I'm a Binary Dad!: 2012

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

"Diced Peppers!"

You're right, kiddo. I would never have guessed that your first words would be "diced peppers"!

Your mom and your grandfather heard you say this today. I am in Tulsa writing this, and it is very late. I need to be up for work in four hours, so I'm going to make this short.

You've said, "Sponge Bob" and "Basketball" and "Spider-Man" before, but not as clearly enunciated as "diced peppers"! I guess you found a jar of them in your grandmother's kitchen, and when your mom explained what thy were, you responded by repeating their name. This is only the beginning!

We haven't decided on a name for your little sister yet. Your mom says that she wiggles when she hears your voice. Harper? Sadie? Piper? Should her middle name be "Mischief"? "Adventure" has too many syllables. Whoah... I think "Peril" would a perfect middle name for her! I'll have to run it past your mom, but I like it!

Okay, my son (and daughter)! Daddy's got to hit he hay. Can't wait for all of our adventures together!

Sweet dreams, both of you! Good night!

-Dad

Sunday, June 24, 2012

It's Sunday morning, your mom is asleep, and you are watching Toy Story in your downstairs Pack-N-Play. We went for a walk outside earlier, and you picked up some sticks and rocks. You always want to have something in each hand when we are outside. You're very tactile. I watch you roll sticks between your fingers, bang rocks together, and crush dried leaves in your hands. You've decided that you are done watching the movie and we are now on the stairs. You always pick up Emily's and Maggie's dog bowls and try to roll them down the stairs. The upstairs gate was open, and you ran into the room where Mommy was sleeping. Was. You are laughing as you play on the dangerous elliptical, and now you are putting your stuffed Goofy in harms way - he'd be crushed by the steppers as they rolled past. You just rescued him, and after depositing him safely near the dog toy bin, you are now up in the bed with Mommy, drinking a bottle. You've recently had an ear infection, so you worry us both when you slap your ear like you just did. I hope that this last antibiotic treatment (your second one for this problem) gets rid of your pain. You don't know it yet, but pretty soon, our family of three is going to be a family of four! Your mom is pregnant, and while we don't know if you'll have a brother or a sister yet, your mom's last visit to the doctor let us know that your sibling is healthy so far! I love you, son! Dad

Friday, April 20, 2012

Dog Doors, Toilets, and Remote Controls

Some of your favorite things to do right now:

1) Take your toys, balls, things from the pantry, dog collars, and put them outside through the dog door into the backyard. Your mom calls them "Offerings to the Backyard Gods"

2) You like to splash in Emily's and Maggie's water bowl (although you don't splash at all when you are getting your bath...). This fascination with water has extended to toilets, recently, so your mom and I have to be on our toes and close the bathroom doors if you are running around without us following you. Also, you've been enjoying dropping things into the toilet, and recently dropped some of the "Flippy-Floppers" (dog frisbees) into the toilet at our house, and dropped a bunch of deodorant sticks, shampoo bottles and remote controls into the toilet at your grandparents' house here in California.

3) Speaking of remote controls, one of your favorite things to do is to grab our remote controls and run away. You know we'll chase you, and you never really cry when we get them back. You know it's a game, and I think you take delight in our laughter when the channel changes or the volume shuts off when we are watching a program together. Your Grandmother Pagel gave us one of her remote controls, so we use it as a decoy for you to play with, but I think you are catching on that we don't chase you as hard when you have that one...

4) You love to zoom around in your little bike that your mom got you for your birthday, but that we decided to let you have for Easter. Your legs aren't long enough to peddle it, s we push you around, but you enjoy it whether we are inside or outside:

5) You really enjoy watching a show called "Little Einsteins" - in particular, an episode called "Brothers and Sisters to the Rescue." You watch it all the time, and during the day, even when you are not here, the music plays in the back of my head, and I think of you...

6) You really love climbing the stairs. You like to go up and down, and grab the dog dishes (yes - they eat on the stairway landing halfway up...) and climb to the top with them in your hands. There have been several times where, if we weren't there to catch you, you would have tumbled all the way down and cracked your skull, I'm sure. "Danger" is a very appropriate middle name for you. Can't believe we've made it a whole year with all of your fingers and toes intact!

In short, being you is pretty exhausting. You're constantly learning about the world around you, and teaching us how to be good parents.

Good night, kiddo. Sweet dreams.

-Dad

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

My Son, the World Traveller

Hey Son!

   It is no mystery why I am choosing to write you now. You and your mom are out of town, visiting your Great Grandma Pagel. I'm holding down the fort here in Rancho Cucamonga, making sure your dogs Emily and Maggie get fed and get their walks. I'm working a lot, trying to make the best use of the time while you and your mom are away.

   I miss you and your mom, and look forward to when you'll come home. Until then, I'm going to try to get our taxes done and even do some consulting work to try to pay for those taxes! I wonder what your life is like, when you read this. How high are taxes? Did we plan well enough for your future for you to have an education? Are your mom and I doing okay financially?

   Does it sound like I'm obsessed with finances? They say it comes with the territory when you are a new father. My mom and dad never had the opportunity to set anything aside for my education. I'm really hoping you won't have to say the same thing. I know you'll work hard - I just want you to be able to go to the school where you want to go, to study the things you want to learn.

   It's a big job, trying to look into the future and see what things might be like - one that's hard to do when there's a maelstrom of activity around you, so I'm trying to take this time to breathe, and think hard about the future.

   Your mom sent me photos of you today, running around your Great-Grandmother's house. Everyong can't believe how early you started walking, nor can they believe how appropriate your middle name is.

   Here's the story your mom texted to me today:

The first picture was Kellan patting my boobs. The second one, is him in front of the giant slope!

He just crawled down the scary slope...

And now he shuts the doors...he has LOVED shutting and opening those doors. There's a gap, so his fingers don't get pinched!

After he leaves our room, goes down the slope, shuts the doors, he goes through the laundry room to the kitchen...where he must traverse the treacherous tile door threshold. (ironically, that's where my grandpa fell and broke his hip...that led to him passing)

After he gets across the threshold, he opens EVERY cupboard door in the kitchen...I think it's good we don't have handles on our doors...