See This...

...street? This street is where Evan will learn how to ride a bike. This street is where Evan will go trick-or-treating. This street will be where the bus will pick Evan up for his first day of school. And where he'll splash in rain puddles. This street will be where he meets his friends after school to play. This street will be where Evan will learn how to drive. This street is where Evan may take a stroll with his girlfriend.

...driveway? That is where he will play "Red Rover Red Rover" with his friends. That's where Evan will learn to play basketball, and we will play "H-O-R-S-E" and shoot free throws. Where he'll wash his first car. And where Linda & I will stand as we wave goodbye to him - teary-eyed - as he leaves for college.

...front yard? That's where Evan will play in the sprinklers. And jump in leaves. And build snowmen and snow forts. And catch fireflies. The yard he'll mow. And where his prom date and him will have their pictures taken.

...top left window? That will be Evan's room. The room where he'll sleep. And have sleep-overs. That is the room where he'll do his homework. That window he may try to sneak into and out of when he's in high school and going out without permission, or stayed out past his curfew.

...front porch? That's where his first day of school pictures will be taken every year. That's where we may sit on summer nights and enjoy the neighborhood. That maybe the place where he has his first kiss.

...house? This house is where Evan will grow up. And this house maybe where Evan brings his children to visit their grandparents.

...backyard? This will be the place Evan will love to play. This will be the place he goes snow-sledding, plays in the mud, and finds earthworms. And hunt for Easter eggs. And build a treehouse. And play baseball. And football. This will be the backyard that will host playdates and birthday parties and family get-togethers with his cousins and any future cousins (or siblings).

That's right! We're moving! This house is where our memories will be made. This will not just be our house, but it will be our home. A home that I hope Evan will love and remember for the rest of his life, like I did my childhood home. This home has so many memories waiting for it...I can't wait to begin!

Trials & Tribulations

These past few months have been crazy. Linda & I have put a bid on a house last August - it's a short-sale - and are still waiting on word if it's gonna go through or not. In doing so, we were attempting to rent our condo out, but have kinda put that on the back burner until we know something about this other house. We took our much anticipated cruise last month too.


Evan is definitely on the go constantly. While we were gone on our cruise, we had to leave Evan with my cousin, his sitter, then Linda's mom for a few days since we were gone a total of 8 days. (Getting someone to commit to watching an active 17 month old for that long is near impossible!) And lemme tell you, he wasn't happy with us for a whole week after we got back. He did great staying with everyone, but was not happy with us and was a total hellion. His epic temper tantrums have reached their zenith, and I hope the start declining.


For a week straight after our cruise, he was prone to outburst. He has a habit of head-butting different objects, depending on why he's angry - the door if one of us leaves; the floor if we tell him no; the coffee table if we scold him; etc. Linda had had Evan into see his pediatrician awhile back and explained this to him. His pediatrician said it's completely normal and that he himself had 4 sons, and one of them was a head-butter. Evan was upset at this doctor's visit, and demonstrated his head-butting abilities for him. It's a phase that will pass, hopefully sooner rather than later. He also has gotten into the habit of hitting and throwing his toys when he's upset. We're working on getting him to stop that altogether, and we've implemented a time-out program for him.


In our living room, we have a ten-paned glass door that leads out to our porch. The hell-week after we got back from our cruise, Evan was in a mood one day. I went to close the door, and for some reason that pissed him off. He promptly ran over to it and put his head through one of the bottom panes of glass. It happened so quickly, before I really knew what happened, I heard glass breaking. I ran over there, snatched him up, looked him over and thankfully no cuts on him. He did get a couple shards of glass in his hair that did cause a few tiny cuts, and I rushed him to the kitchen sink, bent him over backwards, turned on the sprayer, and rinsed out his hair. Needless to say, he didn't like that... And I didn't even wait for the water to warm up. So, I'm sure that was shock to get sprayed off with cool water. Since then, his head-butting tantrums have subsided. Later that week, he started playing and being silly again...and it was so nice to have our son 'back'.


Evan had his 18 month checkup a few weeks ago, and he's still growing and on track with everything. He amazes me everyday with the things he is learning. He points to something and I'll tell him what it is, and he'll try to say it. I really noticed that awhile ago. I was loading groceries into the car and a yellow car had pulled in. One of Evan's most favorite things in the world are cars. He pointed at this yellow car and exclaimed "caaa! caaa!". I told him that was correct and it was a yellow car. He studied it for a second and said "yah-yoo". Just yesterday we were at the grocery store and he pointed to the cantaloupes. He loves cantaloupe, but always calls them "baas" (for balls). I told him that was a cantaloupe, and he tried to say it, "caah-ooop". One of the funniest things he says - when he sees Frank (our cat), he'll say "catttt" (he enunciates the T very matter-of-factly). When I ask him what the cat says, he says "cowww", which is his way of saying "meow". He did bust out a full sentence last week. He likes to hide his toys in the end table and coffee table drawers... He would close the door and say what sounded like "Where did it go?", and came out kinda like "weer-iid-tt-ooo". We also play the body parts game, and we'll ask him where his nose, eyes, ears, mouth, head, hair, knees, toes, foot, tummy, butt, hands and fingers are, and he'll correctly point to each - then sometimes do the same on us!


Evan loves gadgets, just like his mom & dad. We had downloaded a few learning apps to the iPad, one of which was pretty cool. It's an interactive alphabet and Evan quickly got the hang of it, knowing what to press and how to go to the next screen. Also, to quell his temper tantrums, we downloaded a few movies onto the iPad for him... We created a monster with the iPad though. We have to hide it now. It was getting to the point that the first thing he'd do in the morning was go look for the iPad and demanded to play with it or watch a movie on it. It's now out of sight, out of mind.


As I mentioned earlier, he loves cars...and his favorite movie happens to be "Cars". Surprise, huh? If he's throwing a fit and we can't get him to chill out, we'll start that up. I'm afraid to admit I know practically every word to that movie now. He also loves "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2".


I've been trying to get Evan out and about more often, besides runs to the grocery store or the pet store, and to the park more often, and more socially stimulated. At first when I started taking him to the park, he was shy and didn't really know how to interact with other toddlers. But now, it still takes him some time to get warmed up, but soon though, he's up there in the action and making new friends.


Crazy how fast time does fly though. It's hard to believe in less than 6 short months, he'll be two years old.

Learning how to be a kid again

It's amazing to me when I look back at Evan's pictures from when we first brought him home just a short 17 months ago and the boy he has grown into today. The worst part about Evan growing up is the snuggle time gets shorter by the day. The best part, though is watching him learn and watching him play.

When we grow up, start families, our careers, etc., it seems that life can suck the fun right out of you. Even worse, its like you forget how to be a kid and just have fun with whatever is in front of you. Evan is teaching me how to be goofy again. Whether it's jumping on the bed - which is his personal playground - or playing the "I'm gonna get you game" where we run up and down the hall, it's nice to come home from a long day of seriousness and, for a short amount of time before he goes to bed, be a kid again.

As adults, when else can you play with stuffed animals, throw the ball in the house, read Dr. Seuss or just squeal in delight, than when you are with a little toddler? It's a great atmosphere to come home to, which sounds crazy coming from me, knowing how I felt about the idea of having kids just a few years ago.

Evan's favorite thing now is doing a little dance that Brian and I call the "Evan Irish Jig." He just starts moving his feet up and down SO FAST and just howling with amusement of his own imagination. He also has discovered the phenomenon of dizziness. He'll spin around and then just crash into things. He loves it and finds it funny. I find him very funny and a fantastic dance party.

I recently put up one of those digital picture frames in my cube at work, filled with photos of Evan just being himself - from his first week until now. When I am having a long day, it reminds me of our goofy times together with Brian, and what I can look forward to when I get home. It's also a good reminder not to take myself so stinkin' seriously and just relax and have fun!

So Much To Say...

Now that Dave Matthew's Band song will be stuck in my head the rest of the day...

Anyway, I can't believe it's almost been two months since either Linda or I have updated this poor neglected blog. Dunno if we still have any readers left! Lots and lots of things to share, I just dunno where to begin.

Let's see here, over the past two months - Evan got his first haircut; we transitioned him into a big boy bed and back again; we are house hunting; planning our cruise; and just working, working, working!

Life with Evan

It is crazy/fun - especially now that he's practically running and into everything! He is incredibly ornery. He's got a serious attachment to his toy ambulance that he got from his babysitter, Michelle & family. Most children have an attachment to a stuffed animal or blanket...but not Evan... If he knows his ambulance is nearby, he has to have it. He refused to take a nap the other day unless it was in his crib. He also screamed for it just the other day when I was trying to feed him lunch - I had to put it up on his tray so he would eat. It seriously rivals mine & Linda's addictions to our iPhones and iPads. (And you read that correctly, we now have "his & her's" iPads. I got Linda an iPad when they first came out for her 1st Mother's Day...she got me the iPad 2 for Father's Day this year!) He is definitely going to be a gadget geek, just like us. I dunno how he does it, but he has gotten his hands on my iPad on more than one occasion (when I thought it was out of reach) - and somehow looks at the pictures or starts iTunes on it. I dunno how he does it...it's got a passcode on it that you have to type in before you can look at anything! But his favorite iPad app is the Interactive ABC Flash Cards...he gets so excited and knows how to work the app. It's very cool!

1st Haircut

Evan got his first haircut last June. He was getting pretty shaggy, and was developing a baby-mullet. No child of ours will have a mullet. End of discussion. At the recommendation of a few friends, we took him to Sheer Madness in Olathe. They cut only kids' hair. They have cool barber seats made out of toy race cars, airplanes, etc. Evan did great, except when the stylist brought out the clippers to buzz around his neck line. It was amazing how much older he looked when he was done!

Big Boy Bed

Around mid-June, Evan somehow managed to climb out of his crib, and took a nose-dive to the floor. I had just gotten up and was fixing coffee...when it heard a loud "THUD!" and immediate screams from Evan. I ran in there and found him on the floor, luckily his large stuffed dog broke his fall and he wasn't injured. After some thought, we decided to see how he would do in a big boy bed. His crib is a lifetime crib that will convert from crib to day bed to a full sized bed, so I made the adjustments, bought him some "Toy Story" bedding and went from there. The first week he did great. The next week he was a monster. Refused to go to and stay in bed... He liked the freedom of just hopping out of bed and coming into the living room. We tried in vain almost every night for 2+ hours to get him to go to sleep. Once we did, he'd wake up in the middle of the night and roam out into the hallway. The next week, we put the crib back together, but had the mattress lowered to the day bed setting (all the way to the floor). He's gotten back on track with sleeping now. Thank God!

House Hunting

Linda & I have gotten the house hunting bug again. We are desperate to get out of the city, and get into a real house. We both have grown wary of city life. While our condo was great when it was just us and the dog - for a family, not so much. We've looked at several houses around the metro and in good school districts... A house that we can stay in for the next 15-20 years or more. Last week, we looked at three, a few nights ago we looked at four, last night we looked at four more, and tonight we are supposed to look at 5 or 6, possibly. It's exciting and depressing at the same time!

The Cruise

Dunno if I shared it or not, but I won a cruise last March through work... Linda & I have never been on a cruise before, and my luck finally paid off in a raffle they were holding at work. We booked a 7-day, 5-port western Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean. We have ports in Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Caymen Islands; and Cozumel, Mexico. We leave next month! I'm counting down the days. This will also be the longest that I've ever been away from Evan since the day he was born. I dunno what I'm gonna do... Thankfully we have Skype and will be in touch to see how he is doing. But, we are gonna relax and enjoy ourselves. Linda has been working some long hours lately, and we both need a break to relax. We haven't explore too much on excursions, but I did talk Linda into going on the largest zipline while we are in Haiti. We are just gonna take things as they come... Another must see for us, at least that I really want to do, is the Mayan Ruins while we port in Cozumel.

I had to get my passport renewed since it expired in 2009. I procrastinated too long on it, and had to send it off with a rush to get it back to me in time. Linda's passport is still in her maiden name though...and I keep bugging her to get it changed.

Seems between both our work schedules, taking care of Evan, and all the other things that life throws at us, we keep steaming along! Hopefully it won't be another 2 months before we update again! At least I'll try and make a conscious effort to update more regularly!

The art of the fall

Memorial day weekend was definitely memorable for many reasons, but for purposes of this post I'll keep with the subject referenced in the title. I fell for the first time - and hopefully the last time - with Evan in my arms.

It was Saturday morning and I was rushing around. Friday night when I put Evan to bed, I shut his drapes. Apparently, complete and total darkness helps ensure Evan sleeps until 7:30ish or later. He had been waking up at 6 am without fail for two weeks straight. This one little change changed the sleep pattern. Normally, Evan sleeping in is a good thing. It wasn't on Saturday. I needed to drive up to Excelsior and drop him off at my brother and sister-in-law's house, then head to Overland Park to get ready for a wedding, pick the bride up, make sure she was ready and make sure to get her to the place on time.

Evan slept in and we rushed. When I had him up, fed, dressed and myself showered, dressed and somewhat put together, I loaded up the car. Then I grabbed Evan and all of his stuff. His stuff accounted for a full diaper bag, a grocery bag full of some baby food and other snacky snacks and toys. I also had my purse and a newly filled travel mug filled with piping hot coffee.

I grabbed Evan and all of the remaining stuff and headed out the door. I dropped the keys, which meant I had to put Evan down, grab them, lock the door then scoop him back up and head out.

There are four steps from our back gate down to the driveway. I think I missed them all. Suddenly laying on the ground, my first thought - fear, actually - was that I just killed or severely injured Evan. Nope. He was sitting on me. Just looking around. Not crying. No blood. No broken bones. No third-degree burns from spilled coffee. Not a worry in the world.

Thank God!

I was not in as good of shape. I really don't know what happened or how, but here is my best guess.

Based on how I landed and the blood and bruises (through JEANS no less), my knees took the worst of the fall and then I twisted to the side so Evan landed on me, instead of me on Evan. I think I must have thrown my coffee mug during the fall because it was half-way down the parking lot. The tops of my feet - right where foot meets leg - must have slammed down on the corner of the last step because both are bruised to this day.

My left elbow hurt worse than anything. After my knees hit, I must have caught myself with my elbow. I was convinced it was broken when we first hit, but amazingly there isn't even a scratch on it. Weird. Maybe the diaper bag helped break my fall.

After I knew Evan was okay came the difficult task of getting up. I wasn't sure if I could. Like I said, my knees took the worst and I was certain my elbow was broken. I didn't know if I could stand. But, I composed myself and slowly got up, gathered everything up, and kept moving. Aside from some pretty nasty bruises and a skinned up knee, I didn't have any injuries that a good dose of Advil couldn't handle.

Fast forward two days to Monday. Brian and I were both off of work and the Royals were just starting a home stand. We thought it would be the perfect day to take him to his first baseball game - and it was. We bought tickets down the third base line to ensure we would be in the shade. Before heading to the game, we hit Rally House to get him his first KC baseball hat. We've mentioned several times before that baby boy has a HUGE HEAD. His head was far too big for baby/toddler hats and we had to go straight to the Youth-size hats. It was a litte big, but much better than the skull-crushing baby sizes.

We went to the game and Evan did great. He ate a whole hot dog, tried some nachos, got a ball from someone on the Angel's training staff (third base is the visitor's dugout) and a certificate stating that May 30 Evan became an official Royal's fan by attending his first baseball game. He also got his first scraped up knee. Brian took up to the fan area in the outfield to walk around since he was getting restless in the seats. He fell but didn't cry. Brian said he wasn't phased by it at all.

It was as close to the perfect day as anyone could ever have. That evening, Brian and I had so much just playing with Evan and watch him chase Truman around the living room. It was getting close to bed time when Evan started fake falling. He would dance around and then collapse to the ground. He thought this was really funny and his laughter was contagious... until he fake falled head-first into the coffee table.

That brought us back to reality. Brian and I raced over to him. Brian got him first. He had an instant HUGE bruise down the middle of his forehead where he caught the corner. He cried and cried, but we eventually got him calmed down and put to bed.

All my friends and family with boys said to get use to the bruises and scraped knees as there will be many. They are right.

Auntie Em, Auntie Em

Downtown Kansas City - May 24, 2011

So, here we are in the middle of the month of May, and another springtime in Kansas City. Being in the Midwest, and growing up here, supercell thunderstorms and tornados are just a part of life.

When I was little, tornados and severe weather used to freak me out, like most children. But I came to embrace it as I got older. I love thunderstorms and tornados now, for the sheer power and energy contained in them...but I only love them when they do not hurt or kill anyone, or cause any property damage. A dream job of mine has always been to be a tornado and storm chaser. Seeing a tornado is like a rite of passage for those who are born and bred in the Midwest. I've had a few encounters with them, and they are something to behold. But nothing to play around with either.

However, with the recent tragedy last Sunday in Joplin, and the 125 persons (so far) that tornado claimed, it really puts things into perspective...especially since this hit sort of close to home (2+ hours driving to the south of Kansas City). This isn't the first EF5 tornado to strike, and it won't be the last, and it being "the deadliest tornado in US history," it has made me stop and pay attention a bit more.

Before Evan, when tornado sirens were sounded, I did one of two things. I either ignored them completely, or I went outside to see if I could see anything. I think I can count on one hand how many times in my life I've had to seek shelter...and all that was from my childhood when the tornados were too close for my parents' comfort.

Today, though, I was home alone with Evan. Linda was at work and the news cut into programming with a tornado warning for a county south of us. I called my dad to let him know, since it affected where he was...then called and texted Linda since she works near there. She had already evacuated to a stairwell in her office complex. Then the sirens sounded here at home.

I don't get worked up and go into a panic when things like this happen, but with the stories coming from Joplin rolling through my mind, mainly about the heartbreaking story of the 16 month old child (just a few months older than Evan) that was sucked from his mother's grip in Joplin last Sunday when the tornado struck their house...I couldn't help that my heart started to race. I had just laid Evan down for a nap. I paced back and forth, went outside to observe, and debated about going downstairs to our basement.

Linda text me that they were waiting the storm out and a tornado was spotted on the ground about 2 miles from where she was. She then sent a text immediately following that one that I should probably go to the basement with Evan, if I wasn't already there. Evan had been napping for about 10 minutes, and I went to grab him, gathered Truman, and headed downstairs.

Our condo is about 80 years old, with a dark, dingy, dirty, smelly stone basement that reeks of mildew. I was not gonna let Evan down and toddle around on the gross floor, so I held him for the entire time until the storm passed...which was a good 45 minutes. While down there, I started looking around at this basement for a game plan for worst case scenario, running through all possible outcomes. There would be no way we could be all that safe in this old building. It's all made of and has the original brick and mortar... The basement leaks and has glass windows near the ceiling. There is no interior room to take cover in. How would I protect Evan and Truman and myself if our building took a direct hit? There really wasn't a good place for us to hide. Tonight, Linda & I decided that our new place of refuge will be our interior hall coat closet...

Thankfully, we didn't have to worry about that, and I scoured facebook on my phone for updates since we don't have a weather radio. The sirens went off, re-sounded, and went off again for almost an hour...and by the time the all clear was given, my humerus felt as if it was gonna detach from my scapula...holding a chunk-and-a-half of a boy for that long will do it to you.

As I've stated before in prior posts, having a baby really changes everything. If we never had Evan, I would not have even given a thought about going to the basement. But I've got this innocent life I have to protect now, and I will do whatever I can to make sure he's safe, even if I die doing it.

Tomorrow I'm going to scour the city for a weather radio. It's time to buy one, especially with how this tornado season is going...

Happy Mother's Day...to me?

So this post is a little bit late... I wish I was able to spend this past Mother's Day with Linda and Evan, but unfortunately I had to work a 13 hour shift Sunday... Linda got her Mother's Day gifts a bit early from Evan & me...and Linda & I celebrated with a date-night Saturday with dinner & a movie.

It was somewhat amusing when I came into work last Sunday and was greeted by one coworker wishing me a Happy Mother's Day. I chuckled at the thought, knowing they refer to me as "Mr. Mom". Then a second coworker wished me the same thing a few hours later. Then at the end of my shift, a third coworker told me that she wished I had a great Mother's Day. By this point, it was a little annoying... I know they mean well, but I had no desire to steal Linda's thunder. She is Evan's mom. I am his dad. She loves him the way a mother loves her son. She wipes his tears, his butt, his nose, his mouth; she loves and nurtures him; she gave him life for Pete's sake! She pushed his 9 lbs 3 oz, 21 inch body and 12 inches round head out of somewhere I can't even imagine...all in 20 minutes and in 3 pushes. She deserves her Mother's Day wishes...not me!

During Evan's first year of life, it was impossible for us as a couple to get out and enjoy ourselves. I've come to find out this is necessity for new parents. We have promised each other that at least once a month, Linda & I will find a sitter and get out for a date-night. Last Saturday was our date night, and a Mother's Day celebration for Linda. We had gift certificates for dinner and a movie, so ate at On The Border and went to see "Water For Elephants". Good dinner, good movie (if you hadn't read the book recently like me - of course the book is much, much better)...it was nice to get out as just us.

Friday as I was out picking up groceries and waiting for an oil change at Walmart, Evan & I meandered around the store... We passed the floral area, and Evan pointed to some roses and exclaimed "Ga! Ga! Ga!" I took that to mean, "Momma needs those for Mother's Day!" I picked up a photo frame collage for Linda to take to work and a couple cards.

I do hope Linda had a good Mother's Day, even though we hardly got to spend the actual day together. I hope she knows how much she means to me and what an awesome mom she is to Evan.

A Glimpse Into Being a Single Father

Linda left for a business trip to Colorado Springs and Denver this past Sunday...and she will return later this evening. This isn't her first business trip since Evan was born, but it's definitely the longest in more ways than one.

Since I'm pretty much a stay-at-home-dad, and have been since Linda went back from maternity leave last June, I really had no uneasy feelings about her being gone for so long. I am really Evan's primary caregiver, and have dealt with a variety of things with him. Since last June, I've arranged my schedule with work to be able to stay home with him most weekdays, Monday-Friday, from the time he wakes up to about an hour before he goes to bed, which is when Linda usually gets home from work. This works out great, because I am able to break away and get a moment to myself...however I'm usually making dinner while Linda plays with Evan and gets some time with him on her own. He only stays with a sitter a few hours, if need be, if I'm unable to trade off a day. I never thought these past three days would be so trying.

Sunday, after I got off a 15 hour shift, I went to pick up Evan from his Aunt Noreen's since I was working late and Linda's flight was in the evening. By the time we got home, it was 10:00pm, and I didn't have any problems getting him to bed. Even though I was exhausted, I got the breaking news alert from CNN about Osama Bin Laden's death, and stayed up to watch President Obama address the nation, and watch the media coverage...I didn't actually turn off the TV til about midnight. I was up close to 20 hours.

Monday morning, I was too drained to do anything, and hoped Evan would be good for me so I could have a lazy day. He slept til 7:30. He was a bit fussy during the morning, but cheered up later in the afternoon. This worked out perfect for me, and we just had a movie day.

Yesterday, Tuesday, was a completely different story. Evan woke up, screaming (as usual), at 7:15. Normally, after we get him up and change his diaper, we'll let him play in his room by himself for maybe 30-45 minutes while we listen over the baby monitor, while we get things going for the day (e.g. get Truman up, let out and fed; make coffee; go pee; maybe a shower). He usually plays happily with his toys and will let us know when he's ready for us to get him. He didn't want any of this yesterday.

He was in one of those moods where he wasn't happy playing by himself, he wasn't happy with me holding him, he wasn't happy playing in the living room, didn't want to snuggle, didn't want to be read to, didn't want to eat...nothing. He screamed all day, and nothing I did appeased him.

His favorite foods right now are anything that is smothered in peanut butter, or ketchup; bananas or chicken nuggets. I made him a waffle and laid the peanut butter on thick and had a banana for him to eat. Didn't want it. Only wanted to throw it over the side of his highchair. He has been known to gobble a whole waffle down in no time flat.

I tried everything. Since his molars are erupting, I figured he was in some discomfort with those, and gave him a dose of Advil. Usually that sets in and within 30 minutes, he's a happy camper. Nope, didn't work. He was also farting up a storm yesterday, so I tried some Mylicon. Didn't work either. He was just pissed off at the world. Anytime I tried to leave the room to get something on my list of chores done, the moment I would leave his sight, he would break out into a tantrum.

Thinking he was tired, I laid him down for a nap. I had a huge list of things I had/needed to get done around the house (none of which I actually got accomplished, except the dishes). I think he heard me clattering around in the kitchen loading the dishwasher, and only napped for about 30 minutes. I started counting down the minutes until I put him to bed for the night...at noon...still 8 long hours to go before bedtime.

The rest of the day was spent with me trying my darnedest to make him happy with no luck. He didn't want to be read to, didn't want to play, didn't want to eat. Lunch time I gave him chicken nuggets...which promptly ended up on the floor for Truman to scavenge for...

Linda & I tried to FaceTime with each other around the time of his second nap. We had to cut our conversation short due to Evan being a grump. Since it was later in the afternoon, I didn't want him to sleep too long. I dozed with him on the couch for about 45 minutes. I should have let him sleep a bit more, but since I was counting down the minutes to 8 o'clock, I woke him up after about an hour. And talk about the wrath of Evan! He screamed, fussed, cried, fought...I'm sure he cussed me out, if I could only understand baby babble.

Exhausted and hungry, I finally fixed a frozen pizza for myself at about 7:30. And go figure...as soon as 7:30 rolled around last night, he was a happy camper...and demanded bites of my pizza. He ate maybe a third of my slice (with the onions, pepperoni, sausage, and peppers picked off). He then played happily in the living room, toddling all over the house, laughing and in a great mood. I stretched him out 45 minutes past his usual bedtime and he went to sleep with no problem. After Evan was sleeping peacefully, I searched in vain for an adult beverage. I took inventory of our liquor cabinet - two bottles of vodka, two bottles of rum, two bottles of scotch, a bottle of whisky, half a bottle of Cointreau, an unopened 4 year old bottle of Jägermeister, an even older opened bottle of port wine, a half gone bottle of Margarita mix, no red wine, a half drank bottle of some gross white wine in the fridge...then finally I scored! One lonely bottle of Bud Light in the back of the fridge. I promptly popped the cap off and guzzled it down. I think I deserved it!

The only good thing about yesterday was that Evan gave me his first kiss! He leaned toward me and puckered up just a bit... So, I guess that should make up for the cantankerous attitude I had to manage with yesterday.

This morning he woke up screaming at 5:45. I'm pretty sure he was trained to scream by Jamie Lee Curtis. I'm not exactly sure what to make of this screaming. He sleeps through the night, but every morning for the past 2 or 3 months, when he wakes in the morning, he SCREAMS. There's no rousing. Just one minute sleeping peacefully, the next minute screaming like someone's murdering him. Some of my friends have suggested that maybe he has night terrors. But he doesn't wake up in the middle of the night like this...it's been a long time since we've had to get up with him in the middle of the night. I don't know what to make of it. Linda & I used to rush into his room to calm him down. Now we are taking a different approach. Let him scream it out for 5-10 minutes and see if he goes back to sleep. If after 5 or 10 minutes, if he's still screaming, we'll go in to comfort him. This morning, he screamed for 7 minutes and fell back to sleep for another hour.

However, I didn't. I laid in bed for 20 minutes, trying in vain to catch a few more minutes of sleep...but was wide awake. Wouldn't you be after being startled awake by that?

So far this morning, he's playing happily in his room. I am counting down the minutes until Linda's plane lands. These past few days of being a single dad have been exhausting and draining. Just when I thought I could handle it, Evan had to prove me wrong. I did handle it...well...I dealt with it.

Linda's got another business trip in two weeks to New York. Then another one the week after to Houston. Thankfully, those are just overnight trips, there and back.

My props go out to all the single parents out there that have to handle days like these all the time with no help...I really don't know how you all do it by yourself!

13 months (almost)

One of my favorite sports writers wrote a column, celebrating day 2 of the baseball season. In it, he said no one goes all crazy for Day 2 like they do for opening day. I guess the same could be said for hitting the almost 13-month milestone for your son or daughter. 13 months is just a day on the calendar and not one that is circled. There are no parties for 13 months - and most parents stop taking the monthly photo after 12. So, in Joe Posnanski's spirit this post celebrates the almost 13 month age of Evan.

I had grand plans to write a whole year-in-review, commemorating E's first birthday. Then life and a really ridiculous schedule got in the way. Today, I am preparing for my fourth or fifth work trip out of town since Evan was born, and the 1st of what will be three in May, and four in the next 10 weeks. I'm not complaining. All of the trips represent great opportunities for meeting personal and team goals this year. This Q2 schedule is just a bit frantic. On the plus side, 3 of the next four trips are in places where I have some friends from college, so we will likely get to have some brief reunions, which are always fun!

Yesterday, I was watching Evan and suddenly realized he's not a baby anymore. He's a toddler/little boy. WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? He's much more independent and walking very well. He understands words, but doesn't really say them yet, except "KEEEY" for Frank the Cat. His Aunt Nor Nor bought him an inflatable penguin for Christmas. It has a heavy base, so its like one of those punching bags that always pops back up. He was afraid of it at first and now loves it! When we are in his room, I'll ask, "Evan, where's your penguin?" and he will go straight over to it, grab it and start playing with it.

Evan wants to feed himself most of the time now and has developed a love for peanut butter and ketchup (not together, but he prefers one of these items be on the food you are giving him). This is all Brian here. I am not a ketchup fan, and the only time I have a hankering for peanut butter is when I want a Reese's cup.

The boy is a climber and his parents and the world are his jungle gym. But I guess if we are going to celebrate being a boy and not a baby, this is the best part. Playing is so much FUN! You never know what he is going to find hysterical from one day to the next. Pillow fights are the thing right now. I'll gently go "boom boom boom" with one of the couch pillows to his tummy and you'd think, by the way he laughs, I was a professional comedienne.

The worst part about him being a little boy now and not a baby is the fact that he is a little boy now. He's fearless - and tough. Much tougher than myself. I have about 7 different heart attacks a day watching him take off across the living room and fall. I've learned that I can't leap the entire length of the condo in a single bound to catch him. I've done that and it hurts. I've also learned that I don't need to catch him. He falls down about once every 3 minutes. All we need to do is steer him away from potential head traumas and let him figure out the rest. And don't react when he does fall. If you say "ooh, or eww!" he will cry. Say nothing and he sits back up 99% of the time and continues on like nothing happened.

As a little boy, he's also hell bent on terrorizing the pets. He grabbed a hold of Truman's ear yesterday and wouldn't let go. I had stepped out of the room to go switch out laundry and when I came back in, Truman was sitting beside Evan with a very distraught expression. Then I saw Evan's fist CLINCHING the poor dog's ear. Evan chases Frank under the dining room table and belly flops on him or grabs his tail (something Truman doesn't have). To Frank's credit, he's only scratched him once or twice and that was when E was trying to pull his tail off of his backside. We keep correcting him and hopefully he will learn how to be nice to the doggie and kitty.

Evan is figuring things out. When we went over to Nana Vada and Papa Tim's house after his first birthday party, he grabbed the remote (batteries removed) and pointed it at the TV. He was very upset when nothing happened. He's reaching for door knobs now and trying to turn and open them up. He's fascinated by lights and clocks. He can now climb onto the airplane toy Aunt Bridgett and Uncle Mark got him for his birthday and scoot it across the room. He's even in a big(ger) boy car seat now, having outgrown his infant seat.

So here's to my almost 13-month-old boy! 13 months is, indeed, a milestone. 13 months means not only have we survived and thrived through the first year, we are officially into the whole day-to-day life of parents.

While I may be a bit biased, I'm still quite certain he's among the cutest little boys on the planet. Proof is posted below. :)

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"Gogan"

That seems to be Evan's favorite jibber-jabber word. He points to the light on the ceiling. "Gogan!" He points to Truman. "Gogan!" He points to the liquor bottles on top of the curio cabinet. "Gogan!" At first, I thought he was trying to say "doggie", but apparently everything is a "Gogan!" Except the cat. When he sees the cat, he points and exclaims, "Keee! Keee!" I'm assuming that's his way of saying "kitty".

I worried about his speech development, because he never really busted out the "mama" and "dada" words, and he just would babble, but never formed any words. We read to him everyday, almost everyday, and when he plays and points to things, we tell him what they are. He did say a string of "dadadadadadada..." months ago, but I never really counted that as a word, used in the proper context (technicalities, I know). So, I guess "Keee!" is Evan's first word used in the proper context. I'm sure it's only a matter of time and then we won't be able to get him to shut up! And I really need to clean up my language around him. I'd hate for him to be at some family gathering and bust out a string of cuss words that I'll occasionally let slip with him around.

Evan's Birthday Week

Evan had a good 1st birthday! We celebrated a week ago yesterday with several family and friends, then had his own birthday celebration here at home and at Poppie & Gramma Shirley's on his actual birthday! Hard to believe this little guy is already a year old. This past year has been one of the most exciting, uplifting, emotional, stressful and happiest of my life. It has gone by so fast, yet in the same aspect it feels like it has been the longest year of my life! I've learned a lot. A lot about parenthood, babies, myself, patience, and childrearing.

Two years ago, I had no idea how to change a diaper. I had no idea how to bathe or dress a baby. Two years ago, I had no idea if a baby was constipated just by seeing the poop in his diaper. Not that long ago, our condo looked like just a married couple lived in it; the latest Sports Illustrated, People magazine and iPhones on the coffee table, our shelving unit under the TV had pictures, books and DVDs, all the electrical outlets didn't have plastic covers over them, our condo was free flowing and didn't have baby gates or other items to hurdle that blocked access from certain rooms, we had a guest room... Certain items we had before have not survived this past year. The Irish green hand-blown vase Linda bought years ago, from Sheehan's, that used to adorn the dining room was the first to go... Then the stained lead glass fireplace screen was next. All that has changed now. Instead of magazines on the coffee table, it's stacked with kids books - "Green Eggs & Ham", "The Cat in the Hat", "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", "Zoo Picnic", "Goodnight Moon". The shelf beneath the TV is empty...the cable box, DVD player, WiFi, and Apple TV have all been moved to the fireplace mantel. The pictures and other decor have been moved up to higher ground too. All the electrical outlets have been covered with plastic protectors to keep little fingers and toys away. Our guest room/office has disappeared...now cluttered with more toys and stuffed animals. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Below are some of my favorite pictures from this past weeks celebration in Evan's honor:

What Happened?

And so the temper tantrums begin... I had no idea that an almost one year old could throw a temper tantrum, but they have begun for Evan. I thought those came with the "terrible twos", giving us a whole 'nother year to prepare.

Evan has always been a bit on the high-maintenance side of things...but this past week has been a challenge. This morning he had a meltdown because he ran out of snacks in his snacky-cup...and was quick to inform me (in grunts, screams, moans, cries, and flailing appendages...) that he was out. If I didn't know any better, I really think he was cussing me out... He's been sick...had him at the doctors a few days ago...and I think he may be cutting his molars. I dunno.

He's been very defiant also. He hates going into his high-chair. He hates eating. We've been trying to introduce big boy food - food we eat - but he fights us on it. He doesn't care to self-feed, although we are trying to encourage it, and would much rather throw his food over the side of his high-chair and watch Truman or Frank scramble to get it. It's frustrating...

We let him roam around and explore the living room and dining room on his own. He knows what "no" means, at least I think he does...but when we tell him no when he goes near things he's not allowed to touch or be near (the TV, curio cabinet, lead-stained glass fireplace screen, carbon monoxide tester, Truman and Frank's food bowls, the computer desk, power cords, etc)...and try to distract him with his toys or books...he fights. When we pick him up and try to play with him, he makes a beeline right back to what it was we told him not to play with.

The past couple days, he's been in that mood where he's not happy doing anything. He'll crawl over to me and it seems he wants to be held. So I'll hold him...but then he'll scream and fight. When I put him down, he'll cry and fuss because I put him down. When I try to play or read to him...it's hit and miss.

For the past couple months, Linda has been carrying a heavy work load, working 10-12 hour days. Half the time, I feel like a single father because of Linda's work demands. I feel bad, once she comes home from work, I pretty much pass Evan off to her, not really giving her a chance to take off her jacket or sit down. I really do not know how single parents do it. Don't get me wrong, I love and cherish every moment I have with Evan...just some moments are more challenging than others. This past year is proof that time really does fly by... It only seems like yesterday when we got that positive pregnancy test result - and that was over a year-and-a-half ago!

I'm hoping this is just a phase and his grumpiness will pass. I know it will...but sooner, rather than later.

On a positive note...Linda & I will be taking a cruise this fall, hopefully around our anniversary! I won a cruise through a raffle at work. We are exploring our options...neither one of us have been on a cruise before. We've got our eye on a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise - with stops in CocoCay, Bahamas, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and Philipsburg, St. Maarten. (I'm trying to talk Linda into upgrading to a stateroom with a balcony...) I think we both deserve a much needed, relaxing break! Evan will probably be staying with his Nena and Poppa Gene, or maybe an aunt or uncle, for that week. We still have to iron out those details, amongst other things.

This Past Month

Geez, it's been over a month since either one of us blogged. It really is tough to get a post typed out without interruption when we are chasing around a very active 11 month old boy. But here's a quick update since Evan is still sleeping. (Daylight Savings has thrown him off kilter with his sleeping schedule...)

We have a walker now! Evan took his first steps the day after Valentine's Day. I'm so glad that Linda was home to see him take his first steps. I worried about that since I'm the one home with him most of the time and Linda has been working some crazy long hours at work. I think Evan was saving this momentous occasion for when both of us were home. But yeah, he took his first steps from the coffee table to the couch in that little drunk man fashion. Since then he's been getting really great at this whole walking business and steadying his balance. Pretty soon he's gonna be running, I'm sure!

I would love to brag that his eating is getting better...but it's not. We've tried to introduce him to self-feeding, but it's more of a novelty to him. He does great with snacking on the Gerber Graduates Lil Crunchies, or very small pieces of fruit... But when it comes to meal time and getting what he needs for nutrition...he'd rather throw it on the floor and watch Truman or Frank rush to gobble it up. I'm so nervous though when he does eat regular food...afraid he's gonna choke. I hover over him like a hawk, ready to yank him out and perform the Heimlich...although I've never taken a course on how to properly perform that maneuver. Evan's pediatrician gave me a crash course on how to administer that though...

We are in the process of planning Evan's first birthday party. Hard to believe it's a few short weeks away. We are gonna go with a Dr. Seuss themed party. Can't wait, but I had no idea planning this would be so much work! Also have his 1st birthday photography session scheduled too!

That's about it in a nutshell. It's just difficult to get these plunked out when we are chasing him around the house. He's into everything. Wants to play with everything he's not supposed to... By the time I get a quiet moment when he's napping or down for the night, my brain is too fried to put together a coherent sentence. I will try to do better!

A note from Truman

Being the dog of the house isn't easy these days. When the "visitor" first arrived, he just stayed in Mom or Dad's lap. He'd make noise, then would go to sleep.

He seemed sweet enough. We would all lay on the couch - my couch - like one big happy pack. And as long as I didn't try to give him a bath, we were all cool.

Then the little guy started getting grabby. He grabs my ears. My face and tries to grab my really short hair and pull. For a little guy he has quite a grip!

Now, he's moving around. He bugs me when I'm napping on the couch. He bugs me when I'm napping on the floor. All the time! He tries to smack me with his toys. And what's worse, he even tries to steal my bone. Mom and Dad are so strict with me when it comes to his toys, but they let him grab my bone all the time! How's that fair? At least they take it away from him when I want it or when he tries to chew on it.

The video below shows how he pesters me. I just want to sleep and he's trying to smack me with one of his toys. Mom tells him to "be nice." I wonder if she thought it was nice when he got her with that toy, too?

I've even had my collar taken away. I've been naked for the past 4 months! Yesterday, Mom put it on me to go for a walk around the neighborhood. We haven't done that in a long time. Mom and Dad said something about it being too cold. I don't know what cold means, but it's been terrible outside. There are huge piles of cold, white stuff blocking all of my favorite pee spots. Plus, I shake like crazy out there. I can barely feel my paws when I come in. Anyway, yesterday on the walk, the white stuff was everywhere. Mom kept griping about having to pick up the rolling thing the little person was in and carry it over all the white stuff.

When we got home, I was tired and Mom left my collar on me... until the little person started grabbing it and pulling it. I was good. I didn't knock him over like I wanted to. I tried to pull away, but his grip is SO STRONG! So, Mom pulled my collar off and put it away. Who knows when I'll get to wear it again?

He bugs my buddy, Frankie, too. He grabs his tail, pulls pawfulls of fur and even grabbed his whiskers once! Mom and Dad are pretty quick to make him stop, but I can't believe Frankie hasn't swatted him with his sharp claws. He's the biggest grump in the whole pack and even he gives him a free pass. If I try to play with him, he smacks me. Again, I don't know why this little person gets special treatment, but he seems to be pretty cute. And, when he isn't bugging me, or stealing my stuff, he's not so bad. I guess he isn't a visitor, but the newest member of our pack. That means, I'm going to have to put up with him.

Observations on Baby Poop

Based on our own experience, as well as the inputs of several friends and family, new parents are hyper aware of everything. When Evan came home from the hospital, he came with a chart to record the number of times he peed and pooped. We diligently filled out this chart for the first few weeks, and have been keeping tabs ever since.

Perhaps one of the nicest things Mother Nature does for new parents is easing us into the messy diaper process. Newborn "stools" don't really smell and really aren't anything significant. But as you ease your baby into new foods, you start seeing first-hand the results. And, as your baby progresses into more complex foods, their diapers equally go up the hazardous waste charts.

You go from, "Oh, this isn't a bad one," to "Note-to-self-NEVER-feed-THAT-to-him-again." (See Brian's post "Prunes = YUCK!")

You also learn what to expect for the day based on what you uncover in that first morning diaper. Today, for instance, Evan had what Brian and I call "the pancake poop" in his diaper this morning when I got him up. This is a very easy diaper to clean up, but usually a warning sign of what is to come later.

Sure enough, later this morning, after E took his morning bottle, I smelled something pretty funky. I scooped him up and took him into his room and it was the dreaded "diaper-full-thank-God-in-Heaven-this-didn't-leak-out" poop. And I knew it was going to be like that when I picked him up.