Saturday, April 25, 2009

A brief treatise on the myriad ways I will be failing my kids.

Back during the housing bubble, some birds built this nest on our garage. After the bust, it sat vacant for a couple years. This little guy bought it at auction and is fixing it up.

I don't know birds, and this worries me. This fact made itself known to me when attempting to write a caption for the picture above. Oh, I'm familiar with the marquee names that most people know: cardinals, bluejays, seagulls, roadrunners, bigbirds, etc. After that, my grasp of avian naming is non-existent.

This sort of thing puts me in a panic. What will happen in a few years when the twins and I are strolling through the woods and they start asking nosy questions? Surely I don't have the time now to become proficient at birding. Am I the only person to worry about this sort of thing?

Of course, it's not just the birds that bother me (although birds do scare me to a certain degree). Here's a partial list of subjects I am miserably deficient in, subjects that I think any parent should know a little about:

Geology
Astronomy
Femininity
Fishing
Finance or anything related to money or the stock market
Philosophy
"Lost"
Pulmonology (this has already come up! I'm already failing..)
Politics (that might be a good thing)
Insurance
Mormonism
How to reproduce without assistance from medical science
Rugby, or, to a lesser extent, Australian Rules Football
Fascism
All the Q words you can use in scrabble
Parenting
The collective works of Michael Bay
Knitting
HVAC
Coasters and when they are or are not necessary
Mining
String theory
Joan Rivers
and...finally....
Generation X, of which I am supposedly a member

I know practically nothing about any of these topics. What if it comes up? How can I even hope to be a good father if I can't opine knowingly on these very basic subjects? I am a sham, and it is only a matter of time before my kids abruptly lose all confidence in me. This will likely happen during bathtime, when I reach in to pick them up and they'll say, "Uh, no Dad, I'll just let myself out, thanks. Maybe you should go study." I can already imagine it.

When the day comes that they need to know about the effect of thrust reversers and timely braking action reports while factoring operational landing distance...I'll be ready.

Day sixty nine.

repeat pictures today..

ps. I exaggerated in my list above; I do know one great Q word for scrabble. "Qi". Pass it on.

Olly noses over the edge of the bed, defying gravity.

Sure, she looks like her Mommy, but she got some of my mannerisms. "Duh."

Why do I always get pictures of Abby where it looks like she's judging me?

Friday, April 24, 2009

I didn't see Ted Turner, not once.

Moments later, the beautiful spectacle of this spinning top was put to an abrupt and unceremonious end.

After being in Atlanta for five straight days, I live to tell the tale. I think I'd been undersold on Atlanta my whole life. Talking with others left me with the impression that it had all the danger of Detroit, the charm of Gary, and the social life of East St. Louis. I was expecting something along the lines of Mogadishu. After exploring the city rather exhaustively with the intrepid Aaron Klocker, I now consider it a little like a southern Boulder. Lots of bucolic little urban areas, curving hilly streets, colleges, warmth, etc.

Charming as it may have been, home is a righteous place to return to (I think Homer wrote that), so I'm very keen on being back. Thanks to a maintenance delay and switched airplanes, I just barely made it back in time to pick up the kids from day care. I was very excited; surely they would go out of their little toddler skulls at the first sight of their long-lost dada.

Lily just seemed a little confused, and looked to the daycare workers, seemingly for some clue as to whether or not I was qualified to pick them up. She came around to me, but it certainly wasn't a thrilling first moment. Abby, however, was quite excited, but she'd just been given a cracker and that could have accounted for much of that.

It's astounding how different they seem after 5 days. Jen must have been feeding them smart pills, because they can do stuff that was unthinkable last week. An example:

We started playing with those big block legos on the porch. They were hip to it; fun was had. At one point I dumped all the legos out and showed them how to throw them back in the tub, one at a time. It took one single solitary demonstration of this before Abby threw one in and looked at me for approval. I clapped. Lily followed suit...more clapping. They picked up every lego and threw it right in that tub. I was agog. Maybe it's not as notable as I think, but they did it with a very deliberate and intelligent air. If there's one thing I'm very smart about, it's intelligence.

There was more of everything than I remember. Laughing was abundant, especially from Abby. Lily started throwing the legos out of the tub, and Abigail was laughing so hard I was worried she might slip a disc or maybe her head might explode. There was more crankiness when they were hungry; they went from 0 to 130 kilocrankies in no time flat right before dinner. There was more interaction between them. There was more of everything about them that I remember. They seem to have ratcheted up the intensity this week. It's nice to be back home in the mix.

Good job Jenny with the blog, it was great fun to be a spectator for a bit. You've earned yourself some time off so you can get back to studying.

And a quick thanks to all the people who helped or offered to help out while I was away. We are, as always, humbled and elated with your generosity.

Day sixty eight.

Abby debriefing me on everything I missed while in Georgia.

This face. It just kills me.

They're almost all back in the tub! After that, they came out again. Big surprise.
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Thursday, April 23, 2009

Staying up late--new trend?


One of the first photos of the girls together--seems like just yesterday...

Today is one of those days when I didn't get to hang out with the girls much because I went out tonight. Actually, I got to hang with Abby for a couple hours when she went to the doctor, but that was this morning and it seems so long ago now. Papa (Dave's dad) and Steve (Dave's brother), along with Steve's kids Maya and Oliver, graciously came over and babysat the kids so I could go out. Very sweet. And they got to see more of the girls than they (or I) anticipated because apparently the little buggers decided to make it another extended bedtime. I'd feel bad, but since Papa has been in Florida and it's been two months since he saw the girls, I'm actually glad that some quality time could be had.

Getting back to that I got to hang out with Abs for a couple hours today...I sometimes feel guilty that Abby gets individual mom and/or dad time because of all of her many, many appointments. Lily never really gets one-on-one time with us. I want to make more of an effort to give her that but I don't know when, there are so few hours in the day. And speaking of hours in the day, since I went out and it is late, this is it for tonight's post. If you find yourself disappointed, I understand, but I don't apologize. I already did so in advance (refer to this past Sunday's post). So goodnight and don't worry--Dave returns tomorrow!

Day 67 (Probably--I keep forgetting what number I'm on)


My very talented mother painted the girls' room with classic Winnie-the-Pooh (easier to see if you click on the picture to enlarge it). This is Owl's tree in the corner of the room. (It's not in this picture, but my equally talented father made a little shelf in the corner for Owl to sit on).

Eeyore (he hides behind the chair in the corner).


Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet too!

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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

"Hey Abby?" "Yes Lily?" "Let's stay up late tonight". "Good Idea!"

Abby loves this toy--the batteries gave out tonight and it wasn't pretty.

Very quick post tonight. It goes like this:

Picked up girls from daycare, went to Mall of America for a quick shopping trip. Shared a ham & cheese crepe (the girls liked it very much). Got home about 6:45. Went to fridge, realized I only had enough milk for the girls for tonight. Put girls in PJ's. Got them back in the car (they were not happy), gave them a bottle. Went to store--it had closed 5 minutes prior. Went to sketchy corner store that we've always jokingly said we should go to sometime. Bought most expensive gallon of milk in the city. Came home, gave more milk (girls were insatiable tonight, crepe must not have been filling). Lily went to bed. Abby played. Abby went to bed. Abby cried. Abby got back up (we are of the "let them cry a little" mentality, but sometimes you just know that the crying is not going to end on its own--this was one of those times). Abby played, Lily cried. Eventually, Abby ate some more (this girl should weigh twice her size with the amount she eats), Lily cried. Brought Abby to bed again at about 8:30, came back down with Lily. Lily ate some more, Lily cuddled (ahhh), Lily went to bed. 9:00PM, mommy breathed a sigh of relief and started her homework. Still have more homework to do. Plus I'm hungry (I guess the crepe really wasn't very filling).

Day 66

Oh look, she has her eyes closed! I kept waiting for that to happen tonight.

So they can close their eyes!? Who knew.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

I can get what I want!


Abby using her new found skills to play with whatever toys she chooses.



Abby went to the pulmonologist today. As usual, the visit to one doctor has led to subsequent visits to other doctors. Next stop, echo cardiogram, then swallow study with a speech therapist and a radiologist. More doctors' names to remember, waiting rooms to wait in, and results to digest and remember.


I've spent the past fourteen months thinking that I could remember all the doctors, tests, results, etc. without having to keep careful notes. Abs was already ten-months old before I finally created an Abby-specific, non-pediatrician medical file (and I am normally a pretty organized, diligent filer). I think I had it in my head that there was an end point to all this that would come before my mental capacity for it ran out. It's funny how strong denial can be--it creeps up in all places and forms--even when you think you've already addressed it, it rears its ugly head to remind you that life took a turn that you didn't see coming and that the road you're on might never meet up with the one you thought you'd be taking. Usually, I've always liked to know where I'm going, but I've learned this past year that the journey is wonderful no matter what the route.


Anyway, there is going to come a point when I can't remember which doctor is which and why Abby is seeing them. That point is drawing near--I think I need to start recording it all better.


There were two highlights today. First, Abby woke up this morning and started squawking and squeaking. I thought it was just her, but when I opened their door I caught a rare glimpse of sisterly interaction--whenever Abby made a sound, Lily was mimicking it. Then they'd giggle. So cute. The second highlight came after their baths (which my dear friend Jess came and helped me give--it's hard to bathe two young toddlers by yourself). Lily went to bed (good little girl) and Abs stayed up (as she is prone to do). She was having so much fun going through all the toys in the living room, I didn't have the heart to put her to bed. Because she was able to get to all the toys on her own, she was able to pick out what she wanted to play with all by herself. The pride and joy she was getting out of this new freedom was visible. Her doctor was right, she's too cute.


Day 65



Never too young to become a coffee drinker or a fan of the Current.


I thought the coffee cup was empty, but it looks like she got a couple drops--I see the caffeine setting in.





Today her pulmonologist referred to Abby as "too cute", I agree.

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Monday, April 20, 2009

A Place to Go

Sovereign Grounds Indoor Playground and Coffeehouse
So this is, I believe, our first "endorsement". I'm not planning on making it a habit, but this is such a great place to go with kids that I feel compelled to share it with all of you out there looking for a local place to take the kids and where you feel like they are welcome.
Before dropping off Dave yesterday, we ran some errands with the girls and found ourselves with about a half hour to kill. I suggested getting some coffee somewhere and giving the girls a snack. Fortunately, people had told Dave about this great coffeehouse that is super kid-friendly. I think that it is putting it mildly. First, in addition to the usual muffins, breads, and other baked treats, they had little packages of goldfish and animal crackers. Second, when I asked if they had a cup I could use to give the girls some water (I was ill-prepared for the trip), they gave me a sippy cup. I don't think you'll find that at any of the chain-coffee places. Then, we went into the play area and were overwhelmed by the assortment of toys. The kids (and adults) had a great time--Lily was especially thrilled with the mini-slide. I don't think Abby has made up her mind about the slide yet--she is someone who likes to take her time before formulating an opinion. This is a trait that I have seen in both Dave and I at times, so I'm not surprised. I'm not sure where Lily gets her jump-right-in, can-do spirit. Must be from her dad because it is not from me. Anyway, it was the perfect place to go with the kids and I imagine I will be spending a rainy afternoon or two there this summer. It doesn't hurt that the coffee was very well-priced and quite good. Anyone up for a play-date?
As for how we are doing sans Dave...we miss him, of course. But we're surviving. I think the girls seem keenly aware that daddy is not here and they are responding by being extra needy and possessive of me. Lily spent much of yesterday evening screaming for an as of yet undetermined reason. Meanwhile, Abs is possibly having a growth spurt (she could use it) and despite eating a lot before bed, decided to get up in the middle of the night wanting a bottle, which she has not done in awhile. The trend with Abby is that she will do this from time to time and it usually lasts a few weeks. So I'm a little worried that this is going to be a nightly event for awhile--hopefully I am wrong.
We had ECFE tonight. It was weird going without Dave. The most difficult part was figuring out how to get them both out of the car without carrying in Abby's carseat and then opening the door to the school. Once we got past that we were all set. But not being home all evening means the pictures tonight are from days gone by, as many will be this week. The one exception is the one from the Sovereign Grounds website--just wanted to show you the fun that can be had.
Day 64

What a fun guy!

Who is imitating who? I don't even know.

Serious concentration.
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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Daddy's in Atlanta--Day One

Sometimes it's a juggling act.

Dave left for Atlanta today--he officially left us at 3:40 PM, that's when we dropped him off. It took 25 seconds for both kids to start wailing away. Maybe it's because it was nap-time, maybe it's because they thought he was going to take them out of the car and were disappointed that they were still in their car seats. I think it was because they somehow intuitively knew the three of us are on our own until Friday and they are going to miss their daddy. I know that's why I wanted to join in and wail too. I managed to hold it together though and avoid adding my cries to the chaos. Instead, I sang all the way home, changed their diapers, gave them each some milk, and put them to bed for a nap. That is where they are now. Lily fell right asleep...Abby has been singing for 35 minutes--something tells me she is not going to take a nap. But she's not complaining, so neither am I.

I am, however, going to work on the blog early today. I have lots of homework to do when they go to bed tonight and need to squeeze this in wherever possible. That will be the theme this week--squeezing in a little time now and then to keep up with this wonderful project of Dave's.

Which leads me into taking this moment to thank Dave for not only taking on this wonderful chronicling of a year in the lives of our children (and us by default), but also for doing such a marvelous job at it. I will do my best to make it entertaining, but will also beg forgiveness early on for what I know is to come this week--possibly shorter posts than usual and definitely the use of pictures that are not new each day. It is the end of the semester and I am overwhelmed with schoolwork. Plus, if you haven't gleaned this from reading Dave's blog thus far, I will say that our parenting-style is very much a team-approach. This is, in part, because that happens to be who we are as a couple and is just how we do things. But it is also because that is what is necessary in order to take care of these yahoos and not go crazy. Hopefully I can handle a few days on my own and still find time to eat and sleep...and if not, well, I've been looking for a way to lose the rest of the baby weight anyway and a few days of not eating should help!

So, here goes...the first night of just me and the girls. It's starting now because, frankly, Abby will not nap and the singing has turned into an ugly display of unhappiness.

Lily contemplating how to make me move in the direction she wants to go in.

Someone thinks I'm funny.

Lily and daddy. We'll miss you daddy!
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