# I'm a new dad!



## Bostonian (Mar 1, 2011)

So... my son who was born back on 2/17 (my wife's birthday) is in the home stretch to come home after being in the hospital since he was born (he's a preemie)... So my skiing was interrupted for the month of February   But with him looking to come home as early as next monday, I feel that I may be skiing a lot in the morning at Wa for the two weeks off from work I will be getting!


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## Warp Daddy (Mar 1, 2011)

Kudos on the new addition --- your life is about to change in a big way


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## bvibert (Mar 1, 2011)

Congrats!  It's a great feeling.  Spend some time with your new family in your time off, the skiing will always be there later.  Besides; you're not going to be getting any sleep anyway, so you'll probably need the rest when you can get it.


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## SkiDork (Mar 1, 2011)

Yeah!  Way to go!  These are the best days of your life.


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## St. Bear (Mar 1, 2011)

bvibert said:


> Congrats!  It's a great feeling.  Spend some time with your new family in your time off, the skiing will always be there later.  Besides; you're not going to be getting any sleep anyway, so you'll probably need the rest when you can get it.



As a recent father going through his first ski season with a baby, I will echo these sentiments.  It's taken a while, but I'm now in the final stage of coping, acceptance.


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## WoodCore (Mar 1, 2011)

Congratulations!


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## St. Bear (Mar 1, 2011)

And congrats, of course.


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## HD333 (Mar 1, 2011)

Congratulations.  

He will be 3 eventually then you can get your some of your ski life back (thank god for all day ski programs).


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## 57stevey (Mar 1, 2011)

Congratulations!


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## marcski (Mar 1, 2011)

Awesome....Congrats....Kids Rule!!!  Embrace everything these days shall bring...because, while there will be snow and skiing in winters to come, one day you shall wake up and your children will no longer need you for the mundane things like a wet diaper or to give him a bottle and see him have no worries in the world and watch him fall asleep on your lap in the middle of the night.....  You can never get that time back with them.


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## billski (Mar 1, 2011)

Congrats!  You may be getting a lot less skiing/sleeping in than you can ever imagine.  A very mad wife if you don't!

It's funny how when they become teens, they don't appreciate that you stayed up with them in the middle of the night, let them throw up on you, calmed them, made them feel secure and wiped their butt.    Appreciate and cherish the next 12 years, hopefully many, many more!


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## SKIQUATTRO (Mar 1, 2011)

Congrats...its an awesome experience....now watching my 5 and 8 yr olds skiing so well its truly amazing....soak it all in


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## drjeff (Mar 1, 2011)

Congrats and savor the moment.  Way too quickly it will seem that that bundle of joy that now fits easily in your arms/lap won't!


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## deadheadskier (Mar 1, 2011)

congrats!


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## wa-loaf (Mar 1, 2011)

sorry ... I mean Congrats!


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## severine (Mar 1, 2011)

Congratulations!  Get the rest while you can and enjoy the time with him because it flies by!


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## pro2860 (Mar 1, 2011)

Congrats and enjoy!


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## TheBEast (Mar 1, 2011)

St. Bear said:


> As a recent father going through his first ski season with a baby, I will echo these sentiments.  It's taken a while, but I'm now in the final stage of coping, acceptance.



+2 (well technically my 2nd ski season with a baby under 3 months old)

With all the snow this season it's been really tough not getting after it.  Although I have gotten my almost 3 year old out on skis this season so that's helped my woes......


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## ERJ-145CA (Mar 1, 2011)

Congrats!  Kids are awesome.  By the way my son and daughter were born 2/19 and 2/18 six years apart.  My son has been skiing since he was 2 and my daughter is 2 now.  She already says "ki" when she sees a picture of a skier in a magazine or on TV so I think she'll like it when she starts.

Luckily I have a very understanding wife and my daughter's birth didn't put much of a dent in my skiing, (I hadn't got back into skiing yet when my son was born) the sessions were just shorter, but it helps that I have a couple of local mountains.


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## MommaBear (Mar 1, 2011)

Bostonian said:


> But with him looking to come home as early as next monday, I feel that I may be skiing a lot in the morning at Wa for the two weeks off from work I will be getting!



I always thought the point of men taking time off from work was to help out so the Mom could get some sleep!  lol!  Unless that mountain is real close to home, or you have an incredibly wonderful and understanding wife....I just don't see it happening.  Be good to her now to ensure a great season next year.

Congratulations to you both!  And I echo the sentiments that it goes REALLY fast so DO take the time to be there now to enjoy it.  You won't regret it.


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## WakeboardMom (Mar 2, 2011)

HD333 said:


> Congratulations.
> 
> He will be 3 eventually then you can get your some of your ski life back (thank god for all day ski programs).



No need to wait until he's 3.  I had one on January 8; and then another one the following January 7th.  Both went into the daycare at Loon as soon as the doctor cleared me for skiing!!  : )

Congratulations!!!  Kids rule.  : )


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## severine (Mar 2, 2011)

WakeboardMom said:


> No need to wait until he's 3.  I had one on January 8; and then another one the following January 7th.  Both went into the daycare at Loon as soon as the doctor cleared me for skiing!!  : )
> 
> Congratulations!!!  Kids rule.  : )


Not all hills have daycare. Case in point: Sundown. Plus it gets expensive. But yes, no need to wait. Once they can walk, they can get on skis, right?


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## MommaBear (Mar 3, 2011)

severine said:


> Plus it gets expensive. But yes, no need to wait. Once they can walk, they can get on skis, right?



Paying for the daycare is the precursor to paying for them to ski (either a pass or day tickets).  Might as well get over the shock early!  :razz:

There is that small window of opportunity where the child is old enough to be on the mountain for the better part of the day AND still ski for free. For us that was between ages 4 and 6 at Killington (cutoff is 5 most other places).


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## severine (Mar 3, 2011)

MommaBear said:


> Paying for the daycare is the precursor to paying for them to ski (either a pass or day tickets).  Might as well get over the shock early!  :razz:
> 
> There is that small window of opportunity where the child is old enough to be on the mountain for the better part of the day AND still ski for free. For us that was between ages 4 and 6 at Killington (cutoff is 5 most other places).



Ski for free? What? They only free skiing my kids have done was because I work at the ski hill. No skiing for free around here.


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## MommaBear (Mar 3, 2011)

severine said:


> Ski for free? What? They only free skiing my kids have done was because I work at the ski hill. No skiing for free around here.



Seriously?  Maybe that is why we always choses to ski in VT!  Kids 5 and under ski for free (6 at Killington/Pico).  You just needed to ask at the window for a child 5 and under ticket.


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## wa-loaf (Mar 3, 2011)

severine said:


> Ski for free? What? They only free skiing my kids have done was because I work at the ski hill. No skiing for free around here.





MommaBear said:


> Seriously?  Maybe that is why we always choses to ski in VT!  Kids 5 and under ski for free (6 at Killington/Pico).  You just needed to ask at the window for a child 5 and under ticket.



Wachusett is $10 for 5 and under, but most big resorts are free. You can also get a season pass for $99 for the 5 and under. Most of the northern resorts are free for that age group.


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## MommaBear (Mar 3, 2011)

And when the kids hit 10 (5th grade) be sure to make use of Ski Vermont's 5th Grade Passport.  It was only open to Vermont kids when my oldest was there (13 years ago) but we used it this year for our youngest.  3 free coupons to most ski areas in Vermont.  Only issue for us was that they had to be used in conjunction with the purchase of a full price day ticket.  We are season pass holders at Mount Snow - which apparently didn't count.  Thank you to the 3 kind people I approached in the ticket lines this season to ask for your help in getting my free ticket!!  But when we venture anywhere else, we're good.

http://www.skivermont.com/events-and-deals/program-passport


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## severine (Mar 3, 2011)

6 and under are $16 at Sundown. Mohawk: 4 and under are $15 and 4th graders get 3 free lift tickets. That's how it rolls down here in the flatlands.


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## Bostonian (Mar 4, 2011)

I want to thank everyone for their warm words!  So how old does my son have to be to learn to start skiing?  3?  4?  

I would love to get him out on the hill in a few year with me 

As for skiing, I hope to get some turns in next week, when the baby comes home.  I figure if I can sneak out in the morning, while the baby is sleeping I will be able to jet over to wachusett.  I have 2 weeks off for paternity leave, and my wife will still be on maternity leave too   I figure it is a win win for me!


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## WakeboardMom (Mar 4, 2011)

MommaBear said:


> Paying for the daycare is the precursor to paying for them to ski (either a pass or day tickets).  Might as well get over the shock early!  :razz:



Yup.  The oldest and youngest of my four kids were born ten years apart.  I think the price of daycare was always equivalent to the cost of a lift ticket.   (LOL...when those first two were babies, "daycare" at Loon was a couple of full-size cribs and *gasp* playpens (NOT Pack n Plays), a couple of rocking chairs and not much else in a room that was not pretty.  By the time #4 came along in 1991, it was a ton different!)





wa-loaf said:


> Wachusett is $10 for 5 and under, but most big resorts are free. You can also get a season pass for $99 for the 5 and under. Most of the northern resorts are free for that age group.



Yes, we've done it at Loon and Bretton Woods.  (Albeit 14+ years ago...)


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## ERJ-145CA (Mar 4, 2011)

Bostonian said:


> I want to thank everyone for their warm words!  So how old does my son have to be to learn to start skiing?  3?  4?
> 
> I would love to get him out on the hill in a few year with me



I say my son started at 2 because that was the first time he was on skis.  We had him in the day care at Bromley starting at 2 but they really don't teach them to ski until 3.  At 2 they just wear the skis and they pull them around a bit.  At 3 they have instructors teach the kids in the day care and take them to the hill with the magic carpet.  I also liked the fact that somebody else taught him.

He's 8 now and we go skiing at least once every weekend that I'm home while the local areas are open.  Skiing with your child is great.


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## severine (Mar 4, 2011)

We first got both our kids on skis at about 2.5... though the little guy may have shuffled around at 1.5. Lessons down here don't start until they're 4 though. Our daughter desperately needed lessons--our son, on the other hand, is more athletic, more driven, and picking it up much faster. At 3.5 years old, he's already doing better than she does at 5.5 years old. Though it's kind of cool that they're both learning the same things at the same time right now.


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## SkiDork (Mar 8, 2011)

Killington 1st tracks actually takes them on the carpet at 2


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## Bostonian (Mar 10, 2011)

SkiDork said:


> Killington 1st tracks actually takes them on the carpet at 2



Well in 2 years, we will get him out there I hope!


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## vcunning (Mar 10, 2011)

Congratulations . . . As an idea . . . we got my youngest a seasons pass at Mount Snow when he was 4 months old (yes months, not years).  It only cost $15 if you were 5 or less back then ($30 now), and we have all our passes hanging on our fridge.

Sadly, at that years passholders party, they were giving out a prize to the youngest passholder . . . I was in the bathroom with him changing his diaper.  He missed the prize.

Check around to see what the deals are.


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