This afternoon, it was pleasant outside and Joy was getting cabin fever, so we decided to break out the sprinkler. Sam got suited up, pulled out bubbles, and had a high old time playing in the water. He spent most of the time sticking his face in the spray and then picking up the sprinkler to try and get us wet.
Afterwards, he and I were sitting on his swingset, gently rocking back and forth on our swings when Sam turns to me and says, "You sing your favorite song and I'll sing mine." Knowing there was a trick to this game, I asked, "What's my favorite song?" "'I've been working on the Railroad,'" he declared, "and mine is 'Soaring.'" I dutifully began singing, and he quickly joined in in a key and tempo relationship that would have made Charles Ives proud.
I suppose this makes me George Ives. Which means that the next thing you know, we'll be sliding while singing quarter tones.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
I Love a Parade
Every Fourth of July, all the neighborhood kids get together and parade down the street to a local church where the home owners association rents a big inflatable something for the kids to jump on and fly off. You may recall that last year, Sam rode in a wagon for the parade. This year, Sam was ready to join the big kids on his tricycle:
Sure he needed a little help from me through the rope I tied to the front to keep him moving, but he steered all by himself, pedaled a bit, and rode in the stroller when he got tired. And everyone commented on his cool retro trike (thanks May and Pop). Noah enjoyed the parade by sleeping through it, but I'll bet next year he'll be in the wagon and we'll start all over again.
Sure he needed a little help from me through the rope I tied to the front to keep him moving, but he steered all by himself, pedaled a bit, and rode in the stroller when he got tired. And everyone commented on his cool retro trike (thanks May and Pop). Noah enjoyed the parade by sleeping through it, but I'll bet next year he'll be in the wagon and we'll start all over again.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Things I'd Forgotten
Sam will only be three in October, but I've been astounded by how much I'd forgotten about a newborn in those few years.
Like how good their heads smell, especially after a bath. Joy laughs at me because I'll smell Noah's head for hours after bathing him. Bono was onto something.
Like how they take a few short, quick intakes of breath before letting out a long sigh when they are sleeping.
Like how their voice and bottom lip quavers when they cry particularly hard.
Like how they smile when they sleep and occasionally laugh.
Like how their skin looks like a Sharpei with rolls upon rolls of skin hiding all sorts of things in their grasp.
Like how people look askance at a dad out with small children. I took Noah and Sam to Walmart the other day so Joy could have a few moments by herself. Knowing getting into the store would require a one-man caravan, I parked next to the cart return so I could grab a cart easily. When I got out of the car I laughed because I not only parked next to the cart return, but next to two dirty diapers. I quickly forgot them in trying to get sleeping Noah into the Baby Bjorn and trying to lift Sam into the cart while holding Joy's shopping list and the grocery circular for price matching and avoiding the gaggle of ladies who parked next to me and were looking alarmed at what I was attempting. I had forgotten those looks of "are you really capable of taking care of small children" I used to get from women when out alone with Sam, but put it from my mind until I arrived home 30 minutes later. As I went to the back of the car to retrieve my groceries, I noticed that one of the dirty diapers had found its way into the crack between the spare tire and the back window of my car. That's right, as the ladies returned their cart, they saw the diapers and assumed that I, a single dad obviously barely hanging on in his first outing with two boys, had casually tossed both my sons' diapers on the ground after changing them. And then decided that since they were picking them up, instead of putting them in the trash can close by, they would wedge them on my car hard enough to survive the ride home.
*sigh*
Some things I'm going to try not to forget as Noah grows. Others I probably will.
Like how good their heads smell, especially after a bath. Joy laughs at me because I'll smell Noah's head for hours after bathing him. Bono was onto something.
Like how they take a few short, quick intakes of breath before letting out a long sigh when they are sleeping.
Like how their voice and bottom lip quavers when they cry particularly hard.
Like how they smile when they sleep and occasionally laugh.
Like how their skin looks like a Sharpei with rolls upon rolls of skin hiding all sorts of things in their grasp.
Like how people look askance at a dad out with small children. I took Noah and Sam to Walmart the other day so Joy could have a few moments by herself. Knowing getting into the store would require a one-man caravan, I parked next to the cart return so I could grab a cart easily. When I got out of the car I laughed because I not only parked next to the cart return, but next to two dirty diapers. I quickly forgot them in trying to get sleeping Noah into the Baby Bjorn and trying to lift Sam into the cart while holding Joy's shopping list and the grocery circular for price matching and avoiding the gaggle of ladies who parked next to me and were looking alarmed at what I was attempting. I had forgotten those looks of "are you really capable of taking care of small children" I used to get from women when out alone with Sam, but put it from my mind until I arrived home 30 minutes later. As I went to the back of the car to retrieve my groceries, I noticed that one of the dirty diapers had found its way into the crack between the spare tire and the back window of my car. That's right, as the ladies returned their cart, they saw the diapers and assumed that I, a single dad obviously barely hanging on in his first outing with two boys, had casually tossed both my sons' diapers on the ground after changing them. And then decided that since they were picking them up, instead of putting them in the trash can close by, they would wedge them on my car hard enough to survive the ride home.
*sigh*
Some things I'm going to try not to forget as Noah grows. Others I probably will.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Why is Lost so Complicated
I love me some Lost. Sure the second season was meandering, but this last, truncated season was intense and exciting. Yet even though both Joy and I eagerly look forward to each week, we both recognize that its mythology is beginning to make the X-Files look tame. That's why I laughed and nodded along with this video. If you've never seen Lost, you may be a little, well, lost, but it gives you an idea of what its fans sometimes feel. Besides, who doesn't enjoy a little Weird Al take on Avril Lavigne?
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Samisms
True, we're swamped these days with adjusting our house to its newest inhabitant, but that doesn't mean we haven't been thinking about you, our reader. So here quickly are two Samisms from this week.
First, I knew that I'd be sharing birthday celebrations with Noah since our birthdays are only 12 days apart, but I never knew I'd be sharing them with Sam. On Monday, Joy asked him whose birthday it was and Sam pointed and me and declared "Yours!" He then thought and moment and followed up his answer with "and Mine!" I suppose he has been getting presents and lots of chocolate cake recently.
Second, last night I was bathing Noah when Sam wandered up. He stared at Noah's shriveled umbilical cord stump and exclaimed "Baby Noah's penis is black!" I really have no witty comeback for that one.
First, I knew that I'd be sharing birthday celebrations with Noah since our birthdays are only 12 days apart, but I never knew I'd be sharing them with Sam. On Monday, Joy asked him whose birthday it was and Sam pointed and me and declared "Yours!" He then thought and moment and followed up his answer with "and Mine!" I suppose he has been getting presents and lots of chocolate cake recently.
Second, last night I was bathing Noah when Sam wandered up. He stared at Noah's shriveled umbilical cord stump and exclaimed "Baby Noah's penis is black!" I really have no witty comeback for that one.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
On Why Sam is so Busy
Sam is a constant blur of motion. He's constantly climbing on something he shouldn't, pulling something out of a cabinet he shouldn't, playing with something he shouldn't; he never stops moving. Joy and I have laughed at him on more than one occasion as he kicks his legs in bed to stay awake or simply shifts in his seat twenty times during supper, but we've never known the reason for his energy.
This morning he enlightened us.
We were lying in bed, trying to wake up and keeping an ear on Sam when we heard silence, then Sam proclaim, "When I stop moving I poop."
Mystery solved.
This morning he enlightened us.
We were lying in bed, trying to wake up and keeping an ear on Sam when we heard silence, then Sam proclaim, "When I stop moving I poop."
Mystery solved.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Day Out with Thomas
With all our posting about Noah, you might have thought we had forgotten about our other son.
You remember him.
His name is Sam?
He certainly hasn't let us forget about him, and has been amazingly open to having another person living in our house. We weren't sure how he would respond because when we were in the hospital, Sam ignored Noah. But since getting home, Sam has been extraordinarily thoughtful towards Noah, kissing him goodnight, looking for him to tell him stories, and even calling out for him to come and play trains.
Still, we wanted to do something special for Sam to remind him that he remains an important part of our household. So for Father's Day, Sam's Granddad and I took him for a Day Out with Thomas.
A Day Out with Thomas is a carnivalesque experience where young children and their parents
are overloaded by Thomas. You get to meet and ride on Thomas, sure, but there are also Thomas games to play, 
Thomas storytimes, Thomas videos on continuous loops, Thomas temporary tattoos, Thomas coloring and stamp pages, Thomas train tables, Thomas balloons, and even a petting zoo and magic show. Sam is nuts about Thomas and was in heaven from the moment we arrived. He walked around in a daze for most of the day, wandering from one event to the next. We went to get his tattoo and he muttered that he wanted a Henry tattoo and then stared at it for several minutes, mesmerized. When we rode on Thomas, he sang train songs to himself under his breath while taking in every detail through his wide blue eyes. Seeing the experience through Sam's eyes was a delight and made my father's day.
I was most pleased that even though there were boys and girls everywhere all vying for a position at the Thomas train table or wanting a seat on the train, Sam remained polite and shared as much as possible. When he got his picture taken with Sir Topham Hatt, he walked up and shook his hand, taking the character a bit aback as he flustered around getting Sam in position for a picture (you can also see his Henry tattoo in the picture). When he was playing at the train table, a kid took Henry from him until the mom made the kid share. That sharing took the form of splitting Henry from his coal car and letting the kid play with Henry and Sam play with the coal car. Sam knew Henry couldn't function without coal, so quietly reattached the coal car to Henry and found another train to play with (but not before dropping the kid and making him beg for mercy. Not really, but some of those kids would have). All in all, Sam behaved himself and stayed right next to us and had a grand day out.
As you might imagine, our house has been nothing but Thomas since Sunday. So you'll forgive me if, due to lack of sleep and immersion on Thomas, I call you Henry or whistle at inappropriate times.
You remember him.
His name is Sam?
He certainly hasn't let us forget about him, and has been amazingly open to having another person living in our house. We weren't sure how he would respond because when we were in the hospital, Sam ignored Noah. But since getting home, Sam has been extraordinarily thoughtful towards Noah, kissing him goodnight, looking for him to tell him stories, and even calling out for him to come and play trains.
Still, we wanted to do something special for Sam to remind him that he remains an important part of our household. So for Father's Day, Sam's Granddad and I took him for a Day Out with Thomas.
A Day Out with Thomas is a carnivalesque experience where young children and their parents
are overloaded by Thomas. You get to meet and ride on Thomas, sure, but there are also Thomas games to play, 
Thomas storytimes, Thomas videos on continuous loops, Thomas temporary tattoos, Thomas coloring and stamp pages, Thomas train tables, Thomas balloons, and even a petting zoo and magic show. Sam is nuts about Thomas and was in heaven from the moment we arrived. He walked around in a daze for most of the day, wandering from one event to the next. We went to get his tattoo and he muttered that he wanted a Henry tattoo and then stared at it for several minutes, mesmerized. When we rode on Thomas, he sang train songs to himself under his breath while taking in every detail through his wide blue eyes. Seeing the experience through Sam's eyes was a delight and made my father's day.I was most pleased that even though there were boys and girls everywhere all vying for a position at the Thomas train table or wanting a seat on the train, Sam remained polite and shared as much as possible. When he got his picture taken with Sir Topham Hatt, he walked up and shook his hand, taking the character a bit aback as he flustered around getting Sam in position for a picture (you can also see his Henry tattoo in the picture). When he was playing at the train table, a kid took Henry from him until the mom made the kid share. That sharing took the form of splitting Henry from his coal car and letting the kid play with Henry and Sam play with the coal car. Sam knew Henry couldn't function without coal, so quietly reattached the coal car to Henry and found another train to play with (but not before dropping the kid and making him beg for mercy. Not really, but some of those kids would have). All in all, Sam behaved himself and stayed right next to us and had a grand day out.
As you might imagine, our house has been nothing but Thomas since Sunday. So you'll forgive me if, due to lack of sleep and immersion on Thomas, I call you Henry or whistle at inappropriate times.
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