Author: Mark

Niko slept till 5am this morning in his room alone in the crib. I guess it was me who was waking him up around 2am or 3am or maybe the cat whom we kept downstairs all night long. The cat meows really loud. I can hear him in both bedrooms clearly. I just need to…

On Friday, Niko turned 13 months old.  OK, so when can I stop referring to his age in months? Niko has several words in his vocabulary and his favorites this week are: out and up. Out…because he loves to go out and explore the world.  He doesn’t understand that sometimes we can’t go out because…

On Memorial Day weekend and since I had 3 days off, it was the best opportunity to nap train Niko in his bedroom.  Right now, he naps and sleeps overnight in the crib in our bedroom.  When he masters this new challenge (which should be a few weeks), we will do night training in his…

I should’ve named this one ODE TO THE WIFE PART 3, but I have always liked the song, “SUNDAY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME,” by Spanky and our Gang (Google it after you read all of my words).  Plus, that song is more authentic to what I wrote. Now that I am thinking about it,…

On Saturday, I took Niko for a very early morning walk.  I left Nina at home and I am glad as she got some much needed sleeping in time and alone time. It was my 1st time taking him out without any other adult supervision.  The night before, Nina and I packed his breakfast, put the…

On Saturday, we took Niko to the San Antonio zoo to see my parents.  I am not at all implying that my mom and dad are animals (well, maybe a little bit)! Even though I have lived in San Antonio for my entire life, I haven’t been to the zoo in quite a long time. …

I survived year 1 as a dad and it was awesome, tiring, and a lot of work.  And, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Before we even consider having another child, we want to give Niko a few years to be spoiled and of course, we want him to be fully potty trained.  So,…

A few weeks ago, Nina told me she prefers bathing Niko over changing him afterwards and I told her the opposite.  When I bathe Niko, I have to wear a shirt and shorts because I don’t want him pulling my hair.  Nina goes in nude and really enjoys the skin-to-skin contact and she gets to…

On Sunday, I turned 40 years old and where the heck did that white hair come from? I spent Friday with my wife and son eating steak and shopping and on Saturday, I had Chinese food with my family.  Nina suggested to me that I should showcase my family to the world by going live because we…

On April 9th and for only the 2nd time since Niko was born last May, Nina and I had to get a babysitter for Niko (which ended up being Nina’s mom and my parents).  Yes, three people to watch 1 little dude!!!  We had purchased tickets last August for Hedwig and The Angry Inch. We (or…

For the past several weeks, Niko has been sleeping thru the night (finally and yay).  That means, no more waking up 3 or 4 times a night with a screaming and hungry baby.  That means, mom and dad are getting more sleep. As far as naps, Niko takes 2 naps a day for an average…

Within the past few days, Niko has started to walk.  It is really funny and fun to watch him because he isn’t yet a master (heck, I haven’t mastered it yet as I am a bit clumsy).  I don’t even think he knows what is he doing, but he knows it’s something good because Nina…

So, next month, I will be turning 40 years old (or young) and in May, Niko turns 1.  No, I won’t do the math for when he turns 16.  You can stop with the old jokes right now. I really want to be in good physical shape so I can keep up with Niko as…

On  March 7th, I had the baby from 7:30am to 5:30pm (because Nina was in Austin training for her new job).  My only concern was how much and how often do I give him a bottle?  Everything else (naps and solids), I knew when and how.  As for diaper changes and/or clothing changes (yes, I…

On March 5th, Niko got bailed out of baby-jail and is now free to crawl (and, hopefully walk soon) on the 1st floor of our house.  Well, most of the 1st floor as the kitchen and cat area are off limit to him.  I wonder who bailed him out? I am by no means handy…

My family members tell me that I’m a good dad and I really appreciate it, because to be honest, half the time, I have absolutely no clue what the hell I’m doing!!! Actually, I do know what I am doing and each day I gain more and more confidence in everything I do for and…

I am very thankful that I have a full time job with benefits (with the most important being health insurance for my family) and I am able to support my family (my wife is a stay-at-home mom) and provide them with whatever they need. If my job wasn’t pulling in enough to support my family,…

Dear Niko, Hi, this is your dada.  How is your day going?  Are you having fun with mama and Franklin cat?  I want to know everything your mama told you today (so, I can confirm with my sources if it is true or false)! I am doing excellent despite the fact that you aren’t the best…

If you’re one of my million followers on Instagram, or Twitter, or Facebook, or one of my readers, you’ve probably noticed that I don’t share any revealing pictures of Niko.  Nina and I have made a joint decision to keep his face private and for our viewing only.  Please respect that choice.  It sometimes annoys…