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 band. Show all posts
Showing posts with label band. Show all posts
Monday, April 23, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Days 106, 107, 108, and 109
We started the day with a nice little run. Along the way we met a couple of doggies. My son didn't see them at first, but he found them to be hilarious as soon as I pointed them out. I hope some day he will explain to us exactly what is so funny about dogs. Probably their butts.
Today was Valentine's day, but we had to wait until after school to see Mommy. My son was supposed to get a haircut, so we couldn't go see Mommy at work because a nap was of the utmost importance. We did manage to go to the grocery store and buy some of her favorite candy. We put it in a basket that I made for her many, many years ago when we were still dating and gave it to her when she got home. She understood the significance and liked the candy.
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He sat on the storytime blanket on his own at music class today. He was facing sideways, but it's better than nothing. I saw this developing last week, as he sat near the blanket for the first time. Maybe he'll be the one holding the book next week.
We played with hula hoops, too. His favorite part was throwing them. While that wasn't one of the "official" moves, he was trying to mimic Daddy who was demonstrating how to toss one and have it roll backwards. I'm not sure I really want a hula-hooping son anyway.
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I started to feel very sick around 9 o'clock last night and went to bed soon after. Assuming the worst, I really wasn't looking forward to having to fulfill my sabdadical duties the next day. Thankfully, he and I both slept in a little later than usual, and I felt much better in the morning. He also let me sit around more than usual without having to chase him. He's so good at keeping himself entertained. We get a lot of comments about how well-behaved he is. This has us wondering what the next one will be like. Perfect... right?!??
Today was also a band and drum lessons day, and while I considered canceling both, I had already commissioned Gram and Pop Pop to watch him during my drum lesson. I didn't want to deprive them of that. In addition, my student recently got his first drum set, so I didn't want to miss that. I made it through the whole day and felt fine until the drive home. It was certainly nice (for both of us) to know that Mommy would be more than willing to take over when we got home.
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Mommy came home for lunch today. It's funny how there's never any discussion about who's going to feed the baby when we're both home.
I'm still not feeling great, but certainly better than I had been. In other words- today was another day of doing very little. He helped out today by putting away all the books that he pulled out earlier in the week. He's napping right now and will be getting that elusive haircut later in the day. Pray for us all.
Today was Valentine's day, but we had to wait until after school to see Mommy. My son was supposed to get a haircut, so we couldn't go see Mommy at work because a nap was of the utmost importance. We did manage to go to the grocery store and buy some of her favorite candy. We put it in a basket that I made for her many, many years ago when we were still dating and gave it to her when she got home. She understood the significance and liked the candy.
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He sat on the storytime blanket on his own at music class today. He was facing sideways, but it's better than nothing. I saw this developing last week, as he sat near the blanket for the first time. Maybe he'll be the one holding the book next week.
We played with hula hoops, too. His favorite part was throwing them. While that wasn't one of the "official" moves, he was trying to mimic Daddy who was demonstrating how to toss one and have it roll backwards. I'm not sure I really want a hula-hooping son anyway.
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I started to feel very sick around 9 o'clock last night and went to bed soon after. Assuming the worst, I really wasn't looking forward to having to fulfill my sabdadical duties the next day. Thankfully, he and I both slept in a little later than usual, and I felt much better in the morning. He also let me sit around more than usual without having to chase him. He's so good at keeping himself entertained. We get a lot of comments about how well-behaved he is. This has us wondering what the next one will be like. Perfect... right?!??
Today was also a band and drum lessons day, and while I considered canceling both, I had already commissioned Gram and Pop Pop to watch him during my drum lesson. I didn't want to deprive them of that. In addition, my student recently got his first drum set, so I didn't want to miss that. I made it through the whole day and felt fine until the drive home. It was certainly nice (for both of us) to know that Mommy would be more than willing to take over when we got home.
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Mommy came home for lunch today. It's funny how there's never any discussion about who's going to feed the baby when we're both home.
I'm still not feeling great, but certainly better than I had been. In other words- today was another day of doing very little. He helped out today by putting away all the books that he pulled out earlier in the week. He's napping right now and will be getting that elusive haircut later in the day. Pray for us all.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Days 103, 104, and 105
We've been spending a lot of time working on our LEGO creations lately. It's one of my favorite things to do with him. I tend to make things that are meant to look like animals. He tends to make things that look exactly like a tower of the same size and shape blocks. I'm really impressed that he's able to find all of the variations of the same kind of block in the first place, let alone put them all together and forsake the others. He only has about 40 blocks right now. Excuse me while I update his Amazon wishlist...
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It's fun to watch him get the hang of his shape sorter toys. He'll sit and play with them for extended periods of time now, and he's even figured out that he needs to flip the containers over to make all the pieces fit. Sometimes it looks like he thinks he's exhausted all his options, so he cheats and opens the container and just throws in the remaining pieces.
We saw a baby in a commercial today. He pointed at the screen and said "ba-ba". He's very interested in babies lately- and in a good way. Keep it up, buddy.
We had our first band practice in a long time today. He was good as usual. I was surprised by this because I couldn't get him to take an early nap before we went. He explored both the band room and the auditorium, and he crashed a choral rehearsal along the way. He played along with a few songs and didn't even steal my sticks this time.
Just as I pulled into our driveway, he fell asleep. I wasn't about to deprive him of a nap, even this late in the day. I ran inside and grabbed my iPad to keep myself busy while I sat in the car. I've been watching Battlestar Galactica (and recommend it- even if you don't like sci-fi) on Netflix recently, and this gave me a chance to watch a little bit more. It was hard to keep my eyes on the screen knowing that I could see his sweet little face in my rearview mirror at any time.
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Apparently while he was being good at band practice the other day, he was also doing a good job of acquiring some sort of stomach virus. He was sick all weekend. Let's just say if our house were a cafe, pea soup would have been the special. Gross. Fortunately for me he seemed to be over it today.
Over the weekend he kept flipping his lawnmower. I figured maybe he thought it needed fixing, so I grabbed his "tools" and "safety goggles" (a freebie pair of sunglasses I got at the Steamtown Marathon) and we got to work. He did the same thing today, but this time he grabbed the screwdriver himself and started turning it on the lawnmower's wheels. I'd probably feel more proud about this if I actually knew how to fix a lawnmower.
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It's fun to watch him get the hang of his shape sorter toys. He'll sit and play with them for extended periods of time now, and he's even figured out that he needs to flip the containers over to make all the pieces fit. Sometimes it looks like he thinks he's exhausted all his options, so he cheats and opens the container and just throws in the remaining pieces.
We saw a baby in a commercial today. He pointed at the screen and said "ba-ba". He's very interested in babies lately- and in a good way. Keep it up, buddy.
We had our first band practice in a long time today. He was good as usual. I was surprised by this because I couldn't get him to take an early nap before we went. He explored both the band room and the auditorium, and he crashed a choral rehearsal along the way. He played along with a few songs and didn't even steal my sticks this time.
Just as I pulled into our driveway, he fell asleep. I wasn't about to deprive him of a nap, even this late in the day. I ran inside and grabbed my iPad to keep myself busy while I sat in the car. I've been watching Battlestar Galactica (and recommend it- even if you don't like sci-fi) on Netflix recently, and this gave me a chance to watch a little bit more. It was hard to keep my eyes on the screen knowing that I could see his sweet little face in my rearview mirror at any time.
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Apparently while he was being good at band practice the other day, he was also doing a good job of acquiring some sort of stomach virus. He was sick all weekend. Let's just say if our house were a cafe, pea soup would have been the special. Gross. Fortunately for me he seemed to be over it today.
Over the weekend he kept flipping his lawnmower. I figured maybe he thought it needed fixing, so I grabbed his "tools" and "safety goggles" (a freebie pair of sunglasses I got at the Steamtown Marathon) and we got to work. He did the same thing today, but this time he grabbed the screwdriver himself and started turning it on the lawnmower's wheels. I'd probably feel more proud about this if I actually knew how to fix a lawnmower.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Days 91, 92 and 93
I set the alarm today for a little after 8 so we could run some errands today. While I hit snooze enough times to wake up roughly 45 minutes later, I was still able to get most of my household chores done before my son finally woke up at 10:10.
The main thing I wanted to accomplish today was getting some jewelry cleaned. To my knowledge, my wedding ring has never been cleaned or polished in the ten and a half years (except while sleeping, in water, and at amusement parks) that I have been wearing it. In addition, my parents recently gave me one of my grandfather's prized rings that happens to be roughly 3 sizes too big for me and could also use a good cleaning. I figured those two factors were plenty of reason for a guy to go to a jewelry store.
We attempted to eat lunch at the food court and were relatively successful. This was much easier when he was a few months younger and wasn't feeding himself. By the time we were done, there was roughly as much soft taco on his stroller seat as there was in his belly. I may actually have to put a bib in my bag.
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Tomorrow is Gram's birthday, and once again I set the alarm so we would be able to get some shopping done before going over to see my parents later in the day. Again he woke up right around 10. We still managed a quick trip to Best Buy and Sublime Cupcakes before lunch.
We had our first band practice of 2012, so we headed to school as soon as we were able. Knowing that it would no longer hold him, I didn't bother to take his "cage" with me this time. He is certainly more interested in me playing the drums now, and he even came over and hit my snare drum with his own sticks a few times during practice. At one point he decided he needed the real thing, so he took away one of my sticks and I finished the song with just one. He hung nearby for most of our short rehearsal, and hardly put anything disgusting in his mouth.
I had dinner plans near school and my parents' house later that day, so it didn't make sense for me to drive all the way home only to come back shortly after. Thankfully, Gram and Pop Pop didn't mind spending the afternoon with us (him). I put him down for his nap shortly after we arrived, but I had to do it without his white noise machine. Luckily there's an app for that!
I must have made just a little too much noise as I attempted to retrieve my phone 20 minutes later because he woke up right as I opened the door. Even though he got over 13 hours of sleep the night before, this was still a little worrisome- especially since I would be leaving shortly. He seemed fine as soon as he got his afternoon bottle and snack, so I gave it a shot. According to my parents, he was normal and enjoyed his Chick-Fil-A dinner and cupcake frosting. Whew!
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The snow had started melting and the sun was out, so I decided it was time to get out again for another run. We all but skipped last week due to several factors, but I have no excuse when it's this nice outside. He spent most of it leaning his head up against the side of the stroller. I had to keep checking to make sure he was still awake because he was so still. Something weird happened with my GPS app because my first five minute interval added up to over a mile. Sometimes I'm fast, but I'm nowhere near that fast!
I also started the last class I ever have to take today. It's a weird feeling, but I know it won't actually be the last. Looking at the amount of work I will have to do each of the seven weeks of this one, I'm glad that I am only taking one. I managed to squeeze two classes into January, and that is going to make my life much easier over the next two months. Then I'll enjoy a little more "time off" before my life changes again... all over again.
He had his 18-month (it didn't really take that long; that would be tortuous) checkup today. Turns out he's doing pretty well. He's getting smaller against averages in just about everything but his head. The doctor says that's because he has such a big brain. I think he just wants to ruin more shirt necks, Costanza-style.
The main thing I wanted to accomplish today was getting some jewelry cleaned. To my knowledge, my wedding ring has never been cleaned or polished in the ten and a half years (except while sleeping, in water, and at amusement parks) that I have been wearing it. In addition, my parents recently gave me one of my grandfather's prized rings that happens to be roughly 3 sizes too big for me and could also use a good cleaning. I figured those two factors were plenty of reason for a guy to go to a jewelry store.
We attempted to eat lunch at the food court and were relatively successful. This was much easier when he was a few months younger and wasn't feeding himself. By the time we were done, there was roughly as much soft taco on his stroller seat as there was in his belly. I may actually have to put a bib in my bag.
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Tomorrow is Gram's birthday, and once again I set the alarm so we would be able to get some shopping done before going over to see my parents later in the day. Again he woke up right around 10. We still managed a quick trip to Best Buy and Sublime Cupcakes before lunch.
We had our first band practice of 2012, so we headed to school as soon as we were able. Knowing that it would no longer hold him, I didn't bother to take his "cage" with me this time. He is certainly more interested in me playing the drums now, and he even came over and hit my snare drum with his own sticks a few times during practice. At one point he decided he needed the real thing, so he took away one of my sticks and I finished the song with just one. He hung nearby for most of our short rehearsal, and hardly put anything disgusting in his mouth.
I had dinner plans near school and my parents' house later that day, so it didn't make sense for me to drive all the way home only to come back shortly after. Thankfully, Gram and Pop Pop didn't mind spending the afternoon with us (him). I put him down for his nap shortly after we arrived, but I had to do it without his white noise machine. Luckily there's an app for that!
I must have made just a little too much noise as I attempted to retrieve my phone 20 minutes later because he woke up right as I opened the door. Even though he got over 13 hours of sleep the night before, this was still a little worrisome- especially since I would be leaving shortly. He seemed fine as soon as he got his afternoon bottle and snack, so I gave it a shot. According to my parents, he was normal and enjoyed his Chick-Fil-A dinner and cupcake frosting. Whew!
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The snow had started melting and the sun was out, so I decided it was time to get out again for another run. We all but skipped last week due to several factors, but I have no excuse when it's this nice outside. He spent most of it leaning his head up against the side of the stroller. I had to keep checking to make sure he was still awake because he was so still. Something weird happened with my GPS app because my first five minute interval added up to over a mile. Sometimes I'm fast, but I'm nowhere near that fast!
I also started the last class I ever have to take today. It's a weird feeling, but I know it won't actually be the last. Looking at the amount of work I will have to do each of the seven weeks of this one, I'm glad that I am only taking one. I managed to squeeze two classes into January, and that is going to make my life much easier over the next two months. Then I'll enjoy a little more "time off" before my life changes again... all over again.
He had his 18-month (it didn't really take that long; that would be tortuous) checkup today. Turns out he's doing pretty well. He's getting smaller against averages in just about everything but his head. The doctor says that's because he has such a big brain. I think he just wants to ruin more shirt necks, Costanza-style.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Days 23 and 24
Music class was relatively the same this week. My son has more interest in walking around than being part of the class, but he's not the only one. His "girlfriend" follows him around, and they seem quite content doing their own thing. He has begun consistently clapping at the end of each song or activity, and I think that is awesome. But there is no screaming, no crying, and no tantrums, so no complaints from Daddy.
After class we went to the Berkshire Mall. Our friends from the shoe store remembered my son as he walked by their store. He got some comments on his sweet Adidas Samba Classics at the GAP. He cheated on his girlfriend with an older woman at the famous "texting" fountain. He ate pizza from Famous #1 Ray's Original Pizzeria Plus (or whatever it's called). He made an old lady or two's day. He even found a fan in a twentysomething hair product kiosk worker. It's one thing if the guy was selling something he actually expected me to buy; this guy was definitely interested and said "he could watch him all day". Sure it's somewhat creepy, but I knew what he meant. The kid is cute.
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This morning I had my first taste of middle-of-the-night duty. He'd been sleeping through the night since my wife went back to work, and I've been thankful for that. At 3 o'clock this morning that all came to a screeching, er- screaming halt. It took roughly two hours to finally get him back to sleep, and then he woke up again for good "early" at 9. I used a combination or laying on the floor next to his crib, standing and rocking, sitting and rocking, and reasoning ("just go to sleep, already. you're exhausted! why can't you see that?"). I think it was the reasoning that did it.
Getting up early ended up being a good thing because it gave me to time to get in a run before lunch. There was a strange sunshower soon after we got home [followed by far too many rainbow pictures on Facebook - don't you people have jobs?!? ;-)], but my son was too busy enjoying most of a Wendy's hamburger and some grapes to notice.
For today's shower distraction, I tried a suggestion from my wife. Usually I put him in his crib and let him watch Yo Gabba Gabba!, but yesterday she noticed that he pointed and laughed at the puppies in the new Spooky Buddies commercial. We own the first four Buddies movies, so she thought he might be ready to watch and "appreciate" them. I figured he wouldn't truly understand the nuances of the franchise unless we started at the beginning, so I put in Air Buddies. He immediately identified, pointed and laughed at the puppies and didn't make any other sounds while I got undisgusting.
I had band practice in the afternoon, but Gram was relatively thrilled at the chance to watch him while we rehearsed. After I dropped him off at her house, I drove to school and was able to focus for the entire practice- that is, when I wasn't thinking about how weird it was to not have to keep an eye on him the entire time! Our big "gig" is in two days, so it was nice to be able to get so much work done.
Tomorrow is Friday, and we have no plans. We'll see what happens.
After class we went to the Berkshire Mall. Our friends from the shoe store remembered my son as he walked by their store. He got some comments on his sweet Adidas Samba Classics at the GAP. He cheated on his girlfriend with an older woman at the famous "texting" fountain. He ate pizza from Famous #1 Ray's Original Pizzeria Plus (or whatever it's called). He made an old lady or two's day. He even found a fan in a twentysomething hair product kiosk worker. It's one thing if the guy was selling something he actually expected me to buy; this guy was definitely interested and said "he could watch him all day". Sure it's somewhat creepy, but I knew what he meant. The kid is cute.
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This morning I had my first taste of middle-of-the-night duty. He'd been sleeping through the night since my wife went back to work, and I've been thankful for that. At 3 o'clock this morning that all came to a screeching, er- screaming halt. It took roughly two hours to finally get him back to sleep, and then he woke up again for good "early" at 9. I used a combination or laying on the floor next to his crib, standing and rocking, sitting and rocking, and reasoning ("just go to sleep, already. you're exhausted! why can't you see that?"). I think it was the reasoning that did it.
Getting up early ended up being a good thing because it gave me to time to get in a run before lunch. There was a strange sunshower soon after we got home [followed by far too many rainbow pictures on Facebook - don't you people have jobs?!? ;-)], but my son was too busy enjoying most of a Wendy's hamburger and some grapes to notice.
For today's shower distraction, I tried a suggestion from my wife. Usually I put him in his crib and let him watch Yo Gabba Gabba!, but yesterday she noticed that he pointed and laughed at the puppies in the new Spooky Buddies commercial. We own the first four Buddies movies, so she thought he might be ready to watch and "appreciate" them. I figured he wouldn't truly understand the nuances of the franchise unless we started at the beginning, so I put in Air Buddies. He immediately identified, pointed and laughed at the puppies and didn't make any other sounds while I got undisgusting.
I had band practice in the afternoon, but Gram was relatively thrilled at the chance to watch him while we rehearsed. After I dropped him off at her house, I drove to school and was able to focus for the entire practice- that is, when I wasn't thinking about how weird it was to not have to keep an eye on him the entire time! Our big "gig" is in two days, so it was nice to be able to get so much work done.
Tomorrow is Friday, and we have no plans. We'll see what happens.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Days 18 and 19
Two music classes in one week turned out to be no problem at all for my son. He enjoyed meeting all of his classmates in the regular class. This one is far more full than the one we attended on Monday. Within a few minutes of the class starting, my son found a female admirer. And her daughter. One couldn't keep her hands off of him; the other couldn't stop telling him how adorable he is. It will be interesting to see how this plays out throughout the semester (?).
We sang the same songs today that we did on Monday. My son hasn't memorized them yet. He'll get there. Right now his focus seems to be walking around the room since there's no doorknob for him to attack. He did manage to pick up a few of the instruments and clap at the appropriate time once or twice.
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Our favorite trail reopened today, at least enough of it for us to get our 5 miles in. The trail is still very wet and bumpy, but I'm just thankful that its closing was the biggest inconvenience I experienced due to the recent extreme weather. The bumps give my son a chance to sing a sustained note and listen to his voice vibrate, and that's just adorable.
We later had band practice at school, and I left him out of his "cage" for most of it. He just wandered around near the drums, even grabbing a stick and playing the ride cymbal at mostly appropriate times. At one point I just used my left hand and let him take care of the right: our first duet. I'll mark that down in the baby book later.
Today's extreme embarrassment of the day- One of my bandmates asked me about our experience at the Phillies game, and I was describing the day while taking one of the rack toms off of the kit (so my son could play with it). As I went to sit down and place the drum on the floor next to me, I quickly realized there was nothing on which to sit. I fell on my butt in slow motion, narrowly avoiding my son who had apparently pushed over the throne. I'm told he was laughing, and that makes it A-OK.
I had to work at the final Phillies (regular season) home game tonight, and it was completely ridiculous to drive all the way home and drop him off with my wife before driving right back the same direction. Therefore, I enlisted the help of my mom; we'll call her "Gram". Gram was eagerly waiting outside for us when we arrived, but my son was more interested in walking up the street. She caught up with him and happily dealt with his many changes of direction as I drove away. I'll see him tomorrow morning.
We sang the same songs today that we did on Monday. My son hasn't memorized them yet. He'll get there. Right now his focus seems to be walking around the room since there's no doorknob for him to attack. He did manage to pick up a few of the instruments and clap at the appropriate time once or twice.
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Our favorite trail reopened today, at least enough of it for us to get our 5 miles in. The trail is still very wet and bumpy, but I'm just thankful that its closing was the biggest inconvenience I experienced due to the recent extreme weather. The bumps give my son a chance to sing a sustained note and listen to his voice vibrate, and that's just adorable.
We later had band practice at school, and I left him out of his "cage" for most of it. He just wandered around near the drums, even grabbing a stick and playing the ride cymbal at mostly appropriate times. At one point I just used my left hand and let him take care of the right: our first duet. I'll mark that down in the baby book later.
Today's extreme embarrassment of the day- One of my bandmates asked me about our experience at the Phillies game, and I was describing the day while taking one of the rack toms off of the kit (so my son could play with it). As I went to sit down and place the drum on the floor next to me, I quickly realized there was nothing on which to sit. I fell on my butt in slow motion, narrowly avoiding my son who had apparently pushed over the throne. I'm told he was laughing, and that makes it A-OK.
I had to work at the final Phillies (regular season) home game tonight, and it was completely ridiculous to drive all the way home and drop him off with my wife before driving right back the same direction. Therefore, I enlisted the help of my mom; we'll call her "Gram". Gram was eagerly waiting outside for us when we arrived, but my son was more interested in walking up the street. She caught up with him and happily dealt with his many changes of direction as I drove away. I'll see him tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Day 12
Trail running with a 14 month old takes some preparation. Of course there's the preparing bottles for both of us, diapering, dressing, feeding, rediapering, harnessing, driving, unharnessing, removing, unfolding, and harnessing. Along the way my son tends to remove one or more socks, so there's also sometimes the added fun of locating and replacing said sock(s). Even with all of that done, I still have to stretch. That's what we did yesterday before our run at Gring's Mill. I was just beginning the stretching portion of my day when a helpful, albeit unwelcome, voice from the car parked next to me said, "You do know that trail is closed, right?" No, I did not know that, Mr. Voice. I told him that I knew that certain areas of the trail were closed, but I knew nothing about this one. He told me there was a sign proclaiming it so at the entrance, but I must have missed it. Regardless, we had come this far, so at the very least I was going to see this supposed "closed" trail for myself.
It's a short walk downhill from the parking lot to the entrance to the trail. It didn't take long to see why we were not going to be using this trail today (or any day soon, for that matter). The trail is usually next to the Tulpehocken Creek. On this day, it was under it. I'm not talking about a random puddle or two or a few overrun sections- the trail was the creek.
On our way out of the park (after unharnessing, folding, stowing, and reharnessing), I finally saw the sign proclaiming the trail out of order- all 8 and 1/2 by 11 inches of it. Thanks, Parks Department. We returned home and proceeded to run around our neighborhood. Dryly.
After lunch and a shower, we had an uneventful band practice at school. We surprised one of my son's fans who teaches in the building, possibly making her day, and continued on our way. It was time for a very late nap, but along the way we stopped in THE BIG CITY to pick up medicine for one of our dogs. I figured his nap would last long enough for me to study a little bit and then take him home before working the field hockey game that evening. He did not agree. Soon after pulling into the Chick-Fil-A parking lot, he awoke. I ordered a sandwich for me and a piece of chicken for him, and we left for the nearby high school.
He got a chance to run around on our artificial track and field for a while before the girls began hitting balls all over the place. He also made a few friends along the way. As much as he loves looking at girls, it was great seeing the look on his face as he discovered that this event consisted of nothing but girls. He walked up to many of them, pointed at them, and moved on to others. Good boy. I cut up his chicken and fed it to him while he wandered around. He met all of the people with which I work at the games, and work began. Though I held him for the duration, there were plenty of volunteers to take over for me.
Soon Mommy arrived to take him home. The game got a whole lot less exciting after he left but thankfully did not go into overtime. This was even more important because we still had to take his monthly picture before he went to bed. I got home just in time, and the day had come to a close.
It's a short walk downhill from the parking lot to the entrance to the trail. It didn't take long to see why we were not going to be using this trail today (or any day soon, for that matter). The trail is usually next to the Tulpehocken Creek. On this day, it was under it. I'm not talking about a random puddle or two or a few overrun sections- the trail was the creek.
On our way out of the park (after unharnessing, folding, stowing, and reharnessing), I finally saw the sign proclaiming the trail out of order- all 8 and 1/2 by 11 inches of it. Thanks, Parks Department. We returned home and proceeded to run around our neighborhood. Dryly.
After lunch and a shower, we had an uneventful band practice at school. We surprised one of my son's fans who teaches in the building, possibly making her day, and continued on our way. It was time for a very late nap, but along the way we stopped in THE BIG CITY to pick up medicine for one of our dogs. I figured his nap would last long enough for me to study a little bit and then take him home before working the field hockey game that evening. He did not agree. Soon after pulling into the Chick-Fil-A parking lot, he awoke. I ordered a sandwich for me and a piece of chicken for him, and we left for the nearby high school.
He got a chance to run around on our artificial track and field for a while before the girls began hitting balls all over the place. He also made a few friends along the way. As much as he loves looking at girls, it was great seeing the look on his face as he discovered that this event consisted of nothing but girls. He walked up to many of them, pointed at them, and moved on to others. Good boy. I cut up his chicken and fed it to him while he wandered around. He met all of the people with which I work at the games, and work began. Though I held him for the duration, there were plenty of volunteers to take over for me.
Soon Mommy arrived to take him home. The game got a whole lot less exciting after he left but thankfully did not go into overtime. This was even more important because we still had to take his monthly picture before he went to bed. I got home just in time, and the day had come to a close.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Day 8
As expected, there was no run today. Today's weather was really annoying; most of the day it was just a steady mist, and it was just enough to not allow us to go outside. We did all of our normal routine, watch episode 2 of The Hour, and waited around to go to band practice. Then we found out that band practice was cancelled. This was not one of the more exciting days, but it did give us lots of time to hang out together.
My son has recently discovered a small ledge in front of our fireplace. He likes to climb on it and pull himself all the way up to his feet using the door handles. Each time, I pull him down, tell him "no", and put him down in front of something with which he is allowed to play. This is not working. Inevitably, he slipped on the way up, and though he did not get hurt (it's roughly 6 inches off the floor), the shock caused him to fake-cry a little. Tomorrow I'll be looking for options to keep him away from the fireplace altogether. We don't use it all that much, but if we ever do, I don't want him to think it's a cool place to hang out. Because it's not. Because of the fire.
Soon after his faux-fall, I out him down for his afternoon nap and decided to make up for my lack of exercise this week with a little P90X. I put in the Cardio X disc, having only used that particular disc once or twice in the past. I must have forgotten that it's the shortest workout of the program, and roughly half of it is stretching and yoga. Regardless, I did the whole routine, cooled down, and managed a shower before my wife got home.
She was only home for a short time before she had to leave again for Back To School Night. I had just started watching the Modern Marvels episode about Disney World (and Land), and I know how much we both enjoyed our last trip there (about a third of the way through her pregnancy), so I paused it and did the dishes before she got home. While we watched the show, I thought about how amazing it will be to take our son there for the first time. My wife has vowed to never again go to Disney World in any month other than January (it was close to empty the last time we went), and coincidentally the Disney Marathon is in January. If I'm still anywhere near marathon shape by the time he is old enough to appreciate the trip, I think that would be an ideal time to go.
She left for school after dinner, and my son and I got ready to watch the Phillies. He was so excited that he pooped his pants. He's a very excitable boy, it seems. We played a little Gently Toss the Baby on the Couch, and he showed me his new affinity for pressing his face up against a mesh storage tray (of which I promptly sent a picture to my wife) while we waited. Despite a small blowup as he watched her leave, he handled things really well. She was home soon enough and ready for some baby time before bed.
My son has recently discovered a small ledge in front of our fireplace. He likes to climb on it and pull himself all the way up to his feet using the door handles. Each time, I pull him down, tell him "no", and put him down in front of something with which he is allowed to play. This is not working. Inevitably, he slipped on the way up, and though he did not get hurt (it's roughly 6 inches off the floor), the shock caused him to fake-cry a little. Tomorrow I'll be looking for options to keep him away from the fireplace altogether. We don't use it all that much, but if we ever do, I don't want him to think it's a cool place to hang out. Because it's not. Because of the fire.
Soon after his faux-fall, I out him down for his afternoon nap and decided to make up for my lack of exercise this week with a little P90X. I put in the Cardio X disc, having only used that particular disc once or twice in the past. I must have forgotten that it's the shortest workout of the program, and roughly half of it is stretching and yoga. Regardless, I did the whole routine, cooled down, and managed a shower before my wife got home.
She was only home for a short time before she had to leave again for Back To School Night. I had just started watching the Modern Marvels episode about Disney World (and Land), and I know how much we both enjoyed our last trip there (about a third of the way through her pregnancy), so I paused it and did the dishes before she got home. While we watched the show, I thought about how amazing it will be to take our son there for the first time. My wife has vowed to never again go to Disney World in any month other than January (it was close to empty the last time we went), and coincidentally the Disney Marathon is in January. If I'm still anywhere near marathon shape by the time he is old enough to appreciate the trip, I think that would be an ideal time to go.
She left for school after dinner, and my son and I got ready to watch the Phillies. He was so excited that he pooped his pants. He's a very excitable boy, it seems. We played a little Gently Toss the Baby on the Couch, and he showed me his new affinity for pressing his face up against a mesh storage tray (of which I promptly sent a picture to my wife) while we waited. Despite a small blowup as he watched her leave, he handled things really well. She was home soon enough and ready for some baby time before bed.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Day 5
I skipped today's run in favor of an outing to the Berkshire Mall. If you aren't from the area, you may still recognize the name, as it received a bit of notoriety last year when some moron with a criminal record tried to sue the mall administration after a video circulated showing her walking into a fountain. Yup.
I worked at this mall for several years during high school and college. In fact, it's where I met my wife. This was the first trip my son and I took to the mall together, so naturally I had to take him to the place where his Mommy and I got to know each other. Before that, it was essential that we stop at the pet store, pet a few puppies, and stare at a lizard or two. Having accomplished all that, we continued on to what is now F.Y.E. Immediately upon entering the store, I recognized its smell as if I never left. Hours of my life were spent on the cheap faux-wood floor and rarely cleaned carpet of what was then known as Record Town Saturday Matinee. The only things that have changed about that store are the name, employees, and inventory. Tapes and laser discs have been replaced by Jeff Dunham plush toys, some sort of headgear called a "laplander", and action figures from movies I've never seen. It didn't make me miss working in retail one bit. The four minutes or so that we wandered around in FYE were plenty, so we moved on to the next store.
I have recently been surprised by how many people want to talk to me- well, me and the baby. This was never more true than when I walked into The Shoe Dept. A college-aged clerk greeted us as we entered the store, which was not unusual. However, he engaged me about my son's Phillies attire, and we continued to talk as I inched away from him. We shared little but a common interest in baseball, but his similarly-aged coworker came over and asked a few questions about my son. They were watched and smiled as he walked/ ran around their store. I couldn't believe that two guys their age would have any interest in a baby, but we spent at least 10 minutes talking and playing in their store. We didn't buy anything, but we did learn something about how awesome my son is.
The next stop was lunch at Taco Casa, an on-again-off-again local franchise. While I knew that we were going to have lunch at the mall and remembered to bring water and snacks, I neglected to bring other essentials such as a bib or washcloth. I gambled (and won) by not using a bib at all. I was especially pleased with the result because I used a standard-issue plastic spoon to feed him, and he has never eaten from of anything other than a soft plastic baby spoon. I was also able to use his unused water and some napkins to clean the soft taco remnants off his face and hands. This was easily the quickest and easiest meal he's ever had.
We visited a few stores after lunch, but I had band practice in the afternoon, and he needed a nap. He slept for about 35 minutes on the way over to the school, and was in a really good mood as I got set up. He danced for most of our short practice, occasionally stopping to pull off a sock or throw a toy out of his play area. He seemed genuinely excited that I remembered to bring along his little drumsticks.
Unpleasant situations become much more bearable for him when he can hold something. When he let it be known that he didn't enjoy "swimming" lessons, we brought along a bath toy for him to hold. The only time this trick hasn't worked is when he had to have a routine blood test a few weeks ago. Nothing could have saved that day.
After band practice we stopped at PopPop's house for a quick session of taking magnets off the refrigerator, shaking music boxes, and staring at the ceiling fan. My son also carried on an adorable conversation with my dad, actually responding at the proper times and pausing for replies. Words are coming soon, I'm sure. Mommy was already home and waiting for us when we pulled up to the house. And with that, we were already more than halfway through our first week alone.
I worked at this mall for several years during high school and college. In fact, it's where I met my wife. This was the first trip my son and I took to the mall together, so naturally I had to take him to the place where his Mommy and I got to know each other. Before that, it was essential that we stop at the pet store, pet a few puppies, and stare at a lizard or two. Having accomplished all that, we continued on to what is now F.Y.E. Immediately upon entering the store, I recognized its smell as if I never left. Hours of my life were spent on the cheap faux-wood floor and rarely cleaned carpet of what was then known as Record Town Saturday Matinee. The only things that have changed about that store are the name, employees, and inventory. Tapes and laser discs have been replaced by Jeff Dunham plush toys, some sort of headgear called a "laplander", and action figures from movies I've never seen. It didn't make me miss working in retail one bit. The four minutes or so that we wandered around in FYE were plenty, so we moved on to the next store.
I have recently been surprised by how many people want to talk to me- well, me and the baby. This was never more true than when I walked into The Shoe Dept. A college-aged clerk greeted us as we entered the store, which was not unusual. However, he engaged me about my son's Phillies attire, and we continued to talk as I inched away from him. We shared little but a common interest in baseball, but his similarly-aged coworker came over and asked a few questions about my son. They were watched and smiled as he walked/ ran around their store. I couldn't believe that two guys their age would have any interest in a baby, but we spent at least 10 minutes talking and playing in their store. We didn't buy anything, but we did learn something about how awesome my son is.
The next stop was lunch at Taco Casa, an on-again-off-again local franchise. While I knew that we were going to have lunch at the mall and remembered to bring water and snacks, I neglected to bring other essentials such as a bib or washcloth. I gambled (and won) by not using a bib at all. I was especially pleased with the result because I used a standard-issue plastic spoon to feed him, and he has never eaten from of anything other than a soft plastic baby spoon. I was also able to use his unused water and some napkins to clean the soft taco remnants off his face and hands. This was easily the quickest and easiest meal he's ever had.
We visited a few stores after lunch, but I had band practice in the afternoon, and he needed a nap. He slept for about 35 minutes on the way over to the school, and was in a really good mood as I got set up. He danced for most of our short practice, occasionally stopping to pull off a sock or throw a toy out of his play area. He seemed genuinely excited that I remembered to bring along his little drumsticks.
Unpleasant situations become much more bearable for him when he can hold something. When he let it be known that he didn't enjoy "swimming" lessons, we brought along a bath toy for him to hold. The only time this trick hasn't worked is when he had to have a routine blood test a few weeks ago. Nothing could have saved that day.
After band practice we stopped at PopPop's house for a quick session of taking magnets off the refrigerator, shaking music boxes, and staring at the ceiling fan. My son also carried on an adorable conversation with my dad, actually responding at the proper times and pausing for replies. Words are coming soon, I'm sure. Mommy was already home and waiting for us when we pulled up to the house. And with that, we were already more than halfway through our first week alone.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Day 2
My son woke up around 9:15, so I quickly went downstairs to brush my teeth, fill his bottle, and otherwise get ready for the day (our upstairs bathroom has been under construction for roughly a month- that's another story for another blog). By the time I got back upstairs, he was asleep again. I took this opportunity to take a shower and get dressed. He was up soon after that. For the second day in a row, I got him dressed before lunch.
It was raining heavily as my wife left for work in the morning, but it stopped soon after. A combination of the uncertainty of the weather, the late wakeup, and my recent foot pain caused me to forgo my 5-mile training run. Instead I chose to watch episode 28 of Deadwood and thought a little about running while my son had his breakfast. I'm trying to watch shows with questionable content before he starts talking. If you've ever seen a few minutes of Deadwood, you know why.
By the time he finished his cereal bar, it was more or less time for lunch. We played for a little bit (to work off the calories, of course), and I prepared a bag of distractions for the day's adventure: band practice.
A few years ago, some of my coworkers and I started a band at school. We played at the school talent show and on the last day of school for a couple years, but our goal was always to put on our own concert. Last spring, we did. We got a lot of kids to perform with us (that's a 7th grader playing drums in the video), charged admission, and used the proceeds to buy our auditorium some much-needed stage lights. The night was a success, and we have since been asked to play at a couple of other events. One of these events is taking place later this year at a local bar. Our principals take part in an U.G.L.Y. Bartender event each year, and this year we will be providing the entertainment. Because the band usually practices after school and my wife is still working when practice begins, my son will occasionally be accompanying me.
I knew I couldn't just let my son run free in our rehearsal space (the school's band room), so I packed up a small play pen to keep him contained. In the interest of full disclosure, this device was originally purchased for the purpose of allowing a former rabbit of ours to frolic in our yard. It's also very clean and the perfect size for a toddler, so get over it. While it worked great to this end, he was also able to push it towards the very dangerous hi hat, so I had to use a combination of several other percussion instruments to hold him back. While he didn't like this at all, it saved his fingers from getting caught in between the cymbals.
I felt bad for forgetting his little drumsticks, so I gave him a drum to smack around while we played. As soon as I put it down, he started banging on it. He also "sang" a little bit when our singer began. Occasionally when the actual musicians (remember- I'm a drummer) had to stop and learn a chord progression, I would give him my sticks. He does this cute hybrid march/ walk thing when he gets a pair of drumsticks in his hands. We managed to get about 50 minutes of decent rehearsal time in before he decided it was time to go. Considering it was a little past his normal nap time, I was thrilled with his tolerance. I packed up all of his (and my) toys, and we were off. I turned the stereo in the car down and planned a route home that would give him plenty of time to take a nap.
The route took us over one of our local "mountains" (home of our Pagoda), through the rolling hills of Lower Heidelberg (home of another famous, yet far less interesting, local), and finally back home to the anticipating arms of Mommy. The daddy-only portion of Day 2 was complete, and we had a long weekend consisting of an R-Phils game, a trip to Hersheypark, a visit from Gram, and an impending hurricane to look forward to. See you on Monday...?
It was raining heavily as my wife left for work in the morning, but it stopped soon after. A combination of the uncertainty of the weather, the late wakeup, and my recent foot pain caused me to forgo my 5-mile training run. Instead I chose to watch episode 28 of Deadwood and thought a little about running while my son had his breakfast. I'm trying to watch shows with questionable content before he starts talking. If you've ever seen a few minutes of Deadwood, you know why.
By the time he finished his cereal bar, it was more or less time for lunch. We played for a little bit (to work off the calories, of course), and I prepared a bag of distractions for the day's adventure: band practice.
A few years ago, some of my coworkers and I started a band at school. We played at the school talent show and on the last day of school for a couple years, but our goal was always to put on our own concert. Last spring, we did. We got a lot of kids to perform with us (that's a 7th grader playing drums in the video), charged admission, and used the proceeds to buy our auditorium some much-needed stage lights. The night was a success, and we have since been asked to play at a couple of other events. One of these events is taking place later this year at a local bar. Our principals take part in an U.G.L.Y. Bartender event each year, and this year we will be providing the entertainment. Because the band usually practices after school and my wife is still working when practice begins, my son will occasionally be accompanying me.
I knew I couldn't just let my son run free in our rehearsal space (the school's band room), so I packed up a small play pen to keep him contained. In the interest of full disclosure, this device was originally purchased for the purpose of allowing a former rabbit of ours to frolic in our yard. It's also very clean and the perfect size for a toddler, so get over it. While it worked great to this end, he was also able to push it towards the very dangerous hi hat, so I had to use a combination of several other percussion instruments to hold him back. While he didn't like this at all, it saved his fingers from getting caught in between the cymbals.
I felt bad for forgetting his little drumsticks, so I gave him a drum to smack around while we played. As soon as I put it down, he started banging on it. He also "sang" a little bit when our singer began. Occasionally when the actual musicians (remember- I'm a drummer) had to stop and learn a chord progression, I would give him my sticks. He does this cute hybrid march/ walk thing when he gets a pair of drumsticks in his hands. We managed to get about 50 minutes of decent rehearsal time in before he decided it was time to go. Considering it was a little past his normal nap time, I was thrilled with his tolerance. I packed up all of his (and my) toys, and we were off. I turned the stereo in the car down and planned a route home that would give him plenty of time to take a nap.
The route took us over one of our local "mountains" (home of our Pagoda), through the rolling hills of Lower Heidelberg (home of another famous, yet far less interesting, local), and finally back home to the anticipating arms of Mommy. The daddy-only portion of Day 2 was complete, and we had a long weekend consisting of an R-Phils game, a trip to Hersheypark, a visit from Gram, and an impending hurricane to look forward to. See you on Monday...?
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