Big Day

Amelia's grandparents are in town, I borrowed a bounce house for her to play in tomorrow, she has ballet class (which she seems to be happy about), the weather is supposed to be nice, and the Gators play a big game tomorrow night...some days just seem like they are built to be special.

Shocking

Either I just told Amelia the shocking news that Sophie isn't technically her sister or she just happens to have freakishly long hair that likes to stand on end for no apparent reason...

Checking Off the List

As I was painting Baby Boy's room this weekend it crossed my mind that we are really crossing most of the items off the list. I can't recall the timing of all this before Amelia's birth. (Actually, I can't remember much before Amelia's birth. I think two years of limited sleep has erased my memory.) That said, it feels like we are ahead of the game a bit on some of the items. We are still 4 months out and we have painted the room, we have placed all the furniture where it is going, we have several articles of clothing, etc. So, going down the list it appears we are ready to have our baby. Oh yeah, that's right, we don't have a NAME. Oh well, we won't know what the hell to tell people to call him, but he'll be wearing nice clothes in his freshly painted blue room.

Love....Continued

On the walk down the stairs this morning, Amelia grabbed my hand and said "Daddy, you're my best friend". I'm telling you all, I am eating up every ounce of this age. I know the day will come where she finds out I'm actually not that cool. That's okay. It will be a better day than when she figures out that I'm not nearly as smart as she thinks I am just because I can do her flash cards. However, until that day comes....I will continue to let her tell me I hung the moon as often as she wants to say it.

Getting is Better than Giving

Amelia is finally at an age where she can give love as much she gets it. I know she has always had that instinctual daughter-father love for me. That love feels great. But, that love is nothing like what she offers these days. I submit two examples of what I get to be around...feel free to be jealous...

Yesterday, I walked into the house and she ran to the door, grabbed my leg, and said "Daaaaaadddyyy!!! I love you!!"

Tonight, we were sitting next to each other at dinner when she gave me a big hug around my neck and said "Daddy, I missed you so much!"

Life Imitates Art

This song reminded me of Amelia the moment I heard it. Since then, it pops into my mind any time Amelia and I are doing the simple things and yet having the time of our (most likely MY) life. Yesterday was a perfect example. We stopped at a local pizza place for lunch after our smashing success at ballet. After settling into our booth, Amelia yanked off my hat and put it on her head. A few seconds later I was blowing her pizza to cool it a bit and she started blowing on my head. She began cracking up at how hilarious she was. Then, I did the only reasonable thing I could think of...I began tickling her. As we sat there laughing hysterically with my hair looking like I just woke up from a 3 day bender, Amelia wearing my hat and her ballet costume, and not caring that others were looking at us like we were crazy, I realized this was a moment that I'd always remember and yet, Amelia would have to read about it on the blog someday. To me, it was the highlight of my day. To her, we were just having pizza.

Ballet Pt. 3

Meggan had to work an event today so I had the pleasure of taking Amelia to ballet all to myself. She wasn't really all that excited to go so I made her a deal (which I am very against as a parent). I told her she could have a surprise if she didn't cry at dance today. In retrospect, I should have been more ambitious and specific in my request. I'm not sure if you can decipher the grainy picture (from a cell phone of a mirrored reflection on TV) below, but you may be able to see there is an ENTIRE class of students on the left and there is one lone wolf sitting on the floor on the right. Yep, that lone wolf is my daughter. She sat down at the beginning of class and didn't move a butt cheek for the entire 45 minutes. The other kids danced near her, around her, and at a few points tried to speak to her. She just sat. It was reminiscent of the scene in Good Will Hunting where he was forced to go to therapy...He went to therapy, but sat there in silence the whole time proving the point that you can make him go, but you can't make him participate. Well, I can take Amelia to ballet, but I can't make her dance. The worst part - when she walked out of after class was over, the first thing she said was "Daddy, I didn't cry". She got me on that one. So, we went shopping for her surprise later in the afternoon.

My Little Reader

For whatever reason, Amelia has a fantastic memory for words. Now, I know you are probably saying all parents think their kids are great at everything. While that is generally true, there is plenty of evidence on here that she remembers all the words to several songs. Well, she also remembers all the words to the books we read. She must get this ability from Meggan because my memory works quite the opposite. I have a pretty good memory in general, but when it comes to words, I can't remember any song lyrics, jokes, movie quotes, etc. I literally don't know anybody worse at it than I am. Anyways, I provided this little bit of background to set up a story that happened on the way home from school today...On the ride home, Amelia had a book with her in the back seat and the following conversation occurred...

Amelia: I read you book, Daddy.

Me: Sure, Baby. I love it when you read to me.

Amelia: You ready?

Me: (eagerly awaiting my sweet daughter's recount of the story) I can't wait.

Amelia: (Opens book and stares at it for a second) And he said I'm making poop. Close the door! The End.

Me: (Not quite sure what to say) Hmmm, maybe we'll have to read that one together sometime.

Amelia: No, I read it.

Me: Thank you, baby.


Sooooo, I think it is safe to say that despite how I feel about her memory, I will not be allowing Amelia to show off her storytelling skills any time soon.

I neeeed you

If anyone can please explain to me why my daughter suddenly neeeeeeeeeds either me or her mother at all times, I'd really appreciate it. She's always been a very loving, and somewhat needy child. However, recently she has essentially tried to surgically attach herself to us at all times. She pretends to be scared at the smallest things in order to get us to hold her. She also asks us to "nuggle" about 5 times a day. Don't get me wrong, I know my time being needed by her is fleeting and I love snuggling with her any chance I get. I'm just wondering if this has anything to do with a certain "baby brother" who is on the way. If so, I hope we can find a way to put her mind at ease soon...after all, it is getting really hard to go anywhere with her draped around my leg.

Still Need a Name

Meggan and I are still no closer to agreeing on a name for the baby. That said, I have officially removed Amelia from the Baby Boy Naming Panel. It's not that she doesn't care, it's just that she has a very strange way of coming up with names. In fact, I'm fairly certain she simply says the first thing that comes to mind. She was put on naming probation when she tried to get us to name it Mittens Paci...and she violated her probation this week when she named her favorite dog "Naken", another dog of hers "Dude", and her snuggly baby doll "Pizza". Yeeeeahh, those just aren't going to cut it.

Figuratively?

Amelia is in the middle of potty training...and by "the middle" I mean we do everything we know to get her to use the potty and she does absolutely nothing remotely close to telling us she needs/wants to use the potty. However, tonight, I actually started to wonder if she understands the critical nature of this potty business. As I was changing her Pull-Up and talking with her about why we "stinky" in the potty and not in our pants, she said "I don't want to stinky on the potty. I want to stinky on you and on my baby brother". I can only hope she means this figuratively and/or this is an empty threat. If not, baby brother is going to have to watch his own back...when it comes to this sort of thing, it's every man for himself.

Instructions

Here are the instructions I received while putting Amelia's shoes on her this morning...

"That's the wrong feet! Be careful, Daddy. My little feet are very special."

All Better

Amelia has said 3 things in the last 24 hours that let me know she is not a baby any longer...

In reference to a song that came on the radio while we were all driving to the playground - "That's my jam"

In reference to a stuffed dog I was asking about - "He's my boy"

After she "kissed" my injured foot - (her)"Daddy, come run with me"...(me)"No, baby, I can't. I have a booboo on my foot"...(her)"No, you don't. I already kissed it"

A Walk in the Park

While I love college football on Saturdays, it can't compete with taking Amelia to the park on Sundays. Okay, that might not be exaaactly true, but if I can only immortalize one of them on the blog for me to look back on in years to come, it is definitely Amelia...

Trying to figure out how she wants to attack the playground...


She REALLY enjoys the slides...


Trying to steal a hug while I have her trapped on the bridge...


I have no idea what face she is making or why she is making it...but, it cracked me up...

Ballet - And We Try Again

Confucius said "The greatest glory in life lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." Apparently, he also had a 2 year-old daughter in ballet class. Amelia was already saying she didn't want to go BEFORE we even got her dance outfit out of the drawer. Additionally, she has put herself on a new schedule where she likes to wake up around 4:45 a.m., complain for a few hours, and then get tired and grumpy. So, we had a slight inkling that it wasn't going to go exactly perfect today. That said, it was actually a big step up from last week. We didn't have to stay in the room with her and she didn't have to be held the whole time. She didn't do a damn bit of dancing, but she did walk around next to the teacher the whole class...which, sadly, is more improvement than we could have hoped for. We even got to watch on TV this time instead of staring at random foggy images through frosted glass windows....

(you may be able to recognize her as the one STANDING next to the teacher in the reflection in the mirror)

Second Fiddle

Meggan has been very busy with work this week, so I have been doing my best to keep Amelia entertained. We have had a few good daddy/daughter dates and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. I thought Amelia was enjoying our time as well. However, reality came crashing down today...little kids need their mom and dads just can't cut it. We got a call from school letting us know Amelia had been crying for a few hours since I dropped her off there. She was not only crying, but crying " I want my mommy". Meggan, being the great mom she is, put work on the back burner and picked Amelia up early so they could spend the afternoon together. I'm sure this doesn't completely reboot things, but it certainly seemed to go a long way....and it was clearly much, much better than anything I could have offered her. Sometimes, you just have to know your role.

Whose Bed is This?

In the past week the following sleeping combinations have occurred at some point in time...

Meggan, Sophie, and me in our bed

Meggan, Amelia, and Sophie in our bed

Me in Amelia's bed

Meggan, Sophie, Me, and Amelia in our bed

Me and Sophie in Amelia's bed

Me on the couch

Me and Amelia in Amelia's bed

Amelia, Mittens, Patches, and DeDe Bear in Amelia's bed

There are various reasons this has occurred - allergies, night terrors, slight colds, etc. That said, this rotation has got to stop. Either that, or we have to buy a much larger bed.

Zzzzzzz

There was no post last night because I went to sleep directly after we put Amelia to bed at 8:30 ...which is roughly 3 hours prior to my normal time...and it was marvelous.

Happy Birthday, Mom

So, she could barely look up from her Oprah magazine, but it's the thought that counts...



Apparently, she feels "happy" birthday is supposed to apply to her...



She took "look into the camera when you say it" a little too seriously...

Dance Pics

Just because dance class was a bust, didn't mean we didn't take some pictures of the occasion...

Probably the only 2 year-old with hair long enough for a bun...


Very relaxed for her big day...


She SEEMS happy to be going...


Here is the view we will have for each class...don't count on video...


All the crying takes a toll on you...

Dance Dance Dance

Yesterday was a good day, but built upon failure. We only had 3 things lined up as priorities for the day - Go to a consignment sale, go to dance class, and get rid of Amelia's pacifiers. Well, as easy as those sound, we were basically losers at all three. We arrived at the consignment sale only to find that children weren't allowed inside. Considering the consignment sale was at the same location as Amelia's dance class, we decided to let Meggan shop while we wandered around killing time in the dance studio. In hindsight, having her spend an hour doing nothing before expecting her to then tune in to the dance instructor was a terrible idea. This was proven once dance class started and Amelia had less than zero interest in either paying attention to the class OR being pulled away from her mother's arms. Eventually, one of the instructors pried her away and allowed Meggan to leave the room. That said, the only thing that led to was Amelia crying and being held by an instructor rather than Meggan for the entire class. Who knows, maybe next week, Amelia's ballet shoes will actually touch the floor. The final problem of the day was her pacifier. It seems as though Amelia has been sporting a runny nose and fever since she got her flu shot. So, we didn't have the hearts to strip her of her pacifier on a day in which she doesn't feel well. So, to recap...shut out of consignment sale, cried for an entire dance class, too sick to get rid of pacifiers...oh well, at least the Gators won.

Priorities

I think it is safe to say your child either has her priorities out of line or a very largely outsized fear of Band-aids when she goes to the doctor to get her flu shot and all she does is cry "I don't want a Band-aid. I don't want a Band-aid." Scary nurse? No problem. Big needle? Nobody minds that. Stabbing pain in the shoulder? Thank you sir, may I have another? Pink, Tweety Bird Band-aid? OVER MY DEAD BODY.

Sign

You never want to see a sign on the door of your child's school that says "Parents, we have a stomach virus going around the toddler (2 year-old) room" when your child happens to be a 2 year-old toddler. That said, I am 50% sure Amelia paid her friends to fake a stomach bug in hopes that she can buy sympathy and not get her pacifier taken away this weekend.

Grapes

As much as I am looking forward to having my son, I can't help but think of how much more fun kids are once they can talk. I can't think of the last day Amelia didn't make me laugh. Normally it is the silly stuff I love the most. For instance, here is a sample from dinner last night...

Amelia looked down at her bowl of grapes, then looked at us and said "They're looking at me." She then snapped her gaze back down to her fruit and said "STOP LOOKING AT ME!!" At that point she started eating all the evil spy grapes.

3 more days

Roughly 4 months ago, I posted this. This means Amelia has had many, many, many minutes since we last threatened to take her pacifier away. Well, tonight, we brought up that subject again with a deadline of Friday. It did not go all that well. You could literally see the broken heartedness written all over her face. It was as if we were trying to explain to her that someone was going to Heaven. I can't imagine it is going to go any better when we actually take them from her. So, don't be alarmed by any screams you hear coming from my house Friday night...those are just Me and Meggan crying out for help.

...It Means to Be a Dad

I happened to stumble upon one of the 1,000,001 books I got when Meggan was pregnant with Amelia. It is called 1001 Things It Means to Be a Dad. It is a great book with several anecdotes about fatherhood. I remember reading it, and others like it, while awaiting Amelia and thinking I was getting a pretty good understanding of what it was like to be a dad...Feedings at 3a.m....That's okay, I don't sleep well anyways; Finding barf of my shoulder as I head into work...Ehh, I don't dress that well in the first place; Replacing all my favorite TV shows with Barney and Sesame Street...That's why they made DVR. Well, now that I have a child and am expecting another, I can tell you these books are not all they are cracked up to be. To be certain, they have wonderful advice and are entertaining reads. However, if I had to sum up what I know now that I didn't know then, it would be this - Being a dad means one thing (maybe two if you want to be technical). It means having someone you love more intensely than you ever deemed possible and dedicating your life to making sure they have the greatest life imaginable.

It's Go Time

And She's Off

It is not good when your 2 year-old goes running away from you across the mall saying "I'm Loose! I'm Loose!". That said, it is kind of fun to watch her bust loose and run wild and free.

Double Standard

Here is a small sample of what it is like living with Amelia...

Amelia: Daddy, sit next to me. I make a gift for you.

So, I sit at her tiny table for several minutes while she molds Play-Doh...into an unidentifiable blob...

Amelia: Here you go!
Me: What is it?
Amelia: It's pizza. Eat it!

I pretend to eat it and enjoy every bite.

Me: Okay, I'll make you something.
Amelia: Okay!

I painstakingly make her an exact replica of a pizza...

Me: Here you go
Amelia: What is it?
Me: It's pizza
Amelia: No, I don't eat Play-Doh.

And then she walked away as if I had insulted her. Go figure.