The New Mommy & Daddy Diary

Aiden's 4th Birthday

2009-11-17T06:38:00.003-06:00

Aiden turned four on November 14th and we held his birthday party at Hopscotch's Playplace here in Bowling Green. I recommend it to anyone with toddler age children. The kids seemed to have a blast, it's very safe and in my opinion is much less stressful than Chuck E. Cheese. As I told another parent last night, both places have their benefits and detriments, but in for my money I prefer Hopscotch's.

Now to some pictures.

Isabel's First Birthday

2009-10-31T21:50:00.002-05:00

Isabel and her birthday present of bath toys. She seemed to like them.

Isabel showed none of the aprehension of

birthday cake that Aiden did on his first birthday.

Isabel enjoying cake and completely ignoring the pretty balloon.

The messy aftermath of two inhaled pieces of cake.

Happy Halloween from the Renfrows!

2009-10-31T21:32:00.005-05:00

Isabel (as Ladybug), Aiden (as Hotwheels guy), Daddy (as Dr. McDreamy...ok, just as a doctor) and Mommy (playing herself.)

Every party has a pooper and it's Liiiiiiiiiiiz!

Pre-Trick or Treating photo. (Fifth family member, Phoebe Cat in background)

Ah the bounty of a hard night of asking for free candy.

After this, the sugar rush began. And is ongoing!

Pumpkin Festival at Jackson's Orchard

2009-10-31T21:15:00.002-05:00

Isabel's first trip to Jackson's Orchard.

3/4 of the Renfrow family in the pumpkin patch.

Aiden & Isabel in the pumpkin patch. The chances of both of them looking at the same camera and both smiling are absolutely astronomical.

Isabel's first hayride!

Aiden before the tractor started the hayride.

Aiden, Isabel and Daddy in our respective Spongebob Squarepants PJs.

Memorial Day, BG Hot Rods, Adorable Babies

2009-07-15T14:36:00.005-05:00

If I'm posting Memorial Day pictures, it's safe to say I've been a busy fella'. And that is the truth. But looking at the Basham's blog, I got inspired to share pictures of the kiddos.

Aiden & Isabel are as close as any 3 year old and 8 1/2 month old you've ever seen. Izzy lights up when Aiden comes in the room. She follows him with her eyes and now that she's an accomplished crawler, she's just plain following him.

Below are a picture taken with Cousin Trevor at Nana and Papaw Bob's house on Memorial Day, pictures taken at Aiden's first Bowling Green Hot Rods game, a picture taken with Cousin Jonah, and an adorable sleeping picture of Isabel.

Here are some recent pictures.

Aiden & Momma at Bowling Green Ball Park. The game was fun, but the baseball was horrific. The Hot Rods nearly as many fielding errors (5) as hits (6).

Aiden & Dad before Aiden got his popcorn. That's why his smile looks fake. When he gets his popcorn his smile is magically genuine.

From left to right, Aiden, Isabel and Cousin Trevor enjoying some swing time at Nana & Papaw Bob's house.

From left to right, Isabel, Aiden & Cousin Jonah at our place.

And finally, the most adorable baby in the world.

Random Pictures, Nothing More

2009-05-22T08:17:00.002-05:00

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

2009-05-08T06:35:00.003-05:00

Since Liz posts a lot of stuff on her facebook account, I haven't put as much on here. The uproar from regular readers (both of you) was tremendous. So in response to that we offer a stirring new feature film starring up and coming Isabel in a role she was born to play.

Ebert and Roper give it two thumbs up.

The Sacramento Bee claims "if you only see one online video of a 6 month
old rolling over in Plano, Ky. this year, make sure it's this video."

Jesus Loves Aiden

2009-01-12T21:16:00.003-06:00

Christmas 2008, Part II

2009-01-12T21:11:00.004-06:00

Aiden & his cousin Trevor in front of a very decorated tree at Nana's house.

The grandkids posed for this picture. Sort of.

This one's a bit blurry, but it was one of Aiden's crown jewels of Christmas 2008. A Backyardigans Circus. Let's face it, it could have been a Backyardigans home embalming kit and he would have loved it. But he did seriously like this gift very much.

Love in the Face of a Loss

2008-12-30T12:22:00.002-06:00

Our church family lost a member yesterday when a young man was killed in a single-car accident. While there's a lot to lament in losing someone who was such a good hearted person and who was inspirational with his recommitting to the Lord, there's more to it than that. As a Christian I am able to look at the situation and feel a measure of comfort about where his eternal destiny lies.

But as a parent I ache. We prayed as a family for his loved ones left behind then I snuck into Aiden's room while he was asleep and prayed over him while I cried. God bless anyone who has lost a child. I cannot fathom the depth of that sorrow, nor do I ever want to.

So today I want to say two things. One, I want to publicly (as public as this blog is) say that I am exponentially grateful to God for my family. I don't know how I could be more blessed than when I look at my daughter or my son or my wife. Praise, honor and glory to a loving God for blessing me beyond reason. Two, I want to urge anyone and everyone to love your family a little more today and hopefully from now on.

God rest the soul of Nathan Vincent and comfort his family.

2008 Christmas, Part 1

2008-12-26T21:27:00.005-06:00

'Twas the morning of Christmas, and all through Plano
The ground was all wet from rain storms, not snow
But the Christmas tree lit with multicolor lights
We all awoke to breakfast after quite restful nights

Aiden had Cheerios, bananas and milk
We had enough pork product to stuff a large elk
With biscuits, gravy, and beverages besides
It's Christmas miracle we didn't all double in size

Then came the part that made Aiden eager
He'd open his presents with the zeal of a beaver (you try rhyming eager)
With so many presents, could he go the distance?
Opening so much would require persistence

And me with my camera and mom as his aide
Aiden set about the task for which Christmas was made
Opening each present with awe and with glee
He made a very good Christmas for Liz and me

And now for the pictures, I know you're all pleading
Hope you had a merry Christmas, and thank you for reading...

Isabel with her stuffed doggy from Papaw.

Bigger than her and really soft. Perfect.

Checklist:

Santa hat? CHECK

New toy? CHECK

Pants? CHE....oops

All bundled up and nowhere to go.

Aiden's modeling career seems to be over before it began. Here he's trying to show you his new pajamas his Auntie Ester got him. You see them right?

Aiden and his presents. As you can see, he was very tired. Clothes, board games, a Smart Cycle, a digital camera, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree (not pictured.)

Having the first granddaughter makes you like a hero to your parents. So we accepted all the lavish praise and adoration we got from Aiden and Isabel's Grandma Soledad.

Catching up

2008-12-22T10:03:00.004-06:00

The above picture is why you become a parent. Look at how sweet that is. Doesn't it just give you a toothache? What? You don't get that? You know, because they're sweet. It makes your tooth ach....Forget it.

We were delighted when a young, caucasian version of Stevie Wonder stopped by the house recently. Although he wasn't quite the musical talent we expected, he was a delightful house guest.

Christmas is just three days away, so this will probably be the last post until after the holidays. If you're reading this, have a wonderful holiday season, be very safe, and give thanks to God for the gifts he gives you all year long.

If you're not reading this blog, then Bah-humbug to you.

Thanksgiving Pics (and others)

2008-12-08T08:56:00.002-06:00

The Renfrow's enjoy WKU's close loss to Duke in women's basketball at E.A. Diddle Arena. (photo by Liz, in case you thought we left her in the car)

It's a terrible shame that the kids can't get along. Just look at the anger they have for each other.

Aiden likes extreme close-ups.

Here's the children swimming in a vat of buttercream when we went to Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory. (ok, it's really a blanket at Nana's house)

More buttercream.

Thanksgiving Recap

2008-12-02T14:51:00.003-06:00

No pictures yet, but I'll add them in later.

Thanksgiving was good this year. After some flip flopping, we finally settled on having it at my mother's. We initially wanted to have it at our house with Liz's brother and sister coming in along with some others. When her siblings bailed on us for various reasons, we regrouped and went to Mom's.

The food was good and abundant, as it always is. The dressing was the best she has ever made (and I should know because I am an expert in MomsDressingology.) Aiden really enjoyed the time with his distant cousin (it's my cousin's granddaughter, and I'm not sure how that plays out in terminology, so I'm calling it his distant cousin.)

Aiden, being still untrained in country culinary consumption, ate chicken nuggets and fries. Poor boy.

I also wanted to clear up a little something about the last blog entry. I had flippantly said that presents lure relatives to Christmas. I think some certain people took that personal and I really, truly regret that. I had no one in mind when I wrote that comment, but I am responsible for not thinking it out. I think making the comment that showed very little forethought on my part.

So if that caused any offense, please understand it was not at all directed at anyone. Words matter, and I know that. So please accept my apology for my poor choice of words.

Here's hoping that everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving with so much food that you slipped into a tryphtophan induced coma temporarily. God bless you all.

One Happy Family

2008-11-25T10:43:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving is two days away. It's my favorite holiday for two reasons. One, you get all the glorious food that you get at Christmas without the worry and expense of buying lots of presents. I think presents ruin Christmas, but they are a necessary evil. Presents are the bait that lure relatives to Christmas get togethers.

Two, I have so much to be thankful for. That's the purpose of this entry today.

The two pictures we have here are what mean everything to me. My wife who is beautiful and the most caring person I've ever known. She was my inspiration to grow spiritually and in character. And she still is.

My son is the joy of every day. He's absolutely hilarious with his boundless imagination and tenderheartedness. I don't even know if tenderheartedness is a word, but it ought to be just for kids like him. God brought him into our lives to teach us what it feels like to love with everything you have. And knowing that, helps me know how much God sacraficed for me. Lord help me to never forget it.

My daughter is a reminder of how beautiful innocence is. She is so serene (most of the time) and there is simply nothing that beats holding your own baby and feeling her warmth. I know that my job will be to protect her innocence by teaching her who her real Father is. As important as I want to be, I have to be second.

We have a home, cars, cable TV, internet, etc. But those things are trivial things. We have healthy, safety, love, hope and faith. Be thankful for those, because you have them too.

Big Brother Bathes Baby

2008-11-07T12:06:00.003-06:00

Everyone enjoys entertaining entries. Especially entertaining entries with alliteration. Don't we?

That goofy introduction out of the way, Aiden was helpful in giving baby Isabel her first bath the other night. We captured a few of the shots on the digcam (my new shortened version of digital camera, which seems too long and too formal.)

Also in the interest of time (since I'm supposed to be working here at work) I'll just skip the captions for the photos. Enjoy!

How's Aiden Doing with the Baby?

2008-11-05T07:51:00.003-06:00

The most frequent question we've heard since Isabel was born is, "How's is Aiden doing with her?" It's a very legitimate question and one that we were worried about ourselves. Aiden is a great child and has been as easy as a two year old can be to raise. But you worry after almost three years as the only child how he would react to a baby sister being in the house.

So here is an illustrated story to answer that question.

At first, Aiden wasn't sure he liked this whole baby situation. He took a long time to warm up to the idea. After Daddy brought Isabel out from the delivery, Aiden didn't say a word about her. He looked at her only briefly and seemed disappointed that his playtime with Papaw Bob was being interrupted.

Even after Momma got out of recovery and into the postpartum room, Aiden seemed content to play by himself. While everyone else was clamoring over Isabel, Aiden read a book. When he got around her, he would look at her then walk away.

But before we left the hospital, Aiden had grown fond of his little sister. He adapted to sharing the attention. We are very proud of him and how mature he's been in accepting and loving his sister.

As Aiden became more enamored with Isabel, one thing he's done is pepper her with kisses. Lots of kisses. WHOLE GREAT BIG BUNCHES of kisses. Which doesn't surprise me or his mother. He's a very affectionate child.

And now they're just like, well, they're just like brother and sister. Exactly as it should be.

Halloween Pictures

2008-11-03T19:57:00.002-06:00

What do you do with a scurvy pirate?

Make him trick or treat!

Captain Aiden of the Pirates of Barren River.

Pirates love clowns. Seriously. Most people don't know that.

After scoring some booty (that's candy) Cap'n Aiden wore a proud look.

Welcome Isabel

2008-10-31T15:53:00.004-05:00

Wednesday 10/29/08 our family was once again blessed by a loving God with our daughter Isabel. Mom, baby, Aiden and I are all doing well with the exception of Liz's soreness.

Please continue to keep all of us in your prayers, especially Liz while she recovers.

Here she is.

Nana, Brother and Isabel.

3/4 of our happy family. Aiden was still at Nana's house when this was taken, which is probably best since we could barely fit our three big heads in here.

Less than 12 hours away!!!

2008-10-28T20:06:00.002-05:00

Little Isabel will be delivered via C-section at 7:30AM Wednesday morning. We are excited and nervous, but mostly we're ready to meet our little girl. Thank you to everyone who has kept us in prayers and thoughts throughout this pregnancy. Please remember us tomorrow.

Love,
Travis, Liz, Aiden and soon-to-be-born Isabel

Baby Update

2008-10-22T16:33:00.003-05:00

Our latest ultrasound estimated our little girl to be 7 lbs 6 ozs. That is around the 65th percentile. So Liz's doctor is monitoring things and has decided we will not carry to term. If Liz doesn't go into spontaneous labor by the 39th week (about a week and a half away) then a C-section will be scheduled.

Some advice for those seeking a quick buck. Design a better way to estimate fetal weight in utero. The aforementioned weight estimate of our little girl can be off as much as 20% either way. Let me put that in plain terms for everyone. That means she may weigh as little as 5 lbs 14 ozs or as big as 8lbs 13.6 ozs. That my friends is a HUGE gap.

So if you can come up with a better way to do that, it'd be GOLD, GOLD I tell ya'.

The Horror Movie OF THE YEAR!!!!

2008-10-13T11:40:00.005-05:00

Some People Will Scream....

Some People Will Run....

Some People Will Hide...

But it will do you no good.

You can't run from....

You can't hide from....

THE BELLY!!!!

That people is why pregnant women have backaches, aching feet, swollen ankles, no energy, etc, etc, etc. Baby countdown is now less than one month to go. We appreciate everyone's continued prayers and thoughts.

Hilltoppers vs. Murray Mules

2008-10-04T06:45:00.003-05:00

When Dear Ol' Murray makes a trip to Bowling Green to face the Hilltoppers, hilarity ensues. At least it does if you're a Hilltopper fan. Tops win 50-9 this time.

It was our first home game of the season so it was our first opportunity to tailgate. The menu was a season opening tradition of bratwurst and burgers. It was also Aiden's first chance to see Big Red since the end of the basketball season.

Aiden couldn't find a thing to wear. He tried on his football jersey but it just swallowed him whole.

New stadium expansion, a white out game, and our first meeting with Big Red in over 6 months. Maybe the excitement was just too much for Aiden.

Baby update: As of today, Oct 4th, we are just about five weeks away from the due date. Which means Liz is very tired and ready for this pregnancy to be over. But she's done very well throughout with keeping her weight gain in line with what the doctor likes and watching her diet. Thanks for any and all of you who have kept us in your prayers over the last 7+ months. Isabel will be here before we know it.

Aiden's Moving!!!!

2008-09-25T19:51:00.004-05:00

Like so many American's struggling with their house payments in the shadow of the subprime lending meltdown, Aiden is getting evicted from the nursery where he has slept most nights of his life.

Gee whiz, kind of sad when I say it like that. But the nursery will be for his baby sister, so he's making the move all the way down the hall into his brand new "big boy" room. He's welcoming the idea...so far.

We took him for a LOOOOOOONG shopping trip at Lowe's. He wanted to paint his room blue. Momma wanted to paint his room more of a neutral color. Daddy wanted to paint it more of a coral orange color. So we all compromised and painted it blue.

Aiden wanted to help, and help he did. Both Sherwin and Williams would be proud.

Like a true artist, Aiden does his best work when he is unencumbered by material things like shirts, shorts, shoes or socks. Underwear is worn to protect the innocent.

Much gratitude to Aiden's Uncle David who was very helpful. And to my baldspot (obnoxiously seen here) for providing extra light through reflection of the sun.

Circus

2008-09-25T19:36:00.003-05:00

Here are some recent pics of Aiden at the circus. He got to enjoy it with his friend Carter Durrett. It was his first trip to the circus.

Aiden and I had a good time. He really enjoyed the elephants and tigers.

I don't typically like posting pictures of myself but
I thought this one was cute of Aiden.

Dinosaur World Adventure

2008-09-05T17:50:00.002-05:00

Aiden & Daddy in front of some harmless herbivores.

Aiden & Mommy were more adventurous standing in front of this large carnivore.

Seeing as we live so close to Mammoth Cave, this picture of Aiden and some mammoths seemed entirely appropriate.

At the end of the day our credit card was declined so we offered Aiden up as food for the dinosaurs in lieu of payment. (That's not actually true. We paid cash and Aiden is still alive.)

Trip to Texas; Siblings Class

2008-09-02T07:07:00.003-05:00

Aiden on South Padre Island (isn't the seaweed lovely this time of year?)

Aiden and Liz enjoying the coolness of wetsand on a hot July day. Aiden enjoyed throwing the sand back into the ocean in an exercise of pure futility.

This is just a picture we snapped at Aiden's Buelito and Buelita's house. I'm partial to this picture. Wonder why.

Those were our pictures from our July trip to San Benito, Tx to visit my inlaws. It was predictably hot and the mosquitos were ubiquitous. Despite that we had a great time. It's always a dual pleasure of spending times with loved ones and getting away from home for a while. Aiden does great on the plane ride there and back, which sure makes life much easier.

We were fortunate to leave exactly one week before Hurricane Dolly arrived. Liz's family suffered some structural damage to their home and a nearby storage unit, but everyone remained safe, praise God. Fortunately between the small congregation where Buelito preaches there in Texas and some help from other congregations of Christ's church, they were able to make all the necessary repairs. Again, praise God.

Well that was way back in July. Way back last week, we took Aiden to a siblings class at the hospital. We both felt like that was helpful for him to get familiar with the hospital and to get to see what his baby sister will be like, sort of. Let me mention that that class is free. That is a great thing to offer to parents free of charge. I would gladly pay for a class like that.

Next post: Aiden poos and sees dinosaurs.

Fishes & Friends

2008-08-16T20:04:00.003-05:00

No real posting to do here, just displaying some pictures of our trip today to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tn. with our friends the Durretts.

Angels and Devils

2008-08-16T19:59:00.002-05:00

The yin and yang. The good and bad. The angel and the devil. It is the dichotomy of every toddler that can demonstrate in one second angelic sweetness and kindness then in the blink of an eye display behavior that requires the attention of a young priest, an old priest and some holy water, a la Linda Blair.

However, it is a rare occasion when you can visibly see these two facets of your toddlers personality. Below is one such rare occasion.

Ultrasound (First & Second) Pictures

2008-07-19T17:59:00.002-05:00

Here we are on the final days of our summer vacation. Rested, rejuvenated, bitter about it's ending and I have finally found the time to actually post the pictures of our ultrasound(s).

For the ultrasound picture impaired (that means anyone who has never had a child) you will be unable to tell much of anything from these pictures. Even though the second and third pictures are very clearly pictures of a baby, you won't see it. Don't feel bad. You're not alone.

This first picture is from our first ultrasound. As you can see, this happened way back in April. If you have trouble telling what the image is, imagine the baby is looking at you from a horizontal position and waving as if to say, I'm coming and the feeling of impending financial stresses are coming with me!!!!!

This picture is from ultrasound number two, just a little while back on June 25th. The day we found out that God had blessed us with the coming birth of our first daughter. This is again, the baby's face looking straight at you.

Our final selection is a profile picture of the baby at the second ultrasound. It's a real nice, clear picture that says to me, "I'm going to wrap you around my little, itty, bitty finger for the rest of your natural life Daddy." (I just smile and nod)

Daddy's Birthday Post

2008-06-27T16:32:00.005-05:00

Yes, this post is nearly one month to the day too late. But I wanted to share the picture, so I am posting it anyway.

The cake was provided by my sister-in-law whose sick sense of humor seeks to humiliate those of us who recently turned thirty, and makes us think we honestly look like Dabney Coleman (see picture on the right.)

Yes Mr. Coleman, my cake, and me are all losing our hair. I think the similarities end there.

My therapist says I'll get over it in time.

Aiden pointed to the picture on the cake and said "Thats DaDa." Talk about piling on.

It was a great birthday and thirty is not a number that bothers me in the least. Who can be upset when you've got a quarter-ton of Red Velvet cake to eat and a great family to share (a little bit of) it with?

It's a GIRL!!!!!

2008-06-25T11:52:00.003-05:00

Ultrasound confirmed that Liz and I are expecting a baby girl this November 7th. We are thrilled and Aiden is too (as well as every family member we've contacted.) Please pray that this pregnancy and child be as healthy as Aiden/'s.

Praise to God that our family feels His blessings every day.

Countdown to Ultrasound

2008-06-25T08:23:00.003-05:00

We're counting down to the ultrasound, as I write this only 96 minutes away!

And Aiden pooped in his potty at the babysitter's house yesterday then pooped in his potty at home. He's a champ I tell ya'. A champ!

Potty Update & Baby Update

2008-06-23T07:33:00.004-05:00

Aiden is getting it. He's finally wrapping his head around peeing in the potty. He sometimes needs to be reminded that he needs to go to the potty, but he does bring it up on his own and doesn't like to be wet! (Trust me new parents, this is a big step.)

This weekend we even pooped in the potty. And we did it at Jason & Heather's house while Mommy and Daddy were on date night.

This Wednesday we'll head to the Medical Center for our second ultrasound of the pregnancy, this time finding out the gender of baby number two. So place your bets ladies and gentleman. Will it be Baby Boy Numero Deuce or will the women even up the teams in household.

Womb Envy

2008-06-11T08:24:00.004-05:00

Womb envy is a long standing psychological theory that suggests that men envy a woman's ability to bear and birth children. In essence, the woman's God given ability to do so gives her the ability to "create life" in a sense and in a way that man is incapable of doing.

Thus men are propelled to work harder to succeed in their careers and other areas of life. Unfortunately, for some men this "womb envy" begins very young and can not be satiated by a more vigorous work ethic or any measure of success. This insatiable longing may lead the man to adopt extreme measures to quell the feeling.

A case in point:

Clearly a sad picture of a young man trying hard to deal with his very personal battle with womb envy.

Hope everyone is having a great and blessed day.

Support the American Cancer Society

2008-06-05T14:26:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is the Warren County, Kentucky Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society. Yesterday, my uncle Billy passed away a victim of cancer.

I adopted Relay for Life as my pet project where I work a few years ago and this year has been a great lesson that I need to double my efforts. As a business we do pretty well. As an individual I've had my best year yet. But I can do better.

This little blurb is to encourage you to donate to the American Cancer Society. If you're blessed enough to never have been touched by cancer, praise God and help those who have. But if you're like most of us, you've known those who have battled cancer, whether they be survivors or victims. Please give to help fight this disease because it is surely fighting us.

If you'd like to donate to my team:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeMid-SouthDivision?px=2596217&pg=personal&fr_id=9413

If you want to donate to ACS in another way:
www.cancer.org

Thank you and may God bless us all.

3 Weeks From Tomorrow

2008-06-03T13:22:00.002-05:00

Three weeks from tomorrow we're set to find out the gender of baby #2. Everyone knows that fathers have a hard time wrapping their heads around the fact that there indeed is a baby growing inside of our wives. Let me tell you it is no easier the second time around. Intellectually I know it is so. I've heard heartbeats and seen the changes in my wife's body. But that deep down comprehension is as of yet unattainable.

The appointment went well. All the blood tests have come back good. The baby's heartbeat was found today in about a nanosecond and sounded strong at about 150 beats per minute. So far Liz's weight gain has been....JUUUUUST KIDDING! I was not born yesterday.

I will try to get the first ultrasound pictures on before the second one comes and goes, I promise.

One other matter. Time. It is the great crippler of good intentions. It keeps pregnant mothers from the exercise they need to be getting. It keeps fathers from getting the spiritual work of the household done as they should. Yet, not time, but priorities. Yes there are things that must be done. Dinner must be prepared, dishes and laundry done, yards mowed. But if one does a better job of putting more important things first, I think we'll find we do have enough time to get it all done. Nothing easier than saying it, nothing harder than doing it.

I leave you with a quote from Frank Zappa:
"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

It's punny.

Aiden at the Park

2008-05-19T07:50:00.003-05:00

We took Aiden to Basil Griffin park here in Bowling Green on Saturday. It was a beutiful day and Aiden got all he could out of it.

Open the door, get on the floor

Everybody walk the dinosaur

(fellow 80s children will get that joke)

READY OR NOT..

HERE I....

COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Household Devotion

2008-04-15T08:05:00.002-05:00

Talking with one of our preachers recently he mentioned in passing that they had devotions for their children. Now we've worked with Aiden on memory verses, prayers and bible class material, but never a devotion like that. The preacher mentioned some ideas for us to try when I asked him about it, so last night was devotion #1.

Our subject was God and what God has given us. We began with a short memory verse then asked for an example of what God has given each of us.

Liz said God has given her Aiden. (She stole my answer, but I'm not bitter.)

I said God has given me a wonderful family.

Now it's Aiden's turn.

"Aiden, what's something God has given you?"

"Uh, uh.....chicken."

Hard to argue with that answer. God has given us chicken.

Multiplication

2008-04-14T13:16:00.003-05:00

"Then God blessed them and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply...'" -Genesis 1:28

Who are we to ignore the word of God?

With that in mind, Liz and I are happy to announce to anyone who doesn't already know by my big mouth that we are expecting our second child November 7th. With God's blessing this child will be as healthy and happy as our son is.

Please be mindful of us in your prayers as we go through the pregnancy of little Arthur Aloicious...

Just kidding. That's not the name and we don't even know the gender yet. I just know how much Liz loves the name Aloicious.

The baby probably looks something like this right now...(even though this is NOT OUR ultrasound picture)

Spring Fever

2008-04-10T07:56:00.003-05:00

Spring has arrived in South Central Kentucky, and with it the need to do more chores outside than inside. The warm weather, the sun, the dirt, the sweat, the earthworms....all good things.

Aiden was eager to help dig while we were doing some work on the roughly 5000 square feet of flower beds around our house (it's not really that much.) We spent a couple days on the front beds with plenty of work ones out back and in the patio area.

My favorite story from these first couple days doesn't involve Aiden at all, but his Aunt Ester. Ester is apparently deathly afraid of earthworms. Her maniacal and saidistic brother-in-law decided to exploit that weakness by throwing Hermie the Wormie at her while she helped with the beds. I've never seen such an explosion of athleticism nor heard quite so shrill a scream.

Aiden said she scared him. I told him, "It's OK. She just scared half of Warren County."

Aiden believes there should be some reform to child labor laws.

Yes he's seeding dandelions in my yard, but when you're cute, you can get away with a lot of stuff.

Aiden walking off the job site.

Easter 2008

2008-03-25T13:22:00.005-05:00

Little Bunny Foo Foo
Hopping through the forest
Scooping up the field mice
And bopping them on the head

Easter was a breezy, chilly Sunday afternoon in Bowling Green this year. Several families, including ours, were invited to a potluck Easter luncheon and egg hunt at the Houchens Center for Women (a historic home in downtown BG where we just happened to have our engagement dinner.)

Aiden wasn't feeling particularly well as he was trying to work in a molar, but he still had a pretty good time.

Aiden gathers an egg after a little coercing from Momma.

I normally don't like grass this tall, but it worked great for the picture.

Ignore that my eyes are clearly shut, and this is a great picture of my family.

Aiden & Big Red

2008-03-19T13:48:00.002-05:00

It is a well known fact that the best mascot in college sports is WKU's Big Red. What is he? Is it a he at all? It doesn't matter what Big Red is exactly, it's just a great mascot with lots of energy, fan interaction and a big round belly that kids love.

Aiden, ever since shaking Big Red's hand at the South Alabama game in February, has been obsessed with seeing Big Red again. He told everyone he met that Big Red touched his hand. Then he would wake up every morning asking us to see Big Red.

With WKU's Toppers and Lady Toppers both qualifying for the Big Dance, we had two more chances to see Big Red. We couldn't go to the men's selection party because it was on Sunday, during evening church services. So we went to the Lady's Topper's selection party on Monday night. When we got home, had a lowgrade fever and had lost his appetite. By morning, he was all better. I can only assume he had a mild case of March Madness. It's going around.

Here are some pictures: (and in case you're wondering, potty training continues to progress well.)

Urination Celebration!!!!

2008-02-21T22:05:00.000-06:00

Aiden has peed in the potty.

Even better; Aiden has peed in the big boy potty.

Granted, it was a very small amount, but we're still celebrating. (And after WKU's home loss to South Alabama, I was looking for a reason to celebrate frankly.)

Celebrate with us. Blow a horn, twirl a noisemaker, eat some cake, whatever you feel is appropriate.

Aiden enjoying a magazine....like father, like son.

Good articles...nice photography.

What do you know? Lemurs are omnivorous.

If you look really, really, really closely you can see the actual urine.

Aren't you glad you stopped by this site to see Aiden's pee?

A New Career

2008-02-18T09:05:00.000-06:00

In today's competitve job market, you simply cannot start career training too soon. And the jobs that were available for our parents, aren't available for our children. The manufacturting jobs that led the United States into incredible prosperity over the last five decades are largely outsourced overseas and across borders in the name of cheap labor.

Two excellent sources of income remain in this land. One being the service industry, where people are helping people with specialized training. The medical profession is a great example of this.

The other is the world of entertainment. However, with American Idol and country music's youth movement, even the singing industry is inundated with more talent then it can possibly use. Hollywood is swooning in a world of bad remakes and even worse sequels. But one art remains. One form of entertainment that is as pure today as it was centries ago at its root. That art, is the art of being a circus freak.

Freaks, ahem, entertainers like:

Siamese (Cojoined) Twins

The Bearded Lady

The Human Contortionist

Some will say that we're foolish to allow our son to pursue this type of career. After all the world of human contortionist is a very competitive industry filled with talented freaks, small meals and hours upon hours of yoga. But we decided long ago to allow Aiden to pursue any career that interested him outside of drug pushing, inappropriate filmmaking, and of course, amusement park character.

Playtime with Carter

2008-02-13T08:48:00.001-06:00

Aiden had Carter over on Monday while Carter's mom had dinner with a friend. The two of them are pretty good at playing with each other. Aiden still isn't too keen on sharing his toys, but he can be talked out of it after some coercing.

The nights festivities included racing tractors, blowing up cavemen, playing basketball, running aimlessly, eating some homemade pizza and watching Backyardigans.

A cute little pose of both the boys.

Aiden either winning the tractor race by a wide margin, or

losing it by a wide margin. Depends on your outlook.

Watching your backyard friends, the Backyardigans!! Together in the backyard again!

But they weren't so into it that they couldn't pose for another picture.

We Should've Named Him Peter Pan

2008-01-24T08:04:00.000-06:00

Maybe if we had named him Peter Pan instead of Aiden Christopher, then he wouldn't be growing up so doggone fast. As I told a good friend, if the above picture wasn't so cute, I'd hate it. But he is growing up. He forms more and more sentences all the time. He's saying the blessing before meals (using the "repeat-after-me" format) and while it's all fun to watch and experience it gives you that icky feeling in the pit of your stomach to know how quickly it's all passing by.

Christmas Pics

2008-01-21T10:08:00.000-06:00

I'm the world's worst at getting pictures. I just don't want to fool with it. I'd much rather enjoy the moment then worry about catching it with my camera. In the future, I'll kick myself for this attitude.

For now, here are some of the pics we took at Christmas... (begin humming Jingle Bells here)

Here's a VERY classy looking picture of our fireplace

(notice the ambiance...oooooh)

Aiden opening a present

Aiden up close and personal

All decked out, but no snow

A Silver Lining's Got a Touch of Gray

2007-11-21T13:31:00.000-06:00

When we decided to finally finish with our project of painting the kitchen, Aiden was so enthused he just had to help. In true Ty Pennington style, he grabbed a roller and got to work helping my primer the walls.

We painted them a nice red color which really changed the look of the room. Previously it had two types of wallpaper.

Recent parenting thought: This is no more original than it is profound, but for correction to be effective, it simply must be consistent. Any of us can think back and identify some parents who are struggling to keep their children from going ape-like. And we can also remember parents like that who only bother discilpining their children when they got angry.

It doesn't work folks. You've got to do it when it's wrong. Regardless of whether you may think it's funny, infuriating, or whatever. Consistency is key.

Cutie-Pi-Slamma Jamma

2007-11-19T15:16:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't get the "Cutie-Pi-Slamma-Jamma" reference, it harkens back to the University of Houston's basketball team from 1982-1984. That team featured Clyde "The Glide" Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon (both NBA All Time Greats.)
Aiden is a junior member of the fraternity.

The Great Cake Mistake

2007-11-19T14:14:00.000-06:00

(This Post Contains a High Level of Overdramatic Language and is Not Suitable for Some Viewers. Obvious exaggerations are written in red italics...Reader discretion is advised.)

Saturday morning my dad and I left to pick up the balloons and cake for Aiden's birthday party. We went and had some breakfast at Donita's (2 egg special with city ham...yummy) then went to get the cake.
That's when things went horribly, horribly wrong.
I told them I was there to pick up a cake. They asked my name and went to the back. Then they came out and asked my name again. Then a lady came out and asked what it was we were wanting. I gave her strong details, "a 1/4 sheet, yellow cake decorated like Spongebob Squarepants with 'Happy Birthday Aiden' written on it." She went to a drawer, pulled out a sheet of paper and gulped.
This is when she pulled a knife on me and blamed me for everything. Fighting for pride and the honor of my family, I fought back. I took a couple knicks here and there, but overall I won the fight. With my knee in her back and firm grip on her black hair I demanded she get a cake and decorate it. She agreed.
I told her to take her time, we'd go get the balloons and be back. So we fetched the balloons and came back some 20-25 minutes later. In that time I called Liz to bring her up to speed and raise her heart rate considerably.
This is when Liz flew into a mad rage. She killed the neighbors toy poodle in disgust. When we arrived at the bakery we saw her drenching the building with gasoline (a real waste at 3.09 a gallon) and lighting a Zippo when I pulled her away.
The cake still wasn't ready when we got there, but she was finishing it up. We got charged full price (actually, we had a 20% off coupon) but you would think they'd step up and give us a big discount or some free donuts or something. That kind of disappointed me.
Plus the cake looked just ok. I can't help but to think if she'd have done it when she was supposed to instead of rushing, it would have looked much better.
This is when she surprised me by whipping out a tee ball bat. I didn't see it coming, so she got the first blow. Luckily the steel plate in my head and my Navy S.E.A.L. traning saved the day. A half hour of Jack Bauer level torture later, I paid my bill out of pity for an overmatched opponent.
In the end, the cake was good, the icing too sweet (a preference thing) and the day was just fine. It was a great birthday party and life goes on. But Liz has decided she'll never use that bakery again. I'm letting bygones be bygones and not saying their name on here. I don't want to trash them over an honest mistake.
But I am suing them for the cuts I got in the initial knife fight. Turns out I got a punctured spleen that caused some pretty bad problems. My superhuman healing ability kept me from dying, but I still feel I am owed some compensation. I'll be visiting the law offices of Flora Templeton Stuart this afternoon to see what is coming to me.

Birthday Party!!

2007-11-19T08:03:00.000-06:00

Aiden's 2nd birthday party was a big success. We had a good number including several kids. Aiden had a blast and we all really appreciated everyone coming and making it a big day for him. Here's a couple pictures we snapped. A lot of our pictures were with the 35mm, so I only got a few on the digital.

This picture's a little dim, but here's Aiden with his Spongbob Squrepants balloon and Spongebob Squarepants cake. (not in picture, Spongebob Squarepants plate, napkin, cakeplate, and paper cup.)

Hard to get everyone in frame when they're spread out.

Aiden playing blocks with Uncle David.

Two Year Appointment with Doc

2007-11-16T10:44:00.000-06:00

Aiden went to see his pediatrician today for his two year check-up. (Birthday party is tomorrow, pictures forthcoming). His doctor assures us Aiden is perfectly healthy and normal. A boy that lives on chicken nuggets and various fruits and cereals is apparently a heatlhy boy. Good to know.

His official measurements:
34 inches high
29 pounds
50 cm

(FYI, I think his length measurement is a bit off. She didn't get square on top of his head. When I laid him out there I found him to be almost an inch longer than measured. So take that for what it's worth.)

Thanks to God that Aiden is healthy, safe and secure.

The Olive Garden Incident

2007-11-15T08:25:00.000-06:00

Liz is grimacing as she reads this, I guarantee it. But something happened Sunday night that I just can't let go. It's a condemnation of society of sorts.

We were at an Olive Garden in Nashville having dinner. Me, Liz, Aiden, Aiden's uncle David and his aunt Ester. When the pudgy couple at the table next to us emits a faint f-bomb. As Ralphy on "A Christmas Story" would say, she said the queen mother of all dirty words.

I didn't hear the first one clear. The second f-bomb I thought I heard. By the fourth one I was certain. So I morph into SuperDad.

I say, "Excuse me," as I approach the table, "but would you mind watching your language? I have a two year old son over here."

Mrs. Pudgy replies, "OH I'M SOOOOO SORRY!"

That's honestly what her reply was and it was dripping with a heavy dose of sarcasm. I thought I had been magically transported back to a third grade put down contest. I said thank you and walked away.

To my surprise, they actually stopped the cursing. But when we got to our car after dinner, they had left a note. And it read, "Maybe if your whiney son hadn't ruined our dinner we wouldn't have used such foul language."

This is where I get angry.
1) It's never, ever ok to use foul language around a child. If you're not a Christian, Catholic, Jehovah's Witness or Buddhist, I don't really care. But if you have sense enough to form words with your mouth, then you've got enough sense not to use that language around kids.

2) Aiden wasn't whiny this night. There have been nights when I wouldn't blame someone for saying something like that (well, not too much) but that night he was very good. And he was very quiet.

3) They weren't cussing because of Aiden. It's just part of their vernacular. It was everyday conversation for the Pottymouth Pudgies of Nashville, Tenn. So don't dare blame my son for your lack of class.

4) Say it to me. I know that sounds sophomoric. But honestly I wouldn't have minded them saying it to me if I would have had the opportunity to embarrass them publicly like they deserved. That's not revenge. Their behavior SHOULD have embarrassed them. It didn't. So I wanted the opportunity to fulfill karma a bit.

5) Whiny isn't spelled with an "e". I didn't know that until I just spellchecked it, but nevertheless.

There, I feel a bit better.

ROOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!

2007-11-15T08:17:00.001-06:00

A mere 15 days after Halloween, I have finally gotten Aiden's Halloween pictures on the blog. And they say I'm lazy.

This was a really special Halloween because it was the first time Aiden went trick or treating. He took to it like a duck to water. He didn't quite master his annunciation of "trick or treat" but he did remember most times to say thank you after getting candy.

The Not-So-Cowardly Lion, Aiden

Aiden's Buddy Carter was a cute, if not menacing, pirate.
Aiden's first Reece's Peanut Butter Cup. It lasted three bites. Lion's have big bites, you see.

So Aiden's first trick or treating Halloweeen was a great success. The only bummer was it being on a Wednesday night so we had to cut things short in order to get ready for church services that night.

His first Halloween candy was a Hershey's Kiss. Then the peanut butter cup. Then the sugar infused fit that follwed me telling him that was enough candy before church. Ah the joys of parenting.

Pick a Pumpkin from a Pumpkin Picking Patch

2007-10-31T13:18:00.000-05:00

We took Aiden to Jackson's Orchard here in Bowling Green on the 18th to pick out his pumpkin. It was a bit cool in the evening, but he had a good time. He drank some apple cider slush, he ate some fried apple pie, he got pet goats, cattle, llamas, rabbits, and even a wallabe.

After all that, we washed his hands. Thoroughly.

THEN we hopped aboard the trailer and took a hay ride to the pumpkin patch. He didn't seem as enthused by the tractor as I thought he might be, but he enjoyed the ride plenty. Then we scoured the earth for the perfect pumpkin, while holding our noses against the stench of rotting pumpkins. And they do forevermore stink. WHEW!

Once he got his pumpkin he got to carry it on the hayride back and begrudgingly surrendered it as we loaded the cars to go home. It was a great time spent with Aiden, Liz, me, his uncle David, aunt Ester, and Grandma.

And the extra treat came from the apple pies made by Grandma and Ester. They bought the apples from Jackson's just before we left and we are all fatter for it. You have to love fall.

Step One:

Feed a random goat

Step Two:

Find a pumpkin that fits you

Step Three:

Secure said pumpkin from potential pumpkin thieves

Ride, Ride, Ride, Hitchin' a Ride

2007-10-11T10:14:00.000-05:00

One of Aiden's favorite shows continues to be Little Einsteins. Even if Disney switched it's time slot with "My Friends, Tigger & Pooh." When we were in Texas this summer his grandmother Soledad bought him this Quincy doll from Little Einsteins. Now Quincy is bumming rides from Aiden around the living room. Good times.

The Terrible Soon-to-be-Twos are not so terrible. No doubt because Liz and I have mastered parenting. Or we have a good kid. Mostly he's just more talkative and interactive than he was before.

That's not to say that there aren't problems. There are. His favorite response is "No," because he thinks it's funny. He fancies himself to be quite the comedian. This morning, for example, when I asked if he slept well he replied, "No" with a grin on his face. Usually that's cute.

The plain old stubborness that he gets completely from his mother's side (tee hee) has also reared it's head recently. A great example of this was dinner on Tuesday night. Liz had made spaghetti (it was really good by the way.) He usually loves spaghetti because it combines his two favorite things, eating and getting absolutely filthy dirty. But he refused to eat.

Our response was to let him sit in his booster seat. He didn't have to eat, but he wasn't getting out of dinner time until we were done eating our meal. He crossed his arms and refused to look t Liz. When she asked if he wasn't going to look at her, he glanced at her, then turned his head again with pooched lips. While we stifled our laughs he continued to ignore us. It was at least 5 minutes that he didn't look at us.

I caved in after a while and let him down. But only after I was eating seconds. It seemed fair to me at the time. In retrospect I kind of undercut Liz's decree and shouldn't have.

After dinner he continued to pout. He cried. He crossed his arms. He ran to his room. He would peek out and look at Liz, cry a bit, then duck back inside his room. This display, while somewhat maddening, was very funny. But you just can't laugh at a crying child. It's mean, man. Don't do it.

I remember thinking, although I don't remember if I said it out loud, "We are in trouble." He's got an iron will for a 23 month old. What the future holds could be bad news for us. But we'll make it.

On the personal side of things I'm almost done with my part time preaching with the Gallatin Road congregation in Scottsville, Ky. They have hired a full-time evangelist to begin in November.

In the year that I have been working with the congregation (once every three weeks) I have baptized five individuals with help from the congregation and the Lord. I'm very thankful for the time I've worked with the congregation there. And am also thankful it's coming to an end so I can get back more regularly with my home congregation.

I'll also say I owe a lot to Liz in all of this. She's been very supportive and understanding while I've stretched my preaching legs a bit.

He who finds a wife finds a good thing,And obtains favor from the
LORD. -Prov 18:22

September Updates

2007-09-25T08:46:00.001-05:00

We Played with Stickers

We got a new outfit from Nana.

Ok, two new outfits from Nana.

We celebrated Aunt Ester's birthday with some cake.

We got our first sunburn (look close to see farmer tan on the arms and redness on the face)

Then we just chilled out with some Clubhouse Disney.

Pure Thievery

2007-09-19T10:29:00.000-05:00

I flat out stole this picture from the Basham's website. I say that with neither pride nor remorse. I just did it so all of our family could see it and because I'm too lazy to get our pictures loaded up lately.

Our computer at home is struggling with some virus issues, so we've been on the fritz as far as posting goes.

This picture was taken while we were tailgating before the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers dominated the hapless, helpless, hopeless Colonels of Eastern Kentucky University 26-6. My son, MY SON sat through the entire game with very limited whining. He did nap through the first, but then, so did the Hilltoppers.

After that he woke up, drank a little water, and stole my red towel so he could wave it. I couldn't be more proud. He even said "go" and clapped when he was supposed to. I don't think this comprehended the complexities of the spread option offense, but I do think he knew the red team was good and the maroon team was not.

Thanks to the Basham's for the photo. I'm so blessed to have the family I do.

First Fishing Trip, pardon me, First Fishin' Trip

2007-08-07T08:03:00.000-05:00

These are some pictures taken a couple weeks back that I'm just now getting on the computer. Aiden went with his mom, Auntie Ester, Uncle David, and Grandma Longoria on a fishing trip in Tennessee.

I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't with him on his first fishing trip, but I was planning on waiting until he was 3 or so. He had a good time, only fell in the water once, and really liked his Spongebob Squarepants fishing rod (with Plankton as bait.)

Aiden prepares to send Plankton back to the water he was born in.

Aiden and his Aunt Ester reel in a 28 lb bass....or not.

Father and Son Faceoff in Battle Turkey Manwich

2007-08-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

Aiden won't try new foods and it is just maddening. There's a concern among Liz and I that he's not getting the nutrition he needs. He gets plenty to eat, but I'm afraid he's forming bad eating habits.

So what was my solution? Patience and force. Last night we had Manwich (made with ground turkey) and some onion rings. I thought the onion rings were a stretch, but figured we'd be in good shape with the turkey Manwich.

So he had his usual fit. He fears new foods. The screaming and crying were soon underway as he adamantly refused to even try the food. I figured I could wait him out. I can hear you all laughing already.

I waited with him constantly and calmly asking him to take one bite for about 35 minutes total. He continued his crying and screaming for the duration of the ordeal. I honestly thought I was doing a good thing by trying to introduce him to new foods and maybe setting a precedent.

Then this morning I read this on iVillage as an answer to a parent with a similar problem of a toddler unwilling to try new foods:

Despite the limited variety of food your son eats, he's at least eating a good balance of nutrients. A diet of cheese sandwiches, cereal, milk, bananas and orange juice includes fairly adequate protein (from the cheese), a generous supply of carbohydrates (from the bread and cereal), a source of vitamin A (from the orange juice and milk), a great source of vitamin C (from the orange juice) and lots of B vitamins and potassium (from the banana and grains).

The one nutrient that I would be a little concerned about is iron. At two years, your son still needs iron from his diet. If the cereal he is eating is iron fortified, then he should be okay. If he is not eating an iron-fortified cereal, then consider a child supplement of iron. He should be getting 10 milligrams a day.

To get your son to eat a larger variety of foods will require a generous amount of patience. Toddlerhood is characterized by a dislike or fear of new foods, so familiarity is the key to acceptance. Try serving your child foods that you think he will like at family meals over and over again. Include a small portion on his plate and let him take it from there. If he won't even touch it, that's okay. Just be sure that you also have one or two of his favorite foods on hand so he won't go hungry. When he gets close to being willing to taste something new, assure him that he can take it out of his mouth if he doesn't like it.

It may take months or even years before your child expands his food repertoire. Until then, continue to include him in family meals and let him know you are enjoying his company. Keep the emphasis off what is or is not being eaten, and keep it on the family. Make it a time to share the enjoyment of good and healthy food, and little by little your son will add new foods to his diet.

So according to this what I did was trust my instincts which couldn't have been more wrong. All I did was make him angry and in the end he never tried a bite. We both left in lousy moods. He went to his mother. I went outside to throw a tennis ball against a brick wall several times to relieve stress.

The only thing I'm proud of is that I remained calm the entire time. I'm glad that I didn't lose my cool and raise my voice or worse. I was a bit surprised I could be that patient.

Nevertheless, today, once again, this is me:

What You'd Do for Your Kids

2007-07-05T08:54:00.000-05:00

Isn't it amazing what you'll do for your children? Take this picture for example. Do you see Mommy or Daddy in there anywhere. No. There's the pool, Aiden, and even the slightly obese feline. But Mommy and Daddy don't get pool time.

When Daddy fixes bad food, Mommy eats it. Aiden gets to opt out for chicken tenders and applesauce.

When Mommy wants to watch TV, Aiden gets to watch Disney or Nickelodeon.

This is all very tongue in cheek. I don't think Aiden is particularly privileged. It was just as fun for me watching him in the pool than it would be for me to be swimming myself. Even though with yesterday's July 4th heat, the water would have felt nice.

And isn't that pool smart? Sticking the inflatable/removable shade on there was a great idea. Even with Aiden's complexion, I worry about him getting burned in the sun. Yesterday was a bit cloudy, but it still doesn't take long to redden up.

Hope everyone had a great and safe holiday!

Bath Time!!

2007-07-03T07:29:00.001-05:00

Saturday and Monday were both pretty big days for Aiden. On Saturday Mikiah (6), Zavier (4) and Carter (3) all came over. The first two we were babysitting as part of the babysitting swap with other members of our church so they could have a date night. Carter came with his mother for some play time and some pizza.

Aiden loved it. Even though the other boys are older, they are all very good at including him and making him part of what they do. So there was a lot of running, giggling and the near-death experiences that come with having more than one boy in the house at a time. Everyone was pretty well behaved too, which is nice.

Then on Monday Carter came by while his mother got some "Me-Time" (a very necessary part of parenting...everyone needs a break now and again.) Carter is certainly the more aggressive of the two, but they play together well. Both were learning some sharing principals as both are only children so far. It's good for them to get that experience.

Monday culminated with Aiden taking his bath and Carter really wanting to play in the water. So Carter ended up in the bath as well. Needless to say, Liz had to break out some extra towels for the boys and for the bathroom floor which had as much water on it as was in the tub. I grabbed the camera and got a few pictures. Some of which aren't fit to publish.

Bath time ended abruptly when Aiden slipped and hit his head. No worries. He had a small bump on his forehead and he cried for a while (which made Carter cry.) But he's perfectly fine and was sitting up watching Spongebob in no time.

Thanks to all three boys for the playtime. (Although the Liz and I are worn out!)

Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

2007-07-02T13:22:00.000-05:00

If what they say is true, that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then there is nothing more flattering than having a child. Aiden simply loves to act grown up. Whether its muttering out incoherent sentances (gets that from me) or pulling up his shirt to pat his fat belly (he gets that from Granddad.) He enjoys acting bigger than his years.

He's really taken to saying "thank you" lately. He doesn't have to be prompted to say it now. It's become natural that he say it as soon as you give him something. And he's pronouncing it much more accurately with all the added practice. Now the funny thing is he will repeat his "thank yous" until you say, "you're welcome."

The funniest thing he did last week was hit me. I know, it doesn't sound funny. I was laying on the floor in the living room when he came up from behind and started smacking me on the forehead. I said, "OWW!" and he leaned over and kissed it then walked off. No doubt something he's learned at daycare.

Nineteen months have come and gone. It's hard to believe we're wearing size five shoes and 18-24 month outfits. The time flies and there's never a dull day. Thank God for his health and safety so far. The pool comes out for the summer this week. We'll try to have pictures up soon.

Beach Baby

2007-06-11T09:06:00.000-05:00

The last week of May was great for the family. We traveled just about as far south as you can go in these United States and even went a tad bit into Mexico on a vacation to visit Liz's family in San Benito, TX. There was a lot going on in the week that we were there. Trips to Whataburger, homemade tamales, homemade enchiladas, breakfast tacos, etc etc etc.

Oh, and we did other things other than eat as well. We got to spend good times with Liz's mom and grandparents. We got to hear Buelito preach (en Espanol) which did nothing for me, but those who actually speak Spanish seemed to enjoy it. It was good to see the congregation there and their sincerity in worship. Definitely encouraging.

Liz and I got to spend my birthday seeing Shrek the Third and having a terrific hamburger at Capital City grill (it just keeps going back to the food!) There was a trip to South Padre Island without drudging through Spring Breakers and alcoholics, which was nice. And a trip to the zoo which I don't have pictures of just yet.

Thanks to God for the good trip and for the safety of it. Particularly since we did a total of four flights (Aiden's firsts) and he did wonderful. He never seemed scared in the least. Proving that he's getting his guts from his mother.

Aiden wasn't so sure he liked the water from the Gulf of Mexico.

Aiden with his great grandparents the night before we left for Kentucky.

Aiden with his maternal grandmother the night before we left. You can see how happy she was to return to the peace and quiet they enjoy when we're not there. (kidding)

Are these my socks?

2007-05-22T07:57:00.001-05:00

Aiden got some chilly feet last night so he wanted to put some socks on this morning. So he grabbed some of Daddy's.

The really funny thing is these are ankle socks, yet they come up to almost his knees.

Pray for us this week as Aiden will take his very first plane ride. His first will be when he's less than two. My first was when I was 24. So he beat me pretty badly on that "first."

We're also teething right now. Hopefully that goes quickly and smoothly. He usually gets a bit of a cold when he teeths. We're really hoping that doesn't happen before we fly to Texas to see family for a week.

Happy 18th (month) Birthday!!!

2007-05-14T14:10:00.000-05:00

Today our son is 18 months old. That's not an official birthday, but it should be. Congratulations to our son for surviving our largely absent parenting skills for 18 months. Just 198 months to go (roughly) before college.

I think I just made myself sick a little bit.

Have a Nice, Restful Weekend

2007-05-04T16:15:00.000-05:00

Spummer time!

2007-04-30T09:04:00.000-05:00

Well I've been doing alright,

Getting good grades,
My future's so bright,
I gotta wear shades!

There's a local weather personality in South Central Kentucky that is walking, talking, weather predicting goofball. His comedic sense is only slightly better than that of Rosie O'Donnell.

For example, he coined a phrase when the spring temperatures didn't reach their normal highs. That word, "Sprinter." I know what you're thinking. "Sprinter" is already a word and it has nothing to do with weather. I know that too. Apparently, he does not.

This week the "cold" spring has been replaced by a "hot" spring (not the ones in Arkansas.) Which in conjunction with the weatherman's word invention has inspired me to new levels of stupidity and the invention of the word, "Spummer."

I tell you all this for two reasons. My wife thinks it validates her claims that I'm a big dork. And it gives me an excuse to post the picture of Aiden in his sun glasses.

Hope you all had a great weekend and hope you enjoy this fabulous Spummer!

Doing the Dishes

2007-04-26T07:01:00.000-05:00

I don't know how much of an individual's personality is inate. I'm not sure if they are born with a goodness or badness, although I suspect we're all born somewhat good and innocent as Freud presumed. I'm also quite sure that my bias when looking at my son retards my objectivity, but I'm just going to go ahead and say it.

My son is a sweet and good person.

I'll give you an example. He loves to help. Ok, he's 17 months old and he doesn't know the difference between chores and work. But I can still pretend that he's dilligently trying to help me and his mother do things because he wants to. He even helps do the dishes. No, we don't let him touch the knives, so put the telephone down and stop hitting your Child Protective Services speed dial.

He started doing this out of the blue the other day. And for probably the first time ever as parents, we managed to catch something like this on camera. This all got particularly funny because as he set about doing his task of taking the dishes from the dishwasher and handing them to Dada, he never smiled. He was just working on a task. I couldn't maintain that same composure, as you can see.

So there you have it. Proof, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that my son is 17 year old Ghandi with hair. And to think, you probably just assumed this was going to be yet another silly blog I wrote bragging about my son doing some medial task that amounted to nothing near what I claimed. Shame on you.

Coming Soon: My Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades

Vocabulary Lessons

2007-04-25T13:02:00.000-05:00

Aiden's vocabulary is growing. Its fun hearing him try to say words. His penchant for imitation seems to be getting larger every day. Here are some words he's tried to say recently:
1. Bubble - sounds like= buhbuh
2. What's THAT?!? -sounds like=What's THAT?!?! (add some serious voice inflection there)
3. This-sounds like= this
4. Moderato-sounds like=mod-a-bahbah
5. More-sounds like= moh
6. Mama
7. Dada
8. Ducks-sounds like= duh
9. Banana-sounds like=anana

Those are the few I can remember off the top of my head. Hey since the last post on this blog was titled, "Happy Easter" I had to come up with something.

Coming soon: Aiden helps Daddy unload the dishwasher.

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T21:45:00.000-05:00

Reports in the news today didn't say anything about the Easter Bunny suffering from hypothermia, but I wouldn't have been surprised. So there were no Easter egg hunts for our family this year due to the cold. We're not real certain our son would have been able to grasp the concept, but maybe he would have.

Liz had picked out an adorable little outfit for him that was blue and yellow. Unfortunately it was short sleeved with short pants. Mother Nature put the kabosh down on the idea of that outfit, so we opted for this one:The shirt is by Ralph Lauren. The pants by Dillard's. The shoes are Payless. The Easter Egg is Dollar General. The look is pure Renfrow.

After a long day of church service and doing a little dance on the catwalk, on the catwalk yeah, Aiden was all tuckered out and so was Liz:

We hope everyone had a great Easter.

And as an update, Aiden will turn 17 (months) this week. But we're still not letting him date. And he can't have the car out past 10.

He's Gotten Stealthy

2007-04-05T08:41:00.000-05:00

Recently our son has become quite stealthy. Not that he's sneaking into things or hiding things. He's become a stealthy pooper.

Last night is a prime example. He'd napped from the time he got home from the babysitters (around 5) until he ate dinner at around 6. After he ate I changed his "wet" diaper and lo and behold, he had pooped. I don't know when. He never gave any indication. It just sort of happened.

The same thing had happened when I picked him up early on Tuesday. When I got him home I changed another "wet" diaper only to discover he had poohed some time ago. I don't blame the sitters either. They've always done a great job. I just don't think they knew anymore than I did.

This marks quite a change. It always seemed you knew when he was pooping becuase he would grunt and stop doing whatever he was doing. Now, he's so at ease with it he can do it without any physical indication. Well, he can't make it smell good. So there's ONE physical indication.

A Father's Confession

2007-04-04T11:21:00.000-05:00

I have a flaw.

I was just as shocked as you are, believe me.

My flaw is simple. I'm a heavy sleeper. Let me explain the dynamic of a bedroom that houses a heavy sleeper and a borderline insomniac. It can become a little tense.

1) There's the genuine sense of envy and even jealousy on part of the sleep deprived. My wife fits this category. When I ask how she's slept in the morning, I usually get a "Not very well." Response. When she asks me, I say I slept well. She replies, "OF COURSE YOU DID." (She doesn't really yell...that's just there for effect.)

2) Heavy sleepers tend to stay asleep. Even when we wake up in the middle of the night, its more of a middlesleep state. We're awake, but we're not thinking with all of our usual well rested faculties.

Herein lies our problem and my subsequent confession. When our son wakes in the middle of the night I tend to take the lazy way out. It's not intentional. It's really not. I want to be SuperHusband/SuperDad all the time. But I end up laying in bed thinking, "He'll go back to sleep." "I'll just give him a few minutes to cry it out." "Its just a small fire." Thoughts like that.

So here's me last night:

And this is my wife last night, this morning, and probably today too:

And I take the blame for that one. It's something I really need to work on. Last night I was honestly listening to him cough (he's had a mild chest infection) and it didn't sound awful and he didn't sound awake. So I was hoping it would pass. However, I laid there too long. When Liz started to get up, I didn't move.

So today, this is me:

Sorry Sweetheart. You deserve better.

Mowing With Daddy

2007-04-03T21:28:00.000-05:00

The picture of a small child helping his/her father mow the lawn should look like this:

Instead, I have a push mower. I'm one of only two guys on my block that does. The other guy is in much better shape than me, and thus, so is his yard. So the picture of me mowing the lawn with my son would look more like....

And that's just sad. And unsafe. Actually, I'm not sure the whole "mowing with daddy" thing is a good idea at all.

But I digress. Today I picked up our wonderful son from the babysitters because he was running a fever. He's had a minor ear infection and some sort of infection in his chest which is not nearly as frightening as it sounds. It just means he coughs quite a bit at night and he's feverish.

So today I waited unti he took a nap, then I hooked up the monitor outside (always, ALWAYS have the monitors with the red lights) and set to mowing the yard and breaking a land speed record. The yard is pristine, the land speed record remains elusive.

As I walked into the house, the toddler was just waking up in time to ruin Daddy's plans to take a nice long shower. Daddy instead took a combination shower/land speed record attempt. Long story short, the yard is mowed, the baby's fine, Daddy smells like Lever 2000, and the land speed record remains, still, elusive.

P.S. Oh, and if anyone wants to give me a very special present, I like Cub Cadets.

P.P.S. I'll bet the other blog fathers are wondering why they're pictures are on our blog.

P.P.P.S To follow P.S. [post script] P.P.S [post post script] is proper.

Saturday, In the Park

2007-03-26T20:07:00.000-05:00

"Saturday in the park,

I think it was the fourth of July.

Saturday, in the park

I think it was the fourth of July."

-Saturday in the Park, Chicago

Ok, I'm not in the band Chicago. And we didn't go on a Saturday. And it was March, not at all near July. But it was warm, and we did go to the park.

And gee, I don't know, I guess the combination of spring weather, a lovely park, and spending time with my family put in the mood for song. So I composed a small illustrated poem.

We took our son to the park on Friday to feed the ducks and geese.

We took our son to the park to play on swings,

We took our son to play on a bus,

We took our son to play with us.

Too little time for pictures my dear,

has brought to the end I fear.

And while I know we'll meet again

I'll bid you adieu until then.

Our Son: Master of His Domain

2007-03-18T20:15:00.000-05:00

A great prophet once said, "you have to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything."

Actually that wasn't a great prophet. It was country music artist Aaron Tippin. But that's neither here nor there.

We enjoyed the opportunity to babysit a couple of boys on Saturday night as part of our babysitter swapping program with members of our church. Our son enjoyed it too. He's not used to having other boys around the house. So he enjoyed the running, playing, throwing, and general anarchy that accompanies young boys.

But at some point a line was crossed. At some point, our son, went from friend to foe.

There are things in this life which are sacred: the bond of marriage, kinship, and the bond between a man and his favorite chair. Let this picture be a lesson to all those who might play with the fire of coming between any man and his favorite La-Z-Boy.

And while we are considering life lessons. Here's another one that has been learned over and over again through watching such programs as Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and Animal Planet predator specials.

And that lesson is, to the victors go the spoils!!

Baby Swap Update...oh, and HE'S WALKING!!!!

2007-02-20T09:45:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately, we've got no pictures for this update, but we do have good news.

Walking!!!!
First and foremost the young one is finally a walking toddler. True, we weren't in any great hurry to see him walking because we're clinging to his youth like the Real World casts cling to their fifteen minutes of fame. But it was starting to sting the pride a bit when everyone else's baby was walking and ours wouldn't. So we have been redeemed.

A special shoutout goes to friends Clint and Becky for apparently inspiring our son to walk. Clint lifted him up a time or two and before you know he's tottling across the floor to his daddy. As expected, he gets better day by day. We still have all kinds of falls and stumbles, but its becoming his primary mode of travel.

BabySwap 2007
Phase one of the first babyswap took place this Saturday night with Liz and I dropping the walking baby off with the preacher's family for a few hours. We got out and saw a really good movie, "The Pursuit of Happyness" (intentional misspelling) with Will Smith. Smith does a great job playing a father who's down on his luck and trying to do the best for his son. Great movie, I give it an A.

Then it was on to a casual dinner at Buckhead Cafe. I had the hickory burger, Liz, the chicken fingers. In true Clark W. Griswold fashion I goofed up a portion of dinner. (See, I tend to screw up something minor at least, at every opportunity we have for rare enjoyment.) Liz requested the German Chocolate Cake for dessert. So I naturally went and got her the German Chocolate Brownie.

But the positive news came when we picked up the lad and his sitters informed us that he had been great all night. No whining or crying at all. It's enough to make a fella proud.

New Parents...
I saw a good friend at the doctor's office yesterday. He is a new father of about two months now and one thing he said has become a point of minor contention is being polite to and considerate of his wife. When the baby arrives and the late night feedings begin, it's really easy to become too lazy and leave the wife to take care of it. With my friend and with myself, the situation was exacerbated by us being heavy sleepers. Even with the monitor being right next to my ear on the nightstand, I can sleep through our son crying if Liz is there.

That's not a blessing, it's a curse. Because it leaves you wide open to accusations of "playing possum." But if you do hear it, husbands, fathers, GET UP and do your part. Its the right thing to do and when the ladies get together, you'll have made strides toward protecting your reputation among the community.

Babyswap!

2007-01-31T14:53:00.000-06:00

New from your friends at the Fox Network is Babyswap! The reality show where real life parents drop their kids off with other families so they can selfishly go out on a date by themselves.

Ok, it's not a reality show on Fox. Its actually a program some members of our church have decided to do. A kind of bartering system where one family watches your child(ren) so you and your loved one can remember what it was like to have a life. Then in return, you do the same at a later date.

It seems like a really teriffic idea at first. Then the first month pairings come out and my wife and I (with our ONE child) get matched up with one of our preachers and his family, of FOUR children. How is that equitable?

I don't really have a problem with it. They have great kids and I'm sure while challenging, it will be a lot of fun. It may also push me over the edge towards that vasectomy...kidding again.

It's a great idea and it will be nice for my wife and I to get out and enjoy dinner and a movie together. Even better that it will be in the month of February, near Valentine's Day. The Surgeon General recommends that married couples get at least one month of romance per year.

INTRODUCING.......

2007-01-29T15:05:00.001-06:00

My name is Liz. I am Travis' other half and Aiden's mother as if you wouldn't know who I am. Most if not all who read this is family. I agreed to help Travis out with the blog much to my hesitation. I'm not a good writer or as funny as Travis but I can try. He's done a really good job of posting some great blogs. I'm proud of him. Remember comments are welcomed and encouraged. Until next time, have a good day.

The Firsts Diary: Chapter ?? First Haircut

2007-01-26T10:39:00.000-06:00

"When you get a haircut

Be sure to go back home

When you get a haircut

Get a barber you have known

Since you were a little bitty boy

Sitting in a booster chair

Cause you might look like

Larry, Moe or Curly if a stranger cuts your hair."

-The Haircut Song,Ray Stevens

Due to the fact that our son was beginning to be mistaken for a girl with curly hair, we decided it was time for a haircut. Actually Liz decided that. I was in a bit of denial. Nevertheless, we took him for his first official haircut.

Before the haircut. Notice how freakishly pale I look. My goodness. You'd never know I have Native American ancestry.

I wanted to take our son to a barbershop. My wife wanted to take him to the hair salon at Dillard's. So we compromised and took him to the hair salon at Dillard's. (Thanks to "Rules of Engagement" and comedian Brad Garret for that joke.)

Much to our surprise, our son was very well behaved during the haircut.

Again, I have no idea where this pacificity came from.

The finished product. I must say he looks like quite the little gentleman now. And the lady at Dillard's was great. I think she was a bit apprehensive at first, but she handled it like a pro. She made it easy for all of us by keeping him occupied with some toys and things.

Calling in for Back-Up!

2007-01-24T10:01:00.000-06:00

It takes a big man to admit when he needs help.

Well at 6 ft 235 lbs, I am that big of a man.

So I'm calling in for backup. Let's face facts. I'm pretty funny and I am abundantly proud of my son. But I can only post so much if I want to keep my job. So I'm calling in my partner in parenting to help out with the site.

Most of the readers are her family anyway, so it just makes sense.

So a big welcome to the woman who runs the show, Liz.

Growing and Growing

2007-01-22T12:52:00.000-06:00

There's been something going on lately. Our son has been eating like a horse on a steroid binge and has been sleeping more and more. He took a nap Rip Van Winkle would envy on Saturday when he slept for over 3 hours.

When your child takes a three hour nap, you usually prepare for a short night of sleep. Nope. He even slept a little bit late on Sunday morning.

So what's going on? Obviously the first thing that came to my mind was that he was addicted to marijuana. After searching his nursery for contraban, paraphernalia and incense, I decided that was a dead end. (And remember kids, drugs always have a dead end.)

Then I considered that it may be a growth spurt. So this morning when getting him dressed I noticed that he was really taking up a lot of the changing pad. So my wife and I got out the measuring tape and did a quick measure on the dining room table. And voila, he's grown 2+ inches since his 1 year checkup in November.

So we're not as concerned about him brining home drugs from daycare now, but we'll continue to keep an eye on it. There are some older kids there. 2-3 year olds. And I don't have to tell you what kinds of problems they can get themselves caught up in.

In all seriousness, I was relieved to see that there was some growth that was vertical. The way he's been eating I was starting to think we were raising this generation's Fat Albert.

Until next time, "HEY! HEY! HEY, EVERYBODY!"

Play, Play, Play, play, pl...ZZZZZZ

2007-01-18T13:11:00.000-06:00

God Help Him, He's a Smaller ME!!!

2007-01-18T11:48:00.000-06:00

RANDOM THOUGHT

My poor son acts like his father. He's jovial, like me. He's funny, like me. He talks (well he doesn't TALK, but he tries) like me. He's likes to get his way, like me. He zombies out in front of the TV, just like me. And of course he goes to Western Kentucky basketball games, just like his daddy. It's a terrible shame that our children act like us.

Except one thing.

He laughs more than I do. He's funnier than I am. He talks more than I do. He's cuter than me...pretty much. He zombies out a bit more than I do too.

Last night while my wife was working on her scrapbook project of our son's existence, we got to scouring the computer for pictures and it occurred to me the massive changes that have occurred. Parents say all the time that kids grow up way too fast, and it's so very true.

In the past few weeks his vocabulary is growing (relatively) he's added "done", "anana" (which loosely translates to banana), and a very clear "hi" and "bye." And you can just tell that he's learning so much so quickly. It's a very exciting time and a lot of fun.

I'm trying to get some pictures of him on his "tractors" that his uncle and aunt bought him. He likes them and he especially likes trying to run over his daddy. But my digital camera's card seems to have gone kaput. So we'll have to get those pictures again.

They're So Little....

2007-01-10T09:32:00.000-06:00

I have a confession to make. I've made it several times to several audiences already because it's therapeutic to talk about it.

I spanked this beautiful little boy. I learned the truth in the cliche, "This hurts me worse than it hurts you." It's so very true. I could have cried when I did it, but I had to.

Yes, I had to.

Why?

Well it started on a Sunday night at church services. He was being very fussy and contrary, so I took him back out of the auditorium. He continued to be very fussy. When I wouldn't let him down to play (because it's not play time) he kicked and hit me.

After I was sure he did it intentionally (because he did it again) I gave him a few swats on the back of the leg. It got his attention but I didn't really hit him very hard. I couldn't bring myself to do that and I wanted to be very sure I was in control of my emotions and wasn't spanking him out of my anger.

Parenting is doggone hard. I think that's probably the first time I've said that. Because frankly I think it's been easier than I expected up to this point. There have been difficult times for certain, but all in all the challenge has been very doable. But now I've glimpsed into the future and seen that he is very capable of throwing some Vesuvius-esque fits. And that scares me just a bit because I wonder how I'll handle them.

The ironic thing about the spanking is that he forgot about it in no time at all I'm sure. But I've thought about it for over a week now. I was really hoping that would be something he wouldn't need until he was about 23 years old. Then I could just tell him to punish himself.

More Babies!!!!

No, not for us. But I wanted to say on here congratulations to Cort & Laurie on the birth of baby Simon.

Also, congratulations to Jeff & Jessica on their pregnancy.

And to Jaxon and Gretchen who don't even know this blog exists.

And to Joey and Kim who likewise don't know this blog exists.

So many babies...so little space!!

My Cartoons vs. His Cartoons

2006-12-12T11:38:00.000-06:00

I like...

He likes....

I like...

He likes...

And thus I relent. I have to face facts that being raised on He-Man, Thundercats, Looney Tunes, G.I. Joe, and Voltron (later on Animaniacs, The Tick and Eek! the Cat) probably didn't do much to edify my inclination toward watching educational cartoons. But the evolution of cartoons is something that's great as a parent. Now you don't have to feel bad about letting your kid zombie out for a little bit.

I'll grant you that there have to be limits. We don't just turn the T.V. on and turn our parenting skills off. Playhouse Disney actually helps us interact a bit with a few of their shows. And he learns from them too.

But I like to watch the silly shows sometimes too. I think silliness is underrated. But I digress.

What Playhouse Disney does is amp up the interaction. Asking the viewer questions, waiting for the answer, asking the viewer to do some physical action, then applauding the action. It's really great for kids to have that rather than just mindless entertainment. And this coming from a guy who doesn't like Disney. I was a Looney Tunes guy. I liked violence like Foghorn Leghorn or Wile E. Coyote.

But I appreciate the educational entertainment industry. It doesn't take the place of playing with the kids or reading to them, but it's a nice accessory to those things.

That being said, I like mindless entertainment too.

StoryTime!!!

2006-12-08T09:04:00.000-06:00

There's one man who makes parenting a much easier job. One man who in modern history shaped our lives in my generation and generations before, more than any other literary figure. And that man is Dr. Seuss.

Reading to your child is a wonderful pastime for a variety of reasons. It gives you quality time. It gives you a chance to cuddle with your little one. It helps them to hear and hopefully expand their own vocabulary.

When our son began saying his first words we began the ritutal of reading a book to him every night. Mostly short books like If You Give a Pig a Pancake and Moo, Baa, La La La. But I'm a big, big fan of Seuss.

My wife doesn't read Seuss as much because they're usually nearly 50 pages. I find them to be a quick read and they give me an opportunity to teach my son something else: rhythm.

The great thing about Seuss is that his writing style not only helped kids with their vocabulary, spelling, and phonics, but it was written with a rhythm. This month in particular I've read How the Grinch Stole Christmas a couple times already. Anyone in my generation who reads that book reads it in the way it was recited in the 30 minute TV special. And we try our best to mimic the Grinch's voice. We may even sing a few bars of You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.

So today a special shout out to Dr. Seuss. Seuss, Theodore Geisel, passed away over 15 years ago and still has a profound impact on today's children. I love reading his books for my son, and frankly for myself.

From there to here, From here to there, Funny things are everywhere.

Working from the Home

2006-12-05T10:11:00.000-06:00

Some people may ask, "How young is too young to put your child to work helping earn the family income?" I say if they can sit up, they can help out.

Our son has his own internet based business selling used pacifiers and refurbished diaper Genies. It gives him something to do and the extra income comes in handy. We snapped this picture of him on an average workday.

Actually I wanted to post today to announce a breakthrough. The breakthrough has nothing to do with this picture, but I needed to get a new pic of him up, so I just grabbed one off the hard drive.

Our son is now eating table food as if he's always liked it. The baby sitter reported that yesterday he ate chicken nuggets, corn and applesauce for lunch. Last night we had tacos. No, we did not give our one year old tacos and refried beans. That is a recipe for a sleepless night if I've ever heard one. We gave him a banana. The whole banana. Then we gave him some Cheerios (or Baby Crack as I call them) to top the meal off with a ice cold sippee cup of whole milk to wash it down.

My wife and I were talking last night after putting him to bed. We both think its been amazing how fast he's learning. It's like he's a young Doogie Howser (without that annoying Vinnie popping in through the bedroom window at night.) In the last two weeks he's learned clapping, patting, waving, kissing, eating with a spoon, shapes, how to pet the kitty (with nice hands) and the joy of chicken nuggets (thank you McDonald's for introducing the world to your tasty chicken nuggets that come in only two shapes, boots and circles.)

Every parent wants to think that their child is exceptional. I'm sure I will one day too. But today I don't really think he is nor do I care. He's happy, healthy, and smart. That's a blessing.

One more thing to blog about today briefly. Aiden has learned his patting and other motions from mimicking what he sees on Disney's Little Einstein's TV program. It occurred to me this morning in the shower (who doesn't do their best thinking in the shower?!?) that it is oh so important to pay close attention to what's on your TV. If a boy who is no more than 56 weeks old can mimic what's on TV, then any child can.

Tables and Jars, Tables and Jars

2006-12-01T08:22:00.000-06:00

The latest parental hurdle we've come up against is how to get your child to eat table food. Our son had no problem eating table food here and there along the way. But lately if you give him something from your plate he acts like you're offering him rat poison. He gets downright beligirent if you try to force it in his mouth.

And it's not strange foods. We don't feast on Korean cuisine or anything. I'm talking mashed potatoes, green beans, breads, etc. Pretty normal fare. But the child would rather have Goldfish and Cheerios than just about anything. Oh, and if it comes out of a jar, it automatically gets the lipsmacking seal of approval.

The great thing about having a young child is that one day is completely different than the one that preceded it. Its also the bad thing about having a young child because you never know what's going to work. In the last week he's let down his guard a bit and been more willing to try table foods, but he's still very cautious about it.

It seems like letting him hold the spoon is a milestone, but we'll see how long that lasts. Not to mention the food we're wasting by letting him smear it on his face rather than getting it in his mouth. Oh the starving people in third world countries would loathe us. On the other hand, they can't even get food, so they don't have internet. And if they don't have internet, they'll never know this story.

Happy Birthday Son!!!

2006-11-30T16:20:00.000-06:00

Ok, this post is late. My son's birthday was actually on November 14th. But as you can see, he's a happy little fella. It took some coaxing to get him to try to actually eat the cake. In the end his Granddaddy helped him with it.

We spent probably less than $20 on this toy and it was a hit. He has to be occassionally reminded that he has it, but he likes to walk with it. Not always forward, but he does walk with it. It gets him a step closer to actually walking, or as I think of it,D-Day.

Since it's been so long since I updated The New Daddy Diary, let me share some news.

Babies, Babies, Babies!!! It's a Bowling Green Baby Boom!
1. We have one friend who has had her second baby.
2. We have another friend who announced she and her husband are expecting their first.
3. We have another friend who has "dropped" and is nearing the birth of her first.
4. We have yet another friend who is prepping for the January arrival of their first.

Spoon!!!!
Our son actually fed himself with a spoon last night. Granted, it was by no means a flawless attempt, but it was pretty well executed for a first timer.

Hugs and Kisses
Our boy now gives me gigantic open mouthed kisses on the cheek when I ask him too. It's wet, sloppy, and sometimes turns into a bite, but it's cute. And he's always so proud of himself after he does it.

Slap hands! Slap hands!
A wise man once said, "it's the little things." It really is when you have children. Our son has learned to clap. I think it's no small coincidence that he learned this at the beginning of Western Kentucky Basketball season. Diddle Arena is a great place to learn how to clap.

Shape Sorters Sort Shapes to Sharpen Senses
To my shame, I have misled you. Our son actually learned to clap from us cheering him while he played with his Shape Sorter he got as a birthday present. He's pretty good at it. He's also smart enough to take the top off and just slam the shapes in there when he gets frustrated. There's more than one way to sort a shape my friends.

That helps bring us up to date. Hopefully I can post more often in the future.

Look! Up in the Sky!!

2006-11-06T08:12:00.000-06:00

It's a Bird! It's a Plane!! It's SuperSon!!!!

I've been trying for DAYS to get this picture uploaded without success. So now, nearly a full week after Halloween Night, I get it up here.

Bumps and Bruises

2006-10-24T09:42:00.000-05:00

It's no wonder that young men love to play contact sports. It seems that males are attracted to football and hockey, both to play and to watch. And when you have a young son, you see why. The pain, hits, bruises, bumps, blood, and tears no doubt reminds them of when they were a small child.

I can say this with confidence because I watch my son almost daily slip, fall, run into, crash into, and pull off things that constantly cause him minor pain. Our boy is particularly fond of grabbing things off our coffee table. Then getting them off the floor and putting them back on the coffee table. But when your legs are like Play-Do (they're solid, but you wouldn't want to put your weight on them) you slip and you fall into the coffee table. A lot. Repeatedly.

The lesson to be learned here is that no matter how closely you watch your child, it is inevitable that the child will risk his/her own life multiple times weekly. It's just run of the mill type of stuff. And it's a good thing. That's right, a good thing. Fathers will say it toughens them up. Mothers will say it teaches them to be more cautious. Either way, pain, physical pain in particular, is a part of life and the more you have to deal with it, maybe the better you get at it.

Now I'm not suggesting you whack junior with a rolling pin to teach him toughness. (Really. Don't do that. Ever.) But don't freak out when the kid gets hurt. Just be there to kiss the boo-boos and soothe the baby. After all, he's not Superman, is he?

One Down

2006-09-21T09:01:00.000-05:00

Last night was cake. Which surprises me as much as anyone. Watching my 10 month old son by myself I fully expected to be torture. (and I mean foreign country torture, not United States-level torture. But I digress.)

Our only fussy moment of the night came when we were at church. He made it almost all the way through the baby's bible class but then he got upset. It seemed when I got him that he was looking for Mommy. He did the same thing as we left the building after services were over. It was sweet and just a tiny bit heartbreaking.

Mommy will be back Friday afternoon, which means baby and me get to spend another night together tonight. My mother had graciously offered to watch him (of course she wouldn't just want him to herself would she? ;-P) and I considered the offer seriously. But ultimately I decided that I wanted to spend some bonding time with him. So far I in no way regret the decision, and grandmother is on tap to see him Saturday.

One more thing. This morning in my car on the way to his Super-Sitter, I kept glancing back over my shoulder to where he was in his car seat. And everytime I did he was looking at me and laughing. So we reach one of two conclusions, I need a haircut so bad I resemble Bozo the clown, or my son is just as happy as a lark in the mornings. Of course the answer is C) All of the above.

Having a morning baby is a blessing. Because mornings are hard enough on parents. I can't imagine goign through them with a fussy kid every day.

Hook'em Horns

2006-09-20T10:37:00.000-05:00

I'm not a particular fan of the University of Texas Longhorns. But hey, our son has family in Texas, so we've got a few articles of orange in the closet.
This is his first Texas outfit. The recent cool weather has given us opportunity to dress him in his warmer outfits.

The boy has become quite an imitator, but only when he wants to. He's trying to imitate just about anything we say. But he's also taken to imitating Disney's Little Einsteins (a really great kids program.) He likes to imitate the "pat, pat, pat" the characters do. He's also waved, and enjoys playing with his lips and making noises.

For the next few days it's just baby and me as his mother has gone to a conference out of town. So it's a Daddy Test time. Pray for me, but pray harder for him!

Not Mo, Not Larry, Not Shemp, But...

2006-09-07T08:01:00.000-05:00

CURLY!! This poor kid is working some major curls all of the sudden. Especially the rooster tail you see in the pictures. It's incredible because when his hair is wet, it goes down the length of his neck and touches his back just barely. But when it's dry, it curls back up into his head and his neck is completely uncovered.

You Musta Been a Beautiful Baby...

2006-09-06T07:58:00.000-05:00

Putting aside our shame, my wife and I entered our son in a baby contest last month. I hesitated putting the picture up on here mostly because I don't want readers forming any poor opinions of us. We're just not the pageant types. But as the contest was at the community day of my hometown and my mother encouraged us to enter him we did.

The contest affirmed what we already knew. That our son was the cutest boy age 6-12 months in the community of Dundee, Ky. Ok, we may put him on a slightly higher pedastal than that. Especially considering he only had one opponent.

So I'll wax psychological here and wonder why there are people who "need" to put their children in contest. No, I'm not talking about baby contests. I think those are pretty harmless as a whole. Everyone thinks their baby is cute, so you ask some judge to confirm that. Well if they don't, you call them a backwards, nearsighted, yellow bellied coward of a hick and move on. No harm, no foul.

But the people who have been documented on HBO specials who envelope their children in "beauty" pageants. The example of the Ramsey family is the first that jumps to one's mind. But that's far too tragic a story to tread upon with such brevity. I just wonder if its something in the parents that needs to be fulfilled. Why do you need someone to confirm to you how special your child is?

I guess until I shrink and crawl inside the head of these folks, I'll just never know. So for now I'll assume we're not parents who "need" such confirmation. But for any Dundee-ans who are reading this, just know, we're number one! That's right!

Ponderings

2006-08-16T07:04:00.000-05:00

A couple things have crossed my mind lately about parenting.

Number one, where is the line that separates teaching your child your beliefs versus brainwashing them? This is a tough question. I don't want to raise my son to be close minded at all, but I have a responsibility to teach him my beliefs. Especially since my wife and I believe that faith will lead him to salvation. Of course there can be nothing more important than that for a Christian parent.
But too many people rely on what their parents believed and how they were raised. I suppose the medium here lies in teaching them what you believe and know and then teaching them to teach themselves. Thankfully I've got a while before this becomes a tangiable issue in our home. Lord willing much wisdom will come to us as parents before we have to tackle this one.

Number two has to do with spoiling our son. I think people have a quick trigger with that word. We've heard already that our son is spoiled. I think mostly that's said in jest, but as a new parent you get a bit gunshy around that term. No one wants a spoiled baby. Because spoiled babies become spoiled toddlers, spoiled toddlers make spoiled kids, and spoiled kids make for big headaches.
But here's the question. Is there a difference between spoiling and loving? I think there is. Now obviously there is more than one type of spoiling. I'm not referring to lavishing your kids with gifts and unmerited priveleges around every corner. Nor am I referring to refusing to discipline your child to the point that he/she literally runs the home.
I mean the spoiling that comes when your child can only be soothed by you. When they only want to be held by you and they throw fits (fits, not fussing) when they don't get their way. To an extent, every child does that. So where does that line exist? Does that line exist at all? We love our son, and we're going to cuddle with him, kiss him, play with him, and soothe him when he's upset. So how is that spoiling? Are we somehow ruining him for life because he knows his parents love him and are there for him? I see a big difference between loving and spoiling. I wish more people saw it that way and we wouldn't be so quick to label other kids as spoiled.

Just a couple random thoughts from me.

Walker, Kentucky Ranger

2006-08-09T08:22:00.000-05:00

Walkers are not recommended by the world of pediatrics. I can’t understand that. Ok, so they can tip over and cause injury. I get that. I also get that the biggest reason for that is people sticking their children in a walker then paying no attention to them. We are not like those parents.

So our son is in his Pooh themed walker. Basically, we’re putting him in there so he can occupy himself without climbing over every inch of furniture while we try to eat dinner. Again, we’re watching him. But we’re eating too.

Here’s another observation of babies. Their first movements are apparently always backwards. Which makes sense. It’s easier to push backwards than to pull forward. When our son was learning to crawl, all he did was push himself backwards. Now in his walker, it’s the same thing. He can only go in reverse. That makes him very angry when he’s trying to get closer to Momma and Dada.

COLD UPDATE: Still there. Not as bad, but it’s still there. So the nose cleansing is still going on. And he still hates said nose cleansing. This morning, after finishing his breakfast (so to speak) he was crawling around on the bed when he coughed a couple times then launched spitup all over Dada like I was Will Smith in Men in Black. (“Aww, you know he’s actually kind of cu…{BLECH!!!}”)

Landmark

2006-08-08T07:59:00.000-05:00

I forgot the camera this morning, so forgive the lack of pictures.

Last night we reached a parenting landmark. For the first time since his birth on November 14th, our son slept in his crib in his room. He's been in a bassinet in our room all this time. My wife, who is remarkable in a million ways, was very strong. I know it hurt her to not have him in our room. And it hurts me a bit too, but its part of the process.

What my wife has in character she lacks in physical size. She's just under 5 feet tall. So the latest hurdle she's had to clear as a first time parent is how to get our son in the crib without chucking him over like a Scottish log toss (see below.)

But she managed to get him in there. He woke up a couple times, but got back to sleep quickly. All in all, it was a success. It just may not feel like one.