Blog Description

I have added a description of this blog that you probably have already noticed. LA is my hot wife and when she finally has time to read the blog again (she busy taking care of two kids) will be shaking her head. It actually is true but there's a story behind it also...keep reading the blog and one day maybe I will share it with you.

KC and LA's Baby Blog

I am in the process of copying all the posts from the original baby blog to this blog. I have currently got all the posts from January 2008 - Aubrey's birth on September 14th, 2008. I have not added the pictures that were embedded in the post. Now your favorite posts are all in one place.

Stunt Baby and Product Warning

Looking for a stunt baby double...Any takers?

The other day I was attempting a new trick with Aubrey - actually was an old trick but I was trying to do it another way - flipping her off my knees onto her feet. I normally hold her hand and flip her over and she lands on her feet and laughs and runs away. I think it because she really doesn't like it but I like doing it so I generally convince (She hasn't figured out fully the yes and no thing so it is confusing - actually she has the "no" part down pat but she often says "no" but means "yes"...women evidently struggle with this for the rest of their life on many different topics) her to do it a couple more times. So the other day Aubrey and I are playing and I am getting ready to flip her and to be honest I don't really know what happened except the safety equipment didn't work. She flipped off my knees beautifully and about 1/2 way to the floor, I realized I didn't have her hands and she landed flat on her back with a big THUD. Now, LA was on the porch watering flowers. Aubrey and I both stared at each other for a what seemed like a couple of minutes (probably only 10 seconds) - I was thinking "Holy Crap! What just happened. and Aubrey was thinking "Holy Crap! What just happened. I am going to kill him." After the brief stare off and me bending down to pick her up, Aubrey started crying and Mommy came to find out what had happened. She had heard the noise and house shake (we live in an old house...it sounded worse than it really was) but didn't think anything about it until Aubrey started crying. I tried to explain what happened "I don't know...Well, Aubrey was playing and tripped and fell. She's pretty clumsy you know." I replayed the event in my mind and determined that I should have held onto her hands. Lesson learned...

Another safety reminder...the straps on the umbrella stroller are pretty important, especially when Aubrey is riding along just fine without them buckled and decides to stand up...that leads to a fall out the front of the umbrella stroller. Good thing she was able to break the fall with her hands and knees. They should add another safety label that I wouldn't read to those things...buyer beware. BTW - LA had told me not to do it...she was right, I was wrong - mark the date on your calendar. It was the first time I was wrong it 4.5 years.

Let me know when I can borrow your child for some stunt testings...Any takers?

One Fish, Two Fish; Red Fish, Blue Fish

I have added a new feature to my blog since we don't have a fish tank at home or any real animals. This is much easier and cheaper. To feed the fish while you are reading my blog - just click your mouse over the water and food will appear and the fish will eat it. Don't be mean and just put your mouse over the water.

Moving Day

Last night was moving day for Wyatt. He has left the pack and play in our room and is now sleeping in his crib.

What this means:

*Wyatt is now in another room - instead of being within an arm's reach, he is down the hallway
*We now will have to get out of bed to take care of him...was this a smart move?
*Wyatt is growing up (7 weeks last Friday)

What this doesn't mean:

*He is sleeping through the night.
*He doesn't cry.
*Mommy and Daddy will get more sleep

I know it part of the process but it was pretty convenient to just roll over find his pacifier, stick it in his mouth and go back to sleep. We are hoping that we are on the countdown to sleeping through the night - his max right now is about 5 hours. Aubrey was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. Yes, I am comparing them.

43

So are you heard first on I'm Just Sayin and Courtyard, Wednesday was my birthday. You also heard that I am just a few years older than you might have thought. It used to be fun having people guess my age but as I have gotten older their guess are getting closer. I haven't had anyone get it exactly right but now I think they are just guessing younger and being polite to their elder. I have embraced my role as "The Elder" - kind of like Mufasa in the The Lion King.

I don't think I have ever taken my birthday off, if it fell during the work week. This year since LA was still out on leave, we decided to take Aubrey to the zoo and my birthday gift was spending time with my family. I will have to say that it ended up being one of the best birthdays in the past 43 years. Since parties became "uncool", I haven't been a big birthday person. I don't know why, they just come and go and life continues. I never felt any different because I had a birthday, however I am beginning to feel the cumulative effect (or is it affect, just put whichever one fits in the sentence and don't email or comment about it - this isn't an English grammar blog. I am sure their are plenty out their with riveting discussion about their correct use.). We had a blast at the zoo and watching Aubrey was worth the price of admission after seeing her reaction at the brown bear (first stop). The rest of the day was a bonus. We finished up the day with dinner at Gilligan's with mom and dad - AYCE shrimp. I didn't try to break my Hyman's record (92) or my Gilligan's record (53) and settled with 41 and felt much better the rest of the evening. Maybe that will be my mantra for 43 - moderation (hope that applies to more having more kids).

I am not sure but no matter where I see the number 43 it looks cool. I might have to give up my basketball number (24) which should be easy since I have retired twice. I don't think I want to be the Brett Farve of church league basketball. That's why they are still waiting to retire my jersey in the rafters. I am officially on the injured reserve and still under contract with Bethany Red. I am still on the Bethany Green softball roster (even though I haven't been activated (allowed by the wife) to play in the 2010 season - maybe tonight) where I wear the number 17. Switching numbers has been done before - Michael Jordan but he didn't have the magic until he went back to the 23. I never had the magic so I am pretty sure switching numbers won't matter in the remaining years of my career. The only reason that I like the number 43 so much is because of THE KING. If you have to ask who the THE KING is that was number 43, I am going to kindly ask you to stop reading my blog (FYI - Elvis didn't have anything to do with the number 43, unless it was the number of number 1 singles or bad movies he made and the current media/self anointed KING of basketball who plays for the Cleveland Cavs which happens to be I'm Just Saying's team this year isn't the KING yet because he hasn't earned it).

THE KING is Richard Petty.
THE KING of NASCAR racing - 7 time NASCAR champion (before they changed the points system to some goofy playoff that in my opinion doesn't work - I wasn't against changing the points system but what they came up with is stupid and goofy, add to that restrictor plates (they are grown men, let them go as fast as they want, when they get scared they will press the brakes and someone else will pass them who isn't scared) and the COT and you have the reasons that I don't watch or care as much about NASCAR today), 7 time Daytona 500 champion, 200 victories all time and in 1967 (the year I was born) he won 27 races total including a 10 race win streak...unheard of in racing, 127 poles, 700 top 10 finishes in 1,185 starts (59 % of the time when he put the straps on he finished in the top 10 and that includes his later years when he wasn't as good), July 4 1984, he won his final race of his career - The Firecracker 400 at Daytona. Richard Petty made the blue and later red and blue cars with STP and the number 43 on the side iconic. He also survived this crash at Daytona.

I am not running away or hiding from 43. Looking forward to a great year. Maybe, I will get a tattoo of the 43. They seem to be the cool thing to do these days and what everyone else is doing(that's a post for another day). In my mind after 43 the number of cool numbers dwindle with the exception of 68 - Jaromir Jagr, 99 of Gretzky (which is a funny short story - a friend had Gretzky sign a golf ball and he put 99 on it and my friend was like "what in the world is that" until someone told him it was his number...opps), 77, 88. So I don't have much to look forward to...

You might be asking what was happening in 1967:

*Vietnam war was ongoing
*Super Bowl 1 - Packers (NFL) defeat Chiefs (AFL)
*Apollo 1 - U.S. astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward Higgins White and Roger Chaffee are killed when fire breaks out in their Apollo spacecraft during a launch pad test.
*ABA is formed (American Basketball Association)
*Jimmy Hoffa begins his 8-year sentence for attempting to bribe a jury.
*The body of U.S. President John F Kennedy is moved to a permanent burial place at Arlington National Cemetery.
*Six Day War - Israel and Syria
*Muhammad Ali refuses military service
*The other KING (Elvis) is married to Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas
*The Monkees release Headquarters which is No 1 until Sgt Peppers by The Beatles is released
*25th Amendment is added to The Constitution - deals with succession to the presidency
*The town of Winneconne, Wisconsin, announces secession from the United States because it is not included in the official maps and declares war. Secession is repealed the next day
*12th Street Riot/Detroit Race Riots which eventually spread to other cities and even Washington, DC
*Jimi Hendrix debut album in the US is released Are You Experienced?
*Thurgood Marshall is confirmed as first African American on the Supreme Court
*Jim Morrison and The Doors defy CBS censors on The Ed Sullivan Show, when Morrison sings the word "higher" from their #1 hit Light My Fire, despite having been asked not to.
*Guerrilla leader Che Guevara and his men are captured in Bolivia and he is executed the next day
*Walt Disney's 19th full-length animated feature The Jungle Book, the last animated film personally supervised by Disney, is released and becomes an enormous box-office and critical success. On a double bill with the film is the (now) much less well-known true-life adventure, Charlie the Lonesome Cougar.
*U.S. Navy pilot John McCain is shot down over North Vietnam and made a POW. His capture will be announced in the NY Times and Washington Post two days later.
*Test pilot Michael Adams is killed when his X-15 rocket plane tumbles out of control during atmospheric re-entry and disintegrates
*Vietnam War: United States General William Westmoreland tells news reporters: "I am absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing."
*The Beatles release Magical Mystery Tour in the US as a full album. The songs added to the original six songs on the double EP (see release below) include All You Need Is Love, Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields Forever, Baby, You're a Rich Man, and Hello, Goodbye
*The RMS Queen Mary is retired. Her place is taken by the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2.
*The Concorde (jet plane) is unveiled in Toulouse, France

Who was born in 1967:
Tia Carrere
R Kelly
Dave Matthews
Kurt Cobain
Hank Gathers
Billy Corgan
Andre "Bad Moon" Rison
Jeff Jarrett
Dana Torres
Tim McGraw
John Smoltz
Nicole Kidman
Pamela Anderson
Will Ferrell
Vin Diesel
Matt LeBlanc (Joey)
Reno Mero
Deion Sanders
Harry Connick, Jr
Michael Johnson
Faith Hill
Keith Urban
Julia Roberts
Ty Detmer
Jimmy Kimmel
Boris Becker
Anna Nicole Smith
Jamie Foxx

What a great year for birthdays - honestly where would we be without Pam Anderson and Anna Nicole????

April 21st Birthdays
Jeremy Dunlap
Anthony Quinn
Queen Elizabeth II
Charles Grodin
Iggy Pop
Tony Danza
Andie McDowell

Who died.....does it really matter? You wouldn't know them...I didn't.

We have come a long way in my 43 years and we have a long way to go. I hope I am around for the next 43.

Really????

So we left the house yesterday to go to church and all down the driver's side of my car is covered with yellow streaks and egg shell. My car had been the victim of an egging. At first I was mad, probably more frustrated than anything but I actually thought to myself that I need to pray for them - pray that they might be able to find something else to do with their free time, pray that if I were to somehow catch or find out who did it that I don't kill them - I probably would just hit them with a few eggs.

They actually did me a favor and caused me to wash (actually, pay someone to wash my car, I am lazy and didn't have an entire afternoon to wash it) my car which probably hadn't been washed in a year. It actually looks like a new car again. The funny part was I could see that they were done with it and the guy came in and said "Silver Yukon". I thought to myself silver, I thought it was more gold in color. I walked out and looked at it and he was right. I guess that's a sign your car is dirty, when the color actually changes.

My other thought was it is 2010 and kids still find egging fun? Are you kidding me? People were egging and toilet papering houses when I was growing up - I just heard about it and knew kids that were doing it - and we all know that was a long time ago. Where is the sport in egging, unless you throw worse than Aubrey, I am pretty sure you could hit my car or any car. Why not try throwing bottles out of a moving car at signs from the driver and passenger windows (and yes, that means the driver has to throw the bottle over the car to hit the sign ) Now that takes skill, it does cause some littering issues which I am not advocating but at least you can make a sport of it - I went 3-7 hitting the signs as compared to I went 10-10 egging that car.

As I type this maybe it wasn't a bunch of young punks. It could have been Aubrey. She isn't happy about LA and I constantly putting her in time out and she was in a foul mood on Saturday. I wonder if we are missing any eggs? It would have taken some creativity to get to the eggs in the refrigerator but I am not putting it past her. She can open the front door, if it is unlocked. She can throw with some power (see Friday's post or look at my nose if you see me). She can walk down the stairs. I am pretty sure this is adding up to her being guilty. Just to be on the safe side, I am going to ask her about it. She better have a good story (she might want to learn to talk a little better between now and 5:30pm) or I am going to ground her. She isn't going to get away with this one so easy. I am taking her night, night dogs away and all her books. That should teach her a lesson she won't soon forget - guilty until proven innocent at 301 S Laurel St.

PS - If I find out it wasn't Aubrey, I will apologize to her.

PSS - I hope the next time the punks go egging that an egg busts on them inside the car and all over them.

Clothes

Not sure if I had mentioned this yet but having Daddy in charge of clothing our daughter is a dangerous because men and women view clothing differently. Most guys view clothing as something we have to wear to function in society and to from keep spending time in jail for indecent exposure. To us as long as the pants have two legs and the shirt has a neck opening (sleeves are optional) we are good to go. We will try to get something to match but if it comes down to us wearing our favorite pants or favorite shirt with something that doesn't match vs something that matches, we are going with the favorite and not matching. Girls on the other hand are concerned about everything matching - pants, underwear, shirt, shoes, socks, jewelry...etc. As a result, men and women are in conflict and wars result over "that doesn't match", "you're wearing that".

I find myself being somewhere in the middle and what I think matches doesn't always match in LA's eyes (most of time she is right but it still goes back to that is what I wanted to wear) I don't want to wear something that doesn't match but I also don't have to be dressed for the prom every day going to work or going out to dinner. And now our view's on clothing is communicated to our kids...

I try to match stuff so Aubrey looks cute and some days when I come home LA is shaking her head - You sent her in that. We finally came to an agreement. The most stressful time for me in the morning was dressing her. If her matching was important then I needed help. So, I asked LA to pick her clothes out the day before and leave them out where I could find them. This has worked most days and the days when she doesn't leave clothes out the rule is don't say anything, I did my best. Which leads me to Wyatt...

We had him at the perfect time of year. In about 30 days his wardrobe is shrinking. All he will need is a diaper and he will be good to go. We are going to skip and entire run of clothes from 3 to 6 months with him. That should save us a few dollars.

So if you see us out and about and the kids don't match, it's daddy's fault. Don't mention it.

Fridays

Evidently, I missed the memo that we have gone to a four day work week in Summerville and I am assuming America. Have you ever tried to go to lunch on Friday? Have you tried to go across town or out towards the interstate after lunch on Friday? It is like a hurricane evacuation every Friday. I know Summerville isn't the mecca for entertainment and weekend activities unless Jamin Ortiz is playing at Montreux's or the Daniel Zitro Band is rocking it out somewhere but is everybody really leaving town for the weekend or are they just getting in their car and driving around to see what is new? I guess they haven't heard about the recession and that all new construction has been halted except for the biggest news of 2010 - we are getting a Cracker Barrel and they have started construction. Maybe, it's all the people from the country coming to the city to see what they are missing and to see how the progress is coming on the Cracker Barrel. I didn't think anybody had time for that any more, just riding around? I thought we were all too busy and working too hard. I don't know what is going on but I do know I avoid that area at all cost on Friday's.

I am all for the four day work week. Just wish I would have known sooner.

Springbreak

LA and I didn't think everything out very well about having her mother come and stay with her during the day after Wyatt was born. We thought we had it figured out but we realized Palm Sunday (Spring Break started on the next day) that we had made a colossal error. After Aubrey was born Nana came and stayed the first week with us during the day and helped out LA around the house and with Aubrey. I was there for part of that time and we had decided that if we were blessed with number 2 we would do it different. So weeks before Wyatt showed up, Nana planned to take the second week off (which turned out to be the third week because he was a week early) that way I would be back at work full time and LA would need the help. LA and Nana had a good week and it worked out because it was the Flowertown Festival weekend and they both were there to set up early on Thursday. So like I said earlier on Sunday while recovering from the Festival, we realized that Aubrey didn't have day care the next day or all week because of Spring Break and it hit LA that she was going to be at home with both kids all week. Now, I realize we got ourselves in this boat but I will go on recorded and say that everyone who said your not a parent until you have two or more kids was right. Let's be honest two on one isn't fair but two on two is another ballgame and anything more than two requires a zone and lots of fences (indoors and outdoors) or doors that can be locked to contain the masses. And if you have been around Aubrey she can be a handful for both of us most days without adding Wyatt into the mix (Anyone that wants to experience what I am talking about or doesn't believe us let me know when you want to keep her. She is good but see the earlier post about busy, curious..etc) If we would have thought this plan out a little further, we would have had Nana take Spring Break off to help with both kids...talk about poor planning.

So Monday morning arrives and we have decided to take Wyatt to the doctor because he has been congested for 10+ days and want to make sure it's not in his lungs. Shortly after LA telling me when the appointment is, I get a text message from her telling me "I need you to come home quickly, I have hurt my neck" which was followed up with another text minutes later "Come quickly, I am in bad shape". To make a long story short ---fast forward--- We ended up taking Wyatt to the doctor and LA looking at the doctor with crooked head and then taking LA to the doctor and found out she had pulled a muscle in her neck and she would be on muscle relaxers and anti inflammatory medicine. the rest of the week. She was going to be out of commission for a few days.

--rewind--My first thoughts after getting the page were how convenient, 1st day of Spring Break and she's at home saying "My neck, my neck" and "call in the reinforcements". I know Aubrey is a handful but she hadn't even made it 2 hours with her being awake before she had enough...It seemed kind of fishy until I actually saw her and she could hardly look at me and if I moved she had to turn her whole body to follow me. If her neck wasn't really hurt, then she missed her calling because she should have been an actress.

LA survived Spring Break and her neck is doing better. Better planning on our part next time (if there is a next time).

Wyatt Update and Other Stuff

Wyatt's 6 week birthday is today. Ashley don't worry about getting him gift. You can just come for the celebration and the cake tonight.

If little man survives to his first birthday, LA and I will be impressed. Aubrey doesn't intentionally do stuff to him (most of the time) but when she tries to hug him, give him kisses, crawls on the sofa or climbs in the chair while we are holding him she is like a bull in the china shop or an abominable snowman with a pink bunny rabbit. She is kicking him with her feet, they are hitting heads, she is putting all her weight on him or trying to stand up by pushing on him to stand up. She wants to love on him just like she love on us. She doesn't realize her own strength.

He is doing good and seems to be growing and is a good baby. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks he will be sleeping through the night. He is doing about 5 hours right now which is good but 6 would be better. He is starting to stay awake a little bit more which is good, as long as it is during the day. He has some dark blue eyes right now and they are pretty but it's too early to tell.

LA is down to two weeks of maternity leave. The good thing is that my birthday is next week (21st, if you must know) and since she has all that free time I am looking forward to a birthday celebration with streamers, balloons, presents and girls jumping out of a cake (I know what you are thinking...I am thinking LA and Aubrey).

Timeout

LA and I are fairly new to the parenting gig and already have 2 which one of them happens to be busy, curious, determined and any other synonym that goes with those words. I have determined that is difficult sometimes to discipline Aubrey without either LA and I laughing at what she did. There are rare times when both LA or I think it is funny but she still has to be disciplined or we are going to have a wild child on our hands (we think it might me too late on that one). Whenever Aubrey has done something that requires timeout it isn't uncommon for whomever is in "parent mode" and are putting her in timeout to just about stomp through the floor with every step on the way to timeout. Depending on what she has done, the hardest part is not laughing while the other one is in "parent mode". Sometimes the race to timeout is not because you are so angry with her or what she did but because if you look at her you are going to smile and she is going to think it's funny and the purpose of timeout is lost.

So every good point needs an illustration or two. Illustration 1 - A couple of Sunday's ago we decided to give Aubrey one of her Christmas gifts (trust me she hasn't suffered in the least bit and it gives her a new toy in the middle of April when LA and I are probably not going to buy her something and it is a long time from Christmas to her birthday. So if you gave her something and don't see it around the house, don't assume that we have returned it or regifted it (it's a possibility, I am not going to say this happens or not) but more likely we have saved it for another day (just don't ask us to produce it because then we would have to make up some story about it being over at grandma's or our neighbor's dog eating it ...etc.))...back to the story - wooden ABC blocks (thanks, Julie). Aubrey and I were on the floor playing stacking and knocking them down. While playing Aubrey picked up one of the blocks and instead of stacking it with the rest she threw the block from close range and nailed me in the mouth (I am pretty sure it was the letter T and the word associated with T was THROW and had a picture of a kid throwing a ball, what were they thinking? but let's be honest it's made in China and what do they care if I got hit with the letter T block) - straight to time out, do not pass go. Where is my partner, my teammate for life, my wife, LA? On the sofa trying not laugh. Illustration 2 - Yesterday, when I got home from work I was playing with Aubrey on the sofa with LA and Wyatt. We were all having a good time. Aubrey was playing with LA's phone when all of a sudden she threw the cell phone and clocked me on the bridge of my nose. Straight to time out, do not pass go and "Don't move an inch?". I will be honest the block hurt for a minute and was done but my nose was still hurting after I put her in timeout. I sat down on the sofa while LA is laughing, under her breath so Aubrey doesn't hear her, about what had just happened and my instructions to Aubrey. She then looks at my nose and continues to laugh because it has left a small mark. At this point, it was difficult to find the humor but for the rest of Aubrey's timeout LA continued to laugh and eventually convinced me it was funny and I was at least smiling if not laughing a little. (Do you see another pattern developing, a side story? Every time, I get injured LA laughs at me. It's OK I guess as long as I am not seriously hurt and I expect it because if you have ever watched America's Funniest Home Videos with her(which I am pretty sure you haven't and if you have maybe, we need to talk) you would understand her laughing at me. Most of the time when we watch it, I am not even laughing at the video but laughing at her laughing at the video.) I always thought I would need eventually need a cup - you've seen the countless videos when the father is playing with the kids and the kid hits, kicks, punches or throws something and it hits him in the jewels. So, instead of a cup I am going to Dick's Sporting Goods and purchasing a catcher's mask or a hockey goalie's mask.

Who knows if timeout is working...at least I know when she has done something wrong that timeout is the punishment instead of throwing the object back at her which probably what I want to do but isn't the best option for either of us but would probably drive home the point about throwing objects quicker than timeout.