McNugget Meltdowns & In-Law Drama! Gen X Dad Life & Parenting Comedy S01 E01 Part 2

0:00 You never know what a kid is gonna engage with and We don't have well, we do have them out on the deck, but there's no not really any ceiling fans Okay inside the house and since she's been around we're mostly indoors because it's been winter right right right and there were ceiling fans in every room in this hotel and Immediately, what is this? She's like, what's this? so he turned one on and then once we did that for the rest of the time the fan had to be like we would Come in and she'd be like she she wanted a mod She loves the way like the joke like the joke the kid doesn't care about the toy It's the box that they play with because you guys went to Disney. She's excited about the ceiling fan We're gonna go to the place of the Home Depot and that'll be for free.

0:43 Yeah. Yeah, she loves it now Now she figured it this the other day. She figured out how to turn on the fan on our deck Kelly told me I'm like, are you serious? She's like, yes, I'm in Disney again This is the gray hair and daycare podcast with a combined age of 111 years and a combined IQ right in that same range your hosts Frank Syrio and Carlo Russo Welcome back to episode 36 part 2 We have a few more stories to cover that we didn't have time to get to in the last episode So we're back to finish up the job and get you all caught up So thanks for coming back.

1:39 And here is the rest of episode 36 At the same rate, I don't hate Disney. Yeah, but like me and my wife are not Disney You know what? It's like I've been there. I brought Natalia when he had a baby and and but it's It's you've never been more than three times in a year, right? That was the only time I've been But yeah, it's always kind of thinking while you were talking. Did you both like on the dating cycle love Disney? I'm a Disney mom. No, I'm a Disney girl. I think she I think she enjoys it. I think it's good. Yes. It's good quality Yes, I think that's what it is now. I like especially with the cruise stuff I think she would be just as happy with another right cruise line except once she learned like now once you do that with them and you see how it works, especially with the kid and There are things that they have that make it easier when you have a kid not just better.

2:34 Absolutely No, where you guys are with young children or a child there. You're not difficult. You're already loving it Anyways, that's a perfect. Yeah thing for you. Yeah I think she just I think she she has learned to love it more where I was much more of you were in it But I was yeah, I was a fan. We should be at one point probably sponsored by Disney I mean, I would only say I would you I would just be happy if Anything I was yeah, no, that's cool. So you did a little vacation before you get back to work Yeah, so we had that time the one funny weird thing was I mean it was it was nice because we just we took we just took our time and we spent time at the Hotel and we spent time at the parks and did all that stuff.

3:21 The funny thing was That you never know what a kid is gonna engage with and We don't have well, we do have them out on the deck, but there's no not really any ceiling fans Okay inside the house and since she's been around we're mostly indoors because it's been winter right, right, right, and there were ceiling fans in every room in this hotel and Immediately. What is this? She's like, what's this? So he turned one on and then once we did that for the rest of the time The fan had to be like we would come in and she'd be like, she she wanted them on She loves the way like the joke like the joke the kid doesn't care about the toy It's the box that they play with because you guys went to Disney.

4:03 She's excited about the ceiling fan Are we gonna go to the place? Home Depot and that'll be for free. Yeah. Yep. She loves it now now she figured this the other day She figured out how to turn on the fan on our deck Kelly told me I'm like, are you serious? She's like, yes, I'm in Disney again Just like Disney that's great when they when they see something for the first time I Was neat so we had a very very nice trip then we came back and and Kelly was refreshed and ready to start her new job and And she did that it was interesting transition Because there's this new Thing right our rhythm had been right, right you guys were in a set 730 The you know, baby comes to me and by 8 o'clock Kelly's off to work and she goes out the door and she's gone.

4:56 Let's see. Yep. Now she's in her office and the baby Knows. Oh, wait a minute like at first I'm getting it Yeah, but then so it was a little bit of a difficult transition here right now. Yes. Yeah, she's here and The first week or two it was it was difficult because then it's like it was it brought me back to Those first few weeks when you did it when she went to work and it was just me and her and I was having to disappear downstairs and hear the like the crying right and she would just not knowing not thinking she would pop out every once in a while and And say hello and it would just kick it off again And I was like, oh, I just had to I had to go to the restroom.

5:50 I'm like, I don't care Sometimes sometimes it's easier to be at a business outside the house because you know You can't pop in to go to the bathroom and go. Hi, honey but again, it's For all for all the advantages and the way it works now It's it's great, right? It was a little bumpy in that in that first week and it took me on maybe two two solid weeks and her kind of Getting into a rhythm and the baby knowing okay, but even now just today When she when it's time when it's nap time She kind of wants mommy. She knows she's there So she do the lunch thing like you do She tried she tries to a lot of the weight with the work that she's doing now There's like a queue and if there's nothing in the queue she can take a break But if there isn't then she's got to dive in So she you know today she was able to have lunch with us.

6:45 Gotcha. It's nice. It really older Josie gets the easy. I mean, yes, it's yeah, it fixes itself She gets used to it. It's not like she's you know propped up in the corner, right? She's got she's got Carrie or Ashley and and I'm I'm around but it was like that with me, too like I had to disappear and stay gone or it was just Harder for her to understand which yeah a lot of times like I said before It's so much easier when yeah, you do have to get in a car and drive somewhere because you're not hearing the cries You're not going I gotta go back to let me peek my head in and screw up everything that Caregivers been doing.

7:26 Yeah. Yeah, so but that's like it. Yeah, it really is. It's hardest. It's hardest on them Yeah, they got in a moment yeah a set and then all of a sudden you go hey Yeah, they're back to square one So that yeah, that was a little bit of a challenge on first week. The other the other thing that that week was Vaccination week. Oh, so we had to go It was this one was two in the leg bang bang And I have to say she recovered very well. They do. Yeah, she's like, yep She's getting better. Absolutely at handling that stuff. So that was good. And then we kind of roll into Easter And Easter was very this was normally I am in a continual struggle with my sister over who is going to host holidays Because you made a decision about this.

8:19 I This time I I Just I gave her Easter. Okay, and and it was nice it was nice not having to cook the meal and you know, my Avi and Paula my sisters is a very good cook and Bobby's an action. He's a chef. He's an excellent cook. He's really come since retirement. He has come into his own Yep So it was it was really nice. We had a very nice dinner there. I did feel a little bit with Easter like I Don't know I feel like we're phone like maybe Some parents.

9:03 It's just like with the birthday party. It's like everybody's like, oh, what's the theme? And then we're like she doesn't know what's happening. Yeah, and with Easter Was we didn't do we didn't do the Easter basket? Because she's too little But then I feel I think I think that's true. So that's the way I don't I shouldn't feel bad No, because it's like when they're three you got to feel me You're at that point I think parents are going through the motions your child is nine months or whatever Yeah, no with Chris now with Christmas we did it cuz I'm like this is dress rehearsal, right? Like we got to get like is this is important But yeah, and Christmas is I think a lot more.

9:44 I don't wanna see commercialized or yeah, there's a there's a big thing I'm going on presents and you get caught up in that that whole season. Yeah Easter Yeah, I mean it's a little there but it's not like Christmas, but when we do this stuff like the first birthdays Yeah, who are we doing this for? Yeah, we're doing it for the family and enjoying the big, you know one year But yeah, I wouldn't feel guilty at all But it was very nice. Also. My sister got her a couple things a very fun like activity book With all kinds of different stuff, which she really likes. Mm-hmm, and then she did she did get her it was kind of funny She got her one of those scooters Like I think I had when I was a little kid and you probably had Like where you sit in it and you can kind of scramble around Like on wheels and we had never had one of the we've never gotten her one of those Yeah, my kids said I think I know what you're talking.

10:36 Yeah, but it's interesting because She was clearly she was a little it was for like six six months and up and she was already over a year Right, so it was she was a little too small. She said in it, but it was too small That's so we ended up returning that and then of course my love of the wife points out She's like the the the APA or the AAP American Association of Pediatricians Don't like those things anymore because they said they're bad for their hips. It's bad for baby hips All right, I didn't know I did not know this but apparently that's why we didn't have one so Okay, but the the activity book a very big very big yet.

11:16 So it's nice. We had a good time with Easter and then You know kind of moved into that following week was Coming up on Kelly's birthday. Okay, so we rolled right into mommy's birthday one. Yes Yes, exactly. We Kind of kept it easy and simple little family. We want to know there's a new there's a new Indian restaurant. Hmm Masala heaven. Oh, yeah, we we we Trina and I walked in that haven't had anything. Yeah, we heard only good things So, what do you think now? Kelly is Polish and Indian.

11:57 Yep. So she has a very high bar. Absolutely that's not and I understandably so like her aunts and her dad are Made like really fantastic. Don't tell me what a good Italian restaurant is. I'll tell you right, right It's the same same right, right. They're good. So I Liked it. I thought it was really good She was a little hmm a little more critical, but I thought it was good We had the saag paneer and we had some other stuff that I Area I didn't we didn't do a buffet. It was just a But I will say the one thing for if it was pricey For the amount of protein gotcha. Yeah, I was a little like it could have been a little bit more chicken here I looked at the buffet and it looked good.

12:43 Good. Yeah, it was it was good. I mean, I really like Not not dosa, that's what she said, you know, so there she said exactly she's like there, you know, there's better Indian in town So but we did we did that and and of course baby Josie was charming The people in DJ's in adjacent booths and having a good time. She's eating the Indian food. Oh, yeah. Yeah Yeah, she loves she and she'll she'll eat just about anything especially vegetable style Yeah Right after this and then you normally what we'll do is for birthdays with my sister and Avi they invited us to celebrate so they got a cake for for For Kelly's birthday.

13:25 Nice and we it was kind of we did it on a song on that Sunday. So it was Kind of like we go to church We go get groceries and then we're gonna go there But we had to do we have become a Costco family now, do you go to Costco? Oh, yeah, so Costco is like my siblings or my brother is like a super fan of Costco But my sister Lucille as well and I like it, but it's on the other side of town It's like a half-hour drive for us. Yeah, so we go like one maybe once a month or once every few weeks We go so it was kind of tough right because we're going there to have dinner and early in the afternoon We get out of church at like 11 we go to the Wegmans we get grosses now, it's really like, okay We're just gonna grab a quick bite to eat of Something on our way to Costco.

14:16 Gotcha, because we don't want to spoil our dinner with with Two excellent chefs making dinner for us. Yeah, so we do the McDonald's drive-thru. Oh now What do you see? What do you get for a kid? I Would I mean at that point I think anything you can hold I mean a chicken tenders or or french fries I don't know. I don't know apple slices. I don't know. We we opted for like a happy meal with nuggets. Yeah Okay so So we now she's never had nuggets before. Oh Okay, you're introducing the first time. Yes.

14:56 She's never had any She's had very very little processed food like we've said before very good with vegetables and then me like shit, but always like that I would say the vast majority of what she eats is All of it. Honestly, not vast majority is prepared by us No processed food and organic and all that stuff She eats very healthfully which we want to do but we're thinking, you know, she's gonna like it She's had chicken fingers before like chicken tenders but never chicken nuggets never McNuggets, but Loved them, right?

15:38 So she's eating like I'm got it. I'm driving and she is like she's she's killing her She was hungry. So she had she had I think she had some fries and she had wow So we get there and we got her in the cart and we're doing our stuff and She's in this cute little dress and I'm always I always have fun when she's in the cart. I'm the cart driver And she's there and all of a sudden I see And it's a big So I'm literally using the dress. Oh to catch it. Yeah And it's a big throw.

16:18 Oh, she outdid herself. And so we get her clean and and For some reason that's what has happened so way back in the early episodes We had the diaper bag that we did as a one of our crash test any segments She has graduated to Kelly has graduated to a smaller more compact Version of that. Okay, it's kind of the same material. Yeah, same company. I think it's I think it's a little lemon thing but smaller this new one She had opted to not have a spare outfit in So we just kind of do our best cleaning get her to the restroom. She cleans her up, but on the way home again Get home Change again.

17:06 That's what I was gonna say when you said me down. I said, that's risky Moment right before dinner. I don't know why we didn't think of that because this kid has never had anything like Probably has never had anything deep-fried let alone So so we're now we're trying to leave because we're gonna be late and We literally are on our way to the back to the truck and again all over the next outfit and We're like, okay, and she just it completely knocked the wind out of her like she was the rest of the day I felt so bad.

17:50 I was like we we texted that we were gonna be late then we Then there's a long time goes by because we get it cleaned up and all that get her dressed and then just as we're about to leave again, so I Text again and they were wonderful and offered to bring dinner. So they literally brought dinner and the cake to our house It was kind of funny I think it's better that my my sister never had kids because it was so hard for her to see Little baby Josie not feeling well with this. Yeah that it was It was very difficult. She was introduced to fast food in a bang with a bang Yeah, well, I don't think we're ever gonna die now and she had had and in our defense kind of she had had nuggets But right like Tyson chick-fil-a nuggets that are broiled and real chicken and they're made by God Yes, and they're made by good people so So it was yeah, but that we should have we should have made when did you when did you when did they hit you going?

18:58 McDonald's when did it finally hit you going? Oh pretty much almost a meat What she threw up the second time second time and it's like, okay the grease and everything's working through. Yeah So she it really it was down. So I don't we won't be doing that. No again, but that chick-fil-a here we come Chick-fil-a sure But yes, we know so now we're rolling into the next week that we had had a couple gifts One thing that she really likes now. We have this play table. It is a water play table So it's like a one two, three is like one of those plastic molded things. Okay, but it's made like a big Kid level sink on legs with all these like little drippy and rainwater things and And she loves it puddles around it and doesn't care it doesn't seem to care how cold it is like she Especially she has been teething quite a bit Again, there's all teeth coming in all over the place and she loves ice So she'll just cram ice in there, but she will just stick her hand into ice water And leave it that I'm like what like we were worried about that duck member back in the old days when we did The temperature of the water five degrees.

20:13 She's like give me give me freezing. She does She is not worried about the temperature not at all But so we had that and then like also a an activity table that you can put different materials on and she can do stuff With so I put those couple things together that week and then I'm very interested To To get your opinion on this. Okay next part that we're going to talk about so that week we're a couple weeks after maybe a week after Easter a full week after Easter and One day we're having a nice day we're it's time we decide we're gonna take the take the baby and we're gonna walk out to the Mailbox, which you know, it's a little walk.

20:59 Yeah, we walk out there. I cross the road I get the mail and there's three cards and and they're from Kelly's mom and dad. Okay, so okay. So three cards and One of them is addressed to me to me and and Kelly mr. And mrs. A couple Yeah, one is addressed to Kelly. Okay, and then one Yes to me is addressed This way. Oh god So, I just want to see What to the baby to the baby now she has sent They have sent cards to the baby before.

21:40 Okay, and The cards have always been addressed to the baby's name And I'll clarify it wasn't addressed to Josie cereal It was addressed to the real Josie and her mother's maiden name That's not Josie's name hyphen My last name's cereal and that's not a hyphen family. No, we are not right You know Kelly when we were married, I mean, that's the first thing I took my last name, of course And that's her her legal name. The baby's legal name is your Rosie. Yeah, cereal and to see the That name Given some of the tension There's a backstory, yeah, yeah given some of the tension that has happened between me and her family The most recent thing we talked about on the podcast was when when Kelly went back to work Her mother said some really awful things to her, right?

22:43 And I in defending her And kind of demanding an apology Have been relegated to some kind of, you know, madman status with with her parents, right so but that seems like That's up in a face that yeah, this is like, you know, this is not this is not accidental This is not it's reminding you that It is. He's also my like I I guess I'm not sure what the intention is other than Knowing that I'm a traditional enough person that I would be offended by it.

23:24 Right, right. Can I ask you this? Sure I'm the the one that was for you and your wife Was it written with your last names on it? Yeah, and it was a written this way. No It was addressed to Kelly and Frank Syria, okay, and then when when she To Kelly Syria, oh, okay. Okay. This to the this is Obvious as yes as it is. Yeah, the other two are your name and then the baby. Yeah There's no confusion like they know that you know You know Kelly's work. She has a license. She had to change her license They understand this is this is petty this for them this event I'm gonna slap him in the face.

24:13 I can't you know, and it was difficult. I because when I saw it I was very angry Yes, and luckily I think luckily my lovely wife had the presence of mind to remind me that that was probably the goal and to not react right and I didn't and So I didn't and it was hard. It was hard not to So, what do you what do you see in this? What do you see them doing to you? Why if I could ask what what triggered not I know what triggered you but what made how did you feel? What?

24:54 Just it just you're not important. It felt disrespectful. No, I know right? It felt it felt disrespectful to me and And that that is somehow Challenging my claim to my daughter, right? Yeah. Yeah. All right. Like this is this is our this is our daughter That's our name And that's our family. The crazy thing is they allow you to have the daughter. Yes Kelly has her. Yeah, it could be a cereal. Yep Yeah, you would think I'm gonna remind him that Kelly has her own family and do the same shit here, right? No, excuse my friend.

25:35 Just that one. Just that one. I mean the baby is not not yours in a way Yeah, so it really it did like Wow mission accomplished like it got it got under my skin And luckily, but luckily I didn't I didn't react and I'm glad I didn't because now in retrospect I do feel I just feel like This is a miserable spiteful hateful woman. It's more on them than on you It's more you then problem than you yeah, and you did the right thing. Yeah, what are you gonna this is my dog? Come on. No, right. I mean like whatever nothing she ever writes on any envelope is gonna change, right?

26:16 That's why I think Kelly was right you wanted this was a reason she did it she want a reaction from you Yeah, and you didn't give her one. Yeah, you win. Yeah, you know, you know internally Yes, because that's exactly what she wanted out of it, but she wanted you to take one step further Yeah, she wanted more evidence that I'm a lunatic. You're a lunatic. Yeah to your family So but so but yeah, I was I couldn't believe it and then of course the the lunatic the real the reality of the lunatic that I am is that I'll keep it and I then we talk about it Here and now that we have done that I'm going to frame it and have it on my desk to remind me At all times of what I have to deal with people can be petty I'm in like again I'm so it's fascinating when you really get deeply involved with another family.

27:10 It's tough. Yeah, and because it's so Foreign that if any first of all no one No one in any extent or extension of my family would do something like that because they would know what it would be met with And that's what I think my mother would know the difference she would never you a man like like this It is just I can only imagine showing that To my my parents like they would lose their minds like my mother wouldn't she was such a good harder woman My mother was jab. Yeah, she's yeah. Yeah, right She's jabbed with my brother's right, you know But never to a point where I'm gonna make you feel less open openly insult.

27:58 Thank you. Yeah. Yeah, that's too bad It was interesting and also again, like I'm mentioning it like it's two weeks like the their their Easter cards It's like okay, you know, you know person's pretty religious they know there's supposed to be a devout, right? That's another like I'm gonna send it late. That's how much I don't know. I don't know. She is just she's one of those People I remember this is one of the things what I really realized how far gone this woman was One of Kelly's favorite aunts. Yeah passed away Yeah And someone who her mother is very close to sure and she was asked to read at her funeral mass and showed up late Like and I remember going to the car afterwards and I was with Kelly and her sister I'm like if any if anything like that happened in my family that person would never be talked to by anyone ever again Like that's the biggest I like that's so calloused and we say I can't I can't read up there.

29:00 I'm too emotional Yeah, she'll play no show up. Don't like you just don't you show up so late at that point She showed up so late the woman's son-in-law had to read in her place. Oh that late. Yeah Mr. Yeah, like it was yeah at that point like don't ask me to do that. I get emotional. I'm not gonna be able to do it It's just inexcusable Well, well, well, but anyhow, God bless you. So there I Was it was only because of the restraint that my wife helped me to achieve and in the long run That's the way to do it. I agree. I have to try to I want to try to be More understanding of that, but it does it tells you who she is And you have to you just have to kind of lower your expectation at the same time You don't want to be like I told you so he's not he's an ass.

29:50 Yeah, see You got to pick your battles This isn't this isn't the one. Oh, well, so there was so there was that and then So then we move into just like last weekend or a weekend ago Kelly sister Jenny came to visit from the city She lives in the city and she came up on the train and spent spent the weekend with us and the second time now Yeah, she's been here a couple times. She's here. She was here at the Christmas She's been here a few times since the baby and it had a nice That's awesome got to got to appreciate all the the new features on baby. Josie. Yeah, all the exciting Stuff be the cool ant. Yeah, she can she can come in and do that Yeah, so she had a good time We had a nice visit nice visit with her and then came into just this past weekend Which the big thing for me I was very impressed with this Kelly went to get a haircut on Saturday and so it was me and the baby and I'm trying to do things with her so I had her down here with me in the basement and I was putting away some things in the closet like putting away some winter clothes and She crawled over and crawled up two steps to the landing It was like hey, and she looked at me and I looked at her and and she wanted to go So I I kind of okay.

31:10 We'll see how far Right up the stairs, and I was like that. Well, I was impressed like first try No, she stopped a couple times on the way, but I was very she graduated from backing up Yes Yeah, no, she gets around nice she gets around really good now a lot of what she's she's at that hold her hands and she'll toddle around She's she's cruising and going from like she'll push off like she holds on But she'll move from the couch to the coffee table and across and different things to the dogs Are they confused now like oh my gosh? She's walking this one It's interesting what they get used to Every time it's something new like holding her hand and walking with her.

31:52 They get a little twitchy When she's doing anything like that on the tricycle She we just tried her out on the tricycle and she can't reach the pedals But she loves to be rolled around on it. They get a little twitchy Because they only know her at yeah, this is human. Whatever it is. Yeah on the bed, and they can't right You know it's like it's it's been very interesting because with Watson Watson has always had a healthy fear of her because she makes clumps right, but now he's much more engaged with her like he'll come over she'll be doing something and He'll come over and he'll sniff her face, and he doesn't he doesn't lick her But he is interested and she's now so used to him should just be like battling which is wax on to make him go away But then when she wants to play with him As soon as she gets within reaching distance.

32:41 He's up and Leave yeah, so they have a interesting. They have an interesting relationship with that stuff, but yeah, so that is That is kind of where we are today, yeah, we have a lot there we had stuff to cover. Yeah well, thank you for making it all the way to the end and We'll look forward to continuing Through season two what a season start. Oh, what a season kickoff. What a kickoff that information But family betrayals scandals Scandals a new job mother-in-law Everywhere, we're all over the next episode.

33:23 I'm so excited. You never know an order of protection. You never know Anyhow, so thank you again for making it to the end and we will see you next time Well folks, that's another episode of the gray hair and daycare podcast in the books Thanks very much for tuning in and spending this time with us. We hope it was fun If you enjoyed this week's descent into the madness of dadness be sure to subscribe to the podcast So you don't miss any of our future adventures while you're at it Give us a like and share the cast with your friends on Facebook Instagram Twitter carrier pigeon, whatever you crazy kids are using Have any hilarious parenting stories of your own?

34:03 Questions about navigating fatherhood later in life or even when normal people do it email us at ghdc.podcast at gmail.com We'd love to hear from you and now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed