New England Aquarium

June 12, 2016

One of my favorite places in Boston is the New England Aquarium. Ever since I was a kid I have really enjoyed going there. The incredible coral reef that has a ramp designed like a parking garage, the chance to pet butterfly rays, and crazy rock hopping penguins are all good reasons worth spending some time in the aquarium. 

A few weeks ago we had a chance to visit the New England Aquarium. MJ loved seeing the fish in the tank. Jackie on the other hand really loved going "up," the ramp. 

Check out the video of our trip to the aquarium. We all had a blast together.

Stone Zoo

May 14th

The Stone Zoo is a great place to bring kids. Partly because all the animals are happy hanging out with each other. Each exhibit is placed just far enough to walk without getting tired but spaced far enough to keep from feeling claustrophobic. Maybe the main reason the Stone Zoo is such a good time is that the zoo is a few miles away.

Nonetheless, let's take some time to look back at that experience.

Pink Frosted Donut

Having an older sibling is tough. Older siblings take younger siblings toys, they assume younger siblings always want their leftovers, and older siblings usually get their own way. This is completely relatable to MJ and her big brother Jackie.

A few weeks ago the Bruff family was going to visit grandma and grandpa in Connecticut. Naturally Kimmy and I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts before we made the 2 hour trek to Bloomfield. Kim got her usual iced coffee but we weren't able to get Jackie his usual "special, special" of chocolate munchkins. Instead we got Jackie a strawberry frosted donut. MJ and I split a bagel as we bounced down the highway.

Shortly after we got on the highway, Jackie yelled across the car to MJ, "Here you go, MJ. You can have some."

Naturally, Kim and I were happy to hear that Jackie was sharing. We praised him for thinking about his little sister. She was stuck eating an everything bagel while he was eating a delicious strawberry frosted donut loading with sprinkles. Kim turned around to help Jackie pass his donut from one car seat to the other.

Although I don't have a picture to show what Jackie passed to her, it won't be hard to paint the picture clearly. Imagine a 2 year old ate all of the pink frosting off and left behind drool and plain donut behind.

Leftovers to a second child is pretty much par for the course. MJ, be ready for even more of them.

April Vacation

Dearest MJ,

You are wonderful. I know you may think so right now or may not think so depending on what we last said to you. But as of right now, your mother and I think your the bees knees. We just got through with spending all of April vacation with you. Putting you to bed a half hour after your bedtime, allowing you to sleep in, and snuggling when you wake up in the middle of the night are few things we are able to do during the break.

We did so much more. There aren't enough words to write about all the fun we had. Check out some of the highlights from the April vacation Kim and I shared with you.

Uncle Tommy sighting!

The Olympics are coming up.

Thunder Thighs!

Friends from New Hampshire came to visit.

Sandbox fun on the deck.

Months apart, yet so close!

Castle Island with Dada's friends.

Someone is tired

Aren't slides fun?

Sleeping and doing yoga.

  

I can feed myself.

First Day at Daycare

The night before my precious MJ went to daycare for the first time, I should have felt good, relaxed and prepared, but I wasn't. I was as nervous as a germaphobe at a buffet. If I didn't have to go to work I would have turned around and brought her home to hang out with me for the day. 

As I am writing this, I feel that I am the parent I shake my head at. Hovering and thinking their kid is different than everyone else's. For some reason, I think all parents have one thing in common. They all think their child isn't common. I am no different. 

My precious wouldn't take a bottle from anyone. She'd already gone over 12 hours without eating because she was waiting for her mother. She had been around very capable people. Each one of those people tried their different tricks to get her interested in drinking from a bottle. Lots and lots of people had tried. I had tried multiple times when Kim would go out to run errands or go play hockey. Both sets of grandparents had tried to no avail. Her pediatrician said that she was a, "Smart girl. She knows what she wants." 

Sending her to daycare without taking a bottle just seemed like we were setting her up for failure. There was nothing I could do about the bottle. I'd tried before and that issue was out of my control. I knew what needed to be done deep inside. Just drop her off and make the quick dash out the door. Besides, Jackie was dying to get inside and see his friends who he had missed since spending time with his parents all summer. 

As I walked to the door I once again began to think about all the things that could go wrong: MJ crying and crying because she was hungry, MJ not being happy about not seeing her mother and I now that we had to go to work, and not having enough attention because there will be other kids to pay attention to. 

At the moment I hesitated, I knew it was all in my head. MJ would be fine. It would be fine for me to think about her. It would be fine for me to wonder if she were missing me. It would be fine if MJ experienced some hardship because she wouldn't take a bottle. 

As I got back into the car and told Kim all about my concerns and wild thoughts she said, "If I knew you'd be this worked up, I would have dropped the kids off." At that moment I knew I needed to just let go. Inside my head I knew if Kim had dropped the kids off I would not of have been so concerned. I would have known the kids were going to daycare and they would be taken care of. Reading in between the lines of what Kim was saying, I decided to man up and deal with my precious being with someone other than her mother. 

At the end of the day I charged out of work and down the highway to see my precious. She had all her fingers and toes, she was still breathing and survived her first day in daycare. And to no one's surprise, she didn't take a bottle! 

Looking back at the day 5 months ago I've come to realize a number of things. Most of the feelings I have experienced as a parent are worth considering. Sending my daughter to the child care provider we decided was safe and trust worthy means I should be able to be at ease. I also learned that the feelings of uneasiness will always be there. I just need to be the parent that isn't defined by their uncertainty. 

Most importantly it is a good thing I've got a great partner in Kim. Every parent needs someone to turn to when they have concerns, questions and indecision. Everyone needs someone who can politely say, "Grow a pair."

Quick Trip

MJ went to visit Grandma and Grandpa's house for a manic Monday. Although we were only gone for a couple of hours, it still made for a good time down in Connecticut. The drive down took a little longer than we thought. After all, we left during the tail end of rush hour and hit no traffic. We ended up getting to Bloomfield before anyone would have expected.

Grandpa left work early and came with hugs, kisses and lots of bouncing to keep MJ happy & pleased. Grandma put together a wonderful summer dinner of veggies straight from her garden. Because MJ couldn't eat the squash, so I decided I wouldn't eat the squash either. I didn't want her to feel left out.

With all the fun we had with playing with kids at the daycare, hanging with Grandpa and Grandma, and having a great time at dinner, we eventually made our way home an hour after we planned.

Do You Remember...?

There are moments in my own life that people refer back to and I've got no memory of the event. Someone from my family without fail usually starts by saying, "Do you remember when..." or "When you were first born..." Sound familiar? Of course it does, everyone has some experience like that. I am hoping for MJ's sake that this blog can help her alleviate those conversations. I know she'll say I don't remember but I did read about it, hopefully she will say that.

On Sunday, May 24, 2015 MJ met so many members of her extended family that they are all bound to talk about that day. For one, MJ met her godmother, Aunt Allison. She also met Uncle Josh, her great-aunt Maxine and her family, second cousins Deon and Faith. What brought everyone together? Aunt Allison graduated from the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Check out the pictures below for quick snapshots of the weekend. Keep in mind at the time of the photos MJ did not like spending more than 30 minutes in her car seat. With that being said, we drove to Virginia. MJ did an awesome job. She watched some rain, clouds pass by, trucks and cars that were on the road, and finally she let us know every time she needed a break. 

It was a pretty uneventful trip down and back again.