Days 147, 148, 149, and 150

Today started great: I remembered all of my supplies for the grocery store! We didn't need a lot there, but I was fully prepared. This is my first personal "little victory" in quite some time. Way to go, me!

We overslept for baby storytime yet again, so after the grocery store we stopped at the mall for lunch and a little shopping. I saw Gymboree was having (surprise, surprise) a sale, I figured I'd stop in and get some stuff that Mommy would approve of (forgetting that Mommy had just placed an online order with them the day prior!). Thankfully, I only purchased two items that were the same, and one of them was for our upcoming delivery. Bullet dodged!

When we got to Gymboree, my son walked right to the back of the store and set up shop in their small play/ TV area. He grabbed all of his stuff out of the stroller, spread it all around him, and sat down in one of the chairs. When I went back later after lunch (thinking that I had dropped a pack of wipes that turned out to be at home), I left him in the stroller while I searched the area. When I looked back at the stroller, I saw that my son had stood up and stolen my lemonade right out of the cupholder. I guess he figured I had had enough.

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Mommy had the day off yesterday so we could go to the doctor and check on The New Boy (TNB). Since we were both home at the same time for more than an hour, I finally got around to painting the ceiling in TNB's room. Give me a break- I worked hard to get that room empty.

There was a small turnout at music class today. My son and another boy spent a portion of class chasing each other around the classroom, and at one point they ended up in an adjacent stairway. I always close the door when we get there because my son isn't able to open doors just yet. This boy is. Before I knew it, they had gotten through and the other boy door slammed the door behind them. I got to my son rather quickly, but the other boy was up two flights of stairs by the time his mommy got there. For a moment I pondered my responsibility in this situation: should I chase/ grab the boy? Would I want a stranger putting his or her hands on my own son in a situation like this? Would I ever even be in a situation like this? No, because I know where he is at all times. You're on your own, lady.

Now that the painting has begun, I finally got some "me time" during my son's daily nap. It's been a long, long while, and it feels good. I knocked out last 5 or so episodes of Justified: The Complete Third Season over a couple of days as well as some other stuff I had been working on. I know time like this will be few and far between in about four weeks, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

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Our local minor league baseball team, the Reading Phillies, had an 11:35 game scheduled today, so I called up my dad (being at "the ballyard" is one of Pop Pop's favorite things) and we met him there. We found some empty seats along the right field line and he sat quite comfortably for a couple innings watching the game and enjoying his snack before losing interest and exploring the rest of the area. He really likes the "strongman" mallet game (that Mommy despises).

Pop Pop has made many friends in and around the stadium over the years, so he was able to finagle us some seats right by the screen behind home plate. This gave us a great (and safe) view of the game. One of the aforementioned friends even tossed my son his first* foul ball! My son and I split a couple slices of pizza and got through about 6 innings before he decided it was time for a nap. The team has a couple more early games between now and TNB's opening day, so hopefully we'll get to do this again.

(*While he was still in the womb, I got a foul ball hit by Chase Utley at a Spring Training game in Dunedin, Florida.)

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On days like today (cold and overcast), we have to find ways to keep ourselves active. Recently, my son has taken a liking to having dance parties with the "Top Lists" area of Spotify. Together, we've discovered some pretty darn awful pop music. OK, it's not all bad. I suppose I am the one hitting "play", after all! Some of his favorites are "We Are Young" by fun., "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen, and "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. Good stuff. Much like Daddy, he doesn't get the Gotye hype and continues to mow the carpet, stairs, and window when "Somebody That I Used To Know" comes on. It's a good way to have some fun (and get him all tired out before nap time), and it's not at all embarrassing when neighbors walk by and see me jumping around like a fool.

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.

Days 75, 76, and 77

We were supposed to go to a new music and storytime class this morning to replace the one that ended last week, but my son didn't get up until around 9:30, and the class started at 10. Oh well.

I had to go to school today to take care of some paperwork, but what I had hoped would be about a 45 second drop-in turned into a roughly 45 minute stay. I'm not complaining; it gave several of a my coworkers a chance to meet (and fawn over) the 17-month old version of my son (who evidently is adorable). Ever since I worked retailed, I've always disliked when people who aren't working show up at work. Jeez, we'll see you tomorrow, guy! I've tried to stay away from doing it because I don't want it to seem like I'm there to show off my son; that's just what it happened to turn in to.

I called my dad after we left school to see if we could meet for lunch. Even though he had already eaten, he still invited us over so we could eat our lunch. We had a nice quiet visit before light started peaking through the naptime window. It was important that we didn't stay too long because I really didn't want him to fall asleep on the way home (and he didn't).

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One of us didn't wake up until 10 today. I won't say who. I will say that sleeping so late is putting a real damper on a very important project on which I'm supposed to be working.

My son loves hats. Not wearing them, mind you, but rather taking them off of my head and putting them back on just slightly and crooked. Today he took my hat and put it on top of Ellie's head and applauded himself. Apparently not completely pleased with his work, he adjusted it and clapped again. She just let it all happen. Good dog.

I thought of one more thing to get my wife for Christmas, plus we needed some pet supplies, so we went out for a little bit of shopping. As a result of the late wakeup call, I didn't get a chance to shower beforehand. I just threw on my clothes from the day before and went out anyway. I think that officially indoctrinates me into the world of stay-at-home-(whatever).

I needed to get Christmas presents for the dogs, so we returned to Petco (where my son had expertly rearranged the dog treats just a few days before) and I grabbed the first two bags that he had chosen on our previous trip. I think he was a little hurt that I didn't let him carry them, but we didn't have a lot of time to waste. In fact, because I was in such a hurry, I completely forgot to pick up food and treats for the chinchillas. So as soon as we checked and walked out, we walked right back in and went through the line again. Slow down, Daddy!

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It was another late morning today, but this one was totally not my fault. Our only plans for the day were maybe going to school again for our annual student/ faculty basketball game, so I was really in no hurry. Like I said before, I don't really like to go to work if I don't need to be there (I had volunteered to help with the game if it was necessary), so it wasn't a top priority.

After a quick lunch on the road, we did manage to get to school in time for the game. He was far more into it than I could have expected. I held him for the first few minutes, but he let me know when it was time to get down. Then we stood in a corner of the gym until he decided to sit on my shoes for a while. When I got tired of standing, he sat on my lap. When he got tired of sitting, he got up and stood relatively still right in front of me- intently watching all the while. He never does these things at music class or storytime- not enough action for him, perhaps. If nothing else, we do live in the right school district for sports...

We left school around 2 so he could get home for a very late nap. He kept himself busy (and awake) with his arm in his snack container and went down very easily when we got home. I even got to take a nap before Gram came over to watch him while I went back to school to announce a high school basketball game and Mommy enjoyed her school's Christmas party. Mommy has one more day of work this week before we get to enjoy our second Christmas with our little man!

Days 69 and 70

Today we got a chance to go for a walk. When I say "we", I mean my son, both dogs, and I went for a walk. I'm not sure that this particular crew has ever done that before. I think all of us walked around the block with my wife one time, but never just the four of us. If this doesn't seem like much of a challenge to you, you've clearly never gone on a walk with my dogs.

It's very difficult for them to decide which side of the sidewalk they want to be on. It's also a constant competition to see who can be the lead dog. Of course there's also the pooping, the stopping for no reason, the squirrel/ rabbit/ dog/ bird chasing, and myriad other difficulties that may occur. Couple that with the added responsibility of keeping tabs on my son, and you've got a recipe for an eventful walk.

After getting everyone in his or her stroller and/ or collar, we were off. The first half-mile of a walk with my dogs is always the worst. With the added obstacle of the stroller, it was more difficult than I had anticipated. Ellie, the skittish shelter dog, cringes at every unfamiliar sound or touch- the stroller isn't so quiet when it hits bumps, and she doesn't quite get the idea that it is travelling at the same speed as she. Davi, the elder wannabe alpha dog, can still hear the sound of the stroller but can't see it. He got "ankled" too many times to count.

Eventually they get a little tired of pulling on their leashes and they act like they know what "heel" means. We did do some obedience training; you just wouldn't know it. They settled down just in time for me to decide whether to make this a long or short walk. I chose long, and they didn't let me down. They even helped me rescue a runaway dog whose walker had dropped its leash. My son was in heaven when its own showed up carrying his other dog. Four "dups"! In one place!!!

When we got home from our nearly 3 mile excursion, Mommy was resting on the couch. She was more than happy to warm up his rosy little cheeks.

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Today was our last storytime before Christmas. When we had our last storytime before Halloween, most of the moms dressed up their kids in their costumes, so I figured it might be a good time to put my son in the Santa suit I bought him for the race last weekend. No one else dressed up. That doesn't make it wrong.

We did some shopping before lunchtime (Daddy always needs more v-necks!), and I decided to keep him in his Santa outfit. For such a ridiculous purchase, it is certainly worth the adorableness of seeing a little Santa waddling around Old Navy.

A girl stopped and asked me about my shoes while we were shopping because her husband loves them. I gave her several shopping options, and we parted ways. It's almost shocking to be approached by strangers these days for anything other than talking about how awesome my son is.

Days 29a, 29b, and 30

We had a couple of weeks of from storytime at the library, so it was nice for my son to get back and see some old friends. Today's stories were about monsters. As luck would have it, the monsters were silly. Who would have expected that? This was the first time I didn't have to chase my son around the room during the stories. I think it had something to do with bringing his breakfast bar along and feeding him while we sat together. It's something to consider for the future.

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My wife took a personal day on Friday so we could all go see the Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! show. We were in the front row, and it was awesome watching our son see all his friends live and up close. He had "met" Muno and Brobee at a Lancaster Barnstormers game this past summer, but all they did is stand around for pictures. To see them dancing around and "singing" was much more exciting. I have to think it can't really be all that special for children to meet characters wearing costumes because generally they aren't allowed to speak. That's the main reason we didn't pay extra for the meet and great with the characters. He was especially thrilled to see DJ Lance Rock and Biz Markie in person (we were, too!).

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For those of you who have never experienced the day after a marathon- consider yourselves lucky! 18 weeks of training and sacrifice culminates with one of the most difficult physical activities a person can endure. Just when you think it's all over, you wake up the next morning.

I drove up to Scranton on Saturday to pick up my bib, bag, and other race materials and then stayed overnight a few miles out of town. The race was early on Sunday, and then I drove back home for my Dad's birthday dinner. It was quite a weekend: 4 hours of running sandwiched between 4 hours of driving! Monday morning was rough, but not the way I expected. Everybody says that the worst part of recovery from this race is the quad pain (because of miles upon miles of downhills). My quads feel fine; it's my calves that are so very, very sore. Thankfully my son didn't make me chase him too much today. He did, however, choose to throw one of his hard plastic toys at my legs several times this morning!

Mommy had inservice today, so she was able to come home in the middle of the day. I picked up some of our favorite pizza after the race yesterday, and we reheated some of it for lunch. It was the first time we got to have it in a while and certainly the first time my son ever had it. Based on how he chose it again and again over his favorite cheese puffs, it's safe to say that he's a fan.

After lunch I decided to go go to the bank and later the post office to ship a few more items that I sold on eBay. Then I realized it was Columbus Day. Whoops.

Since we were already out, we went to Boscov's to buy the new TV we had been shopping for recently. It was really difficult managing my son and the stroller with my weak legs, but I survived. It will be nice to be able to walk up and down steps again more than one foot at a time. Someday.

After buying the TV, it was naptime. I set up the TV while he fell asleep, and Mommy came home soon after that. The two of us got to enjoy a well-deserved nap before dinner. One of the most exciting things about marathon training is thinking about all the food I will get to eat again after it's all over. I'd been looking forward to this week since the beginning of the summer!

Days 21 and 22

After a busy week and weekend (including celebrating my parents' 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday), we took it easy on Monday. We did make a stop at the VF Outlet because they were having their big Majestic Tent Sale. I usually buy way more Phillies gear than I need (having already obtained way more Phillies gear than I need), but this time I only bought one item: a Phanatic puppet. I wouldn't even have bought that if my son hadn't picked it out himself. He already has a few Phanatics of varying size and material, but they aren't puppets. What's one more? (And surely more after that)

We also made a stop at the Toys Я Us outlet  where my son found one of his favorite toys from home: an electronic activity table. There were several of them on display, so he had a great time getting them all talking at once. He wasn't happy to leave the store, but we had to at least make an attempt to take a nap. He didn't.

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Today started with a 4 mile run. I only have 6 more training runs before running my second marathon on October 9th. It's been a neat experience sharing my training with my son. Someday I'll tell him all about it, and maybe he'll feign interest, but it will always mean a lot to me. Two years ago I didn't believe I could run 26.2 miles, and this year I couldn't have done it without him. Seriously, I couldn't. I'd probably be in serious trouble with Child Protective Services if I let him home alone for hours at a time. I'm kidding of course. I'd check in on him every lap or so. Still kidding.

We ate lunch at Ciabatta today, a local soup and sandwich shop. My son and I enjoyed the Pescara sandwich and then headed off to band practice. We left very early, as I was hoping he would take a nap on the way. He did. I gave him a full hour of sleep before I collected the required materials from the car and took him inside. Again he was in a great mood during rehearsal. I let him roam free for the second straight time, and all he wanted to do was pick up drumsticks and mallets. I had no problem with this. He once again helped me play a few songs. He can do that whenever he wants.

We ran into a few of my coworkers on the way into the building. They asked me if I miss them. While I do miss many of my coworkers, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. Except maybe early retirement with full pension and benefits. And a hot tub. Don't forget the hot tub.

Day 13

Everything about today was great, expect that the 11:30 Kindermusik class that we had this morning was actually at 10:30! I felt so terrible. It was the first major mistake I've made in this experience. He was happy enough running around in the classroom, and we get to make up our class on Monday, but it was still so disappointing. Because we were in West (the good part) Reading, and it has a nice "Main Street" of sorts, we parked and visited several of the shops. We saw some puppies at Spoil Em Rotten, checked out some tunes (including a few albums that I had a hand in producing) at Vertigo Music, and scoped out some sneakers at A Running Start. However, my son's clear favorite stop was at Earth Rhythms, where they have three of his favorite things: drums, shakers, and ceiling fans. If we hadn't needed to have lunch, he would have stayed there all day (and I likely would have had to buy several broken drums)! We will definitely be going back there again.

Since it was such a nice day, we found the nearest restaurant that gave us the option to eat outside: Taste of Crepes. I'm not sure that I had ever eaten a crepe before, but I know that my son hadn't. I also ordered a strawberry smoothie for us to share. Though he made a very sour face after his initial bites and sips, he kept on asking for more. As usual, he made friends with all of the surrounding diners. We both enjoyed our lunch and nearly two hours on "The Avenue". After an abbreviated nap yesterday, I thought it was important to get home and give him a much better one today. Soon after his nap was over, Mommy returned home.

Tomorrow is going to be awesome.

Day 10

We had an "appointment" between 9:30 and 10:30 for a free breakfast item at Chick-Fil-A, so (you guessed it) I had to wake up my son early in order to get there on time. We barely made it. After I downed my Spicy Chicken Biscuit and he his cereal bar, we headed into the play area. As far as I know, he had never experienced one of these germ havens before. Ignoring the signs directing us to remove our shoes before playing (I purposely put them on him right before we went in, thinking it would be safer for him), we entered the cramped wonderland. His first stop was the large window, on which he proceeded to pound. He quickly tired of this, and moved on to the nearby fake plastic tree. He had no interest in climbing into it; he instead chose to walk around it. Several times. Eventually I got him on, and later down, the short slide on one side of the tree. After putting on a short show for another family, my son decided it was time to go.

As I actually remembered to fully pack "my"diaper bag in the morning, we immediately got on the road. Today's destination- the Lehigh Valley Mall. We stopped in some of his favorite places: The Disney Store, The Apple Store, and Baby GAP, but the real excitement didn't come until we left the mall proper. More on that later. Lunch once again took some improvisation, as I did not pack any food (other than a few snacks), a bib, or washcloth. We ate at The Pita Pit, a new option in the mall. So new, in fact that they did not have some menu items (such as soup- listed as an option for combo meals) or a working ice machine. I ordered us a turkey pita and still felt hungry after finishing it, likely because I had to give most of the turkey to my son.

I noticed on our way in that there was a Guitar Center across the street from the mall. In case I haven't mentioned it before, I am a drummer. I can also fake my way through playing a few other instruments, and I have a small recording studio in my house, but mostly I'm just a drummer. I have done my best to expose my son to as many different instruments as possible in the short time we've known each other. Though it sounds silly, this, our first trip to Guitar Center, was a pretty significant moment in our relationship.

Realizing soon after entering the store that it was not stroller-friendly, I allowed my son to roam free in the store, taking care to not let him mess with anything he could damage (or I couldn't afford). He enjoyed listening to a man play bass along to Van Morrison's Wild Night, but his attention quickly turned to the drum room. Thank goodness. He discovered a couple of doumbeks located right on his level and gave them a good bit of tapping. He found some cymbals to splash. He picked up a tambourine and smacked it on the ground. He programmed some beats on an electronic drum pad (seriously- I don't know what he did, but it changed a bunch of settings). He performed open stroke rolls on numerous snare drums. It was beautiful. I took some video to show to Mommy (and to a lesser extent, Facebook), figuring he would soon tire. Then he discovered the maracas! Davy Jones ain't got nuthin' on my son!

Eventually, I gave the clerk a break and we checked out some of the other departments. My son also loves banging on piano keys; in fact, it was one of the first independent physical movements he ever did. Many of the electronic keyboards were within his reach, so he tested them out. And I turned down their volume controls. I really hope he actually enjoys playing the piano someday, as resisting piano lessons is one of the only regrets I have about my own childhood. I'm fairly certain I won't have to convince him to to take up the drums.

I'm pretty sure we spent more time in Guitar Center than we did in the mall. After a quick trip to Hobbytown USA (if that's not the name of the store, it should be) for a velcro dartboard (it was close to impossible to find one when I actually wanted one for his birthday party), we got back on the road, he took a well-deserved nap, and Mommy's weekend would soon begin.

Day 7

It's the day after Labor Day, so the school year has officially started. To celebrate, my son once again got up after 10.

Today was supposed to be a 5-mile day, but as anyone who lives in the Northeast knows, that wasn't happening. I only have a month of training left for the Steamtown Marathon, and things haven't gone all that smoothly this summer. It seemed to be a whole lot easier last year, but that's probably because it was my first marathon and I was just excited to see if I was physically capable of completing it. It's not that I'm slacking this year, but I've just found it harder to get motivated. I guess I'm more of a "play to see how well you can do" rather than "play to win" kind of guy. Sorry.

There don't seem to be many options for working out when one has to watch a small child. I have run in the rain before, but I wouldn't dare take my son out in this type of weather. I suppose I could buy some sort of cover for the front of my (not-to-be-used-as-a) jogging stroller, but I shudder to think about how much virtual weight would be added by the wind resistance. While I no longer belong to a gym, I've seen what the "Day Care" at such establishments looks like. I can't imagine subjecting my son to that, nor would I expect my wife to approve of it either. I guess I could wait until he takes a nap; it would give me a chance to test the range of our baby monitor. I'm kidding, of course.


We signed up for two exciting activities today: Kindermusik on Wednesdays, and "storytime" on Thursdays at our local public library. I thought it was important for us to have some structure and a reason to actually wake up at a certain time occasionally, especially after marathon training ends. It will be interesting to see how he handles both, as he is probably a little young for both. My son is also starting "swimming" class again this Saturday. He (seemingly) loves the water, and I was disappointed that we didn't get a chance to visit our local pool more this summer. Luckily, our local high school offers swimming opportunities throughout the school year. We did it last Spring, and he was probably the youngest in the class. He alternated good and bad weeks, and then we discovered the previously mentioned  trick of giving him something to hold. Needless to say, "turtle friend" will never be far away from my son when we're in the pool.

Naptime was very late today- around 3:30. He was kind enough to wait to fall asleep until after we got home from buying season 7 of The Office at Best Buy. It only took 5 minutes for him to fall asleep after we got upstairs. I appreciated his efforts because I had to leave to teach my drum lesson when my wife got home at 4.

Tomorrow is an 8-mile and band practice day. It's likely to be another very, very rainy day. I also get "bonus time" with my son because my wife has "Back To School" night tomorrow evening. My first class has officially started. Things are about to get interesting.