Not the greatest..

I didn't have a chance to write a post tonight because I rented Sex and the City 2 for Meggan and we watched it together. Now, I'm not one of those guys who hates all movies aimed at women. That said, it was one of the worst things I have seen in a long time .... and that actually means something considering earlier tonight, Amelia walked over to me holding a handful of poo. Yeah, I said handful of poo. Deal with that image. I had to.

Must be a girl thing

Upon giving Mia her bath a few nights ago, I noticed a slight discrepancy...

List of items used to get Mia ready for bed:

- Elmo toothbrush
- Baby toothpaste
- Children's Allergy medicine
- Dropper for said medicine
- cup of water to rinse down medicine
- Elmo interior bathtub mat to prevent slipping
- Ducky faucet cover
- Dove soap for sensitive skin
- No tears baby shampoo
- Cup to rinse hair
- Ducky towel
- Spray in hair detangler
- Comb
- Desitin diaper rash cream
- Lotion
- Freshly refilled Humidifier
- Night Light
- Book, preferably Goodnight Gorilla
- Cribside music mobile on a timer

List of items used to get me ready for bed:
- toothbrush
- toothpaste
- floss
- soap/shampoo/body wash ...any combination or single item will suffice.

Now, I'd like to think her list will get smaller as she gets older. However, considering I see the mass quantities of toiletries and such used by her mother, I'm not so sure.

Lucky Guy

I'm a lucky guy to have two such beautiful girls in my life. Now, if only one of them would ever smile for the camera....



Why yes, there is a creepy clown just outside the frame...seriously...

Lesson Learned

When I picked up Amelia from daycare today she begged me for an apple. Being the loving father I am, we grabbed one on our way out the door. On the ride home, I would ask Mia questions intermittently just to ensure she wasn't choking. Each time, she talked back...success. However, when we got home, this is the scene that awaited me ...



I did not anticipate that she wasn't choking because she was continually spitting out the peel all over the back seat. Naturally, being the extremely punishment oriented, strict father that I am, she had to pay the price...

I made her lay comfortably on her oversized pillow and watch Sesame Street for no less than 20 minutes. I think we can all agree she learned a valuable lesson today.

Pumpkin Patch?

Uhhhh, yeaahh, the pumpkin patch thing didn't happen today. It wasn't that we didn't want to go. It was that we didn't want to go enough. We had quite a bit of yard work to do and our friends we were going with were tied up as well. So, I am sad to admit, I have no pumpkin patch pictures for you tonight. However, we did uncover two very important facts tonight...

1) Amelia has no concept of what a costume is. She simply snuggles her Elmo costume as if it actually Elmo's limp, lifeless body.



2) Amelia's friend, Connor (the lion from last Halloween), had a very interesting idea for his costume this year....Elmo

Pumpkin Patch Redux

If all goes according to plan, we are taking Amelia to the pumpkin patch. I really have no idea what to expect. She has an amazing knack for really going the extra mile when it comes to breaking down crying during memory making moments. Hopefully, we will have some photos of the event to post tomorrow night. In the meantime, here is a little stroll down memory lane from last year's trip to the patch...

Fun with Crayons

Tonight, Mia decided it was a pretty good idea to go ahead and start coloring on the hardwood floors. I'm not sure if she got bored with her coloring book or just thought perhaps they needed a little pizazz. Also tonight, Sophie ate several crayons, leaving only wrappers on the floor and skittle-colored turds in the backyard. I am certain neither of these met with my approval. What I can't figure out, though, is who I am more upset with. Is it Amelia for coloring my floor like subway graffiti? Is it Sophie for tasting the rainbow? Or is it me for somehow not stopping both of those things before they happened? Hmm, probably the last one. But, just in case, I think I'll put all of us in the time out chair for a while.

Happy to see her

I made it home tonight not only in time to see Amelia, but in time to play with her for an hour or so. It's a funny thing how frustrating it can normally be when she doesn't feel well or is acting out. Yet, on days like today where I haven't seen her much lately, I just enjoy her company regardless of mood, health, or the fact that she ignores me for Sesame Street. The simple things like chasing her around the house and tickling her into relentless laughter can completely erase the funk of a long workday, work week, or even work month. Tonight was a night that I badly needed....even if our conversation on the couch went like this... "are you glad daddy's home to see you tonight?" "Noooo". "You're not? That hurts daddy's feelings. Do you care that you hurt daddy's feelings?" "Noooooo" and then she proceeded to smack me in the mouth. Ahhhh, love.

Know when to say when

I have been working for 14 hours straight. I did not make it home in time for dinner or to see Amelia before she went to bed. Unfortunately, this kind of work schedule has been pretty common the last week or two. I'm grateful to have my job and am thankful for the opportunities it provides. However, roughly 5 minutes ago, my computer locked up and I lost about 2 hours worth of work. So, I am now faced with only a few options considering I have a deliverable due at noon tomorrow that is now WAAAY behind schedule. 1) Stay up for the next several hours rebuilding what I had done and finishing the remainder of the analysis. 2) Light this P.O.S. laptop on fire and joyfully watch it melt away years of torment. or 3)Shut down, go upstairs and watch Amelia sleep for a little while and then peacefully join Meggan and Sophie in bed. My head says #1, my heart says #3, and yet, a small part of me is leaning towards the pure catharsis of #2. I'm pretty sure I'll end up in bed soon, but let's just say this laptop is lucky it houses too many pictures of Amelia and the only copy of the screenplay I've been working on. As for the work due tomorrow, I'll just have Sophie make up some numbers in the morning.

Nutritious AND Delicious

This is a picture, albeit a terrible cell phone picture, of Amelia at lunch today. Now, ordinarily I would not be proud of the fact that we are feeding her grilled cheese and fries. However, today, I would have preferred to be saying she cleared her plate than to tell you what she is actually doing in this picture...Yes, that is crayon in her hand. Yes, she is using it as a fork. And, yes, she is spearing Fruit Loops with it and eating them.

The REAL fun

Meggan took Amelia to a story time event today where she got to sit back, eat fruit loops, and listen to a great story. I'm sure Meggan felt like this made her the most fun parent today. Little does she know, I don't need any events to maintain that title. This is the scene moments before they left while I was outside loading her into the car...


Here she is laughing while chasing me...



Here she appears to be trying to growl at, or perhaps, eat me

What did you say to me?

We have now entered a fun little zone of parenting where Mia can actually tell us what she wants...we just have no idea what the hell she is saying. I am very proud of her for learning several words and for trying to put them to use. However, there are a growing number of times like we had at dinner tonight where she is repeating the same "word" to us and we just keep incorrectly guessing what she could be saying. Inevitably, she grows more and more frustrated with us and we grow more and more frustrated with the situation. By the end of it, she is usually crying and looking at us as if we are the biggest dumbasses on Earth. As parents, we start to wonder if we are falling short on teaching her language skills. Additionally, the guilt of having her in daycare wanders in when we think about the fact that her teachers probably have a much better shot at deciphering her orders than we do. I know this time will pass and I will fondly look back on the days of "bapples" and "melmo". Until then, I suppose we'll just keep on guessing.

Resemblance

Is it just me or is my daughter a mustache away from being Gallagher?

Day 2

Here is an apt depiction of how day 2 at Grandma and Grandpa's went...

Grandma and Grandpa's House

We are down at Meggan's parents' house...are we having fun? You tell me...

Go Pink

As most of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is great to see everyone embracing this very serious topic. Tonight, we came across a fountain near our house that had been turned pink. You will notice Mia has already decided to show her support and wear pink as well...





To echo a sentiment often heard during this month, if you have ANY reason to suspect ANYTHING, please go see a doctor. Early detection is the best chance you have to beat the odds.

Halloween

With a little luck, and by "luck" I mean "a decision to spend more money than should be required", my 67 year-old mother will be wearing this for Halloween...



Yes, that is an Oscar the Grouch costume from Party City. I cannot tell you how excited I am about this. The hope, of course, is that Amelia will be excited as well. There are 50-50 odds on her thinking it is the best thing ever and/or crumbling to the ground in fear. I know where I'm putting my money. Either way, it should make for a good blog photo

Early to bed

It is 9:30 and I am heading to bed. That is what you call getting beaten down by The Man. I might not be able to fall asleep right away, but at least I won't be staring at this computer screen anymore. Today, Work, you won the battle, but you will not win the war.

Fall Festival

Puzzled

It has been pretty well documented on here that Amelia likes her fair share of Sesame Street. However, probably her second favorite thing to do is put her puzzles together. She finally reached the stage where she could manage any of her 3 8-piece puzzles. Well, a few nights ago, she jumped that sucker to next level. I took all 24 pieces from the puzzles and mixed them up in a pile in front of her. She then went through each piece and correctly completed all 3 separate puzzles. I don't do much of the reading in terms of where she should be at this stage, so for all I know, she should be writing grant proposals by now. Either way, I was pretty impressed and frankly, that's all that really matters :).

TGIF?

Why, on Friday night, after a hard week at work and a few drinks at happy hour, does my wife want us to clean the house? That is most definitely NOT how I like to spend my Friday nights. A nice dinner? Sure. A movie? Perhaps. Cleaning a toilet? Wow, it's like Christmas. I think deep down this is her push to get me to agree to having a cleaning lady. If she keeps it up, it just might work.