Review + Giveaway: Caspar Babypants 'I Found You'

Seattle Based Kindie Rocker Caspar Babypants, aka Chris Ballew (front man for the Seattle based rock group The Presidents of the United States of America), is at it again.

'Babypants' is set to release  'I Found You',  his 5th studio release since 2009 filled with a meaty 19 fun tracks, on Tuesday the 18th.  He was kind enough to send me an advance copy for review.  I'm glad he did.

'I Found You', like his previous releases, is a peppy and fun filled album full of quirky kid themed songs in the vein of most 'Presidents' songs.  It has a good mix of his version of classic kid songs such as 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and  'Row Row Row Your Boat' & fun original tunes such as the title track, 'Hobo Baby', 'Yes and No' and the Halloween themed 'Skeletone'

As in previous releases, Ballew enlists other well-known Seattle area artists to help out on this release, notably one of my all time favorite Seattle musicians Steve Turner of Mudhoney and Green River fame, who plays guitar on the song 'Too Dirty to Love'.

All in all, I really enjoyed this release.  In fact it quickly is becoming one of my favorites of his.  And, in the ultimate test of it's effectiveness it took listening to just three songs before Annabelle fell asleep strapped to my chest.  That's worth 5 stars in my book.

As a bonus I have also been given a copy of  'I Found You'  to give away to one lucky reader.  Just leave a comment here telling me your favorite Seattle Band or Musician.  Make sure you leave a valid way to get back in touch with you.

You can get another entry by tweeting the link to this giveaway and mentioning @SeattleDad in the body of the tweet.  I will pick a winner on December 22nd.

As I mentioned I was given a copy of the CD for review, but that did not affect my opinions of the album.

Cheers!

You Gotta Feed THE Baby!

Okay, I'll admit it.  Juggling everything to keep Annabelle fed and clean is no easy task.  I'm 5 days in and at times I feel like a Keystone Cop Dad.  The thing is, when they are hungry babies tend to cry.  A lot.

Plus, babies don't exactly give you the opportunity to get your own stuff together and have it all right there ready to go the instant they decide "Hey, I'm kinda hungry.  Milk dad. Chop Chop!  What's the hold up?  NOW ALREADY!"

So, as I am attempting to gather myself and, let's be honest here, keep the piercing cries from penetrating to the inner most parts of my brains core, I am still kinda rushing around making sure that everything is in order.  The formula is mixed and warmed, the pillow and clean burp cloth are on the chair and at the ready, and the binky in within arms reach.

Then, when I do believe I have it all ready and can commence with the feeding routine, inevitably something goes wrong in the process.  Sitting down with her the pillow will get knocked off the chair, or her pacifier will  fall out of her mouth and onto the floor, where I will then have to decide how dirty it is down there and deciding 'not clean enough' will have to get up with here and go wash it off.  Or the burp cloth will hit the floor, or the blanket.  It never fails. I seem to drop something, often many things, in the course of each feeding.  It's humorous.

In the middle of all this I will have to do a diaper change, and of course by the time I have finished with that lovely job and sit back down for more feeding, still holding the baby, I realize I have left something on the changing table. I think I have muttered 'You gotta be kidding me' on more than one occasion.

On the bright side I am starting to anticipate these little faux pas and hopefully fewer of them will be occurring going forward. I guess that is just a part of finding our routine.  Annabelle, for her part, is like a relentless Drill Sargent working me into shape.  'Drop something?  - Give me 50cc grunt!"

And speaking of shape, this whole caring for a baby is not exactly like a workout at Golds Gym, but since I have less time for frivolities like eating regularly, I have dropped about 5 pounds recently.

I did say I was dropping all kinds of things caring for Annabelle.  I've wanted to drop 10-15 lbs for quite a while now.  I'm getting a good start, so there's that.

That't the update for today.  I'm hanging in there.  We are having good times and honestly there's nothing quite as sweet as having a newborn sleeping on your chest.

Cheers!

2012 Best Albums Post

Happy December readers.

What camp are you in?  Do you love year-end lists, or wish all list makers were water-boarded until they agree to never post one again.  Me?  I love em.  And for my sake I hope you are of the prior persuasion because I am about to present you with my annual list of best albums.

Are these truly the best albums of 2012?  The answer, of course, is that to me they are. Everyone will have a differing opinion on the releases they enjoyed during the past twelve months, and to me that's what makes it so much fun.

I read every best album list I can, so I can discover music that I had never heard of before.  And since I have heard only a fraction of the 2012 releases out there your favorites are likely not on my list.  But I would certainly love to hear them so I can listen and from my own opinion.

So, without further delay, here are my picks for the best new releases of 2012. I tried to describe some.  If you don't like it, tough this ain't Rolling Stone.  Just give a listen.

10. Ty Segall - Twins:  One of my favorite finds of the past year, Ty Segall lays on a thick dose of garage punk that treads heavily, and quickly worked it's way into my listening rotation.



9.  Beach House - Bloom:  I'm not big on including follow up efforts on my top albums list, but this follow up to the 2010 release Teen Dream is packed with many more of the hypnotic melodies that gave the duo a spot on my list that year.



8. Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams:  I actually found this band after perusing other top ten lists.  It's a beautiful sounding album and has a melodic quality that sets it apart from many of the contenders I was considering including here.



7. The Tallest Man on Earth - There's No Leavin Now:  Okay, long time readers may remember that I am a huge Tallest Man fan.  I have even referenced his songs in previous posts, and his previous albums are all in heavy rotation here at LIAYF.  This album took a bit longer to grow on me, being a bit more mellow than his previous works, but once it did I was hooked.  Gotta love the gravely voice.



6. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist:  Hip Hop doesn't often make it onto my top lists, but this release from Seattle artist Macklemore is just plain good music.  It didn't hurt that Macklemore also coined one of my favorite songs in the past couple years: My oh My! (about Mariners broadcasting legend Dave Niehaus) which is not on this release but is worth checking out.



5. The Lumineers - The Lumineers:  Last year it was The Head and the Heart, and The Fleet Foxes.  This year another Seattle based band has gained nationwide attention with a blend of folksy, rootsy music that makes you want to sing along.  My favorite song is Big Parade.



4. Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls: A very nice blend of Southern Rock and Folk with elements of a 70's vibe that sticks with you like a hearty breakfast.



3. Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory:  It's a bit hard to describe why I like this alternative release so much, but I do.  It has a nice up tempo, heavy droning sound that weaves its way into my psyche and makes me feel oddly upbeat.



2. Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal: I could have easily made this my #1, I like it that much.  The best way I can describe it is 'Arena Folk', it comes at you with a big symphonic sound in what is essentially a folk record.



1. Japandroids - Celebration Rock:  There was no real debate for me on this one.  The first time I heard this record I was blown away.  The title really says it all, as it is an upbeat Rock record that begs to be played on repeat.  If you haven't already, check it out.  Now.



11. Honorable Mention
Tame Impalla - Lonerism
Band of Horses - Mirage Rock
Ryan Bingham - Tomorrowland
Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods
Soundgarden - King Animal

Please feel free to leave a comment, letting me know your favorite Albums from 2012.

Home is Where Our Baby Is

I have great news readers.  After nearly 6 weeks in the hospital, our precious Annabelle came home this past weekend!

I already have a plan for how to train daddy.

Mrs. LIAYF, Lukas, and I are just thrilled to have the newest member of our troop under our roof, right where she belongs.

She wasted no time in making herself right at home and giving her room the stamp of approval - pooping there almost immediately.  Pooping in a room always authoritatively seals the deal. She seems to rather enjoy sealing that particular deal, by the way.

And now that the week has begun, I am a temporary SAHD.  That's Stay at Home Dad for those of you unfamiliar with parenting acronyms.  I will be staying home with Annabelle through the middle of next January.  That is, as long as the Myans weren't somehow RIGHT and we all cease to even make it to the holiday's - in which case my strategy of not buying any gifts until the very last minute will have paid off brilliantly.  For the record, I'm still banking on my Amazon Prime membership coming in handy.

How are things going with Annabelle?  All things considered pretty good.  It's early, and we've had a roller coaster ride the first couple of days getting used to each other's idiosycrasies, but there have been some great moments. Like when she smiled the time I spoke to her in a German accent.  "I sink you just filled zah diapah". Then again, she might just have been making a poop face.  Good times.

Also, last night our little sweetie slept from 9:30 - 2:10. (That's actually 5 full hours on the Myan clock.)  Mrs. LIAYF and I were in bed by 10:00 and so got a decent amount of sleep, and thus I am sane, drinking coffee, and writing this before she wakes up from her 5:30am sleep. Yes, there was another sleep and wake cycle between 3 and 5 am.  So, not all the kinks are worked out just yet.

But we have time, she and I.  Time to hang together and bond while Lukas is at school, and Mrs. LIAYF is at work.  Time before my lovely wife, who seems to have a magic touch when it comes to babies, takes over  full time care in the new year for a few months.

My goal is to have Miss Annabelle on a fairly regular routine by then.  No, we aren't quite there just yet.

But we are working on it.  Together. Wish us luck.

Dad Who Needed to Get a Grip

"We need tires.  Now."

Those were the words that greeted me when I answered the phone in the middle of rocking  Annabelle to sleep on Friday evening.

Of  course, the call was from Mrs. LIAYF who was with Lukas on their way to meet me at the hospital.  The rain was coming down in sheets and she had just been stopped on a hill where, when she started back up the wheels has spun for a long count before finally catching and allowing her to proceed.

We had both known this for a while, but in the rush to get everything ready for our daughters arrival home, that was one of the tasks that had fallen to 'sometime soon' status.  It shouldn't have.  And now we were faced with the reality that our daughter was coming home in a few days, the weather was suspect, and our vehicle was dangerous.

We decided to visit Costco after leaving the hospital.  Once there, I spoke with the Tire Center manager about stopping in on Saturday to get the full on rubber replacement deal.  He just looked at me and sort of shook his head.  "We are making appointments for next week." he let me know.  "Well, that won't do for me" I lamented.  "I have a baby coming home from the hospital in a couple of days.  Do you take walk ins tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but you may have to wait up to 4 hours".  I cringed at that, listing off in my head all the things we had to get done that same day in our lone car.  And with a baby on the way, I knew it HAD to get done Saturday.   "What if I showed up right when you open?"  I offered.  "Not a good idea at all.  About 20 other guys will have the same idea.  But you could give it a try.  We open at 9:30."

So with that I formulated a plan along with Mrs. LIAYF that I would arrive when they open, get the tires done right away, then we would be off to visit Annabelle to be there for her mid morning feeding.  I decided to arrive around 9:00 just to be safe.

I hadn't expected it to be like 12:00 AM on Black Friday at Walmart.

When I arrived I spied several other folks parked in the Tire Center lot and decided it would be a good idea to go stand by the door.  As soon as I did, that seemed to open the floodgates as all those other people followed suit.  Then, for the next half an hour, we all jockeyed for position by the very large door all the while trying not to be too obvious that we were there for the same reason.  To be 1st in line to get tires.

It didn't look good.

I started out right in the middle of the door, but the employees had to open it up a couple of times forcing me to move to let them out as a buch of people mingled around me. Plus a couple of guys crowded in on my right side (the way I would have to turn to get to the Tire Center) so I moved closer to them so that no one else could squeeze in there as well.  One of the guys then got called by his wife and had to go back to see what she wanted.  I wasted no time in shuffling right to take his spot.

That left myself and the other guy staring awkwardly at each other as we waited.  "What about this weather?" he offered.  "Pretty nasty" I agreed.  You here for the tire center too?"  "Yeah, my wife got a flat.  I need it fixed".  But just then the door opened and the woman working said "You can enter now".

Without hesitation I immediately cut the guy off and made for the tire center like a shot.  When I arrived I let the tire guy know what I needed and then glanced back.  About 25 people already waited in line behind me.  "How long will it be?"  I inquired.  "About 45 minutes" he responded.

"Perfect!"

Finally, after an hour had passed and I gathered my paperwork I passed the foul weather guy still waiting.  He was with his 19 month old boy.  He was a really cute kid and was siting on a Quad pretending to ride.  "Is he your only one?" I asked.  "Yeah, so far" he responded.  "My boy is 5 now, and it just keeps getting better." I let him know.  "Plus, we just adopted a baby girl.  She is coming home from the hospital in a couple of days."

"Oh, so you really NEEDED to get those tires.  Well congratulations!" He seemed genuine.
I knew I needed to be first in line that morning, and In the end I have no qualms fighting for what's best for my kids.

But I'm glad he understood.  Oddly that made me feel a bit better.

The Calm Before the Reality

In a matter of mere days, yours truly is going to be a Stay at Home Dad....albeit temporarily.

True, In effect I will simply be on Paternity Leave for a few weeks, but the important thing to note is that I will be the primary care giver for Annabelle, who has yet to make it home from NICU.

For all those wondering, our little darling is doing quite well these days after a rough beginning. In fact, she is starting to pack on the rolls of fat like she was playing Morgan Spurlock in a miniature version of Super Size Me. You want fries with that Hon?  (I think there are definitely Wrarms! in our future.)

Of course I want to Super Size the Formula!

A few years ago - let's just throw out, oh I dunno....6 as a random number - the simple thought of such an assignment would have terrified me beyond compare.  But now?

I am non-plused.  Along with Mrs. LIAYF and Lukas I have been spending quite a bit of time at the hospital rocking, feeding, changing and calming Annabelle.   And I have been doing a decent job if I do say so myself.  There have been no signs of panic during those times when my little girl gets seriously upset and I have to try different tactics to calm her.

For example, just yesterday such a scenario unfolded while I was all alone with my girl. The nurse who was unfamiliar to us took one look at me and rushed over to lend a hand to the fumbling dad.  However, I calmly made eye contact and told her "I've got this" while simultaneously turning Annabelle and beginning a rhythmic soft patting of her behind.  It was a seriously smooth move people.  I think I even gave one of those cool head nods.  You know the kind.

To Annabelle' credit though, she calms easily.  Thankfully she seems well dispositioned that way.  I'm crossing my fingers that trend continues.

But, given all this I am seriously at times treating this like it will be a piece of cake, which honestly worries me a slight bit.  Have I repressed the memories of the effects that a lack of sleep will have on a new dad who is on the wrong side of 40?  Am I forgetting how quickly a fairly well put together adult man can devolve into a slothenly, unkempt, walking zombie of a dad with bags under his eyes chugging coffee straight out of the decanter to keep sane? Am I fooling myself into believing that I will sail through this time along with my brand new daughter?

Probably.  But it's certainly nicer this way.

And hey, I survived the early months with Lukas didn't I?  Didn't I?  Darn right I did.   I don't remember them very well, but I did survive.  That I am fairly certain of.

Of course writing this all down is kind of bringing back some of those memories.  The picture perfect moments have been what I have mostly remembered from those days, but making jokes about being tired has had the strange effect of flooding me with those memories once again.  Suddenly, I am not so confident that it will be smooth, or easy for that matter.

Still, I not going to freak out at the thought.   I just need to continue to tell myself one simple thing.  One thing  that fake it till they make it folks convince themselves of all the time.

Don't worry people.

"I've got this."

Thankful for Quiet Alert Time

Happy Thanksgiving folks.

The LIAYF family are very thankful that we were able to spend the afternoon with Annabelle, who is still at the hospital but doing well.   We took the nurses a stack of pumpkin pies with real whipped cream today.  It never hurts to be on the good side of the hospital staff, plus they are wonderful human beings.

And the best news it that it looks like we will be bringing her home soon.

This video was obviously shot with my camera phone.  I'm sure you will enjoy the old school quality and grainy effects.  In reality though, it's the casting that makes a film watchable.  Enjoy.

Like ours, I  hope your Turkey day was filled with things to be thankful for too.

The Going Price for Teeth

Lukas is already showing that he is going to be a terrific big brother to Annabelle.  In addition to all the hugs and kisses he has bestowed upon her tiny little body, there have been other things too.   For instance, in an apparent attempt to bond with his new sister, who has zero teeth yet, he went and lost one of his own Wednesday!  How is that for showing love?

Acutally, Mrs. LIAYF and I have know for a while that the tiny chunk of enamel was about to go, as he has been wiggling it around for a couple of weeks now.  And we  have been keeping him on guard too, reminding him daily that if it falls out to save it by any means necessary.  That strategy paid off Wednesday morning as his mother woke him up.  His first words were "What?, Wait!" before sticking his tongue out with the tooth sitting on top.

When I shared the news on Twitter today, I got a reply from my buddy and fellow Seattle Dad Blogger Daniel over at Post Post Modern Dad, who indicated that his 5 1/2 year old son also lost his first tooth that same day!  What are the odds of that?  Lukas, however, fared a bit better than his toothless counterpart, who I am told actually LOST his tooth, probably swallowing it.  Poor little guy.  Never fear though, as Daniel relayed a plan to trick the tooth fairy.  I can't wait to find out how that went.

When we told Lukas about Daniels son losing his tooth, he genuinely felt bad for him, even making a super sad face.  So, to make him feel better we explained what the tooth fairy would have to do to recover that particular tooth.  We dubbed that fairy 'The Poop Fairy'! That, of course, made Lukas laugh and feel much better.

Speaking of the Tooth Fairy, a few days ago Lukas came home from school and announced to us that "Holden said the Tooth Fairy gave him $100 for his tooth!"  We, of course, were flabbergasted at the notion.  "When you lose your tooth we are taking it to Holden's house"  I let him know with a smile.  "He's either mistaken, or his fairy is better off than ours".

What does a tooth actually go for these days?  We wondered that as well, so Mrs. LIAYF turned, or course, to the Interwebz for an answer.  Any guesses?

$1.88.

If you guessed that I commend you. And, I want to talk to you about picking some lucky numbers for me.

As for Lukas?  His wasn't exactly the High Rolling fairy that "Holden" had, but neither was she the $1.88 Super Saver fairy either.  Rather, she was the perfect Fairy for Lukas, leaving him an assortment of interesting coins and even a $2 bill.  Oh, and she left him a nice little note too.

Yes, our Tooth Fairy Rocks.

What Has 8 Legs and Protects Daughters?

As a first time father to a new baby girl, I am already hatching a plan to ward off would be suitors when I finally allow Annabelle to date 30 or so years from now.

Sure, my first inclination was to immediately drive out to my nearest Big 5 Sporting Goods store and purchase that tried and true symbol of fatherly protection - the 12 gauge shotgun -which has undoubtedly served it's purpose for countless teeth gritting dad's over literally hundreds of years.

But then I also thought of Lukas & Annabelle and what having a gun in the house would actually mean, and I knew that this just wouldn't do. (Yes, in the scenario I just laid out one would assume Lukas would be 35 and still living at home, but just roll with it okay? Need I remind you that I'm the father of an newborn?)

So, of course I next thought of Spiders.  My internal conversation was something like  "Spiders!! Brilliant.  Yes, that would be perfect. Spiders!!"

Allow me to explain.  Back when I was starting High School I had a sister who was 2 years older than me and beginning to date.  In fact, I still have her but she is well past the dating age now, being happily married for 27 years.  But back then she would bring a her potential boyfriends home to hang out and meet our parents.

And notably our Dad.

We grew up on the family dairy farm, which my father and brother still operate today, and actually owned a couple of shotguns at the time.  But did my dad ever try to intimidate these boys with a gun?  Nope.  He used spiders.  Yes, spiders!  You see, the farm has a signature old red barn with high ceilings built by my great grandfather back in 1922.

The Iconic Family Farm Barn

The ceilings are the floorboards of the hay loft above, and in the rafters of that ceiling the spiders have been spinning webs since the beginning of time itself. That would be 1922 for purposes of this story.

It was in that old red barn that my dad would send these boys, armed with a pair of goggles, a broom, and instructions to clean out the layers of ancient cobwebs.  This was surely the nastiest job ever invented, and few survived more than a few minutes at it before deciding it was time to go home.  Brilliant!

Not the actual inside of the barn, but you get the picture.
Photo credit

Now, I don't suppose I would drive any of Annabelle's potential suitors an hour and a half south to the farm when the time comes, but....I am thinking that if I gather enough large spiders, release them into my garage, then lock the door for a couple of decades, I just may have a pretty decent deterrent for any punk who thinks he is good enough to date my little girl. Ha!

With that said, there will be no more smashing in my house.  We will henceforth always use the cup trick to cover, catch, and release our eight legged friends into the garage.

Sure enough the boys will come in a few years.  But when they do this dad will be ready for them, complete with a pair of goggles and a trusty broom.

Annabelle, I am Your Father

Annabelle - 1 day old.

You may have noticed that I have been absent here for a spell.  Sorry for that, but I have been a bit pre-occupied as of late.  Mostly the normal stuff.  You know, work, household chores, taking care of a 5 year old, errands, and the like.

Oh, and then there is the part where I am also a Father once again.  Did I mention that one?  No?  Well, I probably should get to it already.

Our newly adopted daughter, Annabelle, was born last Tuesday the 30th of October at 4:05 PM Pacific Standard Time. She weighed 7 lbs 1.9 oz, and was 19.5 inches long.   She has dark brown hair, and when she opens her eyes they are a heavenly shade of blue.

She is perfect!

The finalization of the adoption is still a ways off, but just a formality.  Mrs. LIAYF and I gained custody of our daughter Friday afternoon as our attorney pretty much raced through the streets of Seattle, diving through the closing doors of the local courthouse in order to get the matter onto the docket.  He's awesome that way.

This was a good thing, because we were holding off on telling Lukas until we knew the decision was final.  When he found out he was over the moon, rocking his new sister for nearly an hour, feeding her a bottle, and showering her with kisses. The torture will have to wait a few years.

This says it all.

Baby Annabelle won't be coming home quite yet, and will be staying at the hospital for while, which will actually give Mrs. LIAYF and I time to get some of our ducks in a row for her arrival.

But, bottom line:  She is ours to keep.  She is ours to love.  She is ours to raise in a loving home filled with laughter and passion and compassion and curiosity and wonder and a generous spirit.  And we couldn't be more thrilled!

Our 1st picture together.  

I also wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who wished us well, gave us words of encouragement, commented here on the blog, or posted our adoption badge on their own website.  That has meant a lot.

Now, another journey begins.