Unfortunately, pregnancy is harder than just dealing with your wife's nausea, insecurities, and fatigue. Sometimes along the way, you and your wife will have to deal with some seriously important questions.
One of these important decisions comes around the 16th week of pregnancy. It is the decision on whether or not to take the AFP test. AFP stands for Alphafetoprotein, a protein made by your unborn kid and secreted through their liver and then dumped into your wife's blood. The test is a simple blood test that checks for abnormally high or low levels of that protein. Read the rest of this entry »
You finally named your kid. Hopefully you didn’t wait too long after the little bugger was born. Now what? Besides the usual, changing diapers, warming bottles, ogling your wife’s boobs, or ogling your wife’s boobs some more, you should think about the internet.
I’m not talking about surfing porn or watching funny youTube videos. I’m talking about staking claim in the new frontier of the internet on your kid’s behalf.
Your babies and toddlers are only as clean as you make them. This isn't because they do not like to be clean. It is because they simply do not possess the skills to clean themselves. For example, if your kid is like my son, he could eat a popsicle, have the sticky syrup drip down his arms, then go coat his arm in the sandbox like a Shake N Bake pork chop.
If my wife and I chose to ignore him in all his breaded-glory, he would not think anything of it. It is our duties as parents to remedy that situation with a one-way ticket to the tub. Actually, it is our duty to take a picture of him first; then take him to the tub. Read the rest of this entry »
Most likely your kids like to create things. Whether it is paint, PlayDoh, crayons, or anything else they can get their hands on, the way you deal with their little masterpieces can mean the difference between a fruitful childhood and a downward spiral into despair. Ok, it's not that bad but it is certainly important to know how to handle the issue of kid artwork. That's why I have compiled a list of the 11 Most Important Things to Know About Your Kid's Artwork.
1. Every piece is a masterpiece
Your kid will be very happy to show you their great creation. Treat it like it is the most amazing thing in the world and your kid should go to Italy to become a master artist. Anything less might discourage your kid from creating more stuff and visual exploration has been shown to stimulate the imagination and improve things like memory, dexterity, and learning.
It will come once a year and start as early as preschool. It could stress out your wife in the early years and stress out your kid in the later years. It is school picture time and believe it or not, you do need to care about them. But with a bit of preparation and the willingness to learn from Noodad, you will be alright.
First we need to clear away any baggage you may be brining to the table. Caring about looking good for school pictures is not vain. Nor is it for just the female set. Although you may be taking poodad loads of pics of your kids, the school picture is THE picture that marks the year. It is THE picture that will serve as a visual bookmark for the grade. They may not really care when they are young, but they will definitely care when they get older. Dropping the ball should not be an option.
Ah onesies…the undergarment of choice for the under 3 crowd. With it's soft cotton and 3 button snaps. It is brilliantly designed. When used for the power of good, it can offer an extra layer of warmth, and a support hammock for a diaper full of pee. But for those who aren't trained in the ways of proper onesie application, it can be a one way ticket to Pissed-Off-ville or even worse, a near death suffocation.
There is a proper way to put on a onesie. And this way is cry-proof. Here's what you need to do: Read the rest of this entry »
If your wife is pregnant and it still hasn't hit you, the ultrasound marks the instance in which the world falls out from under your feet. What once was just the idea of a living breathing kid in an instant becomes a living breathing thing that you see with your own eyes.
In a typical pregnancy, the first ultrasound is scheduled around the 18th week of pregnancy. At this point of the pregnancy, even though the little tax deduction is only about 8 inches long, it has enough features to look like something you can relate to. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s that time of year again. The time to carve some pumpkins, rot your teeth, and scare the bejeesus out of the neighborhood kids. But, the most important part of Halloween season is how you enjoy it with your kids.
If you are like me, all your childhood memories of Halloween are all garbled together into a huge gobstopper of memories. Wouldn’t you want the best for your kids? That’s why I have created the Great Noodad Halloween Checklist for dads new or old. This checklist will ensure you covered all your bases and you make 2008 the best Halloween ever.
My son had tubes put in last week. He had multiple infections in his 19 month old ears and the doctor had suspected that the excess fluid in his ears were causing hearing complications.
You probably have heard the term, "tubes" thrown around parent circles. In fact, recent stats say that almost 2 million American kids get tubes every year. But if you are like me, you probably have no real clue what it is really about. In this article, I will do my best to talk you through the technical stuff, the surgery stuff, and the post-op stuff. Read the rest of this entry »
Unfortunately, pregnancy is harder than just dealing with your wife's nausea, insecurities, and fatigue. Sometimes along the way, you and your wife will have to deal with some seriously important questions.
You finally named your kid. Hopefully you didn’t wait too long after the little bugger was born. Now what? Besides the usual, changing diapers, warming bottles, ogling your wife’s boobs, or ogling your wife’s boobs some more, you should think about the internet.
Your babies and toddlers are only as clean as you make them. This isn't because they do not like to be clean. It is because they simply do not possess the skills to clean themselves. For example, if your kid is like my son, he could eat a popsicle, have the sticky syrup drip down his arms, then go coat his arm in the sandbox like a Shake N Bake pork chop. 
Most likely your kids like to create things. Whether it is paint, PlayDoh, crayons, or anything else they can get their hands on, the way you deal with their little masterpieces can mean the difference between a fruitful childhood and a downward spiral into despair. Ok, it's not that bad but it is certainly important to know how to handle the issue of kid artwork. That's why I have compiled a list of the 11 Most Important Things to Know About Your Kid's Artwork.
It will come once a year and start as early as preschool. It could stress out your wife in the early years and stress out your kid in the later years. It is school picture time and believe it or not, you do need to care about them. But with a bit of preparation and the willingness to learn from Noodad, you will be alright.
Ah onesies…the undergarment of choice for the under 3 crowd. With it's soft cotton and 3 button snaps. It is brilliantly designed. When used for the power of good, it can offer an extra layer of warmth, and a support hammock for a diaper full of pee. But for those who aren't trained in the ways of proper onesie application, it can be a one way ticket to Pissed-Off-ville or even worse, a near death suffocation.
If your wife is pregnant and it still hasn't hit you, the ultrasound marks the instance in which the world falls out from under your feet. What once was just the idea of a living breathing kid in an instant becomes a living breathing thing that you see with your own eyes.
It’s that time of year again. The time to carve some pumpkins, rot your teeth, and scare the bejeesus out of the neighborhood kids. But, the most important part of Halloween season is how you enjoy it with your kids. 
My son had tubes put in last week. He had multiple infections in his 19 month old ears and the doctor had suspected that the excess fluid in his ears were causing hearing complications.
