About Me

Basic Information

Kids Ages: 10, 7, 5
Relationship Status: Married
Gender: Male
Birthday: 23/03/1967
Hometown: Austin
About me: One of the founders of DadLabs, host of The Lab and Quality Time. When I'm not staring at a computer screen or sitting on the sidelines of a soccer game, I'm probably enjoying one of my wife's amazing meals and a glass of completely unsubtle red Zin. I love reading the New Yorker, though I'm usually about three issues behind, and will go for the occasional jog as long as the music is good.

Have you seen our book?

Contact Information

Country: Afghanistan

Education

College / University: Dartmouth College
Graduation Year: 1989

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Daddy Clay

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Member since
Tuesday, 07 April 2009 11:16
Last online
3 days ago
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Daddy Clay & friends Daddy Clay

Yesterday

ben replied to the topic Re:Bilobed Placenta in the forums.

That's great news!

Since we can turn this into your "Welcome Thread" now, I sure hope that this is the worst for your pregnancy. Don't go doing something idiotic like posting every dumb thing your partner says to Facebook and you should be fine.

We're heading back to town next weekend for my dad's retirement party. On the agenda is a swing to Rubino's in Bexley for the best pizza in the city. Then to The Anderson's in Dublin for beer. I need some stuff I can't find here for a study session for some new beer judges. And we'll certainly hit a Jeni's probably in Grandview so we can pick up a pound of House from Stauf's.

I'm wearing one of my Columbus Crew shirts today because I think it confuses people here (Columbus, IN) into thinking that we have a team of some sort.

06:47 PM

4 days ago

Daddy Clay, ben replied to the topic Re:Bilobed Placenta in the forums.

Sounds like you've got a good medical team that caught this early. No personal experience here, but I'm interested to learn more if you feel like sharing.

I know that first pregnancies are anxious enough without bonus worries. Hang in there.

08:28 AM

Daddy Clay replied to the topic Re:Betting on Baby in the forums.

Sorry, Miranda, but I'm going on the late end as well (though the 7th is a full moon). With tall people, techs tend to over-estimate the gestational age of the baby.

I'm going with Ides of March -- the 15th. Big first baby means a bit of a long haul, so I'm guessing overnight labor and an early morning birth at 4:35 AM.

08:25 AM

Daddy Clay replied to the topic Re:Marathon to Fit Fatherhood 2012 in the forums.

Weight 186.6 Up a fraction.

Super Bowl Party at our house. Wings. Sliders. Nachos. Not a fresh veggie in sight. Everybody needs a day off now and then.

We're headed on the road for a few day starting tomorrow, and for some reason that seems easier for weight loss then being here at home. Go figure. I'd really like to be at or under 185 on race day (less than two weeks!), but with miles tapering and a bit of carbo loading -- seems doubtful.

I had just finished my 16 miler on Saturday on the popular Lady Bird Lake trail, when I ran into a former student -- an amazing track and cross-country athlete who ran for Rice, her sister is an Olympian in steeplechase -- she was with her husband and wrestling her baby into a jog stroller. She didn't recognize me at first, then said, "Wow, there's a lot less of you!"

Those little moments are a nice reward.

Marathon update:
That 16-miler felt great -- right at my race pace. But when you finish a run like that and consider adding another 10 miles. Butterflies. What's going to happen at mile 23? What if I hit a wall or cramp up? Uncharted territory. Nerves are already setting in a bit.

I'm looking forward to tapering -- to feeling fresh and not sore, but also a little wistful about the toughest part of training being over. Going to have to do some research about the timing of tapering strength workouts. When should I stop lifting/TRX? To the internets!

08:08 AM

1 week ago

ben replied to the topic Re:Marathon to Fit Fatherhood 2012 in the forums.

I've done better this week. I made it out to the gym at both opportunities. I seem to have re-injured a rotator cuff on the elliptical, which really sucks. I think I may see what the insurance does for PT here.

Small steps.

Feb 03

ben replied to the topic Re:Betting on Baby in the forums.

Feb 23 3:43 pm.

Good idea, Nik!

Is a live show going to act as a virtual baby shower?

Feb 03

Daddy Brad replied to the topic Re:Soon to be dad in the forums.

Welcome Bro and congrats. Keep us posted on the progress. I've been getting heckled in my neighborhood for running in the Buckeye shirt a buddy gave me. It's comfortable though.

Jan 31

Daddy Brad replied to the topic Re:Expecting a second one!! in the forums.

Congrats, the 2nd is great. You can enjoy the moment a bit more because you know what is coming! Keep us posted.

Jan 31

Daddy Clay replied to the topic Re:Marathon to Fit Fatherhood 2012 in the forums.

Weight: 186

Up a pound. Amazing.

I'll be posting this week on this topic, but here's a preview.

This was the peak week in my marathon training: 53 miles in roadwork, 3 strength workouts and a boot camp (today is a rest day). As an experiment I logged all my workouts and all my calorie consumption for the week.

The week actually closes out tomorrow morning, but assuming I have a normal food day today, I'll finish out the week with a deficit of about 8500 calories.

Using popular/accepted calculations (Funky, I will disclose all my assumptions and methods for your deconstruction soon), this would predict a loss of between 2 and 3 pounds.

I'm up a pound.

The result tomorrow will be less flagrant (I usually weigh in after a run so Mondays are always my high weight), but still what this points to is a confirmation of what the research shows -- if you spend a lot of years overweight, losing back to "normal" is extremely challenging.

More thought, data and analysis soon (I know, you can hardly wait).

@krellpw I'm very interested in what this process is like for you, and I share you exact concern when it comes to the kids -- one reason why I've never done a similar program. I think Funky's proposed response is an excellent one.

The takeaway from this whole process is that it's extremely important the the kids *never get overweight in the first place.* Or they will face the fight we are fighting.

Jan 30

Daddy Clay replied to the topic Re:How to Correct an Over-Reader in the forums.

Awesome outcome. Thanks for the update.

Jan 30

Daddy Clay replied to the topic Re:Soon to be dad in the forums.

Although I never thought I'd say it, Welcome Buckeye! (Texas fan here.)

I roomed with one of the founders of Cafe Mom in college! Hoping that what you find here is more applicable to your experience.

There might not be the avalanche of comments that you get over there -- I've come to really value the opinions of the dads that hang out here.

Jan 30

Daddy Clay replied to the topic Re:Expecting a second one!! in the forums.

Daddy R--

Congrats on this fantastic news. I found the second pregnancy to be magical compared to the first -- much lower stress and anxiety levels. You can really sit back and enjoy the process! Keep up posted.

Jan 30

ben replied to the topic Re:New and expecting with a friend in the forums.

I was going to write what Nik did. Really. He may have robbed my mind from 100 miles away!

What I'll add is that when you have a "serious relationship" (meaning more than "just friends") you are more likely to be tuned into the mom's emotions and tendencies BEFORE being pregnant. Even though all this goes out the door with pregnancy, it helps deal with the emotional baggage that comes with it. You have both sides of this coin. You can get away from it, but you can also do more damage to your long-term co-parent relationship if you dodge too much. I'd suggest being as open and honest as you can be early. Talk about expectations (you probably have 10% of what she does) and use that as a baseline. They will change through the process. Communication is going to be key, just as usual.

Jan 29

2 weeks ago

ben replied to the topic Re:Website - broken? needs improvement? in the forums.

Hurray! The first time in about a month that I have logged in and not gotten a certificate error or a page not found due to HTTPS not being set up.

Jan 27

Daddy Clay replied to the topic Re:Location Based Services - aka Tracking in the forums.

I like location apps and have had fun with some of them -- though I'm sad about Gowalla. Obviously, I like pretty much out in the digital open and I'm not shy about sharing.

For kids, I remain convinced that there are lots of things way more dangerous than stalkers and pervs -- mostly guns, pools and, when the kids get a little older, cars. It's that last one that has me thinking a lot about GPS and physically tracking kids.

I'm not too worried about kids disclosing their physical location, but there is no need to be sloppy. We should be thoughtful and default to privacy.

I also don't want to compromise my relationship or the trust I've established with my kids by monitoring them too much.

But when cars come into play...

I think I will not track as a starting point. But if there is trouble, I'm plonking my money down for ATT's Family Map.

Jan 26

Daddy Clay replied to the topic Re:Highchair recommendations anyone??? :) in the forums.

Cool. Thanks for posting this.

Jan 26

Daddy Clay replied to the topic Re:New and expecting with a friend in the forums.

I wish I could tell you that there were more resources for guys in your position, but sadly there aren't many. There are some single dad bloggers out there, but most are single by divorce.

Obviously, marital status isn't what makes a guy a good or bad dad. I'm not sure we need any more evidence of that as a culture. One thing that is important to being a good dad is commitment and a willingness to put in the time. The fact that you showed up here is a really good sign that you want to make that commitment.

Another thing that I know for sure -- this baby is going to change your life, maybe even more than for a married guy that conceived intentionally. Get ready for that. Signal to the baby's mom that you want to be involved early on -- maybe by asking to attend doctor's visits, or by helping with putting together the nursery and gathering the gear the baby will need.

You might want to check out "The DadLabs Guide to Fatherhood." *Shameless plug* for info on the pregnancy, labor and delivery from a guy's POV. And you can heck out the site for practical stuff. Don't be shy about asking questions. Plenty of opinions around here.

Good luck and congrats!

Jan 26

Wall

noseprint, Tuesday, 23 June 2009 10:04

...oops, I found how to logout...but the rest still stands :P

noseprint, Tuesday, 23 June 2009 09:59

Hi Daddy Clay, I've been away for a while as we have had our wonderful miracle Alex born on the 23rd of May. Now settled & back from 4 weeks paternal leave I've found a huge change in the site. Where can I find help contents on how to drive this new beast? also I've noticed none of my photos that I uploaded have been kept, which is no problem, I can upload them, but thought I should give some feedback. I noticed your "need motivation" article, but for some reason I cant seem to see how to reply, & when I want to leave the site, I cant find the "logout" or "sign out" button? Is this an anomoly or what? Would appreciate some help.

cheers,
hope you're well

Daddy Clay on Friday, 26 June 2009 10:26

Congrats on the new baby! Like your newborn, our site is fresh from the oven and occasionally cranky. Please be patient with us as we get the kinks worked out. I've passed your feedback on to Daddy Troy (the web guru around here). You might want to "friend" him and continue to provide this helpful feedback. Cheers, Clay.

michael_smith1, Tuesday, 14 April 2009 01:44

Thanks back at you, Clay. I had fun doing the interview, and Intact America is happy with it, too.

Y'all have a great site. I like the philosophy behind it. Fathers need to be with their families. Will you call my employer and tell them to let me work at home? ;-)

ken_mansfield, Sunday, 15 February 2009 22:35

Clay - thanks for the welcome. My wife is also a local girl. Hawaii is a great (albeit pricey) place to raise a family. I've recently discovered your site and really enjoy it.

Here's an idea I recently did with my 4.5 and 2.5 year old - smores! They're too young for a full camping outing, or even a campfire, so I just fired up my mini Weber Baby Q on the deck, and we had a great, very controlled good time.

And without the whole "load up the car with all the stuff" bit, it was super easy!

CHOCOLATE+MARSHMALLOWS+GRAHAM CRACKERS+DADDY+FIRE= LOADS OF FUN!

Aloha,
Ken

john1, Sunday, 15 February 2009 20:27

Ha! Thanks for the welcome. I would get off the Cat, but we have 6 of them in a small apartment so you can't really take a step or sit anywhere without running into one :).