We missed baby storytime this morning. It seems that sleeping with the fan on in his room causes my son to sleep a little late. No complaints here.
We started the day at the post office, as someone in the house accidentally deleted Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 from the DVR. I have to get that Netflix queue moving so we can have it in the house again!
I don't have a car today or tomorrow because my wife sold hers (we're buying a minivan tomorrow!), so all adventures will involve a certain amount of walking. Though the post office is in the exact opposite direction from my house, we packed a lunch and walked back to the park to eat and play.
Once again, there were a few girls there that my son wanted to follow around. Two of them were accompanied by their daddy! He wasn't off his phone long enough for us to develop any kind of relationship. That's a new pattern that I'm starting to notice. More on that later.
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Day two of no car saw us returning to the playground once again. Another day, another texting dad. Granted, his daughters were considerably older than my son, and therefore he doesn't need to watch them as closely, but it's still a little odd to see someone take so little interest in his children- especially when they are running and climbing all over the place. It's tough not to judge someone in situations like that. I've got a lot to learn about this whole parenting thing, and I'm by no means saying I'm any better at it than anyone else. However, when it's just my son and me, I try to only bring out my phone when I need to take a picture. I can't say that will always be the case, but honestly, I'm the only one he can count on to keep him safe. I don't think I can afford to be doing anything else.
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Today at music class, my son walked over to the one pregnant woman in the class and stood and stared at her for the longest time. She's been pregnant for quite some time, but perhaps he just noticed. He doesn't pay much attention to the other mommies there, but maybe she seems a little more familiar to him
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I had been wanting to take my son to my college, The University of Delaware, for a while. When I found out that I didn't have to go to one of my scheduled sporting events this afternoon, I checked the weather and packed for our first road trip in a while. The trip can be either all highway or all country roads, and I chose the latter, believe it or not the faster of the two. He loved seeing all the cows, horses, and chickens along the way and even let out a few "moo"s all by himself.
We parked on Main Street and I could immediately see many differences on and off campus. Many new restaurants and stores have replaced some of my old favorites- all in the name of progress, but it didn't appear that any of the buildings where I actually had classes had changed much.
After eating lunch on the lawn outside the student center that was relatively new when I was in school, my son began an unusual amount of flirting (at least with women much, much older than him). There were a few girls sitting on the same step as us, and he eventually made his way over to them. He did the usual stand-and-stare for a while until one of them laughed at him. Then he threw his head back and returned the laugh, and it was on. One of the girls would say or do something, and he would imitate it. They would laugh, he would laugh, and it would all start over again. Eventually we left (surely these kids had to go to class at some point) and made our way to "The Green", also known as "The Lawn" or "The Quad" on any number of other college campuses.
I let him out of his stroller so he could run around before we headed back to Main Street and he was ultimately confined to his car seat. I didn't expect him to run right up to the closest group of girls and repeat the process all over again. A male student who was talking to the girls approached my son and asked for a high five. He walked right past the guy and got right up in the girls' faces. His favorite girl was the blonde with the large bag- reminiscent of Mommy's diaper bag/ purse. He pointed at it and told the girl how much he would love if she would just put it down so he could reorganize its contents all over the lawn. At least, that's what I think he was saying. His second favorite was the brunette wearing a cap. He let her know that he always puts a hat on before he leaves the house, too. He didn't like the brunette in the middle one bit.
The girls went on their way, and I chased my son around campus for a while before we walked to the brand new bookstore. It's a strangely grey building with a coffee shop in the front, but it's big and located in a practical spot. I was able to find some fun clothing for my son and his eventual little brother before he made it clear that it was naptime. We crossed the street, bringing back memories of when every single car would stop as soon as I entered the crosswalk, and I changed his diaper before we got back on the road.
Once in the car, he decided that he was no longer tired. We pulled over at the first park we saw, and he played with three little girls (two being completely ignored by, you guessed it, their dad on his phone) and two large dogs until he could barely stand. He still stayed awake for much of the trip home, probably distracted by the anticipation of seeing all those cows, horses, and chickens again.
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I sold another book this morning, so we walked to the post office in our pajamas. Actually, I get kind of embarrassed when I take him out in his PJs, so I dressed him before we went out. On the way back, we stopped for lunch at The Tomcat Cafe, a rock-and-roll-themed restaurant on the main street in our town. The food was fantastic (I had the "Sound Machine" Cuban sandwich, he the grilled cheese), and the staff was kind enough to find a place to stash my sizable stroller while we ate.
We stopped and visited the puppies at Al's Doggie Dresser before returning home for a nap. We had our first actual band practice in a while later in the day, and he got in a good amount of sleep before I had to wake him up to go. When we arrived, he immediately pushed a stool up to the drum set and pulled himself up while holding his sticks. He then played a cymbal with one hand and a drum with the other to create what almos resembled an actual pattern! He's the greatest kid in the world.
Showing posts with label proud daddy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label proud daddy. Show all posts
Monday, April 23, 2012
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Day 17
I'm really not sure where to begin about today. I guess the easiest way to put it is it was one of those days that I am certain I will always remember. Today we went to the Phillies. It wasn't that it was our first game- he's been to roughly 10 of them, and I've saved all the tickets. It wasn't even the first time just the two of us went to game- that happened last week. It wasn't that it was an overly great game- they lost 4-3 in 10 innings. They didn't even play all the regular starters. It was just a great day.
My son woke up around 7, much to the chagrin of my wife who had to be at work early and therefore couldn't hang out to calm him down. He had no interest in going back to sleep after she left, but he fell asleep soon after we got in the car. We left about three hours before the game started. As I have driven back and forth from Philadelphia countless times in the past seven years, I know all too well how unpredictable traffic can be on the way. We arrived approximately an hour before the game started.
Since our ticket (only one needed until he turns 2) was in the Diamond Club, we had plenty to explore before the first pitch. My son had little to no interest in checking out the swank surroundings and instead chose to trot around in the handicapped section directly behind my seat. During the player introductions, he pointed out the Phanatic to me, much like he finds the animals before I do. He made a few friends along the way, some of whom were kind enough to pick up his sippy cup each time he dropped it out of my reach.
It was supposed to rain. It didn't. Since the Diamond Club also includes a large enclosed area with plenty of TVs and other things at which to look, I figured that we'd be fine either way. The sun even came out at one point. Truthfully, the weather wasn't really on my mind as my son and I shared experiences such as his first cheesesteak at a ballgame, his first time on Phanavision (this came right before the beginning of the bottom of the tenth inning; apparently we were on a second time, as we were earlier recognized walking around in another section of the ballpark), and his first time showing actual interest in what was going on in the game. Each time the crowd would cheer, he would stop what he was doing to turn around and look at the field. It's been an interesting progression since his first game last year to his first game this year and finally today: sleeping, screaming, and looking. I'm sure booing is right around the corner, maybe in time for the playoffs...
The score was 0-0 until the 7th inning, when the opposition hit a 3-run home run off of a guy who spent the majority of the season in AAA Lehigh Valley. We were walking around in the Hall of Fame Club, another less-exclusive but equally cool section of the park, when this happened. He needed a break from mostly standing next-to or between my legs, and an employee suggested we head up there. Soon after we got off of the elevator, my son was hugged/ attacked by a little girl who apparently does this to nearly everyone she sees. To her father, I say, "Good luck". While he was avoiding her, another little girl came up to us and "talked" with my son. At one point we had a little group of 4 toddlers that were blocking the thoroughfare with a combination of running, hugging, screaming, and playing. If I had been working, I would have hated it. Because I was "dadding", I loved it. We continued on through the HoFC, and my son came across two more little girls, and immediately went up to one of them with his arms outstretched as if to hug her. As far as I know, he had never done this before. He hugs family members and such, but never a stranger. Apparently he still has a little to learn, because the hug locked more like a choke. We'll be more careful next time.
When it appeared that he had "got his sillies out", we returned to our seat. No one ever showed up in the seats next to us, which made sitting much more comfortable than usual. Of course, the seats in the DC are extra wide and padded, so that didn't hurt either. We picked a good time to go back, it seemed, as the Phillies tied the game with a 3-run homer of their own soon after we sat back down. He smiled and even clapped a little as I spun around celebrating with the rest of the crowd. We stuck around and watched the rest of the game, sharing the requisite ice cream in a miniature batting helmet. After the final out, I asked an usher to take our picture, as I wanted to have a visual memory of the day. I look a lot more excited than he does, but that's to be understood as he was surely exhausted. He never lost his cool, though, and that was yet another positive part of the day.
He fell asleep again soon after we got in the car. Traffic was traffic, but I didn't much care. I smiled all the way home, having enjoyed a great day at the ballpark with my son.
My son woke up around 7, much to the chagrin of my wife who had to be at work early and therefore couldn't hang out to calm him down. He had no interest in going back to sleep after she left, but he fell asleep soon after we got in the car. We left about three hours before the game started. As I have driven back and forth from Philadelphia countless times in the past seven years, I know all too well how unpredictable traffic can be on the way. We arrived approximately an hour before the game started.
Since our ticket (only one needed until he turns 2) was in the Diamond Club, we had plenty to explore before the first pitch. My son had little to no interest in checking out the swank surroundings and instead chose to trot around in the handicapped section directly behind my seat. During the player introductions, he pointed out the Phanatic to me, much like he finds the animals before I do. He made a few friends along the way, some of whom were kind enough to pick up his sippy cup each time he dropped it out of my reach.
It was supposed to rain. It didn't. Since the Diamond Club also includes a large enclosed area with plenty of TVs and other things at which to look, I figured that we'd be fine either way. The sun even came out at one point. Truthfully, the weather wasn't really on my mind as my son and I shared experiences such as his first cheesesteak at a ballgame, his first time on Phanavision (this came right before the beginning of the bottom of the tenth inning; apparently we were on a second time, as we were earlier recognized walking around in another section of the ballpark), and his first time showing actual interest in what was going on in the game. Each time the crowd would cheer, he would stop what he was doing to turn around and look at the field. It's been an interesting progression since his first game last year to his first game this year and finally today: sleeping, screaming, and looking. I'm sure booing is right around the corner, maybe in time for the playoffs...
The score was 0-0 until the 7th inning, when the opposition hit a 3-run home run off of a guy who spent the majority of the season in AAA Lehigh Valley. We were walking around in the Hall of Fame Club, another less-exclusive but equally cool section of the park, when this happened. He needed a break from mostly standing next-to or between my legs, and an employee suggested we head up there. Soon after we got off of the elevator, my son was hugged/ attacked by a little girl who apparently does this to nearly everyone she sees. To her father, I say, "Good luck". While he was avoiding her, another little girl came up to us and "talked" with my son. At one point we had a little group of 4 toddlers that were blocking the thoroughfare with a combination of running, hugging, screaming, and playing. If I had been working, I would have hated it. Because I was "dadding", I loved it. We continued on through the HoFC, and my son came across two more little girls, and immediately went up to one of them with his arms outstretched as if to hug her. As far as I know, he had never done this before. He hugs family members and such, but never a stranger. Apparently he still has a little to learn, because the hug locked more like a choke. We'll be more careful next time.
When it appeared that he had "got his sillies out", we returned to our seat. No one ever showed up in the seats next to us, which made sitting much more comfortable than usual. Of course, the seats in the DC are extra wide and padded, so that didn't hurt either. We picked a good time to go back, it seemed, as the Phillies tied the game with a 3-run homer of their own soon after we sat back down. He smiled and even clapped a little as I spun around celebrating with the rest of the crowd. We stuck around and watched the rest of the game, sharing the requisite ice cream in a miniature batting helmet. After the final out, I asked an usher to take our picture, as I wanted to have a visual memory of the day. I look a lot more excited than he does, but that's to be understood as he was surely exhausted. He never lost his cool, though, and that was yet another positive part of the day.
He fell asleep again soon after we got in the car. Traffic was traffic, but I didn't much care. I smiled all the way home, having enjoyed a great day at the ballpark with my son.
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