Parsons Family

FEED ME!

2011-08-25T15:44:00.000-04:00

(Photo courtesy of Emily Malone)

What you see is not a human being. It is a great white whale, at least according to his dietary habits. I have never seen a kid this hungry. Poor Jillian. When one bottle is done, I swear it seems like 30 minutes pass before he's asking for more. At this rate, by the time he's a teenager, we will need a second mortgage just to pay our grocery bill. Thank goodness Jillian's company keeps us in free formula for the time being otherwise I might already be filling out applications for a second job.

Colin just had his two month checkup and he has gained four pounds since being born. He's now a robust 11.5 lbs. And he's gained four inches in length, up to 23 inches. I like this growth rate. It's pretty much a given he's going to be 6'7 at this point with a vertical that Blake Griffin would shiver at. His future career path as the next Larry Bird is on track. In fact I'm headed to the car dealership down the street to see if I can get a sweet ride as collateral off his future earnings.

I was going to start him working on his jump shot last night. But then he got hungry and started crying. What a baby.

Pretty Ballerina

2011-08-24T16:39:00.000-04:00

(Look. You know and I know I have no excuse for not posting over the summer. Let's just agree to be friends again and forget that part of our lives.)

Anybody who knows me is aware that I am passionate about sports. From the moment Megan was born I have been ITCHING to sign her up for soccer, golf, tennis, badminton, floor hockey, tiddlywinks leagues, etc.

However you can't just throw her in these things before she's ready. Because I know if she isn't slightly skilled or is scared it will scar her forever from participating. So I've been biding my time until I can turn this little girl into the competitive dynamo of my dreams (slight sarcasm).

BUT blogworld, what I didn't anticipate were nefarious entities within my own family who were conspiring against my plan. I laughed when she got her first tutu. I can now count four in our home. I even raised an eyebrow when Jillian started painting her fingernails and toes earlier this summer.

I should have known this was all a set up for the long con. For you see, my wife casually decided to sign up my sweet athletic powerhouse for .... dance class. NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!

To add insult to injury, I was taken to help buy her outfit and shoes for said dance class. I cried the whole way there. Internally. I feared this was the gateway to losing my little girl forever. There would be no time for grass stains and shinguards. She'll be too busy with sequins and tights. My world was irrevocably shifting.

And then I saw her in her outfit.

The emotion I felt seeing her standing there, grinning from ear to ear, staring at me, wanting affirmation and approval, was too much. My eyes watered, endorphins within me bubbled, and I smiled; a wide, infectious, all-encompassing smile at seeing my daughter enter a new stage of life.

I could resist no longer.

Besides ... I hear dance is good for balance and core stability. Those traits will come in handy in a few years in youth soccer. Right?

The Redesign

2011-06-18T17:21:00.000-04:00

Colin's arrival has brightened my world in every way but one. This blog. I can't exactly post stories about Colin on a site named "Baby Girl Parsons." And given my infrequency at blog posts it seems completely illogical to try and keep two separate, distinct blogs. The best solution was to rebrand the site. I'm keeping the URL the same b/c trying to redirect traffic to another address would just be goofy in my view.

So here we are ... a pinkless background, a new title, and we're done. If only the redesign of our family dynamic could be so easy.

In Megan's visits to the hospital she bounces up and down waiting to be picked up so she can look in on Colin in his crib. She cries out to him in her high-pitched falsetto, "Hi baby!" But then she quickly bores of the hospital, it's sterileness and lack of toys, and asks for our cell phones to play games on. This leads me to believe that once Colin, Jillian and I come home, baby Colin will get lost in the midst of everything else that garners Megan's attention.

Friends with slightly older children have warned us of the possibility that Megan might regress in her development and want to be babied more again because of the attention she sees Colin receiving. I'm hoping that type of behavior will be minimal but it's good to know about it ahead of time.

We have tried to make her an integral part of this experience. Colin gave her a welcome gift when she came to the hospital, I've made sure to let her know Jill and I will need her help in caring for him, and we've reassured her that Colin will be sleeping a LOT when he comes home so she will still have plenty of time with mom and dad. But I know she will feel neglected at times and my job is to minimize those feelings.

I still want to read books at bedtime with her, play hoops in the driveway, scamper through the playground, and play dollhouse together. Looking at that list, I guess maybe the redesign for the family doesn't need to be the ordeal I'm making it out to be.

Fatherhood: Part Two

2011-06-17T23:43:00.000-04:00

Colin Brady Parsons. My son.

Just typing those words shoots a bolt of endorphins through my fingers as I think about the whirlwind of today and the fact that Jillian gave birth to our second child early this morning.

To some of you in the blogosphere I have to apologize for burying the lead and refusing to mention that Jillian was even pregnant. I wanted the timing to be right, procrastinated, and decided it was pointless to say something at 7 months. Might as well just wait until Colin was here.

He was born at 7:57 am and we have spent the rest of today just marveling at all of his details.

The white cream on his skin at birth fascinated me and I learned this stuff, vernix, was his 'lotion' to protect him while he was in utero.
I was nervous when I cut his umbilical cord. Asking me to use scissors at that moment was akin to asking LeBron James to make a basket in the fourth quarter.
I was embarrassed at my incompetence in swaddling. I used to be a pro.
I analyzed his facial features and marveled at how similar he looked to Megan when she was born.
I giggled at his baby farts as he passed gas from eating and how he intuitively seemed to lift his left leg up slightly.
I cringed when changing his dirty diaper and I had to touch his ball sac to clean underneath it.

But I rocked at holding him. Unfortunately for Jillian, she had the pain of carrying him for the past 37 weeks and while she recuperated ... I nuzzled, poked, kissed, and canoodled with him.

And it made me. Colin's presence in my life is an indescribably joy. My expectations with this delivery couldn't have been any lower. I think my biggest contribution was dragging the baby swing and car seats from the basement storage earlier this week. This is in stark contrast to the weeks leading up to Megan's birth when I was devouring every book about parenting. I figured I could just wing it with this little guy.

That may seem idiotic but I think the lack of expectation allowed me to experience Colin's birth 'in the moment.' I wasn't worried about a checklist I read about or a tip on how to capture the perfect picture pose.

I was just present. And it was powerful.

With Megan, the unexpectedness of her arrival and immediate whisking away to the NICU unit because she was born 6 weeks early, as well as complications with the delivery for Jillian kept me from focusing on my feelings. Plus I was a first-time dad. I was an idiot. This time I was better prepared.

Let me clarify ... I was better prepared for the delivery. Now with that part over I am completely terrified of what to do next. Just like I'm completely terrified about what the lasting implications will be on my daughter from Jillian deciding to paint her nails last weekend as a treat.

But those stories are for another day and another time.

Because today, I held my son, Colin Brady, in my arms for the first time.

And it was perfect.

Our first signs of Spring

2011-04-14T13:57:00.000-04:00

Well if the weather isn't fully cooperating yet for Spring, at least the greenhouse in Meijer Gardens is. We went to check out the butterflies and convince Megan not to freak out at them. She was mildly successful.

This isn't too surprising. I've noticed she is a very tentative person, not prone to taking risks. She'll watch other kids at an activity until she feels like she has it down. And for the most part I think this is a great trait to have. Hopefully later in life it will be the same device that keeps her away from peer pressure in negative situations. But for now? I just want her to not show fear at times. She refuses to go down a slide headfirst even if I model the behavior (which I KNOW isn't the most productive if I'm trying to get her to do other things properly). Oh well. She's still a riot to hang out with, and despite her nervousness with the butterflies, we still had a great time.

Also, if you look carefully Megan has a 'friend' in several pictures. We helped a friend out with a 'Flat Stanley' project too. He stayed happy the whole time.

Will you bee mine?

2011-04-12T14:43:00.000-04:00

Been taking a bit of a hiatus ... like you haven't noticed. I've been working on compiling all of Megan's pics and posts from the past year. The good news is that I've been stockpiling pictures and videos for the better part of two months.

A month or so ago we were cleaning out Megan's closets as we transitioned her to the big girl room. While doing that Megan saw her bee costume from Halloween a year-and-a-half ago. She was adamant to try it on. Almost blatantly demanding to do so. We bought it big ... remember, she wore a winter coat under it. But still ... I had my doubts on whether this thing would fit.

As you can see, she rocked it. And loved it. So much so, she refused to eat lunch unless she wore it. It was all we could do to get her out of it for nap time. Since then, she hasn't asked for the bee costume again. So perhaps it was a momentary want.

Wanna see my party?

2011-02-27T23:49:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Megan's third birthday this afternoon ... want a sneak peek of the festivities? Of course you do. As with every other holiday that has involved gifts for Megan (Christmas, birthday, a random Saturday, etc.) we say we're going to tone down the amount she receives THIS time. Well, yet another holiday has come and gone where we have failed at that task.

Personally, I blame Jillian's trip to IKEA yesterday in which she bagged an easel, some art supplies, a train set, a play mat, and a tent. This is in addition to stuff in the closet we had decided not to give her at Christmas because we had too much stuff already.

But when you see that face ... how can you say no? This year we were able to avoid the cartoon character theme and went with more of a butterfly and flowers motif. However if you look closely at the birthday cake I'm sure Eric Carle and "The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar" probably want some royalties.

Anyway, enjoy the pics. I promise there were actual people at her party, she just didn't pose with any of them long enough for a picture.

Pond Hockey

2011-01-31T16:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we spent the day on Reeds Lake at the Pond Hockey tournament. Megan seemed less interested in watching the hockey and more about just running on the snow and ice. So that's what we did. And, with a little imovie magic, here's the trailer of our morning.

Megan versus Bubble Wrap

2011-01-27T16:45:00.000-05:00

Although it's hard to see, Megan was putting her FULL force into trying to pop the bubble wrap. If you focus on her jawline and her quivering fingers you get a sense of it. She was so cute in her struggles that I had to tape it.

And to be fair, I didn't take her picture, filming is completely different.

Later she resorted to putting the bubble wrap on the kitchen floor and jumping on it. Resourceful girl.

Movin' on Up

2011-01-16T22:35:00.001-05:00

It's official. Megan is now in the high rent district. She has gone from a silly, old baby room to a full-fledged big girl room. Over the past few weeks we tirelessly worked, okay well, Jillian's parents worked tirelessly to help us make the transition. I think her initial reaction of jumping up and down for close to an hour screaming "YEA!" and immediately transporting her 87 stuffed animals into the new room told us all we needed to know.

With her third birthday looming on the horizon, it's incredible to see what a little person she is becoming. We're FINALLY seeing progress in the potty training department, she's discarded her booster seat at the dinner table, and she's becoming much more skilled at manipulating us.

I walked into her former room, the nursery, and with all the things moved out or stored, it seemed ghostly, as if she had barely placed her stamp in that room, despite living in it for close to two years. Her new room seems made for her (right down to Jillian's old childhood dollhouse complete with outdated wallpapering that was saved for the next generation way back when). It's as if she's always belonged there and it took us to simply realize it and make it happen.

And I think she's taken to her new, 'upgraded' role fairly well. No complaints, no fears of being in a new environment even if it just next door to her old place. In fact, when Jillian put her to bed tonight she disdained the bedtime music she fell asleep to in her old room. I guess that music was her 'baby music' and she has taken up adult ways. Who knows ...

... at any rate, enjoy the pictures. I can promise her room will never look this clean for awhile.

On the twelfth day of Megan...

2011-01-06T10:04:00.002-05:00

December '10

On the eleventh day of Megan...

2011-01-05T10:02:00.003-05:00

November '10

On the tenth day of Megan...

2011-01-04T10:01:00.003-05:00

October '10

On the ninth day of Megan...

2011-01-03T09:59:00.005-05:00

September '10

On the eighth day of Megan...

2011-01-02T09:57:00.002-05:00

August '10

On the seventh day of Megan...

2011-01-01T09:56:00.003-05:00

July '10

On the sixth day of Megan...

2010-12-31T09:54:00.003-05:00

June '10

On the fifth day of Megan...

2010-12-30T09:52:00.004-05:00

May '10

On the fourth day of Megan...

2010-12-29T09:50:00.003-05:00

April '10

On the third day of Megan...

2010-12-28T09:48:00.004-05:00

March '10

On the second day of Megan...

2010-12-27T09:46:00.000-05:00

February '10

On the first day of Megan...

2010-12-26T09:42:00.000-05:00

And as is our annual tradition around these parts, here are twelve days of Megan sequentially from January through December.

January '10

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T11:48:00.033-05:00

Feliz Navidad everybody! Hope you and your families all had wonderful mornings with gift-giving and getting. At our house Megan was a whirling dervish of fingernails and attitude. It was amazing to watch her at work.

On one hand I was so excited to see her truly experience Christmas with a modicum of understanding and to see the glint in her eye as she opened her gifts. However, on the other, this day definitely brought out the selfishness in her too. It was to be expected, she doesn't know better, so amidst this exciting day we also had to create teachable moments and make sure she knew we had to allow other people to open their gifts as well. It was hard for her but she did manage some restraint.

Overall, we had a great Christmas ... on our agenda next year is to push the Christian storyline a little more when she can understand it ... and potentially edit down the number of gifts. Somehow we went a bit overboard this year. But I got caught up in the season. I suppose there are worse things.

Snocross Moto X!

2010-12-15T23:41:00.000-05:00

Before Megan came home today, one of our neighbors came over to see if Megan could play. Unfortunately she wasn't home yet, but I loved that the era of kids seeing if Megan can "come out and play" has started. So when Megan and Jillian finally DID come home, we slapped some snow pants, boots, and hat on her and sent her to our neighbor's yard.

What was she doing in their yard? Well, you've seen the picture already, so it's not a surprise. But she was rocking out on a snowmobile. I fear we will never see Megan again. You see their snowmobile track was limited because they are in the process of building a 60' x 40' ice rink in their yard. I know. When she learns what the word adopted means ... Jill and I are totally out as parents.

Of course here's Megan with their son. Aren't they just adorable. He just returned from his stint in the IRA, so we weren't sure about his 'aggression' issues ... Joking. He's a great young man, but man, that balaclava sends all kinds of weird images screaming through my head. My daughter currently is battling going to sleep at night because she's convinced DINOSAURS are going to get her. She freaks out at that, but our neighbor kid, the one who looks like he's headed to a bank robbery has no effect on her. Kids are weird.

But anyway, like good parents, we left her outside with the neighbor kids, because well, you know, it's cold outside. Five minutes later we get a call that their inside playing in their basement. Thirty minutes later I go over there to bring Megan home and when I walk in I see their dining room has a ping pong table in it and the basement has a swing set BOLTED into the studs.

So an hour later when Jillian came over to get both of us, our neighbors convinced Jillian to say over and watch crappy Lifetime movies on DVR. Just kidding. Jillian didn't come over. I knew it was time to go when she started making dinner and it wasn't Stove Top. Everyone knows you only try to wean your way to a dinner invite if they have Stove Top.

Next time.

Aquinas Hoops and MNF

2010-12-14T09:54:00.000-05:00

It is no secret that I want Megan involved with sports. Not like Todd Marinovich's father type of crazy (I realize I just went over the head of most of my audience in the opener but it works, trust me), but I want her to be athletic and have an interest in them.

So it should come as no surprise that I treat any and all sports outings as the second coming of Christ himself. If Megan asks to play catch I act like that is the best idea anyone has ever had since two-ply toilet paper. Since Jill's parents are big Hope College supporters, we live in a school district with great sports programs, and I work at Aquinas College, there's ample opportunity to see an enormous amount of games. And each one is a 'special day.'

I'm not kidding. If we're going to watch a soccer game, football game, whatever ... I tell Megan that night is a 'special night' because we're going to (insert sport here). What has transpired is that every time we drive by the high school football field Megan exclaims "Football game daddy!" ... or when we drive past Calvin College where we saw several soccer games it's "that's where we go to watch soccer games together daddy."

Yep.

Even last night, since Jillian was out of town again, I made a 'special night' at home. We took an early bath and I told her she could stay up late and watch football with daddy while laying in our bed. It was perfect. She had to flip through her toy magazines first, but after that we watched pieces of last week's "Sing Off" on the computer and made funny faces at each other. Good times.

So last week, since several freshmen on the women's basketball team are in my class I decided to take Megan to a game last week. But since it started at 7:30, which on normal, bland nights is close to bedtime ... this was a 'special night.' Did we go out for hot dogs? You bet. Did I let her pick any snack she wanted from the concession stand? Definitely. Did she sit on my lap during the game and ask random questions? Absolutely. Was she cranky the next morning from a lack of sleep? Most assuredly.

Was she enthralled with the game? Not so much. The picture above .... where she looks so intent on following the action ... was while watching the cheerleaders perform.

Nooooooooooooooooooo.

Where a Kid Can Be a Kid

2010-12-06T23:24:00.000-05:00

Jillian is currently on a business trip to beautiful Des Moines, Iowa which means a chance for another "daddy daughter date." Now, I'd never admit this but I'm starting to like these work trip jaunts of Jillian because it allows for these special bonding times with Megan.

Tonight's excursion? The land of make believe, animatronics, the faint whisper of BO wafting in the air, and sewer rats that do the electric slide.

Of course we went to Chuck E. Cheese.

Except we almost didn't.

Because Megan FREAKS. THE. HECK. OUT. at mascots and other adult-sized cartoon characters in costume like Obama in a room full of Republicans. So I had to warn her in the car there was a slim chance we might see Chuck but it would just be a person in a costume.

Uhhh ... she no likey. And had a minor meltdown in the parking lot. However I finally got her to relent to entering the building ... in my arms, so she could case the place for that roided up mouse.

The fear of seeing the mouse was quickly forgotten amidst the chaos and clanging of bells, tokens clattering here and there, and the din of numerous video games in use. It's basically a casino for the under 12 set.

After her tour I asked if she wanted to stay or go.

"I wanna stay daddy." Okay, then.

In fact, after seeing the animatronic Chuck start going through his usual spiel she made me move tables so we could be CLOSER to him. Who is this girl?

After pizza I took her up to the fake Chuck and once we got 5 feet away she was all done. To the games!

The next 45 minutes was a whirlwind of ticket grabbing, fake car driving, and photo booth fun between dad and daughter. And I loved every second of it. Even skee-ball where she struggled to even get the ball off the ramp. Whatever. She had so much fun that she didn't even mind when the 'real' Chuck came out and did some sort of line dance and then made it rain with tickets.

At the end of the night we cashed in our 44 tickets for two suckers and two sheets of stickers. That is a night well spent.

And I even had her back home by curfew. What a great date.

Winter is here

2010-12-02T22:20:00.000-05:00

Our first snow of the year hit yesterday ... and it kind of hasn't stopped since then, although it's been very mild throughout. Luckily I got the outdoor lights up on Tuesday ... the day before the big snow came that I didn't know was coming. Whew.

But now Megan is ready for winter with her spanking new pink coat thanks to the Riels! We appreciate the 'early' birthday present. :)

BTW ... Megan said she wants to build a snowman at some point this year. I come from the South ... I've never made one before. This could be interesting. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for our snowman efforts.

... and it's sing song time

2010-11-30T22:43:00.000-05:00

Here it is. Day 30. For the second year in a row I've successfully navigated the waters of November blogging. Why I don't just tell myself it's 'Blogging Month' every month and update more the rest of the year I have no idea, but for whatever reason November seems to be when my biorhythms hit their peak.

Although truth be told I copped out more this month with relying more on pictures than actual stories. Whatever ... you guys just want the pics. I know how you roll.

I also learned that Megan is GOBS of fun at this age. Don't tell her I said this but the baby years were only so-so compared to toddler Megan. The other morning she brought a book with her into our bedroom while Jill got ready for work, "The Best Mouse Cookie." Perhaps you've heard of it. And for twenty minutes we read it together and she asked questions about the action in the pictures and seemed truly interested in wanting to understand the 'story' as opposed to just absent-mindedly reeling off "What's that?" a mind-numbing twenty times like normal. It wasn't anything major, just a brief moment of a routine day, but it amped me up for the day. She's awesome.

Oh, and one other thing I've learned. Megan loves stickers. Except with not putting them where they're supposed to go.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-11-29T11:17:00.000-05:00

Here's the inside scoop on how we spent our Thanksgiving weekend. Enjoy the photo album and so glad my sister and her boys could make the trip to meet us in St. Louis.

Time Out!

2010-11-28T22:36:00.000-05:00

The creature you see before you is dangerous and highly volatile. It is found only in the depths of our living room and kitchen and is a beast so vile that it brings grown men and women to their knees. Scientists refer to it as Lobsterius Terrificus ... but we know her better as "Lobster Claw."

Normally she attacks during dinner creation but not tonight. We arrived home from the holidays after an 8 hour car ride and Megan was itching to be active. So she went wild through all her toys and settled on Lobster Claw. But what made tonight especially funny happened AFTER she attacked me.

Upon devouring my leg Megan put her lobster claw in timeout. I found that mildly amusing since she seemed to want to separate her actions in the crime. But after spending a few minutes with me she walked back over to the claw and said, "Are you ready to talk now?" Which of course, is exactly what Jillian and I say to her when SHE is in timeout. I'd say as far as modeling goes, she nailed it. The only thing missing was her actually talking to the claw. Maybe next week.

L'il Thug

2010-11-27T22:55:00.000-05:00

WAY back in the day you may remember this picture. Quite possibly one of my favorite photos of Megan ever.

Well today we took this one. It appears Baby Meesy (that's her street name ... rhymes with 'cheesy') has grown into Young Meesy. She has decided my knit hat is now hers and well, I think it gives her that right amount of mix between the next generation Ke$ha and something American Girl would mass market to suburban girls. It's a fine line, but I think she rocks it, especially with the coordinating necklace and snack cup of Goldfish.

Time Warp!

2010-11-26T22:26:00.001-05:00

Sooo ... about yesterday. I know I 'forgot' to post a picture but I have a good reason. Besides, with a little creative Internet rejiggering if you look at the date of this posting you can see I conveniently turned back the clock for this to technically be posted yesterday.

See, we're at my parents and they decided that yesterday we were going to spend the day, and night, in a villa on the property of this winery about an hour outside St. Louis. (If you live in and around the St. Louis area I highly recommend checking this place out.) The one rule was no technology. Just family time. So no internet, no TV, etc. Therefore I feel like I'm allowed this technological do-over. And when I can get back home and download photos from my real camera ... you'll see the trip was worth it.

Anyway, here are some photos from the recent Make-a-Wish fundraiser at Megan's school. And thanks to the raffle, I'm now the proud winner of a free haircut and a $50 gift certificate to BD's Mongolian Grill. Score. Next out-of-town visitor will probably win a free dinner there too. Just sayin'.

Megan refused to get her face painted, but decided to get a caterpillar on her hand instead.

She searches for 'buried treasure' and SOMEHOW found a ring hidden in the sand.

And finally she decorated a pumpkin with mommy.

How fancy is mom looking? I'm definitely a lucky guy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T23:27:00.000-05:00

Megan had a wonderful Thanksgiving with her close family. Cousins Seth and Christian are treating her like royalty and she loves it. However we need to work on her dedication. She napped through the big meal and then turned her nose up at the turkey and stuffing offered her. Silly girl.

On the road for turkey day...

2010-11-24T23:58:00.000-05:00

Here's how we roll across the greater Midwest region in search of family and fellowship while feasting on a fabulous turkey. As you can see Megan had varying emotions during the trip. But thanks to some dance music and LOTS of Dora videos we made it safe and sound.

Rest Day

2010-11-23T23:48:00.002-05:00

Blogger is being silly and not letting me post any pictures ... and I have been busy Thanksgiving preparations. So my energy is all sapped up. Hopefully St. Louis will re-ignite my writing skills.

The Rehearsal

2010-11-22T23:18:00.000-05:00

Just over a month ago we went to the wedding of Jillian's cousin near Chicago. I have some great shots from the wedding that I hope to share with you soon, but this particular image stood out. This was taken the day before the wedding at the rehearsal where Megan decided she was going to carry the rehearsal bouquet into the building.

I think she looks absolutely adorable. This was a task that allowed her to be 'involved' so I know it made her happy. I can see a skip in her step and I can just envision the smile on her face, despite not being able to see it. With her mom's help and guidance, I see a young lady who is headed down the right path to understanding who she is.

But I also see the sadness of a time when she will no longer be my little girl. When someone else will take center stage in her life. My friends, the Bowdens (check out their blog in my friends section), gave me a book at the end of my last visit with them entitled, "What A Difference a Daddy Makes," and it's specifically about the relationship between a father and daughter by psychologist Kevin Leman. There are lots of good tidbits to be gleaned from reading it, but the part that had me a bit teary was his description of what it felt like for him leading up to the wedding of his daughter. I cried at the thought.

I mean is there anything that tells you what an emotional wreck this girl makes me, when she's not even three yet and I'm already crying about her potential wedding that is hopefully some twenty years in the future? But what moments like this, and books like the one I mentioned above, also help me do is place my wife in perspective too. The love I feel for Megan is the same love I'm sure Carey feels for Jillian and it recommits me to wanting not only to be the best father I can be, but to be the best husband I can be, to affirm to Jillian that she is special and wonderful too. And trust me, before you start saying 'awwww', trust me, there are PLENTY of times when I could've done better.

So when I look at this picture ... I guess I see hope. Hope that I will have the strength to slowly pull away from controlling my daughter too much as she ages and prepares for a life where my role is minimized. And hope that I will continue to strengthen my relationship with Jillian, because she too is worth it.

Potato Head

2010-11-21T20:52:00.000-05:00

Megan loves to spend time doing her potato head. If you notice she gave him two mouths instead of a nose ... but she definitely remembered to give Mrs. Potato Head her purse and accessorize her with glasses on top of her head. Because even with creative play that doesn't mean you can't be fashionable.

Just in the nick of time ...

2010-11-20T23:57:00.005-05:00

I am currently out of town this weekend so tonight's will be short. Megan advises you to bundle up and stay warm as winter approaches.

BIG GIRL SWINGS!

2010-11-19T19:35:00.004-05:00

One of the greatest joys for Megan I think was 'graduating' to the big girl swings this fall. I think the smile on her face in the second picture confirms it.

Boyfriends?!?!

2010-11-18T19:35:00.000-05:00

So that sweet four-wheeler yesterday of our neighbors? Here he is helping Megan create imaginary games with stuff they found in our shed. These two are super sweet together. They yell across the yard to each other and run to give each other hugs. In fact, from Megan's vantage point at our dining room table she can see over to Toby's kitchen/living room so she keeps us informed on whether she can see Toby and what he's up to. Kind of stalkerish, but it's all very sweet and innocent.

But seriously ... look at him. He's all cute and blonde and adventurous. How can she resist those surfer boy looks here in frigid Michigan? She can't. And while I'm not planning a 2030 wedding just yet for these two, I like that she's good friends with him. He's the youngest of five and is basically a ball of dirt. I think he's a good influence on Megan and her first-child predisposition.

POW POW POWER WHEELS

2010-11-17T21:13:00.000-05:00

Megan borrowed the four-wheeler from our neighbor Toby and took it for a little joy ride. Future passengers be warned ... she can either steer OR push the pedal to go. She cannot do both. You've been warned.

Hoop Dreams

2010-11-16T22:10:00.000-05:00

Leafy Bliss!

2010-11-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

We've lived in Grand Rapids for over a year and a half and the ONE thing I absolutely abhor about living at our house is the sheer volume of leaves it generates in the fall. Those huge trees are fabulous in the spring and summer ... but not so much when they're dry, brown, and boring on my lawn.

Unless you have the cutest little helper. Truth be told, the leaves you see here were after we had already raked off one round of them ... and have since raked off two or three more layers of these evil pests. But when you have someone who can show you the joy in the mundane tasks? Somehow the sun feels just a touch brighter on your back, and the air just a bit more crisp.

Lies!

2010-11-14T22:34:00.000-05:00

Well today was a first ... Megan lied to me. I guess, technically it wasn't her first lie, seeing as how every time I ask her if she went potty in her pull-up she says no, only for me to learn quite the opposite. But I consider those 'lies' as part of the give-and-take repartee we have with each other.

Today's lie felt more like a tiny seed being planted ... one that needs to be doused with a shot of RoundUp. Megan spent the first 45 minutes of her nap time babbling to her stuffed animals and singing songs. When I went upstairs to prod her into sleeping, she informed me she was just waking up ... she had already been sleeping, despite the evidence I heard over the monitor in her room. But no, she stayed committed to her little sordid tale. I refused to fall for her little ruse, and SHOCKINGLY, ten minutes later she fell asleep for the next two hours. That little munchkin. How dare she think she can pull one over on me.

Go East!

2010-11-13T23:48:00.001-05:00

The high school football team in our school district won their semi-final game today and advanced to the state finals where they will be trying to win their fifth state championship in a row. Because we want to embrace the culture of our community we have gone to a few games, both last year and this year.

Last year, with the games starting at 7, Megan barely made it a quarter before throwing a tantrum and us having to shepherd her home to bed. This year, she's a little bit older, and a bit more cognizant of what's going on around her, which has made Friday night football games a blast.

Mind you she could care less about the actual game. She gives the field a fleeting look every once in a while but her eyes mostly focus in on two groups; the band and the student section. We sit between the two and Megan darts her eyes back and forth between them. She absolutely loves the band, and in fact, on a random night a few weeks ago we had to stop by the field as we passed just so she could hear the band practice.

And the other group of kids in the student section she seems to be following for fashion advice. After our first game we HAD to get her a blue hoodie and a gold ribbon to put in her hair because that's EXACTLY what the girls in the student section had on. It could've been a lot worse. But whatever the reason, I'm glad she loves going to football games and we're now able to make it all the way through halftime (you have to stay for the band) before having to head home. Maybe next year I'll get to stay through the third quarter.

Friday Funday!

2010-11-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

Another cell phone shot ... but it captures the moment well. Spend tonight doing something that gives you joy. Megan would want you to.

GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL!

2010-11-11T20:36:00.000-05:00

Recently Jillian's brother John came back to town for his five-year college reunion. As part of the festivities he took part in an alumni soccer game for former members of the varsity soccer team. Former players who were now in their 40s and 50s were playing, as well as more recent graduates like John so it was quite a sight to behold.

The event itself was fairly entertaining for its slightly-less than collegiate quality in play. Lots of errors, lots of miskicks, and definitely lots of stamina issues. However, after the game, Megan wandered her way onto the field and was THRILLED to play soccer with her uncle.

Just look at her on that field. She's a definite natural. I think she's going to have to work on her size. She's pretty simple to push off the ball and that doesn't bode well. But look at that tenacity. That refusal to give up. I think she's ready for the U4 league this summer.

Cafe 'Moo'cha

2010-11-10T22:59:00.000-05:00

If Megan is going to truly embrace our family she has to get used to the bookstore. After getting her hair done (please notice the nice even bangs and a well done ribbon ... she ONLY sits still for the stylist to do her hair, NOT mom and dad), we went to Barnes and Noble for a quick snack and to check out the latest news from US Weekly, GQ, and Highlights.

She's not quite ready to join in our John Mayer/Kim Kardashian are they/aren't they rumors and what the latest on Lindsay Lohan's rehab stint is. BUT she is ready to discuss the latest with Elmo, Fancy Nancy, and Madeline. I have yet to find a TMZ equivalent for toddlers but if there is one I suggest you bone up. Because this girl is on it.

Yee-Haw!

2010-11-09T20:45:00.000-05:00

Please excuse the graininess of this camera photo above. It was taken when Megan and I were at the Children's Museum a few weeks ago. Her smile is still a work in progress, she likes to grind her jaw a little bit, but she's still precious.

Our Little Helper

2010-11-08T20:08:00.000-05:00

Now that Megan is older, she's given more and more responsibility in helping out the family. But one 'chore' she actually chose for herself has been to set the table. One of us hands her the plates, but she reaches into the drawer, pulls out the silverware, and gets the napkins for the table. And as you can see above ... she is extremely proud with her ability to pitch in.

Anybody else have ideas on what types of chores a 2.5 year old kid can do around the house? I'd love to continue this desire of hers further if possible.

ArtPrize '10

2010-11-07T15:42:00.000-05:00

One of the great things I love about Grand Rapids is ArtPrize. I don't remember writing about it last year but it's absolutely amazing. Over 1,000 artists exhibit their pieces all across the downtown area. In fact, an adjunct art professor at Aquinas where I work ended up winning the entire contest for his 300 square foot pencil drawing of a calvary unit from WWI. So cool to see our downtown bustling with folks and that art is the reason for all of it.

Plus it provides a perfect opportunity for us to take Megan downtown and wander through all the pieces. There are lots for her to play with and touch, and several we have to tackle her from touching, but that was to be expected. The picture at the top with Megan next to the lioness was part of a family of lions all made by welding steel nails together. And below is a piece next to the Children's Museum that featured iron elephants whose heads bobbed up and down. The picture captures Megan's delight in getting to move the head up and down.

I promise not all the art was made from iron. There were more traditional forms as well as several extreme pieces (think ice sculptures, oversized greeting cards, human blood as a medium, etc.) But another cool piece that we weren't able to see was a gigantic penny ... made from thousands of actual pennies.

Not much else to say except ArtPrize is awesome and one of the cool things about the city. Plus to expose Megan to a whole bunch of cool artwork.

Puzzling Girl

2010-11-06T14:27:00.001-04:00

When Megan isn't running me ragged with her usual hijinks of dress-up clothes, using her play kitchen, or reading books, she is badgering me to do puzzles. All kinds of puzzles. Her fairy puzzles, the Charlie and Lola book with puzzles inside of it, the simple alphabet and numbers puzzles from earlier this year, but primarily she loves to do her "Very Hungry Caterpillar" puzzle.

After numerous times doing it together she's basically memorized how the puzzle works. I've tried to teach her about finding the edge pieces first and creating the frame of the puzzle but she doesn't seem to understand that. Instead she knows the fruit go on the bottom and so she grabs those pieces first, and then puts the caterpillar's face together and works from there. In her own right, it's a fairly interesting way to solve the puzzle, just not the usual methodology of puzzle solving.

Just another instance of her showing me she will choose to do things her own way I suppose.

So tired

2010-11-06T00:08:00.001-04:00

Jillian and I went to a fundraiser outing for the Aquinas softball team tonight so no real time to report any big news. We're all so tired and in need of sleep. Even Megan. Here she is from a few weeks ago during nap time at her grandparent's house.

Mommy's Office

2010-11-04T15:42:00.000-04:00

Last week, before Jillian took off for parts unknown, we showed up for an office pumpkin carving contest. What, you're office doesn't stop being productive in the middle of the afternoon to gather around the conference table, watch Shrek, eat homemade hors d'oeuvres, and carve pumpkins? Contact your HR department ... you might have a claim. Or not.

So Megan and I made it over to mommy's office so she could check out Jill's digs. Given Megan's nature, she quickly took over mommy's chair and desk and made it her own. And although the picture above looks like Jill's office is rather barren and rented from a soundstage, I promise it was just the angle of the shot. She has a window, pictures, and even awards scattered throughout.

I'm so grateful Megan has such an inspiring female figure in Jillian. While there are times where Jillian's travel schedule causes me some angst, I think in the long run it reinforces the message to Megan that she can achieve whatever her goals eventually become (like a professional golfer I hope) and Jillian serves as a great role model for work ethic.

Daddy-Daughter Date Night

2010-11-03T21:49:00.000-04:00

Jillian had to go out of town for work this week which allowed Megan and I to take advantage of this precious time and have a daddy-daughter date. So I gave her the choice of all of her favorite places for dinner. And she chose ... Chipotle.

So we bonded over quesadillas and tacos. Afterwards my daughter conquered one of her fears too. She has been deathly afraid of car washes for some reason. I went through one with her about seven months ago and she freaked out. I think she gets scared of the brushes as they 'attack' the car.

Several weeks ago we took Megan to the car wash by our house where you get out of the car and can watch the process from the window. She seemed to take that rather well. So last night, after our dinner date at Chipotle, we drove by the same car wash and she said, "Car wash open daddy. Wash car." I was stunned. I asked if she wanted to be in the car, or out of the car and she said in. So of course I had to go through with it.

She was fine up until halfway through the process when the brushes started 'attacking' the car. I held her hand, we sang songs, and I tried to explain the process as it happened to comfort her. After it was all over she was so excited. She was my brave little girl. What a great date.

Happy Halloween

2010-11-02T20:51:00.000-04:00

As Megan gets older, the holidays become more and more enjoyable. This year's Halloween was no different. She had decided weeks ago that she was going to be a doctor, so the costume was the easy part. What came much more difficult was getting her to say "Trick or Treat" to strangers.

She was great saying it for us, but I knew once she had to go off into the 'real world' she was going to clam up like she always does. And that was true Sunday night too ... until ... candy entered the equation. After no lie, three houses, she was not bashful AT ALL. She wouldn't be completely up the steps of a house yet before the velcro of her candy bag was ripped open in preparation for the next treat. It was so cute.

She didn't even freak out. In fact, her biggest meltdown was when we poured all her candy out at the end of the night and tried to divvy it up for ourselves. That didn't work. But once she fell asleep I think a few ghouls and goblins got into her treat bag.

Fall Spirit

2010-11-01T10:39:00.000-04:00

(FYI: It's November again, which means it's National Blogger Month or something like that. Anyway, I'm hopeful to have something up every day this month. It will require some 'older' stories from the past few months that I haven't written about yet, but I think we can do it.)

Megan went on a recent trip to Michael's and was enamored with their fall decorations. She especially liked the oversized corn. The angle of the picture makes it seem like her body is all disproportionate but I promise she has a neck and she does not spend all day doing shoulder shrugs.

Halloween Ideas

2010-10-04T21:46:00.000-04:00

Now that fall is definitively in the air, Megan's mind is wandering towards Halloween. She's been told it's a day of candy collection and dress up, big surprise she's on board. The above picture is her flipping through a catalogue of halloween costumes for kids. She's two-and-a-half. I fear for her future shopping potential.

Every page she pointed to at least 2-3 pictures and inquired, "What's that?!"And I unfortunately had to respond with ridiculous answers like "Snow Princess,""Elf Queen," and "Faerie Sprite." Awesome. I'm NOT letting my daughter be any of those sordid characters. So thankfully when we asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween she told us she wanted to be a doctor. Jill's mom is making the scrubs so we should be all set. Well a doctor with a turtleneck and sweats under her scrubs ... it is Michigan in late October after all.

Heaven help me on this holiday when she gets older.

A Clue! A Clue!

2010-09-23T14:22:00.000-04:00

In the land of children's make-believe TV, there are few cartoons that are as successful as Blues Clues. This show especially resonates with Megan b/c, coincidentally, it happens to be on while we are getting ready in the morning.

Look I know some of you out there are making your own baby food, making fantastic birthday cakes, or teaching your kids about polygons and are UTTERLY APPALLED at our parenting logic of having her zone out on cartoons. But hey, parenthood is about survival sometimes.

Well last week reality and fantasy collided. No, Jillian did not get to meet her favorite football player, Tom Brady, although that IS a fantasy. Instead "Blues Clues Live" came to the Civic Theatre here in Grand Rapids. And what kind of dad would I be if I didn't get tickets.

Actually, to be honest, I had clipped the idea out of the paper and, absentmindedly, left it on the coffee table where Megan's wandering eye caught sight of it.

"Blues Clues Daddy! Blues Clues Daddy!" And that's when we got 3 tickets for Blues Clues figuring this would be a great way to introduce her to the "THE-uh-TUR" (please say in as snooty an accent as possible).

I was not prepared for the chaos of this show. The din of noise from the kids in attendance was what I can only describe as the inside of a beehive. But Megan was frozen. She just stared. At the other kids, the stage, the lights, the sheer size of the theatre. When the performance began and "Steve" skidooed from the TV onto stage and then a five-foot "Blue" came on stage Megan was in awe, and terrified slightly at the same time. I know this only because from this point on she preferred watching the show from our laps.

One thing the performance solidified for me about Megan's personality is that she definitely analyzes a situation before entering into it. While other kids were shouting and dancing from the onset, Megan didn't fully let go and point out clues on stage or take part in the dancing numbers until about 3/4 of the way through. But she does this in other contexts to; observing and watching others first before attempting it herself. At this point I'm not sure if this tentativeness is from shyness, fear, anticipation, etc. I just know it's a part of her makeup.

So after the show it was thrilling to see her, in her own way, say hi to "Steve." The following pictorial captures it all perfectly; from the clinging uncertainty to the slight hesitation, to confident completion of her task. (We'll pretend to look away from the immediate return to Jillian's arms after the encounter. Baby steps.)

Summer '10

2010-09-07T23:28:00.000-04:00

Alright ... since there were a lot of items from this summer I missed out on writing a blog post on, I decided to mash them all up into a mega montage. It was the only way I could get my head back above water with the blog and not feel like a complete failure. Enjoy.

Espen

2010-09-03T00:43:00.000-04:00

"Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers

the o'er fraught heart, and bids it break." ~ Shakespeare

Perhaps I should have seen God's plan entering my life when my good friend Jeff Riel presented me with a book about a month ago. It's titled, "The Art of Racing in the Rain." I'd never heard of it, but have since seen it on the bestseller lists and hear it might even be made into a movie.

Basically it's "Marley and Me" as a drama. And I cried my eyes out throughout the course of the novel. That's really nothing new. I've been known to weep at a particularly touching episode of Gray's Anatomy. Whatever, it's who I am. I even started bawling watching "Eight Below" on a flight one time because I hated seeing the dogs being left behind in Antarctica. Jill said passengers around me were a bit concerned.

So how God, and Jeff for that matter, knew I needed a book like this was beyond me. I mean I cried reading it, but surely I wouldn't have to face such serious issues with my own dog. Espen was invincible right? He was going to outlive the sun with his exuberance. How did I get to this point so quickly when at his checkup in May the doctors were telling us he looked like he was closer to a three-year-old instead of the ten-year-old body he was inhabiting?

About four weeks ago, he began relieving himself in the house; odd behavior for a dog that never did that. After a few days of this we took him in, and the vet found blood in his waste. We thought it was potentially a bacterial infection but several medications, re-checks, continued urinating in the house showed it had moved beyond that. After these last tests, our doctor said it was potentially bladder cancer but they wouldn't know for sure until they'd sedated him and run some tests. At that point, we were faced with a hardship. Having to put a price on our dog. The tests alone were not cheap and we had no clue what the treatment would be when they were done and how long it might prolong his life. So it was with HEAVY, HEAVY hearts that we had Espen put to sleep today.

The 45 minutes at the vet this afternoon were some of the most painful in my life. Jill and I began talking about this possibility a week or so ago, mentally preparing ourselves for this journey. The painful part is that there were no outward signs of decay. He still ran and jumped like he normally did. It wasn't due to old age, it was just something we couldn't protect him from. Perhaps that's why I feel so guilty. With no obvious outward signs I felt like I had betrayed him with this decision.

Growing up we always had cats in our house and over the course of time I remember four being put to sleep. Maybe because I was a kid, and ignorant to those sorts of feeling, it never affected me. Besides, the cats were really the pets of my parents. But Espen. He was MY dog.

We got him, literally a week after we got home from our honeymoon. And maybe that's why his passing is so hard for me. All of our memories as a couple, and now as a family, have included him. I remember the first night we got him Jill was adamant he was going to sleep in his crate downstairs and not in our room upstairs. Fifteen minutes after we went to sleep, he jumped on our bed and we looked at each other incredibly. Turns out I had forgot to latch the roof of his cage properly and he had found a way out. I returned him back to the firmly secured cage, and 30 minutes of whining on his part later, Jill reluctantly relented, and our bed has slept three for most of the past decade. How do you let go of someone with the tenacity like that to be by your side.

His most precocious trait was his refusal to be contained. At each of the three houses we've owned, they've been "Espen-proofed." Until he would escape, again and again, to show us where the breeches in our defense lied.

Friends giggled at his flying leaps off the back of our couch and his determined demeanor at sniffing through all luggage. I laughed at his attempts to hump other dogs, his romps through snowy backyards, and even his 'morning breath'. I hated that he barked every time the doorbell rang or, for godsake, a six-year-old would dare use the sidewalk in front of our house. I wished he was more of a lap dog, instead he preferred to just be in the same room with you, just beyond arms reach mostly. But god he was a great dog.

When Jillian traveled for work, he was my security blanket. The soothing force of the room, the quiet protector, someone to 'talk' to while she wasn't around, and his presence calmed me on her nights away.

And for the past two years I have watched him go from bemused indifference to tolerant of Megan as she put her stamp on our household. He was extremely patient with her, even in the last few months, when she would pull his tail, step on him accidentally when climbing off the couch, or in some cases, blatantly sitting on him. I will remember her determination to take him for walks despite the fact he weighed more than her. I laugh thinking about how she learned where his treats were and loved being able to give them to him on her own when he entered the house. I was excited for her to have memories of him as her "first dog" and now I fear those memories will only exist in my memories and in our photos.

I know all families deal with this at some point, and others of you have experienced this too and gotten through it, and I will too. In the immediate aftermath it's just hard to comprehend the why and the guilt that I feel in this whole process. I'm saddened that Megan won't remember him in time, and yet I'm hopeful she won't ask too many questions of his disappearance because, honestly, I'm not sure what to say. In time I'm quite sure we'll get another dog. When, I don't know. Probably when Megan starts begging for one. And I know the next dog will share some of Espen's qualities but not all. And time will eventually dull the pain in my head, in my heart, and in my tears.

We are blessed to have such supportive friends, like Jeff, who had no idea the meaning behind the book when he offered it to me, of animal-loving parents who have promised repeatedly that this was the right thing to do. I know it is. But at the moment all I can do is grieve for the loss of a truly great friend who was taken too soon.

My last words to him as our teary faces pressed together were that I loved him beyond words, that I pray he understands and forgives me of this sin against him, and that I am capable of doing enough right in my lifetime so I can see him again. May he rest in peace.

Homemade Shirts

2010-08-25T23:12:00.000-04:00

Most of you who know me know that I'm not a 'craft guy.' I last operated a sewing machine in junior high home economics class. Point being that I don't come up with cool, homemade crafts. Well, earlier this summer I happened to stroll into one of those upscale children's boutiques with the Swedish this and the German that and the sequined shoes that retail for more than what I pay for my own shoes.

While there I saw these EXTREMELY cute t-shirts with a huge, single letter sewed on them. Of course there was one with a big, huge paisley 'M' and I wanted to get it for Megan. Turns out, said t-shirt was $32. Now, when Jillian was pregnant and I had lofty aspirations of outfitting my daughter solely in Ralph Lauren and Janie and Jack items I probably wouldn't have batted an eye. But since Megan has been born and I've realized how quickly she goes through clothes and how expensive she is in general, there's NO WAY I'm paying $32 for a t-shirt.

And it seemed so simple. Serendipitously one weekend Jillian mentioned having to run to Michael's for some asinine reason; fake flowers, a picture frame, a fleur-de-lis bookcase thingy, whatever. BUT I knew they had fabric so I flung Megan into the car and headed to girl world. Who knew there was a glut of cutesy patterns to create this project with. I narrowed it down to about 5-6 choices and had Jillian help me with the final picks and we grabbed some plain t-shirts there. Total cost for THREE shirts and fabric? Like $18. MUCH better deal.

However, I STILL had a problem. That whole sewing thing. Fortuitously, I was about to take Megan to St. Louis with me to visit my parents, and my mom just happens to be an expert seamstress. Like legitimately. In her spare time she made custom curtains and such for high-end homes a few years back. She even smacked me when I told her I wanted to embroider the shirts. She corrected me and said I was looking to do an 'applique.' Ok, whatever.

So I pawned off the actual crafting of the piece to my mom. She didn't have time to do it while we were there that weekend but she texted me a few days after we got back and said the shirts were coming via UPS. I was giddy.

And these snapshots were what she created from my vision. I think they look fabulous. Megan is totally ALL about them and we couldn't be happier. It was a true family project and we saved boat loads of cash. Unfortunately for my mom, she doesn't know this yet, but I'm about to use her like a Nike sweatshop. In all seriousness ... thanks mom for making such awesome shirts. I literally couldn't have done it without you.

(BTW, I don't know why her 'smile' at this age looks like she's trying to grind her teeth down in painful agony. I'm trying to work with her on it, but there's not much I can do right now. Just know that's her happy face.)

Megan Unplugged

2010-08-24T23:01:00.000-04:00

Since I've taken absolutely forever to post any worthwhile stories from this summer I thought the least I could is provide you with a medley of some of her 'greatest hits' at the moment. Jillian would like to point out that she appears to have gotten her singing voice from her father. Sadly, I can't disagree with this assessment.

Duck Duck GOOSE!

2010-08-22T15:20:00.000-04:00

Like the rest of you, our family has been lamenting the loss of summer these past few days. Megan started back to daycare full time again last week and Aquinas starts back up this week for classes. So this weekend we were looking forward to being outside.

Yesterday, we walked to the lake by our house with some old bread to feed the ducks. Megan was SUPER excited and inwardly I hoped feeding the ducks would allow her to work on her throwing motion (don't act too surprised).

When we got to the lake there were only three ducks milling around. That would change quickly. By the time we threw a few pieces out to them, turned around and broke a bunch of pieces off for Megan, we were swarmed by, no exaggeration, 18 ducks. Which would've been fine except my beautiful daughter has no control over her throwing skills. So instead of tossing the bread in the water, Meg started spraying bread all over the ground. From that point on it was Hitchcock's "Birds" recast in the form of ducks.

At one point Jillian squealed because she turned around and almost stepped on a duck. And one brave duck even went so far as to bite bread out of Megan's hand. That freaked her out. She gave up feeding the ducks and just started shouting "Water duckies! Water!" from behind my legs at them. If it wasn't so traumatizing for her I might have laughed harder.

Despite the 'attacks' we all returned home with all of our limbs and hopefully a new found respect for the determination of ducks.

Big Girl Bed!

2010-08-06T08:51:00.000-04:00

Our efforts at making Megan a big girl via potty training is a definite failure. But we did catch her trying to scale her way out of the crib a week or so ago, and thus, Megan is now an official 'big girl' with a big girl bed to match.

The crib we bought for Megan is a convertible crib/bed/transformer/Ronco food dehydrator or something like that, so I figured the transition from crib to bed would be time consuming. So of course I called my father-in-law to come help. Some might see this as a sign of weakness on my part. I built her play kitchen last Christmas. My skills are beyond question ... I just thought Carey may want to feel useful ... sure, that's it.

So imagine my chagrin when he arrives, we start, and the deassembly/assembly requires about 8 bolts to be untightened and then retightened with an allen wrench. I'm definitely not helping my relationship with my mechanically-inclined father-in-law.

Fifteen minutes later I felt like all memories of the past two-and-a-half years had been vanished. Megan wasn't even in the bed yet and I felt a whole stage of her life had been wiped clean. Thank goodness back in those days I used to blog regularly to remind me ... instead of now.

But once it was put together our quality control inspector came in, gave it a few jumps, loaded it with stuffed animals and declared it a success. Megan now runs around saying "big girl bed." Our biggest fear was that one morning I would walk in and see she had demolished her room at some point during the night. But we're a week in and so far she's been great (knock on wood) at staying in her bed.

And heck, if Jillian gets mad at me, I found out I can even crash in it. Of course without a crib now I have no idea where we would put a second baby ...

Megan hosts Reva

2010-07-24T15:05:00.000-04:00

Recently we had the grand privilege of hosting Reva and Norah Riel to our house. And their parents. But for Megan it was all about seeing her friend Reva.

The weekend started off rocky. Friday morning, Megan and I were watching cartoons on my bed when we heard Reva wake up. Megan raced over, screamed "REVA!" and got excited. Unfortunately Reva wanted nothing to do with laying on my bed and watching cartoons with us. Oh well.

But the two became fast friends again and had a whirlwind few days of activity. In addition to swimming in the pool, we made sure to spend some time at the zoo ...

... playing with Mr. Potato Head ....

... packing their purses ....

... and bickering over whose turn it is on the ipad.

The grownups, I'm pleased to report, got along wonderfully. Except when Jeff refused to share his ipad with me. And they even got my wife hooked on 'Glee' while they were here. But I guess if they were going to infect us with something, a hankering for showtunes in a high school setting isn't the worst thing ever.

DC United

2010-06-23T08:04:00.000-04:00

Reasons for not posting for a month:

1) on vacation (w/o Megan) for a week ... thanks again to my folks for watching her!
2) End of the school year
3) Spring weather ... being outside until late most nights
4) Spending time spreading 7 cubic yards of mulch around house
5) Too much World Cup to watch
5) Laziness/Burnout

I know most of you would just be happy with picture updates of the wee one but I've had writer's block and a severe lack of motivation in recent weeks to update the blog. If I had an 'Easy' button I could press and have it done, I'd be much happier, but honestly, the weather and late sunlight hours means later bedtimes for all of us which means lack of posts. If you remember ... I feel agonizingly behind last summer too if it makes you feel any better.

So because I feel like it happened years ago ... below are some pictures from our trip last month to DC. Jillian's brother received his masters degree from George Mason University and it was the first plane ride we took having to buy Megan a seat for herself. It was great not having her squirm around in my life for 90 minutes, but dang, that makes flying so much more expensive.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T08:30:00.000-04:00

These past few months of fatherhood have been some of the most exceptional experiences of my life. Megan's vocabulary is ever-expanding, she loves to sing her ABC's (even if most of the letters are somewhat garbled), and she's so genuinely curious about what everything is that she wants to be involved with everything we do.

These past few months of fatherhood have been some of the most challenging experiences of my life. Megan's independence seems to grow exponentially every day and she literally wants to do EVERYTHING herself without assistance from mom or dad, regardless of the task's difficulty. This often leads to tantrums and crying ... oh my goodness, the crying. She seems to have developed a few more octaves on the shrill scale and her foot stomping is becoming first-rate. I live in fear of running errands with her for the sheer thought of having to deal with it. And this is just the beginning of our father/daughter boundary battle. I feel she is seeing through my false sense of confidence and goes to bed dreaming up new ways to torture me.

And yet, despite those frustrations, her independence brings on a different level to our relationship. I can ask her if she's happy and I know her response is an honest one. She is much better at vocalizing her needs, well, her wants better. "More juice daddy." "More cheese daddy." "More chips daddy." "Put on 'toons daddy." And she isn't shy about possessions either. "MY blankie." "MY toys." And heaven forbid you try to put some of her books away without her approval.

But I cannot describe the joy and butterflies I feel when she rumbles over to me, throws her arms around me, or to be more accurate, tackles me and says "I wuv you daddy." And because I know the world hasn't jaded her yet, she truly, truly means it and they are the most beautiful words I could ever hear.

Butterflies

2010-05-18T11:36:00.001-04:00

Not the anxiety induced kind. The winged kind.

In an effort to enrich our daughter's life with activities other than watching Blues Clues, working on her jumpshot, or antagonizing the dog we decided to invest in a season pass to Meijer Gardens, a place filled with amazing plant life that also hosts outdoor concerts in the summer, and more importantly has a delightful children's area.

So a few weekends ago they were concluding their butterfly exhibit and we thought Megan, who had seen pictures of butterflies in her books, would enjoy seeing them in real life. I figured they were fairly harmless creatures. I apparently was not viewing this spectacle from the lens of a two-year-old. Nervous. Apprehensive. Annoyed. All those are fitting adjectives to describe how Megan felt about the butterflies.

She walked through the exhibit circling herself like a dog chasing its tail making sure none of them had deigned to land on her person. She eventually had to watch them from the safety of Jillian's lap. Oh well. Culture will come.

Until then ... there's always giant sandboxes at Meijer Gardens to amuse her.

And plastic boats in large bodies of water.

And tea parties with mommy.

And silliness with daddy.

Personally, that was MY favorite part.

Hoop Dreams

2010-05-05T10:46:00.000-04:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah ... I KNOW this is like the third post that involves basketball. But when you have a sports-crazed dad and a finally mobile daughter, this is what you get.

Actually, it's all timing. When we bought the house last year it had a REALLY NICE $1200 in-ground basketball goal in the driveway. Unfortunately for me, the ONLY thing they specifically wrote in to the contract when selling the house was that the basketball goal was going with them. Rats. After a tortuous year of staring at where the goal used to reside, I finally got a goal to replace it.

HOWEVER, the replacement is NOT a $1200 basketball goal. I'm not that insane. But because it wasn't the exact model my father-in-law had to draw up some plans and have a steel piece fabricated that would allow my goal to fit on the pad and screws that were left from the previous owner. By the time we got the piece of steel, our basement started flooding from some heavy Spring rains (that story to come in a few days) and we were forced into an unforeseen home improvement project that pushed putting my basketball goal back a few weeks.

But now it's up and I love it. The only problem is that it only goes down to 7.5 feet at its lowest setting. Megan's good, but she's not ready for that. Soooo, within two days of the goal being up, I raced down to Meijer and picked up a hoop for Megan too.

Within minutes of Megan's hoop being snapped into place, it emitted a siren song only heard to a few of my neighbor's kids. They're 6 and 3 and have been over about five times to hang out whenever Megan and I are shooting. The irony is they have their own basketball goal.

So far there's been no casualties from Megan being hit in the head from one of my bricked jumpshots, but I know it's coming. I did run over the neighbor kid trying to stop a ball from bounding off into Megan, which caused a few tears but hey, he wasn't set. That's not charging. If he wants to get the call, his feet need to be planted. Maybe he's just using the hoop as a ruse to weasel his way closer to Megan. Hmm...

(Is he checking her out?)

Anyway, the hoop is up and we're all loving being outside. Well, Jillian is tolerating it. The other day my quick trip to take the trash out turned into an impromptu ten-minute shooting session. I think I can only get away with that move once or twice more. Wish me luck.

Raspberries!

2010-05-03T20:23:00.000-04:00

From about 5:30 when Jillian and Megan come home until Megan begins her bath somewhere around 7:30 we're constantly playing. Lately the weather has started to become nicer and we've been playing outside, but last week it was still too cold to do anything, so we made our own indoor fun by giving Megan raspberries.

She would giggle like crazy when I would do it, but would try to push me away at the same time. Next time you're bored, I highly recommend this game though. It's high comedy.

Seeing the 'new' Sampson and South Bend

2010-04-27T00:49:00.000-04:00

Megan is without a doubt 'baby crazy.' She LOVES babies. With her waifish finger she points them out at restaurants, wanders up to them at malls to say hi, and even makes sure her baby doll sleeps in the crib with her at night.

So when our friends Pete and Dinah had their precious daughter, Sloane, there was little doubt we had to introduce Megan to her. On the drive to South Bend, Megan napped for an hour and then we spent the remaining part of the drive practicing saying the baby's name, which came out 'SWOWN" with her best attempts. The L sound escapes her at the moment.

Dinah and Sloane, now four weeks old, greeted us from their veranda and Megan made a beeline for the baby. All attempts at names were out the window. It was "BABY BABY BABY" the whole afternoon. On our walk to the park, it was "Hi Baby!" And during a relaxing early dinner of pizza she was intent on staring at Sloane the entire time.

So seeing her caring, gentle, and loving side to Sloane was reassuring to me. So IF (hey mom, notice I said 'if') we try for a second child, I know that Megan will make a great older sister. At least until they try to take her toys from her.

The Windy City

2010-04-19T14:42:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago Megan took a quick jaunt over to the Windy City. Jillian's cousin is moving back from Washington D.C. and just bought a house with her soon-to-be husband. So, while Jacqui was in town, the girls all loaded up and went out to the Chicago 'burbs to ogle the new house and figure out colors/furniture/remodel plans/etc and for some Oak Brook shopping.

I was fortunate enough to stay home and play golf for a change while they were gone, so I think that's why I've been slow to post pics from that weekend. I do have to sheepishly admit that the trip to Chicago, unlike every other car trip with Megan, went smoothly because Jillian and I caved in and bought a travel DVD player. So Megan blissfully watched Elmo and Thomas the Train videos in the backseat both there and back without incident.

In any event, here are some more shots of the ladies enjoying a balmy Spring Chicago day.

(Megan painstakingly evaluates the trim work for any problems)

(Megan anxiously hopes her frog kisses

amount to a prince, so far no luck)

(Megan with Great Aunt Mary)

(Megan hangs out with Jeff and his dog, Sandy)

BFFs Forever

2010-04-07T23:49:00.000-04:00

Jillian's sister Jacqui spent last week here in West Michigan, utilizing her week off for Spring Break to be with family. I personally love having Jacqui around because she LOVES Megan and is constantly engaging with her niece. Not surprisingly, since she adores kids.

A few weeks ago Jacqui told me she assigned her students (who are BIG fans of the blog I hear ... if so, you are all welcome to leave comments/questions) to write a "Big Feelings" poem. As an example she wrote about a topic that she had big feelings about. Megan. Jacqui sent me a copy of the poem via e-mail but unfortunately I can't find it, otherwise I would share it with you here, but trust me, it was obvious that Jacqui is head over heels for her niece. When her boyfriend Ed jokes that he's going to check the amber alerts from Michigan when she leaves to make sure she hasn't taken Megan from us, you know she's hooked.

Now, obviously we find Megan absolutely adorable, so it's no surprise that Jacqui could be mesmerized by this precious little tike. But I must admit, there's some pretty big feelings for Aunt Jacqui from Megan's perspective as well. When we went to the airport to say goodbye to her, Megan burst into tears and screamed "JACQUI" for several minutes. Everyday since she left, Megan brings me her two new books and is adamant in telling me that Jacqui brought her those books. Jillian and I both feel a bit under appreciated based on the amount of time she spends babbling about how great her Aunt Jacqui is.

I promise to all you reading that she DOES in fact love other people other than her Aunt Jacqui. It's just at the moment, it's hard to tell sometimes. So thanks for coming to visit Jacqui ... it's obvious you have made a huge impact on Megan and for that, Jillian and I are extremely grateful.

Final Four

2010-04-06T08:52:00.000-04:00

Last night's championship game was a classic. Unfortunately the ending didn't quite turn out like we wanted. Jillian and I were both sweating from just watching the end of the game, and even though my only ties to Butler are that the head coach graduated from my alma mater a year before I did, we were both intensely rooting for them to win.

In the end, Butler just didn't make enough shots. Maybe what they need is someone who had a better low post presence who could take it to the rim with authority.

Someone who plays through contact in the lane and displays monster ups.

Someone who is naturally skilled and gifted enough to finish in transition. And perhaps even do it all in pink taffeta. Hmm .... where could they find such a talent?

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T21:40:00.000-04:00

Megan wanted to take a few minutes from her busy day and wish you all a Happy Easter!

Time for some 'Eggs'citement!

2010-03-27T12:40:00.000-04:00

Even though Easter is not until next weekend, a lot of area churches had their big 'eggs'travanganza easter egg hunts today. Unfortunately, Jillian is in New York City this weekend for Cousinfest/Bachelorette party (don't ask) so we were a person down to take part in these festivities.

Knowing we had a big day ahead of us Megan woke up, and came into my room and relaxed in bed with me for some "Blue's Clues" cartoons. After that slow wake-up we had a big breakfast of mickey mouse pancakes (no I didn't make them) and gobs of ooey, gooey syrup. Mmmmm. Washed all the way down with a sippy of good ol' chocolate milk (which coincidentally, we also learned this morning is Blue's favorite snack).

Then we headed over to Calvary Church by our house for their big 'eggs'treme easter egg hunt. On their website they said they had over 10,000 eggs "waiting to be found." Look at this picture. More like 10,000 eggs waiting to be picked up. They weren't really hidden. But it was nice that they had areas roped off for kids of different age groups so I didn't have to 'accidentally' knock some 6-year-old over so Megan could delicately grab an egg.

Even though we got there about only 5 minutes before it started, that length of time is an eternity for a two-year-old. Megan was either coming down off her syrup-high or beginning to lose her patience when the starter finally said he was ready to get us going.

... And then he proceeded to countdown from THIRTY! Who does that. But finally we were off and Megan 'eggs'ceeded all my expectations. She took off for the eggs and very carefully placed them in her elmo easter basket.

The whole thing, start to finish, took about five minutes for all the kids in our section to collect the eggs. Megan was 'eggs'tactic over the number of eggs she was able to grab. Once she found out there was piece of candy in each of them, she became even more 'eggs'uberant.

Hopefully there will be another easter egg hunt next week that Jillian can make. I think that would be 'eggs'cellent.

Strawberry Shortcake

2010-03-25T08:19:00.001-04:00

At the daycare Megan attends, they are in the midst of something I can only think to call "Spirit Week." Much like homecoming week at your high school every day this week has been a different dress up day.

Monday was 'Crazy Hair' day but Megan refuses to let us do most anything to her hair, or if she does, she's ripping out the bow within five minutes. So we washed her hair the night before and only semi-dried before bedtime hoping it would be all over the place. Nope. Perfect hair.

But Tuesday was "Hat Day" and that one she could do. We still had her Strawberry Shortcake hat from her birthday party so she wore that to school. When I dropped her off, I'm a bit biased, but she definitely had the coolest hat of any kid I saw there. And Jillian told me she heard the staff saying "Bye-bye Shortcake" to her yesterday. So she may even have a new nickname now.

Meet the Chacheres (SASH-uh-REEs)

2010-03-23T13:16:00.001-04:00

Part of the fun in celebrating Megan's birthday this year was the ability for my parents to make the trip to Michigan to be with us for the event. They were even able to stay a few extra days and help me take care of Megan while Jill bailed on us for a work conference in San Diego.

They kept Megan so busy that Megan crashed for an unusually long THREE hour nap that afternoon. These people are welcome to babysit for me anytime, and in fact, have already been roped into that for a whole week in late May.

But thinking back on all we accomplished in one day, it's no wonder Megan was so tired.

We spent a great morning playing with birthday toys.

Walked out on a frozen Reeds Lake.

Picking up some 'dress-up' clothes from the local Goodwill.

Improvised at the mall's indoor playarea when our first choice, the Children's Museum was closed.

And even taking a long walk to dinner where Megan was spoiled with TWO whole sippys of chocolate milk.

Puzzle Time

2010-03-22T21:31:00.000-04:00

Megan turns Two! (Take Two)

2010-03-07T20:35:00.000-05:00

It seems with our celebrities lately, it has become de rigueur to have weeklong festivals to commemorate the stunning achievement of nothing more than the day they were born. And, well, it should then come as no surprise that Megan has become a big enough diva to require several fetes in her honor. Although I must say in lieu of a birthday cake, we got these 'cake drops' from a local business and they were DEElicious. They're basically flavored doughnut holes dipped in chocolate.

(Megan's grandparents and one of her great grandparents)

In fact, aside from our cookie cake celebration of the three of us last week, the rest of the family honored Megan this week because my parents were able to drive up from St. Louis for the festivities. It meant a lot for me to have them here, so I'm glad they could make the arduous journey.

(Her friend Gizmo even came from DC to see her)

Even though the party was limited to just family members, we still had 13 people over at our house. And though earlier this week I thought we hadn't really bought that much for her, the present opening ceremony took well over an hour to complete. I think we're definitely scaling back next year (but that's what I said last year, and well, here we are. So who knows.).

(Megan filming her PSA for safety while using power tools)

She received numerous gifts that fell at various points on the subconscious gender role scale for appropriateness for a two-year-old girl. If you'll recall last year I am doing everything I can to keep my daughter from becoming an extreme girlie girl and more of a tomboy. So the tool belt kit, plastic golf clubs, and medical kit all seemed to be breaking free from the gender stereotypes little girls are placed under. But when she also received 'dress up heels', a vacuum cleaner (I confess, we got her that ... but she had seen it at two other friends' houses and played with it, so it was really more of an effective cost/play ratio we were going for., honest.), a hair care/makeup kit, and a peekaboo doll w/ changing table, it is obvious I'm resigning from this fight.

I think it happened somewhere in the middle of having my daughter apply fake lipstick on my lips and getting my nails fake-painted that she's going to be who she'll be regardless of the effect of some of these toys. They probably have some influence on her, but then she also sees me doing the laundry or washing the dishes, and Jillian using a hammer and power tools and I know those images will count for something within her head as well.

(My girls sharing a moment before blowing out the candles)

At two, I literally see that 'sponge' effect taking place in her head and I begin to worry that my parenting abilities are about to be firmly tested. These are important times, and while I'm not the guy who will be scheduling her days as if she's applying to Harvard next year and extra-curriculars matter, I am the guy who wants her to be well-rounded. For her to know how to play a musical instrument, write in complete sentences, and have a modicum of athletic talent are important to me. And those are things that are handled with some good ol' fashioned, hands-on parenting and play on my part. I just hope she likes what I have to offer her as much as what that plastic baby doll does.

Two Year Stats

2010-03-04T12:13:00.000-05:00

We just went to the pediatrician to have Megan looked at for her two year check-up. Or as Megan refers to it, Terrorist Torture Training Day. Believe it or not she's not exactly thrilled to have a complete stranger come at her with various unknown instruments, poking and prodding her, looking for all her "owies."

The cutest part was that she was given a mini-gown to wear for this one. Apparently two is the age where we are supposed to be bashful about her nakedness? Who knows. Maybe it's just ultra-conservative West Michigan morality. But we put her in the cotton gown and as long as I sat on the crinkly paper bed next to her, she was okay. Both Jillian and I told Megan he was going to look in her ears and mouth, feel her belly, etc. several times so that she knew it was coming, but it didn't matter.

In hindsight, we might have only made it more scary. If you told me before you put me in a room with a huge spider, you were, in fact, about to put me in a room with a big spider, but that's it okay and I'll be fine. I would either start clawing your eyes out or pass out from a heart attack. So I can see it from her perspective. Again. In hindsight.

But overall she did great and the doc gave her the last immunization shot she'll need until she turns five. So that should help her become friends with the doctor in the future. Just in time to start introducing her to Mr. Dentist.

Her two year stats:

Height - 33.5 inches (She was measured standing up today and I was told babies measured laying down are actually 'taller' than their actual height because of some reason. Don't ask me why.)
Weight - 29.5 lbs (only ten more pounds and she'll be ready for her MMA cage fight with Espen)

Megan Turns Two!

2010-02-28T23:49:00.000-05:00

\Theoretically, I think it was Megan's birthday today? Or maybe it's tomorrow? When you have a baby who was born on leap day, it's apparently very difficult to ascertain the correct date on which to celebrate this personal milestone in the years when there is no leap day.

The good news is, for now, Megan can't tell when we've been gone for ten minutes or ten hours. Everything is relative to her. Case in point ... we took her shopping for her own birthday party decorations today. While she grabbed an Elmo easter basket and started running through Party City like she was a contestant on "Supermarket Sweep," Jillian casually grabbed streamers, plates, napkins, etc. that would be used for her party, checked with Megan at the end if she liked them while I helped restock the shelves from Megan's spree and we were done.

In fact, we're actually not 'celebrating' her birthday until next week ... a full week after her technical birthday. My parents can come to Michigan next week and be a part of it so we decided to postpone it for a week. So a bigger post is coming. But for now we celebrated with just the immediate family tonight with Megan's favorite dinner: hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls with ketchup dipping sauce, strawberries, pineapples, and corn. Yum. And for dessert? Technically a treat for me, but a nice cookie cake with only chocolate frosting. Mmmm.

We did sing 'Happy Birthday' four times in a row because Megan liked hearing a song with her name in it, so I anticipate doing that again next week. And if you ask her how old she is, she can confidently say two. I can't believe my little girl has gone through another year of growth. As I jokingly tell Jill, "She's 1/9th of the way to leaving home for college." Where does the time go?

Cincinnati Love

2010-02-22T17:18:00.000-05:00

(Our life if we had triplets)

Our good friends the Riels just had their second baby at the end of 2009 and Jill and I had been trying to figure out a good time to traverse through the snow down to see them. Since Jill and Megan both had President's Day off, we went last weekend to see them.

The last time we took Megan on a long car ride, the results were terrible. We were hoping that another six months of growth on her part would aid us in our quest to make the six hour journey with a little more understanding, and a little less shrieking. In retrospect, Megan was better this time around, but that's like saying our economy is better now than it was last year. Nothing to rave about. And so far we've made it without caving in and buying a travel tv/dvd player for her to watch cartoons on and such, but I fear the day may be fast approaching. It's just too hard on our sanity.

(Todd actually interacting with a toddler)

(Megan enjoys jumping high ... with some assistance)

BUT that doesn't mean once we arrived in Cincy, things weren't outstanding. We had an absolute blast. Of course, even with the extra travel day on Monday, the days go by too fast. We made it to several friends' houses to visit and have playdates for Megan (George family ... we'll see you in a few weeks. Don't be mad.).

Megan got to hold a real baby in her lap after hours of practice with her baby doll at home. She spent the better part of the weekend walking up to the Riels' baby and saying, "Hey Baby!" and patting her on the head. In fact she repeated that phrase so much, that Reva, the Riels' two-year-old daughter, turned to Megan and said, "Don't talk." I tried not to laugh but it was too funny. But Reva and Megan got along great and even played dress up together. Let the record show that Megan's first steps in 'high heels' came with the help of Reva's dress-up box. Meg was a bit clumsy in them but she stayed upright and didn't break an ankle. Win win.

(Dress up time!)

We also found out Megan has a love for the piano. Several times she climbed up on the piano bench and banged on the keys in an effort to make music. I'm fine with it as long as piano lessons don't interfere with her tennis lessons. Kidding. Sort of.

But by far, the best part of the trip was leaving Megan with a sitter for a few hours and spending Valentine's Day with friends and enjoying some wine and fabulous food at a little wine bar in Milford. For a few brief moments it felt like Jillian and I had never left Cincinnati and that our lives of the past year hadn't been altered.

On the way back home we talked about when we could come back again to see our friends. And then Megan started wailing from the back seat and tempered our plans. Maybe they can pencil us in for 2014.

Mommy's Necklace

2010-02-18T21:44:00.000-05:00

Megan stole some of her mom's jewelry the other day and decided to play coy.

Morning at the Museum

2010-02-16T15:46:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, the Grand Rapids Public Museum hosted an ethnic heritage festival which allowed us free entrance into the museum to see various artifacts, mediums, foods, clothing, etc. that make up the various ethnic cultures that help make up West Michigan.

So we got to see Dutch dancers in real wooden shoes. See traditional Bosnian dress, a booth on German history in the region, etc.

No surprise that one of Megan's favorite rooms in the whole museum ended up being the doll house room. There were dolls from various eras on display. Unfortunately for Megan, they were behind impenetrable glass that kept her hands from touching the dolls. She thought that was a cruel trick.

By far her favorite part though was the indoor merry-go-round. We both rode with her so I don't have any pictures from the ride, but trust me, she was ecstatic. However, we got a late start to the museum and after about 90 minutes, Megan was ready to head home for a nap.

POTTY TIME!

2010-02-10T20:04:00.000-05:00

As Megan approaches two, Jillian and I have been mulling over the need to start potty training with her. In fact, we were pretty much decided it was going to be one of her birthday presents in a few weeks. But at her daycare, she has been transitioning to the next room up and for the past few days she's been in there, when they do diaper changes, they put them on the potty seats.

So, we went out tonight with her and picked out a potty seat she could have at home. That was a process. There were several models to choose from; there were seats that were truck-themed, dora themed, and one that played songs when you 'flushed' it. But those all came up short. When Megan saw the Sesame Street themed seat, complete with high-fiving, potty-encouraging Elmo on the front, that's the one she requested.

Back at home, we opened it up and she sat on it, fully clothed, just high-fiving Elmo. So far so good. We took it into the bathroom upstairs, its permanent residence, and since we were giving her a bath anyway, took her diaper off and sat her on the potty. We chanted some encouraging words, not really expecting anything, but after a few seconds she ACTUALLY WENT POTTY! I had brought the camera upstairs just to document her first time on it, not even close to expecting her to actually use the thing that I forgot to take pictures. I had to stage these shots (all were taken after she actually did her business).

Jill and I went nuts though. We started praising her like crazy, giving her high fives, and hugs. I'm sure she was confused and dumbfounded as to why we were acting like idiots. Now, I realize tonight is just the first step in this whole process, but it was exciting. And that, in itself, is a sad comment on my life. Imagine my 'joy' when she goes poop for the first time and I have to clean her up. Oh boy.

Hand Art

2010-02-05T08:24:00.000-05:00

Megan finally got around to sending out some thank you notes for all her great Christmas gifts the other day. But she couldn't just scribble her name down. No, Jill had to go all artsy on us. So Megan had her hand traced for the notes, but then wanted to do it over and over and over again. Poor Jill. But I think the finished products turned out nice (blame me for not taking any 'after' pictures).

Diva in Training

2010-01-31T20:42:00.000-05:00

At her current development stage, Megan is constantly developing her independence. She wants to do everything for herself, even if she has no clue what it entails. She'll put her own dirty diapers in the pail, pull her sippy cups off the refrigerator shelf, and even try to tie her shoes, which she woefully fails at every time. I like that she tries though. It's cute to watch her struggles.

This weekend Megan took her independence to the extreme and decided she was dressing herself. Keep in mind, it was FIVE degrees outside on Saturday. Her choice? A yellow t-shirt and a plaid skirt. I tried to get her to wear leggings underneath the skirt, but as you can see, she was having none of it. So since we were staying inside, I didn't really give a rip, so skirt it was. After she was dressed, it was her idea to add the sunglasses. Our little superstar decided those were the MUST HAVE accessory of the weekend.

On Sunday, she went with more of a Lady Gaga look. Or Casper the Friendly Ghost. Who doesn't like a nice white pantsuit-ish sort of ensemble? Of course the sunglasses were ever present.

Finally, for church Jill at least talked her into throwing a black jumper on that really brought a normalcy to the outfit. And, at the very least, another layer of warmth. Later today, Jillian was at least successful in teaching her how to wear the glasses on top of her head. Which Megan thought was HILARIOUS. It's amazing what makes her laugh sometimes. But she was a big fan. And so were we.

D3 Hoops ... It's FANNN-tastic!

2010-01-24T20:00:00.000-05:00

In our sleepy little area of the world there's several reasons to be excited for winter: the holiday season, cuddling on the couch, and the return of Hope College basketball. My father-in-law has had season tickets to Hope games since the late 1970s. In fact, he's been sitting next to the same couple all that time. They even had a daughter the same age as Jillian and both of them would go to Hope games sitting on their father's lap. This year, we've carried on that tradition with the next generation of the family. Secretly I think my in-laws are starting early in pushing Hope as her future college, but I just hope she likes watching sports with me from it.

(reading the scouting report ... good job Megan!)

When we moved here last year during the middle of the season, Jillian's mom GLADLY willed her seat to me and I became indoctrinated into the tradition. Despite now living a half hour away, this season I've commuted in to the games, and it's been great to have something to look forward to during the week.

Now, at my alma mater, the men's basketball games averaged a couple of hundred people max. But at Hope, because of the large area alumni, they have led Division III schools in basketball attendance over the past several years, with roughly 1500 showing up for games. With that type of crowd, it's easy to get caught up in the emotion.

(One of her rare moments of enthrallment with the actual game)

These pictures with Megan are actually capturing her THIRD game of the season. The first time, Carey and I brought her to a Saturday afternoon game they were celebrating the mascot's birthday, so there were 12 mascots all over the arena. If you could choose a game for a little kid to have as their first experience, this was a great choice. Of course she was more concerned with "Homer" from Home Depot and Chuck E. Cheese than she was with the nuances of the pick-and-roll, but she's young.

I'm not sure if she's a true fan yet, but this was the third Saturday in a row she went to a game. I'd like to believe its the camaraderie with her dad or the exuberance of the crowd, but I'm guessing it's probably the popcorn and M&Ms we share with her that does it.

Hey, I never said I wasn't above bribery to get her into liking sports.

Night at the Museum

2010-01-21T21:11:00.000-05:00

Tonight I surprised Megan and picked her up slightly earlier than normal after work today and took her to the Children's Museum here in town. They had a deal on Thursday nights with $1.50 admission and Jillian was out of town for work so we made a nice father/daughter date out of it.

I was worried that because of the late time she would melt down after a little while, but for a $1.50 I figured that was worth it. Close to two hours later she was still running around, wide-eyed with wonder at the new environment she was introduced to. I spent most of the time actually playing with her but I did take a few snap shots of our experience. After seeing them, I'm sure you'll wish you could go with us on our next trip. (Personally my favorite is the one that shows our future veterinarian checking the dog's heart.)

2009 ... a father's tale

2010-01-14T00:33:00.001-05:00

As the last few days of 2009 dissipated into the ether, I was again fortunate enough to spend that time, much as I did last year, on a beach in Florida. The beach is a siren song for me, forcing me to relax, breathe a little deeper, walk a little straighter, and stare inward and reflect. My yearning to write intensifies. The beach is where I doodled thoughts, dreams, and ideas as a lost and struggling high schooler trying to define himself, and it's where I crafted a love poem, a first for my then girlfriend, now wife, who was many miles away. Heck, the beach is where I first MET Jillian.

I'm sure many of you have a place like that; a cathartic escape from the stresses of what burdens you. Last year closed with me forced to deal with the trials and tribulations of being a father for the first time and the life complications that come with it. At that time, ten months in, I was flummoxed at what it meant to be a father and a husband as this new life shift started to happen. This year, again I was called to the beach, but I wasn't alone anymore. Megan, now fully mobile, became privy to my hallowed turf.

A year and ten months has made me no less an expert on fatherhood, but the passage of time has allowed me to feel more comfortable in this new found role. Part of that comfort is my daughter's ability to understand basic communication. It was a watershed moment. For someone who my wife says refuses to shut up, not conversing with Megan was difficult. To have this person I'm 100% responsible for, and who I am beyond excited to talk to, share stories with, and teach lessons to, it was agonizing to be kept from that role.

And even though she's only started talking, I can't help but think how she has grown up so fast in just this past year. Looking at the pictures on the blog from a few weeks ago, I noticed she started the year as a baby, and now, she has surpassed any milestones I might have imposed on her.

Recently she entered into this 'shy stage.' I think she's becoming more aware of her surroundings and more scared and unsure of what a lot of it represents. Because of that she is extremely clingy in new situations and around new people. It's completely understandable. I tell her it's okay, the 'big' things around her won't hurt her, I promise. But she's not easily swayed and continues to hunker farther into my pant leg. It's these moments I cherish. Outwardly I'm telling her to be brave, soak in the experience, but inwardly I melt at the chance to continue to be her foundation.

Life has definitely become simpler, my world is 'dumbed down' because of her. In the past few months I've had several tea parties, 'danced' like a drunken fool, played the role of horsey, created make believe stories involving her 'little people' sets, and basically played the role of a clown. But because of that I feel like I've become much more cognizant of how rewarding play can be, that moving away from the television set is not a detriment, and that just because I'm an adult doesn't mean I can't still be creative.

Do I wish she didn't shout "DADDY" incessantly over and over ... and over again? Sure. Do I wish she wasn't going through this volatile stage of hoarding her possessions? Sure. But those memories somehow become short lived, faint wisps of fogginess of a world ago.

I can't imagine not being that safe haven for her. Ever.

My parents divorced when I was just four years old, and when I left living with my dad after the eighth grade for the stability of my mom's house, it was the beginning of the end of our relationship. I think he saw it as my giving up on him. It wasn't. Our communication faded to about three phone calls a year, all initiated by me. One of the last times I talked to him was stopping to visit him in Texas during my freshman year of college for Spring Break. He was helping pay for the trip, which ironically, was to the beach where I would first meet Jillian. As a teenager I could barely grasp his rationale for not wanting to be a bigger part of my life, but as a thirty-two-year-old adult, and now parent myself, it makes even less sense. There is no way I could ever live a life without a relationship with my daughter. Over time I've come to terms that despite sharing numerous physical features, the character traits we are driven by separate us.

So as I continually prepare mentally to be a father for Megan's different life stages I have to revert to other male figures in my life who helped shape and provide meaning into what it means to be a father. I am continually grateful for my stepfather Steve, my brother Kenny, and my father-in-law Carey, for their influence in molding me through their actions and their words. They have had a hand in raising me through the various stages of my development when I needed it and which I rely on incessantly as I try to be a father to Megan.

So my New Year's resolution this year as a father is to be as gentle as my stepfather, as protective as my older brother, and as genuine as my father-in-law. If I can measure up to those traits, being a father to Megan in 2010 will be child's play.

Exactly how I want it.

A Florida Respite

2010-01-12T17:36:00.001-05:00

I have a more extensive blog post coming about fatherhood and a 2009 wrap-up in general that I'm working on, so in the meantime I thought you might appreciate a pictorial of our week spent in Florida this holiday season.

Jillian's sister was nice enough to get Megan her own tiara, wand, and fake earrings.

The paparazzi caught her in a wardrobe malfunction moment.

Enjoying the sunset on the beach

Splash time with dad

At a local playground enjoying the swings ... and the hippopotamus?

That's a big tree!

Relaxing on the beach ... and testing the water temperature. She thought it was a touch too cold.

The Other 'New' Kitchen

2010-01-09T22:39:00.000-05:00

Many of you saw Megan's new kitchen for Christmas. Starting before we left for Florida (story ... and pics to come) and up until about an hour ago we've been doing some moderate remodeling/updating of our kitchen too. I've been documenting it but wanted to wait until we actually finished this thing before sending it out to the blogosphere.

First .... here's a 'before' pic. Notice those three cabinets? We did, because we kept hitting our heads on it (well, I did ... Jillian's a little shorter). AND more importantly it blocked our view, closed the kitchen off, and just made it feel smaller. Also see that brown and white stripe wallpaper? That too is about to be obliterated.

Okay. So first step ... demolition. This was on December 19th. We stripped the wallpaper, ripped down the bulkhead and cabinets, and a huge strip of drywall and plaster along the wall.

Megan still wanted to be a part of the action so she put on her work gloves, grabbed her toy broom and went to work picking up trash. Meanwhile Sue, in an effort to get the walls as clean as possible was busy sanding, patching, and washing down all the walls with vinegar. That mixed with the plaster dust made a great concoction. The plaster dust was EVERYWHERE. We put up sheets leading into other rooms but it didn't matter.

Carey being a stud and driving screws into the new drywall. Then, because we wanted to place our microwave on the wall, so we could use the counter space elsewhere we had to do some minor rewiring. Throughout all of the projects Megan was constantly underfoot and loved just standing there watching everything. Once we finished up the electrical work, we put in some insulation and finished the day by closing up the hole with drywall.

The next day was a relatively minor day. We patched the wall and ceiling and started adding some bead board trim around the counter areas to 'class it up a bit.' Eventually we want to do a white subway tile but this fit our budget for now.

December 21st ... while I was down in the basement putting Megan's kitchen together, Sue was busy painting the walls of our kitchen. The color we chose is a light gray. The pictures may be tough to fully capture it but I think it looks fabulous.

December 22nd. We mounted one of the cabinets on the side wall and added trim pieces around the bead board.

It's at this point in the proceedings that we took some time off for Christmas and to head down to Florida for the week. We got 'back to work' last night determined to finish the project this weekend. We spent a few hours painting the trim pieces and the bead board, and mounting the brackets that were going to hold the shelf for our microwave. Finally, we sanded, chipped, and spackled some spots on the ceiling that were in bad shape so it could dry before we painted it today.

... and finally we arrived at today. The final day. There were lots of things to do. Jillian's mom acted as 'project manager', had a list and made sure we all got our jobs done. Here's a laundry list of the things we did today: hung blinds in 3 windows in the family room (side project), placed threshold strips at four door openings, replaced a register cover, attached the shelf to the brackets for the microwave, changed up the cord to the microwave so it was more flush to the wall, painted the ceiling, created a fabric-covered bulletin board for the hallway leading into the kitchen, cut a carpet square to fit the area for wet shoes coming in from the garage, and finally, cleaned up all of our mess we made throughout the day. BUT when it was all done (small addendum ... we hope to add bookshelves on one wall so we're not technically done yet but that will be for another time), we think it looks great. And now the final reveal ...

Many thanks to the EXTENSIVE hours put in by Carey, Sue, and Jillian throughout the course of this project. With the exception of painting the ceiling and hanging the blinds in the living room today my only job throughout this project was as photographer. There's no way our kitchen would've come out looking this good if I was more actively involved so I was more than happy to pick up dinner on several occasions and keep the fridge stocked with diet cokes.

Twelve Days of Megan - Day Twelve

2010-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

December 2009

Twelve Days of Megan - Day Eleven

2010-01-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

November 2009

Twelve Days of Megan - Day Ten

2010-01-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

October 2009

Twelve Days of Megan - Day Nine

2010-01-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

September 2009

Twelve Days of Megan - Day Eight

2010-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

August 2009

Twelve Days of Megan - Day Seven

2010-01-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

July 2009