, Maria really liked it. I'm very curious to find out what y'all think - enjoy, and leave a comment!

9 months to make it

There is A LOT to say and I only have a few paragraphs before you lose interest and head straight for the video.
So Maria left to do her annual 2 weeks training with the military and I, with the support of my parents, took care of him.
I give myself a B.
This grade results from doing my best to take care of all his needs, extra credit from my mom's help, a slight bonus from my dad putting him to sleep, and a huge deduction from the simple reality that as hard as I try to be his ALL, there is no replacing mommy.
Justo and Jenny graduated from UF - Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude respectively. If you don't know what that means well, that just means that you're not those things.
I kid. Well kinda. It was so much fun seeing the whole family come up to celebrate their graduation. There is little I can put into words to express my sincere admiration for their academic success, and the immense gratitude we feel for the time and love Jenny gave our little man. Tyce will miss his Jenny, or #2, like he secretely refers to her behind my back.
Tyce started swimming lessons this month and has gotten better with time. His legs continue to get stronger - he stands up with ease (while holding on to something) and we believe he may start walking soon.
He has been "teething" for about 6 months now, and by that I mean he's been putting anything he can get his hands on in his mouth. This time we are beginning to see actual indisputable evidence that indeed, teeth will to come out of those little gums.
This month's video is a summary of the month's happenings, and a sign of things to come...ok, fine, I'm going back to school, there. Enjoy and don't be shy about leaving comments!

Ocho meses

Tyce can stand up on his own. Time to baby-proof the surroundings: set up a fence around the play area, put up gates by the stairs, snap safety plugs into electrical outlets, etc. Having a kid makes you a member of this parenthood fraternity where you realize that things are never going to be the same from that point forward. You will never really know what it's like until you receive your official membership card. In the orientation manual you learn about terms like "BK" and "AK", representing the period of time when you were able to go to the movies without difficulty, and the "after kid" period - where you start considering things like, how long is that event gonna last? will the sound be too loud for him? will that place have high-chairs? will I have a place to change him? will I be OK leaving if he's not having a good time?

My training for a triathlon later this month took a nose-dive when Tyce got sick. I could not bring him to the gym with me during the week, or the weekend, and Maria worked from Monday thru Sunday. It was an abrupt realization that there is a new element in our lives that forces us to realign our priorities - regardless of how much we're used to them not taking a backseat to anything in the past. To the right you'll see a picture of my friend Dave and I - he finished his first triathlon with no training other than a cigarette and a cup of coffee that morning. He's working on that.

Maria feels like she doesn't know him anymore. Tax season really took a toll on her perceived closeness with him. She's delighted to hear people mentioning what a happy baby Tyce is - we love that - because Tyce's happiness and well-being is our main goal in this adventure. Tax season is over, but she now has to leave for 2 weeks to do the annual training with her Army National Guard Unit. I feel for her b/c I know she will miss Tyce and I very much. My parents will use their vacation to join me while she's gone. I think them making that sacrifice for us speaks for itself.
Just like the following video, which includes some comments by people in Tyce's social circle and a song I've been saving for some time but could not keep from using any longer. Enjoy.

Coat please, hold the sugar

Hello dear fans, this is Tyce. I finally got around to being able to climb on to the computer desk and tell you the real story behind my first 7 months of existence. It's been a crazy ride so far - I don't remember much about the stork but, I must've flown first class because my first memory is of being in this hotel room with all kinds of nice, luxurious furniture. I believe they called it a "delivery room", which kinda confused me cuz we never got any pizza "delivered". Not that I could've gotten any, com'on, I could barely open my eyes back in those days - let alone control my hands to hold a slice.
All I remember during the first 3 months was eating, pooping and sleeping...oh wait, I also remember blurry people making gestures at me - apparently not realizing I could only see about two inches in front of me. How quickly do adults forget what it's like to be 3, months. Did you know that if you click on any picture on this blog you get to see it bigger (and better)? Click on my pic on the left and you'll see how much better my Mohawk looks. Thank Jenny for that.
Speaking of pics, I had some taken at 6 months at a mall studio: http://www.flickr.com/lounatic77

I am getting better at standing myself up if I have something to grab. Everyone wants to know if I'm crawling. No, I'm not crawling in the "traditional" way, but yes, I can crawl backwards like a crab, like you wouldn't believe. Mommy is going through tax-season and still manages to prepare my bottles and get me all fixed up in the morning. She also drops me off at daycare. Daddy picks me up and takes me to the gym with him every evening (after feeding me and changing me). It's a good life, can't complain. The gym daycare chicks are hot. Justo and Jenny play with me all the time and give me so much love. Someone please check Jenny's birth certificate cuz, you can't be 15 years old and handle me like such a pro.
Grandpa and "mamina" came to visit me at the beginning of this month. That was fun. They drove this big bus from Miami. Not sure why they use such a big car. None of the other people they brought along said hi. Weird.

The point of my writing this is to inform you that not everything is as rosy as daddy has made it look on previous articles - there has been an unexposed dark side to these first 7 months. So just like I learned by watching Advanced Baby Einstein DVDs, I put together a short documentary that outlines some of the low points in my short life. Enjoy them, just not too much...

Sicks months

"But I think he's getting sick" said mommy. "I think you're just experiencing separation anxiety. He'll be fine"...


It was a grueling drive from Gainesville to Miami, that daddy only survived thanks to a well-packed diaper bag. A total lack of shame allowed me to walk into businesses along the way and ask for permission to plug in the bottle warmer so that I could feed my momless, starving child. He was also getting sicker, his nose stuffier as the hours went by.
Thanks to the quick-thinking of "mamina" (my mom) and Noelia,
who made a doctor visit to show me how to properly restore respiratory function (a.k.a, suck out his boogers), we were able to maintain the patient in stable condition - until he made a trip back to lieutenant mommy.

Tyce got his first haircut last month. The first word out of Courtney was: "does mom know you brought him here?". This notion of moms being the sole authority in kid's lives is very discriminatory for dads like me. I'll talk more about that on next month's article. Yes, we did save the hair and no, he didn't cry....sheesh...relax, daddy's on it.

He is the * star * of the Day Care. Some of the ladies even have Tyce pictures on their cell phones. They note that he is so physically and mentally developed for his age that it makes it more fun for them to interact and play with him. He reserves the right to reject any bottle not heated to the perfect temperature. Just "warm"? not good enough....it must be "nice-warm". He may push it back until you get it right. He plays some old classics, and even takes requests on his 4 key piano.
Yesterday was Valentine's Day and it made me think about how thankful I am for everyone who has taken the time to be part of his life. Only a parent can understand how appreciative one feels for those that show our kids love. This month's "short-film" is a tribute to all of you that do. We don't have pictures of everyone but you are reading here that we appreciate you ALL very much.
Turn UP the volume, and enjoy!

Bright Starts

This month Tyce, or T.O. as he's known in the neighborhood playpen, started a new phase joining the "Bright Starts" daycare team.
He was heavily recruited by other daycare facilities but in the end, it came down to where he felt most comfortable. And the fact that it was located a stone's throw from Maria's job.

This month's accomplishments include falling asleep on one's shoulder (rather than the cumbersome "Tyce position"), reaching out to you to get picked up (not really, but close), and turning himself over from belly down to back. He can now grab the pacifier and bring it to his mouth.

He's also coming to terms with the fact that there is more to this world than breast milk and secretly licking daddy's Häagen-Dazs ice-cream chocolate coating. Shhhhhh! don't tell Maria...
look at her face ----------------->
....she's on to us....

We were happy to spend the Christmas break in Miami and feel thankful for those that helped make our trip possible. Including Noelia for losing her mind, telling us we would scar Tyce emotionally for life if we didn't let him spend the Holidays with his family. I should note that by "family", she meant her. During this trip Tyce suffered, I mean, enjoyed having his Tia feed him his first baby-cereal meal. I think the picture speaks for itself.The New Year was spent here in Gainesville. And as you can see in the pictures below, Tyce had a little too much fun. It all started with a harmless sampling of the wine.......which put him in a very very "festive" mood...

....one thing led to another....and now there is a permanent record of him losing his clothes and sucking his own toes....that'll teach him! (hehe)
I put a short video together with memories of Tyce's first 5 months. I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating it. This continues to be an overwhelming experience filled with discovery, surprises, sleeplessness, and the wonderfulness that is watching your kid grow right before your eyes.