tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66864071461769642262024-09-12T23:11:23.477-04:00A new dad's adventures in dirty diapers, sleepless nights, and getting to know the best thing that ever happened to him.Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-27671117210248303712010-10-21T13:28:00.000-04:002010-10-21T13:28:02.097-04:00

Well, it didn't take very long for Grace to go from crawlingish to crawling.  She's on the move now, and can really, really motor. "Target identified.  Pursue and eat XBOX" I love her crawling determination and form.  Grace only crawls when she sees something she wants, which is exclusively something she's not allowed to have like a shoe, a glass or Carrie's graded essays.&nbsp

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-67342933540699672432010-10-05T16:02:00.000-04:002010-10-05T16:02:41.677-04:00

I'm pretty sure that every parent thinks their baby is exceptional.  It's human nature to look at your kid and see someone that's smarter or stronger, prettier or more developed than all the other babies in the world.  I'm certainly no different.  Every time Grace learns anything new, I see it as evidence that she's not just an ordinary baby picking up new skills on a normal

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-91083265219510475102010-09-25T12:16:00.001-04:002010-09-25T12:17:10.571-04:00

Can't get enough of my and your favorite baby?  Then follow Good Morning Gracie on Facebook!  I'll be posting deleted scenes videos that didn't make it into blog posts and whatever else I can think of over there.  Just hit the like button on the right side of this page or visit the fan page by clicking here.

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-17720563287818606642010-09-25T05:30:00.000-04:002010-09-25T05:30:00.546-04:00

One of the unbelievable joys of being a parent is coming up with novel ways to entertain your kid.  Carrie and I both revel in the challenge, but have drastically different styles.  I tend to be more physical, playing games that get Grace moving around.  Contrastingly, as befitting an English teacher my wife tries to engage our daughter's mind with stories and songs.  Her

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-59032360875336076952010-09-24T05:30:00.002-04:002010-09-24T05:30:01.047-04:00

Despite being three years older than my sister Amy, she's been taller than me for as long as I can remember.  She sprouted past me sometime around kindergarten and never looked back.  At 6'1", she's got an inch that she'll lord over me at least until we get old and start shrinking. Amy was always the tallest girl in her class, so naturally she found basketball - or basketball found her

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-81043827584975872302010-09-23T22:43:00.001-04:002010-09-24T09:05:42.668-04:00

We've done our best to make sure Grace is eating right, following our doctor's every guideline and varying her foods to give her the things she likes most often.  Turns out though, our menu was a bit more diverse than we thought.  Yep, the thing Grace eats most often and likes the best is bug milk. Similac Advance in delicious beetle flavor. Since we're first time parents, you may

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-71393661576684260562010-09-23T08:00:00.010-04:002010-09-23T22:20:29.059-04:00

My mother is a pretty big fan of all things Disney.  More than pretty big, actually.  Obsessive.  Well, maybe a step down from obsessive.  Lets go with dedicated lifelong fanatic.  Anyway, I bring this up because I was going through Grace's closet the other day and came across a Mickey Mouse doll that was buried under an avalanche of clothes and toys.  Given my mom's

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-32354277044020649452010-09-10T15:20:00.000-04:002010-09-10T15:20:14.467-04:00

Every once in a while, a baby will throw up directly on your face when you're burping her.  I need a shower and something to wipe this experience from my mind.

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-30955035321459827422010-09-10T13:51:00.000-04:002010-09-10T13:51:58.685-04:00

For the past three months, Carrie and I attributed all of Grace's otherwise unexplained bad moods and sleepless nights to the start of teething.  And, for three months we've been wrong.  That all changed about a week ago, when not one but two teeth cut their way through her bottom gums. Yeah it's blurry.  You try taking a picture of a wiggling baby. By the time her teeth

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-83646157669954833592010-09-07T22:23:00.003-04:002010-09-07T23:33:57.274-04:00

Grace's grandparents all love hosting sleepovers for the baby, and once every month or so Carrie and I are more than happy to oblige.  As parents, it's good to get away for a bit to blow off some steam and not be on infant alert at every moment, so it's an incredible blessing that our parents live so close and are so excited to spend time with Grace. Last weekend was such an

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-69929699951411830032010-09-06T13:57:00.000-04:002010-09-06T13:57:16.165-04:00

Grace, Carrie and I are all huge fans of funny noises and funny faces.  Mommy and daddy will do just about anything to for a laugh, and baby is always more than happy to oblige As Grace gets older though, our comic mannerisms are starting to have a side effect.  Namely, mimicry, which our little lady is quickly mastering.  If we stick our tongues out, she sticks her tongue out.&

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-79917128147054038322010-09-03T19:53:00.000-04:002010-09-03T19:53:07.466-04:00

Carrie and I taught Grace how to play catch today.  We were at grandma and grandpa's house where there was a beachball lying around.  Since it's colorful and a thing, Grace was immediately fascinated by it, so we let her handle it for a bit.  After a minute or so, she dropped it and we handed it back.  Another minute, another drop and so on for a while. Eventually Carrie

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-92080251258229308122010-08-26T14:14:00.000-04:002010-08-26T14:14:54.043-04:00

For the most part, babies learn incrementally, picking up new skills bit by bit through trial and error.  For example, Grace has seemed to be on the verge of crawling for months, and is now at the point where she's got everything down except for actually moving forward. Once in a while though, Grace seems to learn new things in giant leaps, as if they were downloaded directly into her brain

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-66986447811770625872010-08-25T13:04:00.000-04:002010-08-25T13:04:25.107-04:00

My wife is an English teacher, a profession chosen because of a lifelong love for the written word.  So it should come as no surprise that telling Grace stories and teaching her how to read and write were among the thing's Carrie was most looking forward to upon becoming a parent. It turns out, Grace is a very quick study.  This morning, mom sat baby in front of the computer to teach

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-52220448127360780612010-08-22T23:18:00.000-04:002010-08-22T23:18:08.807-04:00

Baby Grace got sent to the clink this morning.  Her crime, waking up too early for mom and dad.  Her punishment, 45 minutes of hard time.  She did get a single cell and a bunch of her toys since, like Andy Dufresne, she's helping the wardens take money from the government.  Here's a clip from her first day in juvi (or Joovy).

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-52006872240050074452010-08-13T14:35:00.001-04:002010-08-13T15:07:22.194-04:00

No one tells you this before you become a parent, but as it turns out, one of your most important jobs as a caregiver is to monitor your baby's bowel movements.  How much?  How often?  What color and consistency?  Knowing the answers to these questions and recognizing when the answers change is of the utmost importance in monitoring a newborn's health.  The 1st signs of

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-54124077021483604882010-08-11T07:44:00.001-04:002010-08-11T07:44:00.455-04:00

I'm no foodie, as anyone who knows me will certainly attest.  Well into my late 20's, my idea of three square meals consisted of cookies for breakfast, a condiment-free, topping-free salami sandwich for lunch and fast food or a microwave meal for dinner.  To be honest, not a whole lot has changed now that I'm domesticated.  My wife has helped me turn the tide against McDinners and

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-35700198040332419182010-07-25T00:25:00.000-04:002010-07-25T00:25:04.575-04:00

Since I took a little blogging vacation, I had a bunch of pictures stored up that didn't make their way into individual posts, so I figured I'd put them all up together since Grace's cuteness needs to be shared with the world.  Enjoy! The best pic of Grace so far. I wish I knew what she was laughing at here. Clean and fed, soon to be sleepy. Modeling her baptism attire, looking

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-45985510711221471142010-07-24T13:43:00.000-04:002010-07-24T13:43:01.691-04:00

Well, maybe mostly head. Height runs in my family.  I'm 6'0", my sister is 6'1", my dad is 6'3" and I've got uncles as tall as 6'5".  Not to mention Carrie, who checks in at an above average 5'7".  So we expected to have a tall baby, which was confirmed from her first sonogram pictures showing a baby that was all arms and legs. That said, we were in a surprise when we took Grace

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-73204292205457906922010-06-22T23:55:00.001-04:002010-06-22T23:58:06.744-04:00

It's been a constant amazement to me just how quickly Gracie has learned new abilities.  New skills have debuted at a furious pace of late, all appearing out of the blue.  When I hold her, she can smoothly and rapidly turn her head all the way to the right, then to the left and back again.  At the doctor's last week, she was on the table and rolled over for the first time. 

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-72959670731109466612010-06-21T23:04:00.003-04:002010-06-22T06:28:02.436-04:00

If you want to get in shape, skip the gym and just have yourself a kid.  I've only been a dad for 3 months but I'm already in the best shape of my life.  Granted, that's not saying much.  I've never been much of an athlete (unless you count playing Madden, which I do), and have had the build of a high school freshman through my twenties and beyond.  However, the steady baby

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-53305196041659068182010-06-17T12:58:00.001-04:002010-06-17T12:58:32.525-04:00

I've got a confession to make.  I don't know how to make myself burp.  Whether it's because of some odd reflex or an absurd mental block, I've never been able to figure out how to belch on purpose, which has been an endless source of shame for me as a fully-grown man. One of my less rational fears upon becoming a parent was that Grace was going to inherit this flaw from me. 

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-13873435846359524682010-06-16T19:57:00.001-04:002010-06-16T19:58:02.228-04:00

No commentary, just thought it was cool to show how totally enraptured Grace is with the world around her.  This went on for 20 solid minutes.

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-41233802264674572692010-06-15T21:52:00.000-04:002010-06-15T21:52:48.956-04:00

We've got a ton of toys in the house, but up until the last week or so, Grace hasn't had much interest in playing with any of them.  That's perfectly normal of course.  Like most babies, Grace has spent her first three months discovering herself and the world around her while receiving plenty of entertainment from her goofy parents.  I guess that Carrie, me and the house are

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6686407146176964226.post-68876294799530252232010-06-14T14:32:00.000-04:002010-06-14T14:32:12.547-04:00

Grace isn't traditionally mobile yet.  She's still a bit too small to crawl, let alone walk, but that doesn't keep her from moving around.  I've already covered how she likes to wiggle around when she's being held, and as cool as her trust falls are, they're not her only peculiar ability. My little girl is a habitual spinner.  Whenever she lies down, whether awake or asleep, she

Greg Mulliganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10406724888932192968noreply@blogger.com0