BellaDaddy Blog

Or rather, blogging about it.

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Sometimes I sit and stare at my child...watching her eat, chew, swallow, play, run, laugh, blink, smile, flap her arms, fly a kite, pet the dogs, shake the hand of a stranger, squeal in delight when a friend comes to visit...and I wonder..."where did she learn this"?

I would like to say it is from me, or my partner, but, observations have proven, she is absorbing on her own: growing, educating herself, becoming a little person. Right before our eyes.

She has her opinions, and makes them known. We know her likes and dislikes as she is never one to hold back.

She dresses herself, buttons and unbuttons, pull up her pants, buttons and zips...and even puts her shoes on the "correct" feet. We say correct, because when telling her the shoes were on the wrong feet, saying 'you need to put them on the right feet', this would confuse her...as she already knew she had a left AND a right foot. (I imagined her saying, "Daddy, I only have ONE right foot, how can both shoes be on the right feet"?).

Now, would never say I was living "the Dream"...as I have never truly imagined, or dreamt, that this would be my life right now. I am 45, and a father...of a toddler. And, I am having so much fun! Living a childhood all over again. Splurging on toys and such, that I never had as a kid...and now, I can play to my hearts content...with a little one who is incredibly spunky and fun. LOVES to be silly, (like me)...loves to make people laugh (like me)...and in general, is turning out to be such a wonderful little human being...(like me) LOL!

I may not have done all that I wanted in life...who has? But know this...I am certainly having the time of my life now...I get to live through a child's eyes...and I get to be part of the process by which another human being turns out to have a compassionate heart and mind.

So, kudos to ME :-)

Drowning Threat

In many states, drowning is a leading cause of accidental death for children one through four years age.

Children drown in pools, spas, buckets, toilets and bathtubs. A child can drown in as little as two inches of water.

A child can drown in less time than it takes to answer the telephone.

67% of all drowning deaths occur in their own backyard pool, spa or hot tub.

The majority of drowning incidents occur while the caretaker assumed the child was safely indoors.

25% of all children who have drowned or nearly drowned have had swimming lessons.

The risk of a drowning or near drowning is highest during the first six months a family has a pool.

For every drowning, an additional five near drowning cases are treated in the emergency room. Irreversible brain damage occurs in 3 to 5 minutes.

In California there are more than 330 people with irreversible brain damage because of near drowning incidents. Of this total more than 75 people are currently hospitalized at a cost of $120,000 per year for life.

Drowning is a silent killer. The victims don't cry for help. They are not getting enough air to breathe, so they don't have the extra air needed to call for help.

Drowning Prevention Tips

There is no substitute for adequate supervision. Children need to be watched. Never leave children unattended in or around pools or spas - not even for a second.

Access to the pool or spa area should be limited by locked doors, windows and self closing, self latching gates on fences surrounding the pool. Latches should be above the reach of children.

Do not allow children to play in pool areas. Keep toys out of the area.

Keep rescue equipment such as a long handled hook and a ring buoy with a rope hanging near the pool.

Many floatation toys are thought to be lifesavers but they are not! They are only toys and should be used only as toys and with adult supervision.

Install a phone by the pool so you can answer it without leaving children unattended.

Always keep chairs, tables, or toys away from the pool or spa fence to keep children from using them to climb over.

Do not allow anyone of any age to swim alone. Drowning happens to adults too. When you are entertaining a group of children or adults, have a designated pool watcher who is responsible for keeping track of everyone.

Examples of safe water behavior by adults are important for young children.

Always completely remove a pool or spa cover before use to avoid the possibility of anyone being trapped and drowning under the cover.

Have members of the family take a swim class and learn CPR.

Pools Inspection List

Is your pool surrounded by a 5 foot 6 inch high or higher fence or barrier?

Is the fence childproof with bars not more than 4 inches apart? If it is a chain link fence, the diamond shaped opening should be no larger than 1 3/4 inches.

Are the gates self-closing and self-latching? The self latching mechanism should be out of the reach of children. Is the self-latching mechanism at least 54 inches, from the bottom of the gate? If less than 54 inches, the latching mechanism should be located on the pool side of the gate.

Are all the gates kept locked?

Are all exit doors and windows leading from the house to the pool kept locked and secured?

Are pool rules posted in a visible location?

Is rescue equipment kept near the pool? A ring buoy with an attached line and/or a long handled hook.

Is the pool cover completely removed or properly installed? Never use a pool with its pool cover partially

in place.

Are steps and ladders leading to an above ground pool secured, locked or removed when the pool is not in use?

Are there plenty of approved PFD's (Personal Flotation Devices) available?

Are the diving board and any slides in safe operating condition?

Does the hot tub or spa have a solid, locking cover, and is the cover in place and locked when the spa or hot tub is not in use?

Never in a million years would I be so thrilled as the time our little one ate Broccoli! On her own, no cheese, not catsup, no syrup involved. Just plain ole broccoli. (maybe there was a little seasoning)

We were in a one of our favorite, cool restaurants: FEZ. One of us, I don't remember which, not important, had veggies on our plate. Bella had a perplexed look on her face, reached over, took a spear and headed on....looked at it for a moment, exclaimed: "look Daddy, it's a little tree" and proceeded to devour it...

I was so frikkin excited, I almost pissed my pants...! (I didn't, I was wearing some pretty nice jeans most certainly - Love my clothes!).

Now, we have been trying to get her to eat veggies for so damn long, I had actually given up. Many of you know how difficult this can be...getting kids to eat what is "good for them" always ends up badly. None of us wanted to eat it...we wanted to ENJOY it...and face it, veggies just aren't that exciting...Instead, we gave her vitamins, and veggies drinks to supplement. This kid can be stubborn...and so can we...but screw it, she always wins out.

But now? Now I can relax. I think I am gonna win this one...gonna come up with some names for each veggie. A few ideas come to mind:

Snowman Nose (carrots)