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Dear Jack: The Baby Doll Saga Continues

5 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack: The Baby Doll Saga Continues

Dear Jack,

Last week I wrote to Holly about how you are taking care of one of Holly’s baby dolls until she gets here next month around April 21st.

Well, since then, you have only further perpetuated the idea that you are, in some ways, “practicing for your sister” with the doll.

Last Saturday night at 11:30 as I was heading to bed, I walked into your room to check on you, as is the tradition every night.

I immediately realized I needed to go get my phone and take a picture. You had fallen asleep while tightly holding on to “Dollee”.

Now, in the event anyone might think for a moment that you are “playing with dolls” like a girl would, you easily disprove that theory.

The next morning, you took a Lego chain and fastened it around Dollee’s neck. You followed Mommy and me around all morning, as we prepared for Grandma’s arrival for California.

As you did, you announced at one point: “She has the chain so she can fly… and so she can’t run away.”

Dear Jack: The Baby Doll Saga Continues

There’s nearly something poetic in there about the concept of freedom; how it can actually imprison as if we abuse our freedom or simply make poor decisions along the way that entrap us.

But as a 5 year-old boy, I’m pretty sure that’s not what you were implying.

If I were to translate, I would say you that recognize, as a big brother A) the importance of entertaining and playing with the baby [hence, the “flying”] and B) the fact that the baby must be under constant supervision to keep them from wandering into a dangerous situation [hence, the “chain”].

By the time Holly finally gets here, we may have to clean Dollee up for her. Good thing Holly already has a few other brand new dolls waiting for her in the crib.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Your Brother is Practicing for You with a Baby Doll

32 weeks.

Dear Holly: Your Brother is Practicing for You with a Baby Doll

Dear Holly,

As we were spending the night at Nonna and Papa’s house last weekend, your brother Jack and I were looking through your Aunt Dana’s old dolls as Mommy was waking up.

I grabbed a naked Cabbage Patch doll and a blanket. Then, I covered up Mommy’s waist with the blanket and placed the doll underneath, then announced, “Oh, Jack… Mommy’s having the baby now!”

Jack’s eyes got big and he stood still anxiously beside the bed, as he watched me pull out the doll, feet first, from underneath the blanket.

It wasn’t until he saw the Cabbage Patch’s head that he realized it was a joke.

We all immediately began laughing, but I noticed how enthralled Jack was at what he thought was your birth.

When we got back to Tennessee, our family went to Target: Mommy was checking in on her registry; meanwhile, I hung out with Jack in the toy section.

I was not surprised to hear your brother’s first request: “Daddy, let’s see if they have any Cabbage Patch babies.”

The idea was now in his mind to practice taking care of a baby, in relation to your arrival.

(He’s been practicing drawing “babies in their diapers” at school this week.)

However, they only had “kid” Cabbage Patch dolls, no babies.

But then, once we arrived back at our house, we learned that, coincidently, your Grandma (Mommy’s Mommy) in California mailed you a baby doll this week. Quite immediately, your brother Jack took it upon himself to take care of it until you can.

Within minutes, he was rocking the doll in the swing. He also named it “Dollee,” which is not to be confused with “Dolly”: He was very specific about that.

Granted, your brother has a stuffed animal collection which is likely larger than that of the average 5 year-old boy. However, that’s not the same as playing with dolls.

He’s never expressed interest in pretending like a human baby doll was real; only animals.

Until now. “Dollee” is clearly the personification of Jack imagining and preparing what it will be like when you arrive.

Instead of Holly, it’s Dollee… for now.

Of course, he plays with Dollee like a boy would. Tonight, Dollee derailed a train.

Jack insisted that Dollee sleep in his bed with him. It’s very clear to me he is expressing his excitement about you getting here in about 8 weeks.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Your First Real Haircut in a While

5 years, 3 months.

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Dear Jack,

When it comes to getting you haircuts, typically what happens is I do it myself: I just put you in the bathtub and give you a buzz cut with a #1 guard all over your head.

It looks good on you and it’s free. And you don’t care what kind of haircut you get; no matter what, all you know is, you never like getting a haircut and you are pretty good at delaying it.

I too, had been buzzing my hair off with a #1 guard since your 5th birthday in November. During the coldest months, I’m typically wearing hats most of the time to keep warm, so I’ve been without hair.

But as I’ve been growing at the time, and just got my first real haircut since early Fall, Mommy and I randomly decided this weekend to take you to Great Clips for a real haircut- it’s probably been over a year since you’ve had a non-buzz cut haircut.

We jokingly said you were going to get a Mohawk.

As we were in the parking lot about to go in, you commented to me, quite matter-of-factly, “Daddy, I hope no one at school laughs at me when they see my Mohawk.”

I immediately laughed, and explained, “You’re not getting a Mohawk. That was a joke. You’re getting a haircut just like mine. About an inch on top, a #1 guard on the sides and back, with a low fade into a #3 toward the top.”

You were relieved to hear that, but still weren’t looking forward to the fact you were just moments aware of getting your haircut.

But undeniably, you did so great in there! You enthusiastically answered all the beautician’s questions as she cut your hair.

We took a “matching haircut” picture this week to commemorate the occasion.

Maybe you and I will stick with real haircuts for a while now.

Love,

Daddy

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Big and Small, God Made Them All: My Friend Ben Wilder’s New Children’s Book

Big and Small, God Loves Them All: My Friend Ben Wilder’s New Children’s Book

It is definitely one of my life goals to write a children’s book and eventually my own series.

Therefore, I am happy to see my friend of a decade, Ben Wilder, have his first book published. It is called, Big and Small, God Made Them All.

A couple of weeks ago, Ben visited my house and we made this video together to promote it:

Before the book was published, Ben asked me to write a quick synopsis for the back cover. I feel honored.

Here’s what I said:

“How do you begin to legitimately introduce the gospel to a young child? You present them with God’s creation of the universe. Then you explain that this same God loves them too. That is exactly what Ben Wilder has done here.”

Big and Small, God Loves Them All: My Friend Ben Wilder’s New Children’s Book

In addition to being able to write an inviting children’s story through poetry, something else Ben did a great job of was finding the right illustrator; who happens to be Laura Watson. The pictures are very well matched for the story.

I am so proud of Ben’s new book. And… one lucky reader won their very own copy just from reading this blog post.

Big and Small, God Loves Them All: My Friend Ben Wilder’s New Children’s Book

Congrats to Heather Tucker, who was the first to go on the Facebook page for Family Friendly Daddy Blog, where I advertised this blog post about Ben’s book, and leave this comment:

“Did I just win a copy of Ben Wilder’s children’s book, Big and Small, God Made Them All”?

(When this blog post was live for the first 24 hours, Heather was the first to respond to the then open giveaway. This giveaway offer is now closed.)

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I believe Ben Wilder has a bright future in writing children’s books. The main thing is, the word just needs to get out about his first book.

If you’re possibly interesting in purchasing the book, go here to Ben’s website.

And thanks for visiting Family Friendly Daddy Blog today.

Big and Small, God Loves Them All: My Friend Ben Wilder’s New Children’s Book

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Dear Holly: A Glimpse of Your Upcoming Family Life

30 weeks.

Dear Holly: A Glimpse of Your Upcoming Family Life

Dear Holly,

Tuesday night as I was finishing up dishes downstairs, I happened to hear the conversation going on upstairs, as Mommy was getting your brother Jack ready for bed.

I heard Jack telling Mommy, “Daddy gets toothpaste all over my mouth when he brushes my teeth in the morning. Daddy’s crazy!”

Mommy replied, “Yes, you’ve got a crazy Daddy and you’re lucky to have him.”

That made me feel all warm inside as I heard it.

I then decided to join the moment by sneaking upstairs with my new toy:

Earlier that day, thanks to a Barnes and Noble gift card I had received after helping out a friend, I was able to purchase a really cool pack rat puppet, from the brand Folkmanis.

I’ve named my new puppet Magellan the Mouse and he will be a new main character on web series, Uncle Nick’s Enchanted Forest.

Your brother Jack was standing at the top of the stairs, facing Mommy, as he was getting dressed for bedtime.

Quite successfully, I sneaked up the stairs without him realizing it, just inches away from his feet.

Using a Wisconsin accent, I used Magellan’s movable arms to grab Jack’s ankles, proclaiming, “I’m Magellan the Mouse.”

Though I definitely scared him, he was more excited than anything, to see a life-like puppet in action.

Jack then stuck his finger in Magellan’s mouth and began asking the puppet to start biting him because “it feels like a real rat biting me.”

That’s a glimpse of your upcoming life.

On any given night, you can likely expect something like this to be going on.

You will be raised by an eccentric Daddy who is always up to some new shtick to grow his YouTube audience in an effort to legitimately become a professional actor and entertainer.

Meanwhile, your brother will be crafting his own weird experiments, like placing his leftover Halloween candy into warm saltwater to watch it dissolve, as opposed to showing any interest or excitement in eating it.

Mommy’s the “normal” one. But by default, she can’t be all that normal when she is surrounded by Jack and me.

So where does that leave you? The next few years will help answer that question.

But I have a feeling that you will take after me in more ways than one.

Love,

Daddy