It’s been a while since my last blog and I realize I’ve been blogging less over here since I started the DADvocate Project. It’s not that I don’t have tons to say it’s just that I have so much going on and I can’t seem to get everything I want to get done, done. My next big project over here is to get my video of Post SDR edited and uploaded. I also have an interview I did with Haley about the next book she wants to write about the SDR and she and Raye Raye have started writing it. I’m going to write an accompaniment to this book this time, we really want it to be a resource for families who are going through any surgery like this. It’s not just scary for the kids it’s scary for the parents too and it’s terribly emotionally draining. I’m still not over the significant impact it has had on my life.

So what prompted me to write tonight was sitting down at the computer. Haley had left her profile up and the letter she typed today. I thought I had mentioned this in a previous blog post but I can’t find it now….prior to the surgery Mel, Haley and I took a little trip up to Gwinnett and met a boy who had had the surgery when he was three. His involvement was slightly different from Haley’s but they are similar, and they are the same age, and I think Haley really enjoyed meeting another person, a boy, who looked and moved similarly to her. It turns out the boy needed to have a surgery this summer too and he just had it the other day.

Haley decided to write a letter to him. It is up on my computer now and I’m going to save it so we don’t loose it but while it’s not the first letter she has written it is the first letter she has written to a boy. It’s interesting as it reflects a question spelled by her “cweshin” from her experience with surgery =”can you walking or no?” and a hint of excitement “my mom thinks we mite see echoth agan soon.” I have to admit that I find it fascinating that Haley was compelled to write the letter and connect with someone who is like her and going through the same things.

By the way Haley has recovered from the surgery and is doing so incredibly well that she has even developed a 7 year old mouth calling me a “Know it all,” telling us she hates us and wishes she had another family and the other typical seven year old stuff. I think we’ll be in for a long year but I’m excited to see how she develops her independence she’ll have so much more freedom to do so because it will be easier for her to keep up. I think she’ll feel she’s struggling at first but it won’t take her long and she’ll be rocking along with the rest of the second graders. Of course there be some struggles but that’s to be expected.

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Well a few days back my Little man started crawling and he didn’t take long to find trouble either. He loves going after cords, and loves to crawl into his sister’s room where he has managed to stand up against a mattress and fall backwards and push up on and fall against a wooden stool and all this has occurred in the last three days mind you. I’m excited and wanted to document it because I won’t remember if I don’t document it.

The other thing that is pretty neat and I didn’t realize is The DADvocate Project is starting to crawl too. We have hit some major goals this week and we are going to put on a big push in July with the intention of doubling the survey participants but I want to take a moment to reflect on the project time line.

March – My son is conceived and I decide to start a blog. The two are not related. The blog doesn’t actually get started until April.

Last year Father’s Day – I had no idea there was a daddy blogging industry I had simply started a blog about my ADD and Dyslexia and my Daughters CP. I was just getting into social media, and I was enjoying writing. I wrote an article for which I was awarded father of the year. My Son is Incubating.

July – Last July I wrote 11 posts and published 10 of them. I still have one in draft form. I hadn’t yet thought of The DADvocate Project but I did write a post on breaking down goals. In another post I wrote about telling people to be happy and how my then two-year old had just figured out how to change my mood by smiling. It’s funny the project I worked on last July and blogged about in my last post of the month gave me the basis for conducting this project. The interesting thing about that post is me asking myself if I could pay someone to do the data crunching. I couldn’t for that project. I tried to pay someone to do some data crunching on this project but they gave me crap results back so I’m hesitant to try again but it may happen. My Son is Incubating.

August – The idea for this project began to fester on my way home from Home Depot. I thought about the term DADvocate and formed a definition in my head. DADvocate – someone who is a dad first, who cares about their family and works to make it strong. A man. – Mind you I still have no idea there is such a thing as daddy blogging. My Son is incubating.

September – I’m really playing with the idea of The DADvocate Project. I’m starting to float it to others and see what they think. I tell my chiropractor about the idea. My son is getting closer.

October – Issac is born. I write this prayer for his bris. A few weeks later I receive the card below in the mail. It’s from my chiropractor.

November – I decide I have to go for it and plan a soft launch of the DADvocate project for Thanks Giving. I initially reach out to all my friend on Facebook and begin to use twitter like a tool to reach people. I also attend my second and third tweet ups where I begin to tell people I’m doing this project. The DADvocate Project is born and I don’t sleep at night because the new baby.

December – I meet my graphic artists @havanatweets and one of the worlds best networkers @TarynP. Taryn is interested in my project and tells me about Dad-O-Matic. I decide to go for it and reach out to Chris Brogan to see if I can join his site. Chris kindly re-directs me to @Paisano and I become a contributor.

Jan – I have some problems with the survey in the first couple of months and switch from a Google Docs form to Surveygizmo. The switch was a good idea but I still have problems with merging the data. Isaac is beginning to sleep longer.

Feb – I engage Havana to do my graphics work for the DADvocate project. She is awesome to work with and together we come up with a great brand. I get thesis and start to put the site together. I also migrate a ton of posts and data. At this point I had gathered around 100 survey participants. I had also started to become friendly with Drew from benspark.com and had to interview him multiple times because of technical glitches. Luckily Drew is great guy and good sport and I consider him a friend today.

Mar – The new site launches. I join Dad Revolution. CC Chapman mentions the project and I get 25 survey participants in one day. We are now sleeping through the night and getting some smiles from the little guy.

April – In April the word began to spread and I was interviewed on CoachRadio.Tv – Isaac can sit up now.

May – We do an interview with High Velocity Radio. The DADvocate podcasts get in to full gear but I take a vacation in early may at the beach, and we Have Haley’s operation at the end of may. We are trying to push hard on the project but we also have a life and work outside of the project. I feel the project slow a little at the end of May. Isaac is on his hands and knees. He is trying very hard to crawl but not there yet.

June – Isaac is beginning to push him self forward but you really can’t call it crawling. It’s more of thrust and fall forward until you get what you want. I kind of feel The DADvocate project is doing the same thing. It’s moving forward one thrust at a time but I just haven’t quite gotten to the crawling stage. The Podcasts are going well and I’m invited to speak at the Modern Media Man Summit. I was highlighted by @tessasdad on SAHDinLansing.com. Things are going in the right direction and I’m thrusting and falling forward but I’m not quite sure that I’m crawling yet. Then the last week of June arrives and Isaac begins to crawl . I interview Dad of Diva’s and he suggests an all out daddy blogger approach. I decide that July will be my month to really start crawling.

July – Today is July 1st. Your reading this on my blog, received it as a news letter, read it on Facebook, or Linked In. Saw a tweet and fond the article. At this point we have reached 202 survey participants and the 12th DADvocate Podcast will be posted tomorrow. If you’re a dad blogger, It’s likely I’ll be reaching out to you and asking if I can post a guest blog this month. If you are someone who has taken part in the survey I’m asking you to leave a comment on this post about what you like about participating in this project. Finally I’m upping the ante. I have an ongoing contest that when I reach 1000 participants I’m giving away an iPad. Well I think an end date is necessary to encourage participation. I’m going to give the iPad away on August First assuming we reach at least 100 more survey participants this month.

If anyone has any ideas for promoting this project I’m all ears. I’d love to be interviewed on any podcast, radio, or tv show. I’m happy to participate in any blog, newspaper, or magazine interview. I want to spread the word as I feel that the work we are doing is going to help change how people look at fathers. This work, you, your answers and interviews will show exactly how Dads are active and participating in their lives of their children.

Finally if you have not participated in the Survey yet and you’re a dad Then WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR. GO DO IT NOW! Participate and leave your contact information at the end if you want to be included in the drawing for the iPad.

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