South Philly Dad

Almost 2

2009-05-14T07:54:00.001-07:00

Wow, it has been quite some time since South Philly Dad has updated his blog. I think I need to get better at this.

I can't believe that Zach is turning two this month, time has truly flown by, and from age one to two, much has changed for him. I would say that Zach has had a good year. He took a few plane trips, started a new school, went to the Domincan Republic, and is starting to talk more. He loves sports or so it seems. He is also a fan of music and is starting to get into riding his bike.

We are still in Philadelphia, it is good for the most part, but we would also welcome a change.

Baby Snyder is here!

2007-05-31T06:09:00.000-07:00

Finally! Last Friday, at 8:44 a.m. baby Snyder was born -- Zachary Allen Snyder. The whole morning went by very fast. Melanie and I left our house at 5:45 and got to the hospital where the staff prepared for the c-section. We walked in without a baby and out with a newborn. The c-section, was amazing, and I picked over the curtain a few times to see what was happening. I actually had the chance to see some of Melanie's organs and was the first to hold the kid after he got out of the warmers.

We got home on Monday and have been doing well. We are trying to get him on a schedule and Melanie is breast feeding. Although I have been doing some bottle feeding at the wee hours of the morning. I will have an updated website with pictures by tomorrow....stay tuned.

One week from yesterday!

2007-05-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

In 6 more days baby Snyder will be here! Melanie's last day of work is on Tuesday, and my last day will be Wednesday. The c-section is scheduled for 8 am on Friday the 25th. Hard to believe that I will have this animal for the rest of my life.

He's Alive!

2007-05-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, folks, it has been awhile since I have updated my blog, and people have been asking. It seems as though the past couple of weeks have flown by! Melanie is getting more and more tired and I am ready do things as the weather has just gotten better in Philly. I think we both of pregnancy brain as we just can't deal with like cleaning the house -- we actually hired a cleaning lady to take care of which was the best investment I have ever made.

We have learned that the kid is in the breeched position, although the doctor says that everything else is healthy. I don't blame him/her I would not want to come out of a small hold either. They have scheduled a c-section, but we are also waiting to see what happens.

One question people keep on asking is if the "room is ready" I guess it is read, what is one suppose to have done? We are picking up some mats for some artwork this weekend. Three more weekends until I have something that is with me the rest of my life!

Hippity Hop Hop....

2007-04-05T06:15:00.000-07:00

This Saturday Melanie and I will be hosting our Fifth Annual Easter Pinata Party. What started as a brunch for around 30 people five years ago in Center City has turned into a block party for over 100 people. Yes, this year we are blocking Greenwich Street and a friend's band is going to play. Back in Wisconsin I remember going to Easter Egg hunts in the park and going to Sunrise Service at the Methodist church. I always consider Easter to be the start of spring.

The pinata is ready to be busted again this year. Hopefully the pinata will break before Melanie's water! I wonder what sort of pinata the kid will want to construct next year.

Oh the stuff starts coming in and the church is singing

2007-03-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

We are heading to New Hampshire this weekend. Melanie's family is hosting a shower for her. This time we are driving up, and we rented a mini van! Yes, amigos, a mini van. I remember growing up we had a red mini van with wooden panel sides. I must admit that the van drives nicely. We have it loaded up with a dresser, skis, and ice skates, as we are returning these items to New Hampshire. Although on the way back it will be filled with baby gear. I have already had to put together a shelving unit and the crib is in the room just waiting to be assembled.

On a sadder note a former of mine from Penn passed away last week, and the funeral was yesterday. He was 34 and had complications from a gastric bypass surgery. The whole thing is sad. It was my first time attending an African American funeral. It was actually pretty amazing how the church came together and the music was uplifting and very spiritual. Carlos always cracked me up. There was this woman in our office who use to dress in bright colors and crazy skirts -- she would do this in the middle of winter, and it never did fit her personality. Carlos use to say to me, "Jeffrey, it is like a blind Puertoriccan dresses her everyday." Perhaps the Puertoriccan angles will get the advice from Carlos and help this woman out.

"It's difficult to get a fryer on a Friday night"

2007-03-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

That is correct my friends, according to our waitress at the Towne Lounge. In Wisconsin it is difficult to get a fryer on a Friday night. Why may you ask? Every Friday in Wisconsin is fish fry. A time when members of the community come together to enjoy each others company and enjoy fish. Last Friday we spent fish fry with my dad and grandma. The trip to Wisconsin was good. Melanie and a nice shower and it was good to be back home. On the way back to Philadelphia we had the opportunity to give up our seats on the flight from Detroit to Philadelphia for $600 in airline vouchers. We were the first ones in line and ended up coming back to Philly early Monday morning.

On Saturday we are attending a birthing class at Pennsylvania Hospital. I am also starting to make the pinata for the fifth annual Easter pinata party. Our basement has turned into a paper mache factory -- yes, my Spanish major comes into great use. So far we have over 50 rsvps. It should be a good time this year as we plan on blocking off the street and my friend Robert's band is going to play.

From the Keystone State to the Dairy State

2007-03-08T17:49:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we will be leaving the "City of Brotherly Love" for the land of cheese. Melanie has her first baby shower thrown by some of my mom's friends. We have figured out that this is baby Snyder's sixth round trip flight. Too bad you can't earn frequent miles while the baby is cooking -- maybe I should write some of the airlines.

It is also a good thing that we cleaned out the guest room the other weekend, as I am sure that it going to start to fill up. A co-worker reminded me the other day that we only have 10 or 11 more weekends.

Now bring me some fried cheese curds and a Leinenkugel. We will be getting home just in time for fish fry. I wonder were we will be going -- my guess is the Towne Lounge, across the street from the Baraboo public pool.

What's in a name?

2007-03-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

During Mrs. Anderson's 9th grade English literature class at Baraboo Junior High School (9th grade back then was not part of the high school like it is now) we had to memorize lines from Romeo and Juliet. I recall the the following:

"Tis but thy name that is my enemy. What's in a name? That which we will call a rose. By any other word would smell as sweet."

People have been asking us lately if we have thought of names for the baby. I guess we have a few that we like, but I do think that the whole process can be complicated. I have a hard time believing that you can name something without seeing "it." first. I have never had a problem with my name. My parents really never gave me an reason of how they came up with the name Jeffrey, they both said that they just liked it. In some name books I have been reading it says that every group of friends has a Jeff and that Jeff was a 1960's surfer name. I am almost positive that my parents were not surfing in Northern Wisconsin. My middle name Allen was my great grandmother's maiden name and my Grandpa Snyder and Dad's middle name.

The thing with Jeffrey is that it does not translate into Spanish. Although many of my gringo friends have called me Jefe (boss). My Spanish speaking friends usually say Yaffrey or Heff. Jeffrey is the form of Godfrey and in Spanish Godfrey translates to Geofredo -- now that is awful.

My Grandma and her sister's are/were: Hilda Helen, Grace Bernice, and Mrytle May. Talk about old school! Although I do think that those names are classics.

So, friends, we have not decided on a name yet, I think I really need to see this kid in person before "naming it."

From beaches to cold weather

2007-02-19T19:31:00.000-08:00

After spending 8 hours on the tarmac at the Philadelphia airport on Wednesday, we arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I heard that our flight was mentioned on CNN. It was sooooo good to be back in Latin America. There is something about Latino Land that I just love. I also must admit that I really miss travel. We spent the night in Old San Juan and then rented a car to drive to Fajardo -- for the hour and half ride to Vieques. Vieques is a magical island and was not a popular vacation spot until recently as the United States Navy used the island to test bombs. However, people are now discovering the wonderful location.

Melanie is the one who picked this location for our "babymoon." She was picturing cabanas, waiters serving drinks, reading books and relaxing on the beach. Well, she was wrong, it turned into being another one of our Latin American adventures, which we both love. Highlights of the trip included.

Being woken up by chickens and roosters every morning. This would usually start as early as 4 or 5 am. One morning all the birds on the island were talking.
Talking to the hippy ex-pats. We could totally turn into one of them! What the life.
Renting a car and driving to the amazing beaches. There were no cabana boys, but warm crisp water.
Eating incredible food. The area of Esparanza had great places to eat.
The Bioluminescent Bay. We kayaked out to this bay which is home to a concentrated population of microorganism that glow in the dark when disturbed. Every dip of the paddle, and movement of our bodies as we swam created a glow of miniature sparkles. It really was cool! There was no moon that evening, and the stars were quite bright.

It really was a good trip and great to get out of Philadelphia. Both of us decided that it would be easy to travel with a child to Puerto Rico, and you don't need a passport! Poor kid, I can hear it now, "but Dad, I want to go to Sea World this year, not Bolivia."

Where were you when Anna Nicole Smith died?

2007-02-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

As some of you already know I am a fan of Anna Nicole Smith. Don't ask me why, as I really don't have a reason. For my 30th birthday, Melanie had a surprise party for me and the invitation consisted of me photoshopped with Anna Nicole Smith, Charo, and Dolly Parton -- do you see a trend? Blond, big busted, bimbos (Although Dolly really isn't a bimbo). Anna Nicole passed away on Thursday, February 8, I was at work when I heard the news. Someone in the office shouted out, "Anna Nicole died." Of course I typed on goolge as fast as I could to see why. It made me remember of various events in our history. Where I was when the spacecraft Challenger exploded - 5th grade Mrs. Connors class; When O.J. Simpson's case was announced - Santiago, Chile; the death of Princess Diana - home in Philadelphia. Now, I can add to the list Anna Nicole Smith. The sad part is that they still do not know who's the baby daddy of the child. No folks it is not me.

Another event in history took place on Saturday, February 11 when Barack Obama announced his run for President. I watched the announcement on CNN before heading into town for a haircut. His speech reminded me of the Clinton years. Oh it is going to be a fun campaign season.

Registering

2007-02-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

Melanie and crossed the Ben Franklin Bridge over the weekend and went to Cherry Hill, New Jersey to register. The good thing about Jersey is that the gas is cheaper, although our tank was full. We started the adventure at 11:30 am and did not finish until 3:00 pm. Yes, it took that long, and we only visited two stores. Some of my observations were the following:

The women have a paper list of what is needed while the men carry the scanning gun to add an item to the list. I think the scanning gun gives men something to do.
How do you know when you are in New Jersey? When a lady asks her mom if they create hair product for babies.
One lady yelled her husband by saying, "don't give me that attitude, you told me that you would behave."
You don't need everything. It seems as though the baby industry tries to scam you on various things.

Since I behaved so well at Babies R Us, I bought myself popcorn and a soda for $1 at Target (it was my treat for being good). We still have to go back, but hopefully we can do some of it on line!

Puerto Rico

2007-02-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

Last night we booked a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Neither of us have ever been. We are leaving on Wednesday the 14th and returning the 18th. I hope that this kid likes to travel. Knowing our luck he/she would rather spend time in the country than in the city or foreign places. My father mentioned that he would buy the child a Holstein cow and spend the summers traveling to state fairs in the Midwest. Going to Puerto Rico also makes me think about how to integrate Spanish in the kid's life. I was fortunate enough to learn Spanish and travel to Spain at a young age.

It's a........

2007-01-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

Ha! We are not finding out the sex of the child. Melanie had our 20 week appointment recently and everything looks good. During the ultrasound I could see the little feet and hands, although the doctor really had to point things out to make sense out of it. The baby has been moving around quite a bit and Melanie says that it especially moves around when it hears President Bush on T.V. -- hopefully the child is yelling back! One evening I had my hand on Melanie's tummy and I felt it move -- it was sort of crazy. My thought is that the kid was giving me a high five. It seems as though May is going to be here before we know it.

Ok, I really need to do a better job at updating my blog, people aren't reading it anymore. I think I will write something at least once a week moving forward.

At the same time, is anyone out there?

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T11:03:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Currently I am in St. Paul, Minnesota at my sister and her husband’s house. The weather has not been all that bad up here – don’t ya know.

While at my sister’s house, I discovered a book on her table called, ‘Christmas in Minnesota.’ I picked it up to see what it was all about and I noticed on the inside cover a note from my mom. The note said: Laura, how fun it will be to start your own Minnesota Christmas traditions with your family and friends. It had been awhile since I had seen my mom’s handwriting and it made me pause and think of the traditions we had growing up.

I remember going on long car rides to see family in Iowa, band concerts, looking at the lights in town, hanging of the greens at church, sledding, and eating chex mix with my sister while watching National Lampoons European Vacation. Laura can recite most of the movie.

I wonder what traditions we will start with this kid. Of course there will be travel involved, looking at lights in South Philly and hanging out with friends and family.

Oh no -- I almost forgot to mention my latest holiday tradition. For the past 3 years I have sent holiday cards to these famous people -- Dolly Parton, Governor Rendell, Charo, Bill Clinton, and this year I sent a card to Russ Feingold (he wrote me after I sent him a card about our quick encounter in the Madison airport.) I usually never hear back from any of them; maybe this year I will.

Accents

2006-12-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

It will be interesting as to what sort of accent this kid may have. I say "idea" Melanie says "idear." Some people say drinking fountain, I say "bubbler". Did you park you carh? How about getting some wadder ice? How yous guys doing?

A test regarding accents has been floating around the hood. I thought that I would share the link:

http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have

Here is what it said about me:

You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."

Well, I am from Wisconsin and I did go to college in Chicago.

Books, books and more books!

2006-11-30T19:01:00.000-08:00

It seems as though the baby guide book industry is similar to travel guides or wedding planning books. There are so many books out there. In our less than 950 square foot home we have 8 books and Melanie mentioned that she still wants to get one more. The titles are the following: Your Pregnancy and Birth, What to Expect When your expecting, The Vegetarian Pregnancy, The Girfriends Guide to Pregnancy, The Baby Name Wizard, Expecting Fathers, Your Pregnancy Week By Week, and The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook - whew!

These books talk about what you can and cannot eat, what to expect from your body, when to buy new clothes, etc. It is similar to the guide books I have used in Latin America. Where to eat for the best deal, what market to hit, what to expect when you board a chicken bus, don't drink the water, traveler's stomach flu. There should be a book called How to Raise your Kid in South Philly.

We are off to Boston this weekend. Since Melanie and I both lived there for two years, we are heading up to a friend's party. It is a quick trip fly out Saturday morning and back on Sunday. I am looking forward to seeing how much the city has changed.

It is Christmas time in South Philly. It is always a good laugh to see how people decorate their windows. Some of our neighbors have moving deer, but they are locked up with bike locks so no one can steal them.

Heart Beating and Eagle Landing

2006-11-22T06:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the second visit to the Doctor. I am starting to make more observations in what takes place in the waiting area. There seem to be a lot of men with the expecting moms. Obviosly none of them are there for their annual pap smear. As I look around, I try to guess where they couple lives in the city and what sex their child is. Perhaps some of them think, "Is that South Philly Dad over there?" We heard the baby's heart beat and it was over 140. The doctor mentioned that there is an old wives tale that if the heart beat is over 140 it is a girl. We shall see....

The eagle has landed -- my father that is. Grandpa got in yesterday afternoon and we took him to his first Viantanamese restraunt last night with our friends Bill and Melissa. There were five of us, but the table we sat at was set for six. I seemed as though that sixth place should have been for my mom. At the same time, it is set for this baby arriving this spring. Thanskgiving will be spent in Philadelphia. I got my free 17 lbs turkey from Acme, hopefully it will defrost in time. Otherwise we will pay turkey bowling on Greenwich Street.

My fans are saying that I need to update this blog more often. I will mis amigos.

Election Day - Get out and VOTE!

2006-11-07T07:10:00.000-08:00

Election day is one of my favorite days. I remember back in 1992, I voted for the very first time at East Elementary School (the same elementary school I attended growing up). The debates were heated at my house, as my father considers himself to be a Republican and, since turning 18 I have been a Democrat. I remember one day I came home from school and there was a Bush sign in the yard, it made me furious. My first time voting, gave me a chance to do my homework on the issues and debate them at home with my father. There have even been a few times when we have even agreed on issues as well (which is a shock). The second time Clinton was up for re-election, I was in Granada, Spain. I made sure that my absentee ballot was sent in long before leaving the States.

On a trip through the Madison airport this summer I ran into Russ Feingold, as my dad would say, one of those liberal Democrats from Wisconsin. My high school youth group took a trip to Washington, D.C. our senior year, and I remember meeting Feingold briefly. Of course I had to say something when I saw him in person. I mentioned that I voted for him in 1992 and asked him if he was running for President. He smiled over the president part, “we shall see,” he said. When I got back to Philadelphia, I sent him one of my handwritten notes. Melanie hates when I do this, because they usually never write back, and she considers it a waste of a stamp. I have sent Christmas cards for the past three years to Charo, Dolly Parton, Bill Clinton, and Governor Rendell, and never get anything in return. However, Feingold did write me back and encouraged me to keep in touch with his campaign headquarters.

My voting booth is only ten steps from my house in South Philly, yes friends I counted. I am looking forward to going to the election booth with this kid 18 years from now, and hopefully the “Republican gene” will not come through.

Cement Boy

2006-11-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

Grandma Snyder was a spit fire and always had an answer for everything. She enjoyed her family and giving my sister and me what she would call her little lectures on her soap box.

Since I have lived in a city for most of my life after college, she would often refer to me as her “little cement boy.” She never could understand why someone would want to be in the city and walk on cement all the time. She often told me that I should take off my shoes and walk in some grass every once and awhile. At the same time, she always got a kick out of it when I would call her from a business trip in New York or just have a conversation while doing errands in Philadelphia. To keep her silent (which was never an easy thing to do), I once sent her an envelop of grass.

I am sure if Grandma was around today, she would shake her head at me and have some sort of comment regarding having a child in cement.

All Saints Day / Day of the Dead

2006-11-02T05:47:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine reminded me that yesterday was Day of the Dead "el dia de los muertos." Although I have been to Mexico several times for work or vacation, I have never been there for this celebration. Melanie and I have talked about taking a trip to Oaxaca during this festival, and I am sure we will do it one day. Oaxaca is one of my favorite cities in Latin America. We spent our honeymoon there.

Dia de los muertos is a day to celebrate those who are no longer with us. Several alters are created and it usually includes four main elements of nature -- earth, wind, water, and fire. Earth is represented by crop, wind is represented by a moving object, water is placed in a container for the soul to quench its thirst after the long journey to the alter and fire is represented by a wax candle. It is believed that during el dia de los muertos, the dead come back to visit those still living.

As many of you know I lost my mom to cancer this past August. The whole thing is sad, and I think about her every day and how much she would have loved to be a grandma. I always think of my mom as a pioneer. She loved being involved in her community, was curious about the people she met, and enjoyed the simple things in life. During my mom's funeral, my sister Laura came up with a Top Ten list for my mom. I think it is a good guide to raising a family as well:

Get involved in your community
Work in your garden
Travel, but make sure you do your research before you leave
Communicate with your husband or wife
Give your children wings and let them fly
Have a sense of humor
Try new things
Accept and get to know all kinds of people
Never Give Up
Smile and drink water

Atlantic City

2006-10-30T11:39:00.000-08:00

For some reason in life, I have always attracted a crowd that some may consider a bit wacky. This past Friday confirms my findings. Melanie has been tired the past couple of days (I know all my fault) so South Philly friends decided to take a field trip to Atlantic City.

It was laughs the entire way, from the moment they picked me up at work to our final departure at the PATCO station (which I learned runs 24/7). It was during the field trip that they started calling me baby daddy. I guess you had to be there to laugh about it......

I promise to do a better entry next time.

Telling our family and friends

2006-10-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

This week we started to tell our family and friends the big news. It is fun, but then again if you think about, everyone knows that we had sex (sorry, just had to throw that in there).

I called my father, and said "Hello Grandpa Snyder." His reaction was, "Are you trying to tell me something?" and he broke into laughter. When I spoke with my Uncle Dick, I called him Great Uncle Dick and he responded, "yeah, I know I am a good uncle." Then he got it.

A friend from Lake Forest sent me this email back after I sent him the link to the blog:

I'm not sure what's more frightening... you, the sign of balance,
Mr. One More Cocktail, you being a father, or you blogging about it
from the very beginning. Regardless of all my irreverent fears,
congratulations to you and Melanie!

While a friend from the 'hood sent an email saying:

I knew it. you guys were just playing it so cool. First, you start talking about doctors at Jefferson and then Melanie orders de-caf at Bennas. Come on, DE-CAF. You can't fool a fool.

I am starting to notice more kids in South Philly and around the city. I guess that this happens when you are expecting one of your own.

It is true - we are going to be parents!

2006-10-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

We both woke up today a little nervous and were not sure what to expect from our first visit with the doctor. We went to the local coffee shop and got on the 7th Street bus heading north. I think that having a kid never really hits you until it actually appears. We met with Dr. Ufberg who was fantastic. He was so enthusiastic and excited -- this was the first time we had met him. He was like, ahhhh see it worked, congratulations, dad, how does it feel? Melanie then went through the routine exam and we had the ultra sound. WOW! We could see this little peanut and its heart beating. I think we both got a little choked up. The doctor said that everything looked very good and we could start telling our friends and family. On the picture of the ultra sound he typed in "Hi Mom and Dad" at first I thought, "wait a minute why is he typing hi to my parents" then it hit me I am dad and Melanie is mom.

On the way out of the doctor's office we ran into Beth Brand, a friend of ours in Philadelphia. Well, there is no hiding the news especially since I was there. She was excited as well. It is fun to think that our friends are starting new chapters in their lives at the same time.

Now wait until we tell the family this evening.....

Oh due date -- May 29, 2007 JFK's Birthday -- Yeah a Democrat!

Birthday

2006-10-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

Well today is the day I turn 32. Melanie and I go to our first appointment next week Tuesday (five more days). I wonder what day they will predict for the kid's birthday. Hmmmm let me guess. I am going to say May 16. No reasoning behind it.

Here is what the New York Times said today:

Libra is the sign of balance, so you are always trying to find that point in your life where everything fits together perfectly. You may have come close in the past but you will come closer still over the next 12 months. Once you have found your equilibrium point, help other people find theirs.

Well, once I find mine I will let you know