Imagine you’re going through your life’s greatest storm. Overwhelmed, you’ve reached an emotional precipice fueled by exhaustion and the realization that nothing in this world is more fleeting than happiness. Imagine your cries for help fell on deaf ears, and every expression of hopelessness you made was met with generic, empty responses: “It’s all going to be okay”, “Pray about it”, “Other people have been through worse”, and so on. You are in a chasm that even your faith can’t get you out of. Cowering in that dark, musty place where your beaten soul and broken spirit has taken refuge, you re ..read more

“When are, you going to have kids of your own?” It’s a question I used to get asked often by friends and family before having my little one. To a lot of them, I was a natural: great with their kids and meant to be a parent. “When it’s the right time, I guess,” I would reply. I would get excited at the thought of being a parent. I often wondered what type of father I would be and what type of children I will raise because of it. I wasn’t under any delusion that parenting was easy, but I would like to believe it’s as difficult as it is gratifying. But I also had my fears, and among those, a few ..read more

A son could look up in awe at a billion stars spread across the evening sky, but never find a love as abundant as his mother’s. A daughter could sneak into her mother’s jewelry box and play with diamond necklaces and earrings, but never find a single one as brilliant or everlasting as her mother’s love. A baby could toddle and fall as he takes his first steps, and no embrace could be as soothing or comforting than his mother’s as she picks him up. A few months after my mother passed away, my father said to me, “I could die tomorrow, but I assure you, there is no greater pain in this world than ..read more

This New Dad participates in the Amazon Associate Services LLC Program. This means I earn a small commission when you purchase through the Amazon links on this blog at no extra cost to you. Learn More. At about 4 mouths, our little one started to become more engaged with the world around him. He went from just laying on his back or tummy to rolling around, and as we got to the 6 month month, sitting up (with a little help getting into the position). Why We Needed A Play Mat & Why Love the Fun Little Toys’ 25PCs Baby Play Mat There are a few reasons I hopped on to Amazon and ..read more

This New Dad participates in the Amazon Associate Services LLC Program. This means I earn a small commission when you purchase through the Amazon links on this blog at no extra cost to you. Learn More. This will arguably be one of the shortest product reviews you’ll ever encounter on my dad blog. Simply put, this book is the real deal and a must-have. And regardless of your family dynamic or structure, don’t let the title discourage you from picking it up, The New Father: A Dad’s Guide to the First Year is not just a handy resource for “dads”or the “biological father”, but for a ..read more

Full disclosure, it will be irresponsible of me to note call out the fact that I am related to the founders of Elev8ed Cre8ion: Tanatsa Kamhunga is a relative of mine, and his wife is the brains behind this company and product. But rest assured, this was not a solicited or sponsored post. I’ve been eager to do a Q&A Series on my blog where I interview families baby industry experts (pediatricians, photographers) and baby product manufacturers. And since I just so happened to know someone who specialized in baby products, I thought I would feature them as a proof of concept. The Backstory ..read more

Beyond making sure your partner (or co-parent) and child are never in need or want of anything: diapers, formula, clothes, etc, the importance of simply being present and participatory in all aspects of (co-)parenting can never be overstated. When I found out we were pregnant, I vowed to not only be an unwavering provider, but a positive presence and participant in all things related to the well-being of my partner and little one. And of course, this is not to imply that I am perfect: it’s simply to say that I committed to always working towards being the best person I can be to, and for, my f ..read more

This New Dad participates in the Amazon Associate Services LLC Program and the Dillards Affiliate Program. This means I earn a small commission when you purchase through the Amazon or Dillards links on this blog at no extra cost to you. Learn More. My friend warned me: the one thing you will obsess over as a first time parent is safety: sleep, travel, babysitters etc. And true to my friend’s warning, my fiance and I were no exception. While I found myself obsessed with sleep safety and monitoring, eventually settling on the Nanit Plus Smart Baby Monitor, my wife found herself fixated ..read more

This New Dad participates in the Amazon Associate Services LLC Program. This means I earn a small commission when you purchase through the Amazon links on this blog at no extra cost to you. Learn More. My son and my nephew (my brother’s son), were born 5 days apart, and so not surprisingly, their development and milestones has been running somewhat parallel. And so, whether its toys to play with or brands to avoid, books to read or activities to try, we lean on each other for recommendations and impromptu reviews. We had been talking about getting the Fisher-Price Rainforest Jum ..read more

Today, my fiance took over my Product Review post of the week. She is a huge fan of the Playfully App and so it only made sense that she do review. Enjoy! As a parent, I wasn’t sure how to play with our little one. I felt he was ready for next level engagement or activities but I wasn’t sure what those were. So I set out on an adventure to find ways to play with our baby that would help with his development and keep him progressing in every way possible and hitting those milestones. Discovering the Playfully App With that said, a mother in my Makeup and Mommies Facebook group mentioned the Kin ..read more