My Son - Loads of Fun

My son had quite the day today. He finally slept in past 5:30 am for the first time since Wednesday. He still woke up before I left the house, so he got ready with Daddy. This involved putting deodorant on, "shaving", and putting gel in his hair for spiking. Daddy is in sore need of a haircut, and hasn't used the gel for a few weeks. This is still the routine though, according to my son, so he got gel.

While I was at work he pulled all the Star Wars DVDs off the bookshelf where we keep our movie collection. He was searching for the box with Darth Vader. He had a 4 in 6 chance of finding one, so sure enough he did. He made my wife put on The Empire Strikes Back for the 5th time this week. He loves that movie, but Mommy is growing weary of it. Too bad he is too spent to watch it by the time I get home.

He is very interested in all things Darth Vader. Varying between "Star Wars" and "Darth", he repeats these words over and over, much to my wife's dismay. Daddy thinks it is great. :)

Tonight after dinner Daddy and son got to wrestle a bit. He is getting interested in rough-housing, so Daddy has volunteered for the job. We both love every minute of it. My son can take quite the wrestling match. Some other kids I know would be crying on the first contact. I won't mention names here, but there are quite a few of them. ;). I am hopefully training my son to be tough when he needs to be, and yet be tender when he needs to be as well. He is too young for me to really teach these lessons, but I am toning things down so he can understand what I am teaching. As he gets older, the wrestling will get more fun. :)

Daddy had something to do tonight, and Mommy was tired, so Daddy made a deal when it was time to come inside. Daddy promised if he was good and came inside nicely, then when Daddy was ready we could go outside again and he could ride his trike. While Daddy was occupied, Mommy, not knowing the deal was made, tried to put him into his pajamas. He firmly told her "Daddy said play!" I am taking her word for it here, but she swears he said it really clearly. He was right. Daddy had made a promise, and my wife waited until I could take him outside.

The weather was really nice outside, so I asked my wife to join us on our walk. My son has a nifty tricycle that was designed for pre-tricycle-ready kids. This means it has a long handle that Daddy can use to push and steer while the boy learns how to peddle. We took a nice long walk around the block, and my son actually went inside without a fight. I was pretty happy about that, since he tends to throw fits when it is time to go inside.

All in all, my son was very well behaved today. He listened fairly well, wrestled, watched Star Wars, rode his tricycle, went to the park with Mommy, and went to bed relatively on time. Tomorrow should be even busier with Daddy home all day. I am looking forward to it.

Daddy Time

Tonight my wife had to go to a chiropractic appointment, so I picked my son up from the chiropractor's office. I was going to take him home after a quick errand, but he changed my mind. We drove past a park and he said, "Slide, Slide." This is his word for park. He LOVES slides. He had been pretty good on my errand, so I took him to the park closer to home.

I didn't know how long my wife would be, so we stayed for almost an hour. My son always goes to the park with my wife, but I rarely get a chance to take him alone. I figured it would be really fun for him to spend some time doing what he loves. I was right.

As soon as we got there he started up the stairs, then turned and grabbed my hand. He wanted me to go with him. This was his evening, so I followed him up the stairs. After going a few times while Daddy was chasing him, he wanted to go down the slide with Daddy. We went down the slide a few times, and then he was back to his solo routine.

I had to bribe him with Pez candy to get him away from the park without a fit when we were done. Once he is at the park it is really hard to get him to leave. :) I had a lot of fun tonight. I think he did too.

I Try

One of my son's newest phrases is, "I Try!" This is repeated over and over again until we either let him try, or we deny his request and he starts a tantrum. Sometimes we have no choice but to endure the tantrum because he wants to try everything, including driving.

He has figured out that DVDs are held in place by the nub in the center of the case. He knows that he can press the nub to loosen it up enough to get the disc out. Sometimes he has better luck than others.

I was taking a nap on the couch this afternoon and I woke up with my hand being lifted in the air. I tried to wake up enough to see what was going on. My son had a CD case open and was pressing my thumb into the center nub, admitting that he couldn't get the disc out. I thought that was pretty funny. This case different than my son was expecting, so I had to take it out the old fashioned way. I was glad for a chance to actually do something for him without the "I Try" syndrome. :)

Tonight, as we were letting him listen to the baby with the heart monitor, he busted out the "I Try" again. He wanted to push the button that triggers the amplification. We let him listen to our hearts as well as the baby tonight. He got a kick out of listening to his own heart again.

Sometimes the "I Try" phrase is really cute. Other times it is annoying. I think either way it ultimately works out on the side of cute. After all, these are among his first words. :)

Farting For Fun

There were so many titles that this could have gone under, so I tried to choose a relatively tasteful one. My son has decided that farts are funny. He decided this a while back, but yesterday he decided again with gusto.

We were on the way to Disneyland after work yesterday, and I hear him call from the back seat, "Mamma, Mamma." There was a great sense of urgency in his voice. The second she turned around he let one go. He had been saving it just to make sure Mommy noticed. This was followed by a fit of laughter, and then he did it again.

This continued for several minutes. He kept clenching, trying to do it again. He succeeded several times, laughing all the while. I think I laughed harder than my wife on this one, thus we all fit our gender roles on the issue. For better or worse, farts sound funny to boys. I think this is definitely an indicator of what is to come. Aren't little boys great? I can't wait to see how long it takes boy #1 to teach boy #2 how to achieve this bit of humor.

Big Brother - The Competition Begins

My son typically is very good with children. He loves being around other kids. As you can see in my post "Big Brother In Training", he was once pretty excited about his new little brother. Lately something has changed in him. It seems he put two and two together, and now thinks that his new little brother is competition for mommy's affection.

"Mommy can't pick you up right now, she is carrying your little brother" may have been the sentence that started the trouble. Daddy made this mistake at Disneyland last week. There was a time that when we asked, "Where is Mommy's baby?", he would smile and point to my wife's stomach. Now he ignores the question altogether. He snubbed some kids at Disneyland, something he usually does not do.

We came up with a way to get him excited about the baby, and it seems to be working so far. We have an electronic heart monitor that we used when my son was in the womb. It is a simple battery-powered amplifier with headphones that enables us to listen to the baby's heart. We know he loves electronics, so my wife came up with the idea that he would want to listen to the baby's heart beat.

I think she did it once without me, but last night we did it again. We had him listen to the baby's heart, then Mommy's and Daddy's and his own. He got quite a kick out of it. We added it to his bedtime routine, though only the baby's heart was featured tonight.

Hopefully we can continue exciting him about the baby. I think everything will be fine.He is a very loving boy. Our job is to make sure he doesn't feel neglected when the new baby arrives. I think Daddy is about to rise to the top of his favorite people list. :)

Husband and Father

In today's society is it possible to assume a father is a husband? A reader asked the question as to whether or not a husband and a father are the same thing. I think there was a time that it was indeed the case. Not that every husband was a father, but most fathers were husbands. I wonder what the ratio is today.

I think there are too few fathers today who are also husbands. One has but to look at the crime rates in the inner cities to see the effect of this circumstance. Young men need their fathers to be in their home, in a committed relationship with their mothers, or at least their spouse. The homes that produce many of today's criminals are ones that typically did not have a father in them. This is not to say all fathers are good fathers, or that all criminals come from bad homes.

Crime is not the only outcome of a fatherless home. Sometimes the effects are not as easy to see. Look at the confidence level of a young man without a father and you will see what I am talking about. It may be masked, but there is an insecurity built in to many boys who grew up this way.

Unfortunately there are homes with single fathers, though they are not as widely talked about. Other times a man has paid the ultimate price in service to his country. There are many circumstances in which it is impossible to avoid the absence of a father. It is still possible to raise a strong, confident son in these cases, but it is a much more difficult task.

If you are a husband and a father, I commend you. If you are a father and have not yet married the mother of your children, I would recommend you remedy the situation. We need to return to the place where father's cared enough about their kids to stick around. We need to accept the fact that the traditional family structure is the strongest.

I am a husband and a father. My father was the same, as was his father. I hope that my son(s) will be the same. Our society could use more fathers.

Fatherhood

I have been thinking a lot about relationships lately, specifically family relationships. Now that my second child is due to be born this year I find my family in a state of expansion. I think about the day to day activities of my son, and look forward to similar experiences with my second son. I have wondered how many of the things my son does are also things I did at his age. Did I throw the same tantrums? Did I do the same cute things? Was I so full of unquestioning love? From what I gather from my parents there are indeed similarities.

As I look at my son through a father's eyes, I think back to my own relationship with my dad. I remember being so proud to be his son. I remember riding in the child seat attached to his bicycle. I remember being held on his shoulders from time to time. I remember him being capable of solving any problem that was thrown at him, whether mechanical, spiritual, automotive, or technical. I remember the love he had/has for my mother and my brother and sisters and myself. I wonder if my son will remember the same things about me.

I remember my dad's old guitar quite well. So well in fact that it now sits in my own home. I wonder how he had the time to play music at all with five children running around. My one son is more than a handful sometimes.

I was thinking about my transition from son to father the other day, especially with Father's Day around the corner. I wondered what it felt like for my dad when I grew up. One day he has a house full of children and the next we are all grown. How does he see me now? Does he still see the same little boy that I see everyday when I look at my own son? What must it be like to not have that same connection?

This is a question I know I will have the answer to all too soon. My little boy is growing up. He is only two right now, but these two years have gone by so quickly. I know my time with him is short. I hope to be able to teach him the things my dad taught me. I hope to teach him to be a man after his grandfather's heart - a man after his great-grandfather's heart. A man with a heart constantly reaching out to God for strength, guidance, and sustenance.

What a privilege it is to be a father - a daddy. What an amazing opportunity and responsibility. It is an incredible thing to teach a young boy the things he needs to know. I hope that I can be the example he needs me to be. I hope he will choose to learn from me the things I want him to know. It is a hard thing to be at the mercy of one's own child. I want so many good things for him, yet I know that he has to reach out and take these good things himself. He has just as much power to reject the good things I want for him. This is a terrifying prospect sometimes.

I know the day is coming when I have to trust my son(s) to the same (if not greater) extent that I expect my own dad to trust me. I know that we will not always see things eye to eye. I certainly have disagreements with my dad, and I am sure he had disagreements with his dad. I do hope that the relationship I have with my own dad will prove to be a framework for the relationship with my children.

I get to spend part of this Father's Day weekend with my dad, grandpa, and uncle. We are playing in a golf tournament on Saturday. This should be fun. We get to play at the Country Club in Malibu. I wish my dad's father was still around to join us. I think of him often as I muse about fatherhood.

I am proud of the legacy my grandfather passed on to me, both directly and indirectly. I hope my sons continue to improve upon the legacy and pass it on to their sons (and daughters if they have them). I am grateful to be a son to a wonderful father. I am grateful to be a father to my son and my as-yet unborn son. I have been truly blessed.

Strolling With Style

My wife and I are expecting our second baby this November. We are in the market for a new stroller. As I was searching online, I came across some fancy strollers from Mutsy. They just came out with two new models. You can find out more information from the link above or by clicking Mutsy here. I thought those of you who are also in the market might be interested in these. Keep reading to find the 10% discount code below.

The stroller pictured here is the Mutsy Slider. This one is meets a variety of needs all at once. It is compact, light, and built for performance - all in a stylish package. The upper section is, so the frame is able to fold to a very small size. You can reverse the handle so you can look at your baby or let your baby look out at the world. I like this kind of flexibility.

The Slider features durable, light-weight wheels, a quick release 3-position seat, and a solid handle. It also has a protective hood on the bassinet. There is an optional car seat adaptor available as well. Light-weight and easy to handle, this is a great option for a mom on the go.

The second stroller I want to talk about is the 4Rider "Next" Cargo stroller. This is an upgrade from the standard 4Rider model. Additional features include a leather handle and their "Cargo" range of fabric. The bassinet is great for infants, and comes with some great features. The features include: a strong handle, a mattress pad (with cover), and some zip storage compartments. This stroller gives you the reversible handle like the Slider model above. You get to choose the direction your baby faces. The 4Rider Next stroller reclines, has a leg rest, has a removable front bar, and is complete with a protective hood. They include an easy-to-access basket as well.This stroller has an optional car seat adapter as well.

These strollers aren't the cheapest on the block, but they are well built and have a great look and feel. The Mutsy collection was developed to meet all of a mom's needs, and its unique modular construction offers parents a lot of flexibility for baby transport. You and your baby will be happy you decided to buy a stroller from Mutsy. No matter which stroller you choose, you will be strolling in style.

To make these strollers even more appealing, Barebabies.com is offering a 10% discount on ANY Mutsy order. Use the discount code: "mutsy10off" when you order.

As always, I only post products and services that I myself use or am interested in using. I am definitely interested in these strollers.

Bedtime Mayhem

My son will do anything to stay up past his bed time. He is not averse to being incredibly defiant, nor is he unaware of how cute he can be. Tonight he tried a combination of tactics.

Mommy put him to bed and read him a book. He asked for Daddy to come upstairs. Before I could come up to sing to him, he got out of bed in an attempt to trick Mommy into letting him stay up. He thought if he was cute enough she wouldn't send him back to bed. He was wrong. He tried to run away from her, laughing all the way. He stopped laughing when she caught up to him and carried him back to his room. The laugh quickly changed to a tantrum.

Enter Daddy for the singing. Mommy is gone, so baby thinks he has a clean slate to work with. He snuggles into Daddy and wants a story. The book he chose was a simple book on colors and objects, so it wasn't so much reading as it was naming things for him and asking him to point out the various items. He recognized just about all of them, which was pretty good I thought. I told him to lay on his pillow if he wanted Daddy to sing to him. He laid down and I thought he was finally ready to sleep. I was wrong.

While I was singing to him he kept trying to grab books, sit up, play, and anything else he could do to stay awake. I told him to lay down again if he wanted more songs, so he did. We are trying to sleep train him, since I tend to fall asleep lying down with him. We read him stories and sing to him, and attempt to walk out without too big a tantrum. I told him I was on my last song, and he cleverly snaked his body around my arm, making it impossible for me to get up without removing him. He got a laugh out of Daddy for that one. He also got a few more songs.

I left him in bed with firm instructions not to get up and came downstairs. My wife took over the enforcement duty. Sure enough, the moment I sat down to blog he was coming to see us. He again tried the cute tactic, but it still didn't work. He keeps getting up, so hopefully he will go to sleep soon. We really need him to be fully sleep-trained before his brother is born. For those inclined to pray, we could use a prayer or two on his behalf. :)

What's In a Name?

My wife posted a clip from Friends where Ross and Rachel were trying to pick their baby's name. I wanted to post a clip of my own, but apparently YouTube and SNL don't play nice anymore. The closest I could get was a transcript. Enjoy:

Baby Names

Wife.....Julia Sweeney
Husband.....Nicolas Cage
Telegram Deliverer.....Rob Schneider

[ open on a married couple trying to think of a name for their unknown baby ]

Wife: I was thinking about Joseph.

Husband: [ turned off ] Joseph?

Wife: Yeah. Joseph.

Husband: Well.. it's a nice name, but the kids are gonna call him "Joe Blow". I mean, as long as you know that. Or "Sloppy Joe", you know.. "How are Mr. & Mrs. Schmo?"

Wife: Well, I guess that's true..

Husband: I mean, it's a nice name.

Wife: Well, that's alright. How about John? That's nice and simple.

Husband: What, are you serious?

Wife: Well, yeah.

Husband: John? You want to do that to the kid?

Wife: Do what? Husband: [ mimicking ] "Hey, John! Hey, let's go to the john. Huh, John? Let's go!"

Wife: Well.. wouldn't he outgrow those jokes?

Husband: Look, kids are mean. I just want him to have a happy childhood, too.. but, "Long John Silver"? I mean, I don't know what to say!

Wife: Okay, okay, okay.. Well.. um.. what about Peter?

Husband: Oh, right. Sure. Peter. Let's just put him up for adoption right now, save the kid a lot of agony. I mean, obviously - no Peter, no Dick, no Rod! Can we just discuss this intelligently, please?

Wife: Yes, we can. [ thinking ] Okay.. um.. William.

Husband: William. Good. "Wee Willie!" "Chilly Willy!" "Willie Wonka! Hey! Where's your chocolate factory?! Oompa-Loompa" every day of his life!

Wife: Did you get teased a lot as a kid?

Husband: [ defensive ] No, I did not. Did you tease a lot of kids? Because, judging from these names you're picking, you don't seem to be very sensitive.

Wife: Okay, I'll just keep trying.. What about Fred?

Husband: [ sighing ] Please.. Fred, Frank.. lease, the F's are no good. If he's fat, it's just a disaster.

Wife: Okay, alright. Um.. Sam?

Husband: Great. Sam. "Uncle Sam." "I want you.. to be ostracized!"

Wife: Then, let's [name him]Paul.

Husband: Right. Paul. "Hey, Paul, where's Peter and Mary?!"

Wife: What?

Husband: Peter, Paul and Mary. "Hey, Paul! Play me a folk song, and then I'll beat the crap out of you!

Wife: Well, at this point, I'd just settle for anything. How about.. Jack?

Husband: [ thinking ] Hmm.. yeah.. yeah, Jack's a fine name.

Wife: Really?

Husband: Oh, yeah.. as long as we make his middle name O'Lantern! Because that is what everyone's gonna call him!

Wife: Okay.. fine.. what about Ben?

Husband: Ben! Oh, fine, we're giving birth to a big bear? Great! "Gentle Ben!" "Hey, Ben, where's Jerry? Get me some ice cream, or I'll beat the crap outta ya!"

Wife: We could call him "Benjamin".

Husband: Sure. Benjamin. Harrison! "Hey, Benjamin, how's that tariff coming?! Montana a state yet?!"

Wife: Well, what about.. Todd?

Husband: [ stretching for an excuse ] Todd.. Todd.. Tad! "Tadpole!" Our son's a tadpole! "Hey, Tadpole, I don't like you! Thank your parents!"

Wife: Now, come on, I said "Todd", not "Tad". You changed the name, that's cheating.

Husband: Yeah, and it took five seconds. It might take a kid ten.

Wife: [ sighing ] Okay.. what about Harry?

Husband: "Hey, Harry, where are the Hendersons?!"

Wife: Oh, come on! Nobody even saw that movie!

Husband: Kids saw it! Alright, one more.. come on, we can do it..

Wife: Alright. Um.. Nate.

Husband: "The Nate Rockne Story." "Hey, Nate, where's the Gipper?"

Wife: What?

Husband: [ pacing the room ] Na-ate! Na-ate! Do you like that sound? Well, you better get used to it! [ his wife walks across the room ] Hey, where are you going?

Wife: [ leafing through book ] I'm looking at this Baby Name book, I thought it could help us.. [ looking through book ] How about Bjaardker?

Husband: [ intrigued ] Oh?

Wife: Bjaardker. It's Icelandic.

Husband: [ considering ] Yeah.. that's a tough little name to crack. That could be good. [ puts his face up to his Wife's belly ] Hey, Bjaardker, little fellow. You might just have a good childhood, after all. [ Wife laughs ] Talk to you later.

Wife: I love you.

Husband: I love you. [ they kiss, as the doorbell rings ] You sit, honey.

Wife: Alright.

Husband: [ answering the door ] Yes?

Telegram Deliverer: Hi, how you doing? I've got a telegram here for a Mr. & Mrs. Asswipe Johnson. I'm supposed to read it. [ holds telegram ] "Dear Asswipe & Emily: Congratulations on your upcoming blessed event. All our love, Bob & Diane." Here you go, Sir. [ hands him the telegram ]

Husband: Uh.. listen.. that's "Os-wee-pay".

Telegram Deliverer: [ confused ] What?

Husband: Uh.. forget it, forget it.. [ closes the door and sits next to his wife ]

Wife: That was really nice of Bob and Diane.

Husband: [ sighs ] Yeah, but why do they have to mention my name so much?

Wife: Oh, honey..

[ fade ]

This is my way of telling her we need to be careful about certain names. I want to do my best to provide a strong, appropriate name that has a slim chance of being made fun of. This includes boy names that have been hijacked and are now either girl names or gender neutral names. I also want to make sure the initials don't spell anything funny. For example, Liam Owen would have the initials LOP. Not good. I can name others, but you get the point. I don't see a problem with being careful, Does anyone else?

Baby Number 2 - 19th Week

19 Weeks Pregnant

According to 3dpregnancy.com, our baby looks something like this now. We are in our 19th week. My wife made the appointment today for the ultrasound, so we are pretty excited. We finally get to see what sex the baby is on Wednesday. Let the naming battles begin!

I decided to have some fun, so if you look to the right column you will see a poll asking for your opinion. Do you think it will be a boy or girl? Let's see who is right. It is a short poll, so be sure to vote soon.

I am trying to spend as much time with my two year old as he will allow. I know his world is about to turn upside down again, so I want to help him build confidence in where his place is in the family. He has been so clingy to my wife lately, that he is either going through severe separation anxiety, or he can sense something is up. A few weeks ago, in a post called "Daddy Finally Matters", I blogged about how I was finally getting some attention. Most of that went away until a couple days ago.

The other night he had crawled into bed with Mommy while I was doing my Entrecard clicks. When I came to bed he looked so cute that I didn't kick him out. As soon as I got in bed he put his arm around me and grinned. He was mostly asleep, but the gesture meant so much to me that I laid in an uncomfortable position until he moved his arm. The last couple of days he has run up to me quite frequently, wanting Daddy to pick him up. Sometimes I am second choice, but I don't mind. I love the attention he gives me, since it used to be so rare.

I am hoping that he is excited about being a big brother. We ask him where Mommy's baby is and he points to her stomach, so we think he knows there is something different about Mommy. I doubt he has grasped the concept of a person being in there, but hey, this kid is pretty dang smart.

Wednesday is going to be a great day. We are pretty excited to see our little baby, whether a boy or girl.

*******
Update: I was informed that my 19th week post was inaccurate. We are in the 21st week now though. (June 18, 2008)
*******

More Cute Things My Son Says

This morning after breakfast my son did something different. My wife took the tray off of his high chair and instead of instantly reaching for her, he looked at his lap, waved his hand for emphasis, and said, "What a Mess!" He was referring to the food that inevitably ended up in his lap. "Mess" is a new word for him. Neither of us heard it before today.

My son has always tried to steal the seat of whomever gets him out of his high chair. We are usually eating, so this is usually inconvenient. Recently my son began adding a twist to the routine, returning it to cute status, rather than annoying. He sat in my chair, got set to eat my food, looked at my wife and said, "I Daddy." He was trying to pretend we was me. He has done this a few times, and it is cute every time.

This doesn't qualify as cute so much, but it was still impressive to me. My father in law bought my son a few puzzles while he was in California on business recently. One of these puzzles is of the alphabet, complete with electronics that know which letter you have put in place, as well as the alphabet song on command. He and I were putting the pieces in, thankfully without the sound this time, and I was singing the alphabet song for him after each letter. I was naming each letter as we went too. He picked up the "C", so I told him "A, B, C, D", prompting him to look in the appropriate section for the letter. This had worked on a few other letters, so I expected it to work this time. He looked at me, looked at the letter, and as he was reaching to put it in, he pointed at the slot and said, "C". That's right. My two year old can recognize the letter "C". Daddy was pretty proud of this, if you haven't guessed by now. :)

Push....Push

My son came to me the other day, looking for help fixing his toy golf club. He has a habit of knocking the heads out and using the rest of the club for other purposes. On this occasion he added a twist. As I was trying to shove the head back in, he got behind me and started shoving my elbow. He was saying "push, push".

Needless to say, this was a bit of a surprise. How did my son know that by pushing my arm from behind he would assist me in applying force to the head of the club? How does a two year old kid understand basic physics? This is a question I would like to research. No, I am not saying he can sit down and solve mathematical formulas. He can, however, use mechanical means to achieve his ends. This is pretty cool I think.

He has begun to understand the use of tools already, and dutifully carries his wooden toolbox around to help Daddy with basic repairs/upgrades. He obviously understands that by pushing my arm forward, he can contribute to the amount of force applied to an object. He can throw or bounce a ball, and has had lots of fun making bouncy balls ricochet all over the house. Is this all normal childhood development, or is it a sign he is going to be a science wiz? Hopefully it is the latter.

I have always been interested in science, and my dad can fix just about anything. My father in law is into computer engineering. I think it is possible that my son got a bit of a genetic boost in the science/mechanics department. I am interested in seeing where this goes.

Our House - Tighter than Fort Knox?

When my son went down for his nap today, he thought he ruled the roost. When he woke up, he found the place a little less accessible. Mommy and Daddy had toddler-proofed the house.

It is not that we had not baby-proofed before, because we had. He is just so mechanically-minded that he can get past many of our baby-blocking devices. We had to up the ante, and it seems to have worked, at least mostly.

First up was a doorknob cover for the front door and downstairs bathroom. My son has a habit of opening the front door and running outside. We have a front gate that further blocks escape, but we don't want him opening the door at all. He knows how to unlock both the knob and the deadbolt, so we had no choice but to add the cover.

Next up were the stove knobs. He started messing with the gas stove knobs this week, so we put a stop to that with some covers. The last thing we need is a running stove when we light the fireplace. So, we have now achieved gas safety.

The next item we had to address is the wall outlets that we use. The unused ones have the standard plastic inserts, but we use one particular outlet for our laptop power supplies. He has a habit of yanking the cords from the wall, and attempting to put them back in. We are always on top of this, but it is so frequent we needed some peace of mind. I found a box that you attach to the wall which allows for some cord space, and completely blocks the outlet from tiny fingers. Good luck getting the cord out this time, kiddo. :)

My son has a habit of opening the fridge and peering inside for something good to eat. The other day he brought me the milk and a sippy cup. Yesterday he got into the eggs and broke all but two of them. My wife tried to install the fridge blocker, and gave up, telling me it was a worthless tool that doesn't work. I looked at it and got it to work as planned. By this time my son had woken up from his nap. My wife decided to try out the device and boasted to our son that he couldn't open the fridge. He yanked at it a few times, and then looked at the device. Within seconds he calculated what needed to be done and yanked the latch off of the fridge. It was only attached with an adhesive strip, apparently a fact known by the two year old. Score one for the baby.

The baby gate we currently use is fine when we are downstairs and want to keep him downstairs. It has a flaw, but a less than dangerous one if we are downstairs. It mostly keeps him penned in, but when he decides he wants past it, he charges it and manages to knock it down most of the way, clearing the path to climb over it. Again, while downstairs, this is not so bad. The problem is that sometimes we want to keep him upstairs. I worry that he will try his charging routine, and then slide down the stairs on top of the gate. We wanted to install a permanent unit on the top of the stairs to protect us all from the above scenario. It turned out we picked the wrong one, though, having not allowed for the railing interference. We have to get a new one tomorrow.

So, all that being said, we have now protected the front door, the stove, the wall outlet, and the fridge (sort of). We still have the one stair gate, and will be replacing the upstairs one tomorrow. We are pretty satisfied with the security now, but we are always looking to improve.

Bye...See You, and Other Cute Phrases

My son has picked up a number of interesting phrases lately. Some of them are pretty cute. Others are pretty frustrating. I am writing about some cute ones tonight. Apparently he gets the following one from his mom, who just admitted this to me last night. Any time by son is leaving the room, he will wave at us and say, "Bye. See You." Without fail, it is those two words, back to back. With his tone of voice, and the obvious sincerity, it is hard not to laugh.

He has picked up the concept of "I don't know" recently as well. He hasn't quite grasped the word "don't", but he tries to use the sentence often. Mommy/Daddy: "Where are your shoes?" Son: "I know" (know having two syllables, and accompanied with hand motions). He will then repeat the phrase until we find what it is we are looking for.

When my son was first learning to talk, instead of saying T.V. he would say "'mote", as in "remote." It was always fun to ask him if he wanted to watch something. Mommy/Daddy: "You want to watch Mickey?" Son: "Mote! Mote!"

These are just a few of the ways my son makes me smile on a daily basis. I enjoy every minute I have with him. I have been greatly blessed.

Mr. Mischief

Whenever my son's activities stop making noise, my wife and I know that he is up to no good. Tonight was no exception. He stopped making noise, so I went to investigate. He managed to climb up to the top bunk of his bed, which doesn't have a mattress or ladder, and had begun painting his toenails.

This boy can't get enough of Mommy's makeup. He sees her using it, so he thinks that all grownups use it. This is how he has progressed his whole life. Mommy and Daddy have a fork, so Baby needs a fork too. Hopefully the carrying purses and painting toenails is just a fad. I don't need to spend all that extra money! :P

This wasn't how the evening ended, however. My son and I were playing in the living room, and after a while I took a moment to rest. We started throwing a ball around, with the movie "Dodgeball" on in the background. I looked away for a moment, and when I looked back, my wife's old camera was flying through the air, and landing on my ankle. Needless to say, this hurt pretty bad. I think it is time to start reinforcing the idea that only balls get thrown, and especially not cameras.

As I type, my son is fighting his pajama routine. We can't wait for him to move past this stage. While there are definitely some cute moments, I will gladly forgo the tantrums he is dishing out in mass quantities.

My Son the Crack Shot

My wife bought my son some water toys the other day. Among these were a couple of cheap squirt guns and a kiddie pool. He has been pretty enthralled with both ever since.

One day he and I traded shots with the squirt gun. His aim wasn't so good, so I didn't get nearly as wet as he did. Last night he caught me off guard. Either he was practicing, or he figured it out. I was talking to my wife and he shot me, point blank, right in the eye. He thought it was the funniest thing. We all got a good laugh out of it.

My son continues to improve his aim, which is fun to watch. He can hit a flower from 10 feet now. :) He is definitely my little mechanically-minded guy. I am looking forward to seeing what else he can master.

Daddy Finally Matters

My two year old son has finally started paying a lot more attention to daddy. He is still attached to mommy's hip, but he has been giving me a lot more attention. I am more than happy to receive this new-found affection.

Yesterday at Disneyland my son wanted out of his stroller. This usually means daddy carries him, because he is too heavy for mommy. We were walking along and he spontaneously kissed me on the cheek. I turned to thank him and he kissed me again. Two unprompted kisses in less than 10 seconds.

Today he made it extra hard to go to work. He woke up way to early, and as I was getting dressed he wanted me to hold him. I picked him up and he clung to me like a monkey on a tree. He did not want to let me go. I sat down and held him for a few minutes, cherishing every second of it.

Tonight when I got home some of the affection was still there. It was not so blatant as the above examples, but daddy got to spend some time with him, grilling and shooting his squirt guns. I even got him to say "please" for the first time tonight. Daddy is officially on the radar now. I have been waiting for this for a long time. I am looking forward to whatever comes next.

Quality Time

Some days when I get home, my son is really excited to see me. I wish I could say it is everyday, but, alas this is not the case. He has good days and bad days, and sometimes he is just too busy for me. Oh, the life of a two year old.

This last week or so I have been spending a lot more time with my son. He is usually found attached to his mommy's hip, by his choice, not hers. I try to take him off her hands, but he usually migrates back to her. I am noticing that daddy is getting more attention lately. I am not going to complain about that. :)

Last night my son decided to water the TV, probably because he had helped mommy plant a new salsa garden earlier in the day. As a result I unplugged the TV while I let it dry. I accidentally unplugged my receiver at the same time, and hadn't gotten around to plugging it back in yet, though the TV was working this morning.

Tonight, my son knew that when I was done plugging in the receiver he would get to watch a DVD, which couldn't play without the receiver being plugged in. He came up to me and climbed into my arms and clung to me like a monkey on a tree. I hugged him tight and held him as long as he would let me.

Later we were watching Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade as a family, and he climbed into my chair to play with his toy. I held him for a while, and then he stopped playing so he could snuggle in next to me in my recliner. He nestled into the crook of my arm and sat back and relaxed. I got to hold him like this for 15 minutes or so, which, in our case, is quite a lot of daddy time. I was very pleased to say the least. I love it when he spends time with me.

The Terrible Twos...

The terrible twos are officially upon us. We thought they had come and gone a long time ago, but we have found the past was a preview of things to come. My wife and I can't wait for this phase to pass.

My son has taken to defying us every chance he gets. He will fight and scream and cry at the drop of a hat. It has been quite challenging for my wife to deal with, especially since she is having her own problems with her pregnancy hormones. ;) I am doing my best keeping the peace as the two of them exert themselves in their own ways.

Looking at my son you only see a very cute, innocent-looking little boy. There is no warning before he strikes. He can swing from cute and sweet to pretty darned bratty in an instant. Not that we love him any less for it... He just tries his best to exhaust us.

On the one hand, it is good to see him going through his life stages, but this is getting out of hand. Hopefully the end is near. To think that this is only a preview of his teenage years is quite sobering.