Sunday, November 25, 2007

Grizzly Adams

Day after Thanksgiving, 2007. We spent the night at the in-laws house just north of town. The house was empty, as the in-laws were out of town this holiday. (PAUSE typing-- as I look to see what trouble the tyke is getting into at my feet UNDER the coffee table. OK, he is fine.) The Boy took a morning nap, and as I was enjoying my warm coffee, gazing distantly out the rear picture window and focusing on nothing in particular this gray day, I notice...the pool waters are turbulent. Huh. Maybe it is the bullfrog I've heard so much about. That would be cool.

It is at this point I would like to point out that, yes, although I am pushing four decades of tred on these tires, I have never grown tired of boyish pastimes like playing with bullfrogs. Bullfrogs are cool. And so I will teach the boy to never completely grow up.

And so outside I dash into the gray chill morn. To my disappointment, I spy a squirrel. Whereas bullfrogs are cool, squirrels are the antithesis of cool. They are rats with good marketing. I mean, look at that cute tail. Tail = packaging = good marketing. Anyway, I watch a while, realize the squirrel's prospects for escape are nil, I help it out. It shivers off the water, chatters a bit at me, and runs off. I saved one of God's creatures. Thank God for that tail, little squirrel, cause without it, you may have paid a visit to Davey Jones. I don't know. I prefer not to think about it. Anyway, my point is, the squirrel breathes because of my small kindness.

Fast forward a couple hours later. The Boy's meltdownedness, coupled with some family illness upsetting our plans for the day, motivate us to cut our visit to H-town a day short. We load up, and as we are leaving the neighborhood, Rick's Wife spies a car on the side of the road, with its occupant fussing about something caught in a wrought iron fence. A baby deer! I pull over, get out, and proceed to bending iron with my bare hands.

Que the Bionic Man soundtrack. Ya-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta. Ya-ta-ta-ta-ta. insert sound of bending steel. The fawn protests my presence and attempts at aid. It jumps and bellows, not much unlike a baby goat. Soon, it is freed from its self-imposed prison and bounds off through the forest. I thank the ladies for their help, wish them a lovely holiday, and return to the car.

Weekend checklist:
  • save squirrel. check.
  • save deer. check.

big weekend

It was a weekend of firsts. Fletch reached for me for the first time while being held by another person. It was his first Thanksgiving. He rocked the corduroys from Aunt Julia. And there were a couple of others, but Daddy ate too much turkey and has slept since their occurrence. See also, Daddy has a horrible memory.

We asked so much of the little guy on Thanksgiving Day, and he delivered. It began with a 3 hour car ride to see my not-very-small family. You see, that means a never-ending torrent of well-intended family members who want to hold and love on my little tyke. Oh, and did I mention loud? I always like to say that I come from The Loud Family. Mix in a little I-do-not-nap, and you have the perfect combination for a Turkey Day Meltdown. All that said, it was a great visit. Fletch got to see Grandpa, Crazy Aunt Becky (who he LOVES, btw; "she knows how to make me LAUGH, daddy!"), and some of his cousins whom he had not yet met.

Of course, as the weekend winds down, I get the sense that he is wondering what happened to his 92-lb yellow housemate. We pick him up from the kennel tonight. And won't Fletch be excited to be reunited!!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Bananas

This morning, Fletcher had his first banana. Not the baby food jar kind of banana, a real, yellow, monkey-lust banana. He did not know what to make of it. I suppose it is a texture thing. Think about that the next time you enjoy the yellow fruit. But, Rick's Wife mashed it up and cut it with a little of his favorite, Plums and Apples. Which, by the way, and for fear of digressing too far off base, the Plums are simply brilliant in that they totally rectified The Boy's pooping problem. Good on ya.

After Fletch finished his simeon impersonation, we sat down to breakfast, and we set The Boy up in his high chair, tummy full and contented. He had one of his favorite toys with him, a simple colored star-ring-thing. You may know the one, it's made of hard plastic, is a bit transparent, and is made to be stacked with other ring-things on a post that then lights up. Yeah, yeah, just gimme the ring-thing, Daddy.

Anyway, as we are enjoying our bacon and eggs, Fletch drops his ring. He does not seem terribly vexed, yet nevertheless I stop to pick it up and return it to His Majesty's Enjoyment. He continues playing happily, and soon drops it again. Again, I return it to the warden. Over the course of about 10 times, you can see the look of realization come over The Boy's face. "Daddy, you are so my bitch."

Son, let's get something straight. Daddy is nobody's bitch. OK, I gotta go. Rick's Wife has a long list of honey-do's for me today.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

The Great Pumpkin



Here's a couple Halloween photos of The Boy.