BellaDaddy Blog

We had our first contest...and our blog friend PJ Mullen,, from Real Men Drive Minivans was the chosen winner...(and boy does he have the cutest little man...Bella's future ex-husband perhaps? LOL)...

After a rather emotional moment for me last friday, I remembered this post from awhile back...


(printed and edited with owners permission - HA!!)








Close your eyes for a few moments, and imagine.



A world where no person is judged based on the...

color of their skin,
love they possess and for whom they wish to spend eternity,
geographical location,
family and friends they keep,
orientations from which they were born,
home they live in,
car they drive,
job they perform,
clothes worn,
personal choices they make as women, men and as humans,
religious or spiritual beliefs ,

political beliefs,
abilities to parent!



Imagine, and you will share in what I wish for my child. I want Bella to grow up in a world we never had, but can, and will.

Love, David, Vince & Bella


Happy Fatherhood Friday! DAD_BLOGS

Here we were, all excited for our little one to experience Halloween for the first time...OK, not actually the "first" time, but truly, the one time first, that she could actually know what it means and enjoy the costumed revelry.

Bella had picked out several variations on a Princess themed costume, having received many pieces and parts for her 3rd birthday.

Fairies, Princesses, Tutu's, wands and the like. She has em all...

So, we pull out the outfit she had chosen...only to be met with a frown, furrowed brow...a stomp here and there...and..."No, I don't wanna wear THAT...EVER!" Ever?

Crap! Now what? How are you supposed to read the mind of a three year old...Wait, you can't...

So, reserved to the notion that I will either have to bribe, or pout...I chose the pout.

Nope, didn't work...EVER!

Threatening works...usually...and thankfully, this time...it did...after a half hour of whining, pouting and threatening...(all me)...I proclaimed that Halloween would be over, her friends would not come over...and we would have to throw away the Pumpkin...(as she calls it, "the Greatest Punkin Ever)...she finally relented...but was not happy about it...

SIGH!

Here is one of the pics...most of them had her frowning, looking down...yes, even picking her nose...




Eventually, she was happy as a clam...many people came by...and Bella made allot of new friends...everyone was a friend...no matter who came by, whether we knew them or not....Bella would exclaim..."Look Daddy there are my friends"..."here come my friends"..."where did my friends go"?...etc...etc...etc...

And the costume? She LOVED IT...and of course, you know where this is going...uh huh...she refused to take it off to go to bed...that was another Whiny Daddy Moment....

Oh Happy Daze!

So, Bella has this odd little toy, I think it is for the pool actually...but seriously? not sure...

In any case, she loves to run around with this little squidgy, tentacled toy...squeezing it...laughing...squeezing again...it is one of the few toys we let her run with....she was bored with scissors long ago (wink)!

IDEA (bright flash bulb inserted here) Grab the video camera...

She was pretty cool allowing her dear old daddy to film her...which has become increasingly rare these days....

Below, the latest in the video collection of little Miss Bella...She loves squeezing the poor thing till it pulses with a bright blue bubble...on it's supposed behind...thus the name of the post...and video...


Enjoy!

Please pay special attention to the name (and blog site) of the comments...the poll to the right can only fit so much...therefore, the name of the person, (and their blog link - WINK) is how you will vote... Also, click on the links below to check out some very fun, cool...hip blogs!








ON A SIDE NOTE: Please click on the banner link below for my friend Jason's Site, OUTNUMBERED There is one amazing story and your chance to contribute to an amazing cause. We did...and even if you cannot, please read the post...truly touching!

Happy Fatherhood Friday...and happy happy weekend!


( CLICK ON THE PIC TO ENLARGE)

Sounds cynical eh? Yah Yah, well, get your own blog :-)

Continuing this weeks theme over at DAD-BLOGS!


Since our little one is not of school age, I thought, how could I think of a post for back to school. Other than my own memories of my years yawning in class...or being rebellious...or thinking I knew it all, when I didn't...but, I did...sort of.


We have two dogs, Italian Greyhounds; Scuzi (means excuse in Italian), and Spago (A single strand of spaghetti, also Italian). They are both getting up there in years, Scuzi being 10 and Spago going on 15 now. Scuzi is still puppy like and oh so stubborn the Alpha Male, while Spago is the passive one, (and has been since I became their step-father almost 8 years ago), quite loving.

SCUZI

SPAGO










Spago is old. No way around it. He is overweight, almost completely deaf, and his eyes are chalk full of cataracts...but he remains, the dedicated, sweet old man.

So, back to school?

I have found, that since Spago is now deaf, he needs additional attention. Teaching in fact. You know the old saying "Cant teach an old dog new tricks"...well..I think you can! You may not see the exact results you would expect raising and teaching a child, but, the signs are there. Speaking of signs, this is where the teaching comes in.





Since he is about 95% deaf, I can no longer yell at him when he trips me by wiggling through my legs, under my feet. Oh, I still yell, but obviously he doesn't hear me...so...I have to use sign language. My own version, thank you very much:


When tripping me: Wave the hands frantically, scaring him into moving.


Dinner Time: Cup the hands, flicking the fingers up, (directly in his face) to summon him to the dinner bowl.


Running Towards Me in a Delirious State (We call it DELIRIUM): Sticking my right foot, up in the air, signaling that if he continues to come forward, he will smack my foot. Has happened a few times and no, I do not kick him.


Potty Time (we actually call it "Peeps and Poops", but he cant hear it anymore - remember?): Waving the arms and hands wildly, towards the open door, leading out to the yard.

When Following me Relentlessly Around The House: I stop abruptly, turn around, stomp, yell loudly, wave my arms and legs in frustration. (OK OK, not the best use of sign language, but I sure feel better afterwards...and he "gets it"...temporally).

And my personal favorite:

Daddy needs some love: Down on my knees, open arms as if to embrace, and fingers flicking....(He loves this as he crawls into my lap and I scratch his back... - I swear I have heard him purr).



Patience is the key. I may not have as much as I used to, being a stay at home dad, having a toddler and two dogs, but I try my best...gonna try and make these last years for our dogs some of the best!


I guess life is all about learning...from the day we are born, humans and animals alike, till the day we are gone.

Bella loves music, as is evident in her taste in entertainment: Lady GaGa, Jackson 5, Kelly Clarkson, NTUIT, Pussycat Dolls, and anything ELMO....she requests certian songs in the car to be replayed...over and over and over and over again.

So, recently, we had a little fun. It was later in the evening, thus the unkempt hair LOL...but hey, what rockstar these days, or in days past, had coiffed hair? HA!

Her little friend in the video is a parrot toy we purchased when she was one. Back then, she was entertained by it for oh so little a time...and he was banished to a dark corner in the house...for two years!

Recently, going through her toys, donating away, we found Polly! and now? well now, she is completely enamored with this guy...or girl...we haven't decided yet...

She talks to the bird, named "Bella Birdie", cuddles, dances and converses as though he/she were real., The bird has a wide range of fun comments, gags and such...we can make him/her say anything we want, at any time....but no...we didn't for this video...this is all Bella Birdie talking...

Not sure where Bella gets her musical talents, but she loves to rock out. We play music in the car, on the DVR and in her Drama Room and she swings and sways, bops her head up and down, and "shakes her groove thing"...just like her favorites...

Enjoy!

SHEESH! How the hell are you supposed to enjoy playing with your kid and their new toys when it takes FOREVER to get the damn things unwrapped. Unwrapped, un-wound, un-taped...un-bound...un-everything'd.

The manufacturer makes sure more than half the battle is getting the toy out of the box, out of the wrappers, out of the Chinese finger torture ties...AAARRGH! Cant even begin to tell you how many times I have had my fingers poked, scratched and down right harassed by these "safety measures!" MADDENING at best!

My opinion: The person who invented shrink wrapping and twisty ties for toys should be made to spend a week, alone in a room, with nothing but FOOD, wrapped in all these devices...see how long they last! Can we say STARVE???

Once unwrapped, (and I did the dumbest thing, attempted to assemble while Bella was there...getting into every piece, carting them away, etc...) My Bad!...anyway, once unwrapped, I realized...NO BATTERIES! AAARGH!

Again my bad, for not reading that they were not included....so, there she is, ready to play...and gets bored after a few moments...why? NO BATTERIES!I looked everywhere for C batteries. Even taking every toy in existence in this house, unscrewing the battery compartments (another safety measure that sucks) and looking in flashlights, appliances, mp3 players...All of it...to no avail...so, she plays for a few moments then throws her little arms in the air in frustration, and walks away....I hope when I get batteries later today, she decides she likes it...!

SHEESH, I wish my batteries could be replaced...I am pooped...and all scratched up!