Stage Dad Syndrome

Updated Score: The Other baby is still ahead, but we're close. Thank you all for voting for Leilani. I'm not giving up. You can vote daily until June 18.

I'm not going to say that I spent an hour looking at other babies' vote totals, but let's just say I did some research. Thus far, this kid appears to be the stiff competition. Granted this competition started weeks ago, so we have some catching up to do. Contests can do strange things to people I've discovered. Things immediately seemed different the moment I entered Leilani into this contest. My eyes began to burn crimson red, teeth began to sharpen and I became consumed by an uncontrollable urge to get her ahead at all costs. ALL COSTS!!! Click here to vote!

Vote for Leilani

Leilani is in! We've entered her into Disney's Magical Moments contest. It's judged on several categories–happy, grumpy and sleepy. The winner receives $10,000 towards their education and a crawl-on role on an ABC show. Really, it's more of a 'how many people do you know on Facebook contest.' Now start spreading the word, she needs your votes! Click here to vote.

Leilani turns 6 months

Half a year in the books folks. Everyone seems to think it's gone by so fast, but for me it does feel like it's been 6 months, if not longer. To think about when we brought her home for the first time; seems so long ago. She was such a little stick when she was born and now she's something like 19 pounds. Obviously I need to do some updating to this blog. I haven't even finished carrying over all the old blog photos! Okay, I promise to finish that before her first birthday. :) Well, I'm glad you all have been able to watch her grow in scale and personality. Thanks for all the wishes. It won't be long before she'll be checking those off.

Cereal Spiller

Jen and I have a new and very obvious rule–don't leave Leilani alone with a bowl of cereal, no matter how far out of reach it appears. In our own unrelated moments, we stepped away from the high chair to grab something and turned back around to find that Leilani had rubber-armed her way into spilling the bowl all over the tray. We're lucky that that's all that happened considering her throwing arm. In any case, she loves cereal and in a week or so she'll be starting on fruits and vegetables.

Playing the odds

Jen and I were fairly certain that the odds of us producing a really cute baby were not in our favor. If we look at the pre-existing cuteness ratio of babies in our families, which is high, our chances become that much lower. It's like betting on black in Roulette after black has come up 10 times in a row; it's gonna go the other way at some point. Well, guess what? We put all our chips on green and it hit, because I'll be damned if this isn't the cutest baby I've ever seen.

Her father's daughter

Try and tell me Leilani doesn't look like me now? Look past the cuteness and you'll see it.

Happy Friday

Let's see. What's new this week? Leilani is a little heavier, a bit taller and much more vocal. She's added a whole new set of adorable sounds to her vocabulary. The walker we bought her has plenty of battle-scars already. She gets those big ol' thighs moving, reaches top speed (1mph) and smashes into anything in front of her. The cats are usually the target as she makes choo-choo noises like the freight train she is, but to no avail. They're too quick for you Leilani, sorry. Maybe one day.

Happy Mother's Day

To all of the mothers out there, happy Mother's Day. You deserve more than just a day.

Brand new wheels

Someone got a new set of wheels! It's fuel efficient and comes standard with MP3 jack–I'm not kidding. She gets around in this thing, which is good and bad. Mostly bad for the cats. They are in a constant state of alertness because Leilani loves following them around now.

Making the cut

Leilani loves to laugh, but she doesn't just go around handing out chuckles all willy-nilly. No, it's going to take a concerted effort on your part. So next time you see her, bust out your best dance routine while singing your favorite song and you just might make the cut.

Tapped out

Awwwww, my little Meatball's first arm bar. It's a proud day.

'Ohana

There is nothing more important in this world than family. I know in reality it all seems much more complicated than that, and it is, but there's a reason why, when our lives are put into perspective we always say "as long as we have each other, that's all that matters." We all work hard so that we can enjoy the other moments. For me, a welcome home smile from my wife and daughter makes all the other stuff seem small by comparison.