Sierra's 1st Stitches a.k.a. Friday night at the E.R.

While at work today I got a phone call along with the picture message below from our daycare provider. She told me Sierra had tried to climb a book shelf to reach a doll, had fallen down and hit her head on the corner of the shelf leaving a deep cut. Sierra didn't even cry, she just walked over to Gabby and said "I hurt my head". What a trooper!! Gabby said we may have to take her to the doctor but wasn't sure. I called up our primary doctor and explained the cut as best as I could based on the photo and she suggested we go to an ER as there were no appointments left today and it sounded like she may need stitches or bonding.

Once we picked Sierra up we called our insurance company, explained what happened and headed right out to the ER based on where they said to go. Our, apparently incompetent, insurance provider told us TWO hospitals that were in our network and that we should go to so we headed to the first one who upon walking in told us "Oh we don't take children...". So we headed to the second one who upon walking in told us "Oh we don't take children...". At this point it was getting late so we just went to the Boston Children's Hospital across the street where we've been before and had an amazing experience at. Voted the #1 pediatric hospital in the nation! Now I just really hope they accept our insurance... 

Here we are waiting to be admitted.

Getting weighed, blood pressure taken, etc. Also here is a higher quality version of the cut.

After we had all the standard hospital tests we got into the room and watched the Fox and The Hound for a bit while rubbing a numbing agent on the wound every 3 minutes for about 30 minutes. Next the nurses came in for the actual procedure which started with cleaning the wound with a water shooter (I don't think thats the medical term). She actually laughed uncontrollably during that part saying it tickled but I think that mystery nasal spray had a bit to do with it. After being cleaned and numbed around the wound the nurse stitched her up and bandaged her and it was over. SHE WAS A CHAMP. She didn't cry, flinch or anything and we couldn't be happier or more proud!

Although i wanted to, I did not take any photos during the actual procedure but here is one of her shortly after it on the left. The one on the right is 30 minutes later enjoying some vegan ice cream as a reward for being such a good listener to the nurses and doctors. Overall it was not how I expected to spend my Friday night but it was a new learning experience for all of us and I'm so proud of Sierra for being so tough throughout the whole process. Shes sleeping now and I'm about to do the same... Goodnight everyone! -Craig

 

Giveaway: Win 3 ABC's Prints from My Alphapets

So we haven't done a giveaway in a LONG time and it's about time we change that so here we go...

Just in time for the holidays we have an awesome giveaway from My Alphapets a Boston based company created by an amazing husband and wife team. By day, Carlos is an art director at an ad agency, while Leah, is a stay at home mom.

"We come together at night to form Alphapets, where we create colorful characters out of the letters of an individual's name. We have a tremendous amount of fun creating each "pet", as every character comes to life in it's own unique way. If at the end of the day we can garner a smile or bring joy to any of our customers, young and old, we feel accomplished. Our children are an endless source of inspiration and we hope to pass on the imagination they instill in us each and every day."

Our giveaway is for their brand new "ABC Prints". You will get 3 prints like pictured below but yours will be framed - and you get to choose the frame color! The prints will ship to you just in time for the holidays so if you want to give them as a gift you can do so. 

To enter to win the ABC Prints:

Leave your name and email address in a comment below on this post. Thats it!

For TWO additional ways to win:

Twitter: Follow @MyAlphapets and @TheHipsterDad, and tweet "I just entered to win 3 prints from @MyAlphapets and @TheHipsterDad! Check it out: http://bit.ly/abcprints" Once you've done so, be sure to come back here and leave another comment letting us know!

Facebook: Like MyAlphabets and The Hipster Dad and then post a status reading "MyAlphapets and The Hipster Dad are running a contest for 3 prints and I just entered! http://bit.ly/abcprints" Once you've done so, be sure to come back here and leave another comment letting us know!

So you have up to THREE chances (via three separate comments) to win THREE prints!

We will randomly select a winner Monday December. 10th so check back then and we'll post the winner as well as contact you! Good luck to all who enter!!

More Photos of their work:

Even if you don't win you should order something from MyAlphapets anyway! They are an amazing / adorable addition to any children's room :-)

Links:

http://myalphapets.bigcartel.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Alphapets/129004930475719

http://twitter.com/MyAlphapets

Tuesday Tunes!

It's that time of the week again. This week we're ALL posting a song! So enjoy all four songs and hope you have an awesome day :-) -Craig

--

1. "Tom Waits - Hell Broke Luce" - Waits is one of the most influential and greatest living musicians and his newest video for "Hell Broke Luce" is an amazing song and the video is just mind blowing. Enjoy! -Craig

2. "The Pharcyde - Y (J Dilla Remix)" This is just one of those childhood songs that just makes you bop your head. -Andre

3. "Tigers Jaw - I Saw Water" Being that I am starting to get up there in age and my body is creaking more and more, I have to have SOMETHING that keeps me young, right? How about listening to music that reminds me of what I listened to back in the day... made by kids almost half my age. -Don




4. "JMSN - Alone (Kastle Remix)" This track, actually this whole album was on repeat all summer for me. Big thick vibes, haunting yet romantic, solid production throughout. If you are feeling this one you should also check my favorite track on the album entitled alone, I was going to post that one but the video isnt exactly THD appropriate :)   -Michael

This is Not a "How To" Craft Post (Starting Traditions)

This is not a "How To" post for a specific craft project, although initially I set out to do just that. I decided not to share the steps or even what we ended up with in the end. Although what we made in the end is beautiful and hangs in our home with great pride, it was the times in between the designated steps in the project that ended up being the real experience...

As I sat at the table, I realized that I don't think there was a time that I ever sat at a table with my parents and worked on a project together. When my Daughter looks back to times like this, she may not think this anything out of the ordinary. That is what I hope for.

This isn't a family tradition that has been passed down to me. Maybe this is a family tradition that I will be able to start now and pass down to her. It doesn't have to be The Holiday Season to do a project like this, but there is something that feels special about it being tied to this time of year.

She looked over to my wife as she painted on her hands and arms and kept saying, "look Mommy, like Daddy has tattoos".  I look over and say "hey honey, let's keep it on the pine cones".

As I look through the lens of the camera to line up a shot of a step (of the original "how to" post) I see a scene that makes me step back and realize...

We are not making a "How To" post, we are making a new Family Tradition.

Thanks for reading

- DON

Happy Thanksgiving 2012!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Not going to be a long post because I am too busy enjoying Thanksgiving festivities with the family but here are some photos from the day! Hope you all have an awesome holiday! -Craig

Getting started on the home made vegan stuffing!

Washing potatoes together.

Sierra is helping! Wash wash wash.

Mimosa Break!

Cutting fresh green beans for the casserole!

Mmmmmmmmmm.

Quinoa-Cranberry Salad in progress... YUM.

Vegan Green Bean Casserole!

No clothes. Don't Care.
 

Ta-Da!!!! Stuffing, Green Bean Caserole, Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Sweet Potatoes,
Rolls and Pecan Cranberry Quinoa!

 

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Apple Pie Spice & a little maple syrup.

Bottoms up!

Lauren did an awesome job! We are lucky!

Pecan Cranberry Quinoa Salad!

Dig in!

Digesting by watching some Netflix.

Tuesday Tunes!

Remember our old feature 'Thursday Tunes' well it's now on Tuesday because well Tuesday Tunes sounds way cooler right? Anyway here's my song for this week!

If you don't already know one of my other projects is a little record label here in Boston. We specialize in tapes and one of my favorite releases we've ever done was by this band American Opera. It's a folk singer from Saginaw, MI who writes some of the most beautiful stuff you've never heard. Listen here + Enjoy:


SHAMELESS PLUG: Buy the tape here.

-Craig

New Dad on the Block

If you are a frequent reader of The Hipster Dad you may have noticed a pretty drastic change to the look and feel of the blog. You may also be reading these words envisioning Craig or Michael behind the wheel, but just like the wizard of OZ, I pop from behind the curtain. Allow me to re-introduce myself, my name is Don, the designer of the new look, and a new addition to The Hipster Dad Blog. I have been writing my own personal dad experience over at Adeline's Daddy, but due to a move out to the Boston area (THD land) among other things I haven't had much time to write, although there has definitely been much Dadding going on...

I'm honored to join a group of great Dads bringing a different angle to parenthood. We are in search of an open, creative, inclusive, loving, positive atmosphere for our children along with the search for balance in keeping our own identities as creative guys. These things can go hand in hand figuratively and literally.



Check back soon for a ton of new features that we are working on and... another addition to the crew.

Thanks for reading.
- Don

WATCH THIS: Princess is NOT a Career!

Don and Craig's Election Night Adventure

So I avoided talking about politics on the blog this entire election season because it’s a touchy subject with a lot of people - but I can't resist telling you guys a story about last night:

Don and I decided to have a "Daddy Date Night" and go out child / lady free to watch the election night festivities. We left my apartment around 9 and thought that riding our bikes would be fun and a good way to avoid having to find parking. So we hop on our bikes and it felt like it was going to be an awesome night. Five minutes later our hands turned to icicles and we had no gloves so we stopped at a grocery store about a mile from my place and shell out 10 bucks a piece for some really ugly grocery store gloves. Now that our hands are warm we jump back on our bikes and we didn't even make it out of the parking lot before Don's bike had a flat tire. Luckily he had his handy air pump with him… which refused to work what so ever.

So we agree that he should just ride on his rim one block to the gas station to pump up his tire with one a compressed air machine so we can be on our way and not miss anything. A few minutes later we get to the gas station and see a big hand written sign reading: "OUT OF ORDER”.

At this point we're just laughing at how poorly the night is starting and say "FUCK IT!”, lock the bikes up and hop in a cab back to my place to grab his car. We pay the cabbie, grab the car and are finally on our way to the Thirsty Scholar in Cambridge we go to meet up with some friends! The night is saved!!

We pull up and get a spot right out front (Score!) and then Don says “This night is about to get really shitty…” to which is say “Now what?”. He can’t find his wallet. This time we aren’t laughing. We tear the car apart but it's not there. We get back in the car and figure we'll go back to my apartment and look outside in case it fell out when we exited the cab. The whole way back I'm calling cab companies and basically being laughed at. The wallet was nowhere to be found outside of my house so at this point we're starving, still haven’t watched one second of the election and again we say "FUCK IT!" and I tell him dinner and drinks are on me and we head back out into the night.

We go BACK to the Thirsty Scholar, meet up with our pals and have a few drinks and are just in time and get to watch the election get called for an Obama win. All’s well that ends well right?

After they call it we wait forever for the concession speech from Romney but it was almost 1AM so we leave and head to a 24 hour spot in Boston called the South Street Diner, eat some greasy diner food and get to watch Obama give his victory speech and even after the bike and wallet debacle it all felt worth it watching American history be made over a big bowl of greasy diner french fries with a good friend.

We finally leave around 2AM. We took one wrong turn and a 10-minute drive turned into a 45 minute one which included paying tolls. We FINALLY get back to my place and Don decided to crash on the couch after the night he had and my head didn't hit my pillow until 3AM. It was still worth it though!

Until this morning when I woke up bleary eyed AND sick. Sheesh' can I guy get a break around here?! -Craig