Juliette's favorite colors are pink and purple, she loves long dresses and plays at Cinderella. Nicholas on the other hand can spend hours looking at buses and trucks, pulling his sister's hair and playing with cars. For my part I've raised and treated them exactly the same. The old adage of boys will be boys and girls will be girls is more accurate than I ever imagined. The other day I went to the video store with the kids and we each got a movie. I rented Kill Bill Vol 1., Juliette chose Tarzan and Jane (sequel to Tarzan) and Nicholas chose Mighty Machines (no doubt enticed by the depiction of trucks on it's cover). The differences are significant but I was ready for the boys, but the girl stuff is all new to me.
Ready or Not here comes a Girl
I thought I was ready for kids. After all I am well known as a "roll on the floor" type father. Nobody ever told me about all the new things I'd have to learn regarding raising a girl (other than the scarier beyond belief teenage years). Before Juliette the only hair I had braided was that of a horse (and the horse didn't cry when I brushed out the knots). Before Juliette, the only dresses I had seen were at a prom or annual Christmas party (now I help her with dresses every week). Before Juliette I hadn't realized that one could adopt "Barbie" as a middle name when signing crafts. Before Juliette I couldn't read Cinderella off by heart (or add the rarely heard of Cinderella's full sister named Juliette to the story). Before Juliette I had no idea that a girl could be so much fun.
I know Nicholas will probably teach me almost as much, but I'm thinking I'll probably be able to relate a bit easier to his games.
I am the father of three, Juliette YOB 2000, Nicholas YOB 2002 and Sophie YOB 2005. I want to try and record some stories on a regular basis about my day-to-day activities with my children. I'm hopping that when they get older and ask me for funny stories from when they were little I'll have something to refer to. P.S. The Ultimate in ultimatedad is a reference to the sport.
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Not so shy & Kid Tricks
Not so shy
It's funny how kids are. Some will hug anybody and some won't let go of mom or dad if they aren't in their parent's house. My kids resemble the former. Nicholas and Juliette will hug and kiss the scariest of people without a second thought. My father in law is famous for scaring little children just by his gruff appearance. But almost since birth my children have ran to him for hugs and kisses. I'm glad they're so outgoing, that way people outside our household have a chance to enjoy them too.
Kid Tricks
I don't know about you but I love showing off what my kids can do. At one point Juliette had memorized an entire rhyme book and could recite every story by heart. She was about 2 years old when rhymes such as crooked man, the mouse ran up the clock and others would be recited in words that only a parent could understand, unless you were reading along with the book. She would do this in front of crowds as large as 5 or 6 and it is one of my most precious memories.
Nicholas will demonstrate his entire vocabulary on command. Now I realize a few words like "please", "bus" and "yes" aren't very impressive but coming out of a less than 2 year old is adorable. I'm a very proud parent who has a hard time not saying "I know" when people remark how cute they are.
I hope the kids keep their outgoing personality for later years. It helps that they are both in daycare and Juliette has already a solid group of friends that she plays with.
It's funny how kids are. Some will hug anybody and some won't let go of mom or dad if they aren't in their parent's house. My kids resemble the former. Nicholas and Juliette will hug and kiss the scariest of people without a second thought. My father in law is famous for scaring little children just by his gruff appearance. But almost since birth my children have ran to him for hugs and kisses. I'm glad they're so outgoing, that way people outside our household have a chance to enjoy them too.
Kid Tricks
I don't know about you but I love showing off what my kids can do. At one point Juliette had memorized an entire rhyme book and could recite every story by heart. She was about 2 years old when rhymes such as crooked man, the mouse ran up the clock and others would be recited in words that only a parent could understand, unless you were reading along with the book. She would do this in front of crowds as large as 5 or 6 and it is one of my most precious memories.
Nicholas will demonstrate his entire vocabulary on command. Now I realize a few words like "please", "bus" and "yes" aren't very impressive but coming out of a less than 2 year old is adorable. I'm a very proud parent who has a hard time not saying "I know" when people remark how cute they are.
I hope the kids keep their outgoing personality for later years. It helps that they are both in daycare and Juliette has already a solid group of friends that she plays with.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Amazing
I find it amazing that my son physically pushes me away so that he can get in the car himself. The boy's head reaches the bottom of the baby seat. He scales the seat of the car using the back of the driver's seat as leverage. Once he is sitting in the seat he leans precariously off the edge to reach for the door to close it himself. Only after he's locked himself in the car does he allow me to put on the seat-belt by reaching from the front seat.
Last night he had trouble sleeping. Around 10 PM he was crying. When I went to him I found he had taken off his pajamas and diaper and was standing naked in his crib. When I asked him what he wanted he told me he had to go pee. Sure enough I brought him over to the potty and he did his thing. After getting him dressed again I put him back to sleep. Sure this story doesn't sound amazing but at 4 years of age, we still need to wake Juliette at night for her to go pee and she still has the occasional accident. For my son to even consider doing it before the age of two is amazing.
Of course some of the most amazing things are the words that come out of their little mouths. Words like "Daddy, are you going to go shoot a deer?"; after picking Juliette up from a 4 year old birthday party "Who are you? I don't know you. You're a stranger."; "What is a nidiot" often asked while I'm driving and my usual response is "The word is idiot honey not nidiot." I'm actually amazed that I've been able to restrict my language to such a limited vocabulary, I just have to hope she doesn't pick out the fact that my wave to other drivers sometimes only has only one finger. "I don't want to die" where I usually respond that she will probably do a lot a things before that happens like having children which usually distracts her from the morbid subject. I know there's tons more but that's all I can think of for now.
Last night he had trouble sleeping. Around 10 PM he was crying. When I went to him I found he had taken off his pajamas and diaper and was standing naked in his crib. When I asked him what he wanted he told me he had to go pee. Sure enough I brought him over to the potty and he did his thing. After getting him dressed again I put him back to sleep. Sure this story doesn't sound amazing but at 4 years of age, we still need to wake Juliette at night for her to go pee and she still has the occasional accident. For my son to even consider doing it before the age of two is amazing.
Of course some of the most amazing things are the words that come out of their little mouths. Words like "Daddy, are you going to go shoot a deer?"; after picking Juliette up from a 4 year old birthday party "Who are you? I don't know you. You're a stranger."; "What is a nidiot" often asked while I'm driving and my usual response is "The word is idiot honey not nidiot." I'm actually amazed that I've been able to restrict my language to such a limited vocabulary, I just have to hope she doesn't pick out the fact that my wave to other drivers sometimes only has only one finger. "I don't want to die" where I usually respond that she will probably do a lot a things before that happens like having children which usually distracts her from the morbid subject. I know there's tons more but that's all I can think of for now.
Monday, April 26, 2004
Singing
Singing
Singing is one of the most powerful tools a parent has in his/her arsenal. When times are at their most desperate and I'm about to lose my mind only through song can I keep insanity at bay. Of course what I'm talking about is the dreaded car rides. Before kids, I used to think my voice was out of tune, off rhythm and just plain awful. I was emotionally scared by some pretty horrible karaoke experiences and have vowed to avoid signing outside my head if at all possible. Of course when your child is in the back seat, strapped in, screaming his/her head off it's amazing how quickly you're willing to try absolutely anything to quite them down. And when I say anything of course I mean singing. It's really quite amazing, for both Nicholas and Juliette my voice would sooth them to a point of quite contentment every time. I would belt out songs like three green and speckled frogs, the littlest worm, old MacDonald and the little monsters would transform back into angels almost immediately. As a result, I can sign the entire CD, Polka Dot Pony by Fred Penner, off by heart. I figure, if I'm stuck singing, I might as well sing songs that I enjoy. For some reason playing the CD itself has almost no effect on the children unless they are already calm. Neither does playing country, hip hop, classical or anything else for that matter. But even the most out of tune song coming from their parents will do the job. We also use song in the bedtime routine and during the odd excursion. So I suggest that any new parent out there brush up on their favorite childhood songs before the next car ride.
Singing is one of the most powerful tools a parent has in his/her arsenal. When times are at their most desperate and I'm about to lose my mind only through song can I keep insanity at bay. Of course what I'm talking about is the dreaded car rides. Before kids, I used to think my voice was out of tune, off rhythm and just plain awful. I was emotionally scared by some pretty horrible karaoke experiences and have vowed to avoid signing outside my head if at all possible. Of course when your child is in the back seat, strapped in, screaming his/her head off it's amazing how quickly you're willing to try absolutely anything to quite them down. And when I say anything of course I mean singing. It's really quite amazing, for both Nicholas and Juliette my voice would sooth them to a point of quite contentment every time. I would belt out songs like three green and speckled frogs, the littlest worm, old MacDonald and the little monsters would transform back into angels almost immediately. As a result, I can sign the entire CD, Polka Dot Pony by Fred Penner, off by heart. I figure, if I'm stuck singing, I might as well sing songs that I enjoy. For some reason playing the CD itself has almost no effect on the children unless they are already calm. Neither does playing country, hip hop, classical or anything else for that matter. But even the most out of tune song coming from their parents will do the job. We also use song in the bedtime routine and during the odd excursion. So I suggest that any new parent out there brush up on their favorite childhood songs before the next car ride.
Friday, April 23, 2004
Blog from a Grandmother
My mother has volunteered some stories for today's blogger. Read and enjoy...
Juliette:
1) Since 3 years of age, Juliette has been fascinated by stories of princesses but has one of the stories changed to suit her. She loves to play at Cinderella and wants to be one of the ugly stepsister. When she visits Memere Linda, she often asks me to be her other stepsister and we need to play at being mean and not doing any work. I like the not working part and bossing Cinderella around who is often Nicholas. Unfortunately or fortunately for him, Nicholas doesn't pay any attention to us as we tell him to do the dishes, wash the floors and clean our lovely dresses for the ball. We love being mean together and bossy to others even if know one pays us any attention. When it comes time for the ball, Juliette often turns into Cinderella and whoever is around becomes the prince, again, it's sometimes Nicholas. Does he care? He just likes being there and plays beside us as we talk and giggle, give orders and dance.
I do feel a little guilty encouraging the thought of being mean as fun though. I need to work on that one...
2) Juliette loves being read to before going to bed at night. Unfortunately, I am known to fall asleep before I finish reading the book and Juliette often pokes me and laughs at me to keep me going. I asked her why I get so sleepy when I read to her and she doesn't. She pondered on this for a few seconds and then said that I don't do enough exercises like her. She may have a point there... Sometimes she insists that I sit up to read since she notices I get sleepy when I am cuddled down on the pillows beside her(smart girl). I don't much like this since she often sits up too and she stays more awake which energizes her, wrong time for that , don't you agree!
Nicholas:
Although he hasn't been around quite as long, he is fun to watch and play with. He loves stories as well and needs one before bedtime as well. One day when Pepere Jean Maurice was telling him a Bedtime story about the 3 Little Pigs, JM would stop to knock on the arm of the rocking chair for the Wolf who knocked at the first pig's house. When he announced that the wolf came to the door of the second little pig, Nicholas pulls away from his comfortable cuddling position to find the arm of the rocker and knocked 3 times like the wolf right on cue. Of course he was well ready for the third little pigs house with 3 good knocks again. His grandfather loved the interplay, who wouldn't!
Ether is his favourite cat and you will often fine Nicholas (who calls cats Mee..ows) with Ether when visiting. They are often sitting together looking outside through a window or through the door. They both seem to longing to be outside but appear happy enough just looking and watching cars, birds and people.
Nicholas is starting to compete and challenge his sister more and more. I needed some Baking Powder out of the cupboard one day and I asked Juliette to fetch it. Nicholas was quicker and he found a box Baking Soda and brought it to me before Juliette had a chance. I just directed her to bring the other box beside it before they fought over the box that Nicholas had grabbed. You pleasantly accept both and say 'thank you' to both of them for their help ! They both want to be helpers and see themselves as equally right and needed which is great stuff to encourage! Baking with them is quite interesting to say the least but a lot of fun!
Juliette:
1) Since 3 years of age, Juliette has been fascinated by stories of princesses but has one of the stories changed to suit her. She loves to play at Cinderella and wants to be one of the ugly stepsister. When she visits Memere Linda, she often asks me to be her other stepsister and we need to play at being mean and not doing any work. I like the not working part and bossing Cinderella around who is often Nicholas. Unfortunately or fortunately for him, Nicholas doesn't pay any attention to us as we tell him to do the dishes, wash the floors and clean our lovely dresses for the ball. We love being mean together and bossy to others even if know one pays us any attention. When it comes time for the ball, Juliette often turns into Cinderella and whoever is around becomes the prince, again, it's sometimes Nicholas. Does he care? He just likes being there and plays beside us as we talk and giggle, give orders and dance.
I do feel a little guilty encouraging the thought of being mean as fun though. I need to work on that one...
2) Juliette loves being read to before going to bed at night. Unfortunately, I am known to fall asleep before I finish reading the book and Juliette often pokes me and laughs at me to keep me going. I asked her why I get so sleepy when I read to her and she doesn't. She pondered on this for a few seconds and then said that I don't do enough exercises like her. She may have a point there... Sometimes she insists that I sit up to read since she notices I get sleepy when I am cuddled down on the pillows beside her(smart girl). I don't much like this since she often sits up too and she stays more awake which energizes her, wrong time for that , don't you agree!
Nicholas:
Although he hasn't been around quite as long, he is fun to watch and play with. He loves stories as well and needs one before bedtime as well. One day when Pepere Jean Maurice was telling him a Bedtime story about the 3 Little Pigs, JM would stop to knock on the arm of the rocking chair for the Wolf who knocked at the first pig's house. When he announced that the wolf came to the door of the second little pig, Nicholas pulls away from his comfortable cuddling position to find the arm of the rocker and knocked 3 times like the wolf right on cue. Of course he was well ready for the third little pigs house with 3 good knocks again. His grandfather loved the interplay, who wouldn't!
Ether is his favourite cat and you will often fine Nicholas (who calls cats Mee..ows) with Ether when visiting. They are often sitting together looking outside through a window or through the door. They both seem to longing to be outside but appear happy enough just looking and watching cars, birds and people.
Nicholas is starting to compete and challenge his sister more and more. I needed some Baking Powder out of the cupboard one day and I asked Juliette to fetch it. Nicholas was quicker and he found a box Baking Soda and brought it to me before Juliette had a chance. I just directed her to bring the other box beside it before they fought over the box that Nicholas had grabbed. You pleasantly accept both and say 'thank you' to both of them for their help ! They both want to be helpers and see themselves as equally right and needed which is great stuff to encourage! Baking with them is quite interesting to say the least but a lot of fun!
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
The Bedtime Routine
The Bedtime Routine
If you haven't tried it, you really should. If you have, than you know what I'm talking about. Committing to a bedtime routine is, at the same time, the most liberated and the most defeated moment in early parenting. As a new parent we were determined to sacrifice as little as possible in our daily life without just cause. So why have a bedtime routine that shackles you to the house at the same time every night. I remember carrying the detachable car seat, otherwise known as the bucket, into a Chinese restaurant at 11:00 PM with a sleeping Juliette inside. We had a diaper bag, we had baby food (mommy) and she had a bed (the bucket). Why lose all that freedom when really the baby has everything she needs right there. All new parents do it (as far as I can tell). The first child learns to sleep through almost anything and with the new anti smoking by-laws almost everything is on the table. What new parents fail to realize is that once you've committed to a routine you can get the kids to bed with no tears in less than 20 minutes. Not only that, they are more likely to sleep through the night and be more content over all. Now I'm not trying to put new parents down or anything. We've all been there and we've all done it but for those of you who are looking for some relief from the screaming baby try a routine and stick with it. Spend a few nights sleeping in the basement with earplugs for the first couple of nights and eventually you should be able to drop the baby in his/her crib and walk away without a peep. At least that's the way it works on my babies.
(I reserve the right to include inaccuracies, exaggerations or omissions to prove my point)
Our average bedtime routine:
1. Bath (Optional, especially for Dads when they're home alone)
2. Brush teeth (Otherwise known as eat toothpaste for the first couple of years)
3. Brush Hair (Optional for Dads who have never dealt with hair longer than 4 inches unless you want a crying princess)
4. Skin Lotion? (Not my idea)
5. 2 Stories (Dr. Suess, Robert Munsch, Angelina Ballerina...)
6. Cuddle time / Talk to child about the day ("What was your favorite part of the day?")
7. Sing Bedtime Song ("Hush Little baby don't say a word..." found on the Anne Murray children's album)
I'm sure almost anything works but this is what works for us. As long as each child has their security blanket close by it seems to work quite well.
If you haven't tried it, you really should. If you have, than you know what I'm talking about. Committing to a bedtime routine is, at the same time, the most liberated and the most defeated moment in early parenting. As a new parent we were determined to sacrifice as little as possible in our daily life without just cause. So why have a bedtime routine that shackles you to the house at the same time every night. I remember carrying the detachable car seat, otherwise known as the bucket, into a Chinese restaurant at 11:00 PM with a sleeping Juliette inside. We had a diaper bag, we had baby food (mommy) and she had a bed (the bucket). Why lose all that freedom when really the baby has everything she needs right there. All new parents do it (as far as I can tell). The first child learns to sleep through almost anything and with the new anti smoking by-laws almost everything is on the table. What new parents fail to realize is that once you've committed to a routine you can get the kids to bed with no tears in less than 20 minutes. Not only that, they are more likely to sleep through the night and be more content over all. Now I'm not trying to put new parents down or anything. We've all been there and we've all done it but for those of you who are looking for some relief from the screaming baby try a routine and stick with it. Spend a few nights sleeping in the basement with earplugs for the first couple of nights and eventually you should be able to drop the baby in his/her crib and walk away without a peep. At least that's the way it works on my babies.
(I reserve the right to include inaccuracies, exaggerations or omissions to prove my point)
Our average bedtime routine:
1. Bath (Optional, especially for Dads when they're home alone)
2. Brush teeth (Otherwise known as eat toothpaste for the first couple of years)
3. Brush Hair (Optional for Dads who have never dealt with hair longer than 4 inches unless you want a crying princess)
4. Skin Lotion? (Not my idea)
5. 2 Stories (Dr. Suess, Robert Munsch, Angelina Ballerina...)
6. Cuddle time / Talk to child about the day ("What was your favorite part of the day?")
7. Sing Bedtime Song ("Hush Little baby don't say a word..." found on the Anne Murray children's album)
I'm sure almost anything works but this is what works for us. As long as each child has their security blanket close by it seems to work quite well.
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Protest & Nicholas
Protest
It has been noted by one of my short Asian readers, who shall remain nameless, that I have shown favoritism in my Blogging for Juliette. This is not the case, if there is more information on Juliette than Nicholas it's because she's lived twice as long and it's a lot easier to put into words my daily interactions about someone who can talk than with someone who can't. Too address the perception of favoritism I will dedicate today's Blog to the special little guy that is Nicholas.
Nicholas
The boy is tough. He has to be, Juliette enjoys telling him what to do, where to go and how to do it. Who am I kidding, us parents do the exact same thing except we call it parenting. Since the day he was born I could tell when Juliette was bugging him. He had one kind of cry for "I'm hungry, sleepy, my diaper's dirty" and he had a distinctive angry cry for "My sister is bugging me!". Just like any new environment you adapt as quickly as possible. That's why at the age of 1.5 Nicholas can tell me who hit him by name (usually his sister), can scold her and wave his finger ("uh, uh") and say "yesss" or "no, no, no" to any question I have. He has his own ideas and he's not afraid to let people know. Next time you see him ask him any yes or no question and he's likely to have an opinion. I guess he takes after his father in that respect.
Top 6 cutest things that Nicholas does (why 6, why not):
6. Telling people where to go (He pulls on your clothes and points just like a little prince would)
5. Kisses and Hugs (He's a very friendly guy and will kiss and hug almost anybody upon request)
4. Sleeping (A parent loves the sight of a sleeping baby, they're so quite!)
3. Eating (The boy eats cereal with a spoon, without a bib, just like his big sister)
2. Running preferably in oversized rubber boots (Usually accompanied by a smile from ear to ear)
1. Laughing (My absolute favorite sound in the entire world is the laughter of a baby, the younger the better).
It has been noted by one of my short Asian readers, who shall remain nameless, that I have shown favoritism in my Blogging for Juliette. This is not the case, if there is more information on Juliette than Nicholas it's because she's lived twice as long and it's a lot easier to put into words my daily interactions about someone who can talk than with someone who can't. Too address the perception of favoritism I will dedicate today's Blog to the special little guy that is Nicholas.
Nicholas
The boy is tough. He has to be, Juliette enjoys telling him what to do, where to go and how to do it. Who am I kidding, us parents do the exact same thing except we call it parenting. Since the day he was born I could tell when Juliette was bugging him. He had one kind of cry for "I'm hungry, sleepy, my diaper's dirty" and he had a distinctive angry cry for "My sister is bugging me!". Just like any new environment you adapt as quickly as possible. That's why at the age of 1.5 Nicholas can tell me who hit him by name (usually his sister), can scold her and wave his finger ("uh, uh") and say "yesss" or "no, no, no" to any question I have. He has his own ideas and he's not afraid to let people know. Next time you see him ask him any yes or no question and he's likely to have an opinion. I guess he takes after his father in that respect.
Top 6 cutest things that Nicholas does (why 6, why not):
6. Telling people where to go (He pulls on your clothes and points just like a little prince would)
5. Kisses and Hugs (He's a very friendly guy and will kiss and hug almost anybody upon request)
4. Sleeping (A parent loves the sight of a sleeping baby, they're so quite!)
3. Eating (The boy eats cereal with a spoon, without a bib, just like his big sister)
2. Running preferably in oversized rubber boots (Usually accompanied by a smile from ear to ear)
1. Laughing (My absolute favorite sound in the entire world is the laughter of a baby, the younger the better).
Monday, April 19, 2004
Video Games & Soccer
Video Games
From a very young age (about 3 years old) Juliette has been able to play on the computer. Her mouse control was lacking at first but encouraged by familiar characters like Barbie, Bob the Builder and Sagwa she persisted until her fine motor skills were fine tuned enough to get all the items required for that perfect Barbie beach party. I've included some of her favorite websites in the link section. We then exposed her to a bunch of free CD ROM games from cereal boxes. The best by far has been Candyland. On Saturday she accomplished a milestone. I've played a few video games in my day so I've dreamt of a day that I could play against/with my kids at a game that I could enjoy. On Saturday we played Gauntlet on the XBox together (rated G). The game involves walking around picking up treasure and shooting monsters. She loved the picking up treasure part and killed a few monsters on the way. During the game you could often hear lines like "Follow daddy Juliette / This way", "Daddy help me!", "I'm greedy Daddy" and of course "Daddy that's my diamond". Now I just have to hope she still remembers how to play outside.
Soccer
Juliette will be starting soccer soon. I brought her outside this weekend and ran around the yard telling her to take the ball away from me. I told her she would have to run faster than the other kids if she wanted to win. I also told her not to cry when/if she lost to which she responded "I won't cry daddy", but I have my doubts. This will be her first exposure to organized sports (if you can call a bunch a 4 year olds running around a field kicking the same ball at the same time organized). I am little worried, being the first born, she's been a little bit of a wimp. Unlike Nicholas, she hasn't had a bigger child that she must fight off to get what she wants. So more often than not if things don't go her way she pouts and/or cries. Whatever happens it will be damn cute and I'll be sure to have my camera close by.
From a very young age (about 3 years old) Juliette has been able to play on the computer. Her mouse control was lacking at first but encouraged by familiar characters like Barbie, Bob the Builder and Sagwa she persisted until her fine motor skills were fine tuned enough to get all the items required for that perfect Barbie beach party. I've included some of her favorite websites in the link section. We then exposed her to a bunch of free CD ROM games from cereal boxes. The best by far has been Candyland. On Saturday she accomplished a milestone. I've played a few video games in my day so I've dreamt of a day that I could play against/with my kids at a game that I could enjoy. On Saturday we played Gauntlet on the XBox together (rated G). The game involves walking around picking up treasure and shooting monsters. She loved the picking up treasure part and killed a few monsters on the way. During the game you could often hear lines like "Follow daddy Juliette / This way", "Daddy help me!", "I'm greedy Daddy" and of course "Daddy that's my diamond". Now I just have to hope she still remembers how to play outside.
Soccer
Juliette will be starting soccer soon. I brought her outside this weekend and ran around the yard telling her to take the ball away from me. I told her she would have to run faster than the other kids if she wanted to win. I also told her not to cry when/if she lost to which she responded "I won't cry daddy", but I have my doubts. This will be her first exposure to organized sports (if you can call a bunch a 4 year olds running around a field kicking the same ball at the same time organized). I am little worried, being the first born, she's been a little bit of a wimp. Unlike Nicholas, she hasn't had a bigger child that she must fight off to get what she wants. So more often than not if things don't go her way she pouts and/or cries. Whatever happens it will be damn cute and I'll be sure to have my camera close by.
Friday, April 16, 2004
Running & Hiding
Running & hiding
My daughter is going through a phase. She hides when she sees me at the door at daycare, she hides when she runs towards her locker to get dressed, she hides when we leave the building to go to the car. Hiding has quickly become her favorite thing to do. This was OK when she wasn't very good at it but like everything practice makes perfect. We try and discourage the behavior outside the house but once home it's not uncommon for my wife and I to check every door and bedroom closet to finally discover a 3 Ft monster accompanied by a little brother. The only down side of this activity is the sometimes completely irrational panicked feeling I get when I can't find her but I guess that's par for course.
Running on the other hand is not a phase. It's a deliberate attempt by me of getting my child to have an active lifestyle. The trends of obesity in children nowadays is disturbing to say the least. Since both my wife and I are involved in organized sports, I want the same thing for my children. I know I can't will it to happen so I regularly encourage the kids to run, jump and swim so that one day when they are playing a game they've developed a solid base of coordination that will make being successful in sports easy for them. After all kids like doing things they are good at. They don't have to be the best, or even have my drive to win (but it would be nice), I just want them to have healthy lifestyle and a good hobby for their teenage years and beyond. That's why if your in the mall and you see a two kids under 3 Ft running by you they're probably mine. I'll be the one jogging after them and picking them up when they fall.
My daughter is going through a phase. She hides when she sees me at the door at daycare, she hides when she runs towards her locker to get dressed, she hides when we leave the building to go to the car. Hiding has quickly become her favorite thing to do. This was OK when she wasn't very good at it but like everything practice makes perfect. We try and discourage the behavior outside the house but once home it's not uncommon for my wife and I to check every door and bedroom closet to finally discover a 3 Ft monster accompanied by a little brother. The only down side of this activity is the sometimes completely irrational panicked feeling I get when I can't find her but I guess that's par for course.
Running on the other hand is not a phase. It's a deliberate attempt by me of getting my child to have an active lifestyle. The trends of obesity in children nowadays is disturbing to say the least. Since both my wife and I are involved in organized sports, I want the same thing for my children. I know I can't will it to happen so I regularly encourage the kids to run, jump and swim so that one day when they are playing a game they've developed a solid base of coordination that will make being successful in sports easy for them. After all kids like doing things they are good at. They don't have to be the best, or even have my drive to win (but it would be nice), I just want them to have healthy lifestyle and a good hobby for their teenage years and beyond. That's why if your in the mall and you see a two kids under 3 Ft running by you they're probably mine. I'll be the one jogging after them and picking them up when they fall.
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Eating
Eating
Eating is a very high priority in my family. The kids are expected to eat everything and for the most part they do and more. My daughter has been known to eat everything from lamb, fish eyes, chicken feet and salad. Her favorites are shrimp, rice with Soya sauce and chips. About the only thing she doesn't like too much is spicy stuff and she drinks less milk than I would prefer. At daycare she averages two helpings per day. One day I got a call from the teacher and she told me that my daughter was sick, and the way they new it was serious was that she didn't eat anything for lunch. "That definitely is not your daughter."
My son will eat anything but nowhere near as much. We don't sweat it though, I figure he'll eat when he's hungry and as long has he's not picky that's fine with me.
Too many parents get too many gray hairs trying to get their kids to eat something other than hot dogs and ketchup. It's a power struggle with the child usually getting the upper hand. The one time my daughter didn't want to eat her supper I said fine, go and play. A couple of hours later when she was hungry she gobbled it up, no questions asked.
Eating is a very high priority in my family. The kids are expected to eat everything and for the most part they do and more. My daughter has been known to eat everything from lamb, fish eyes, chicken feet and salad. Her favorites are shrimp, rice with Soya sauce and chips. About the only thing she doesn't like too much is spicy stuff and she drinks less milk than I would prefer. At daycare she averages two helpings per day. One day I got a call from the teacher and she told me that my daughter was sick, and the way they new it was serious was that she didn't eat anything for lunch. "That definitely is not your daughter."
My son will eat anything but nowhere near as much. We don't sweat it though, I figure he'll eat when he's hungry and as long has he's not picky that's fine with me.
Too many parents get too many gray hairs trying to get their kids to eat something other than hot dogs and ketchup. It's a power struggle with the child usually getting the upper hand. The one time my daughter didn't want to eat her supper I said fine, go and play. A couple of hours later when she was hungry she gobbled it up, no questions asked.
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Sleeping with kids
Sleeping
Sometimes I wake up in the morning not knowing who will be in bed with me. I sleep like the dead and therefore usually have no idea if a kid has decided to wake up in the middle of the night and scream until he/she is brought into our bed or if my wife has had enough of the kids and decided to sleep on the couch. Considering I'm as big as my wife and two kids combined and sleep in the fetal position my quality of sleep doesn't usually suffer much. If anything it might improve since the kids usually want to squish over to mommy's side which leaves me with most of the bed (otherwise my wife sleeps diagonally).
My daughter is the worst of the sleepers. She sleeps horizontally moves a lot and grinds her teeth.
My son is much better at sleeping with people. He cuddles with mommy and doesn't mind if I push him out of the way to make space.
Night to remember
A few years ago when my daughter was one and a bit she decided she was going to cry her head off instead of sleeping. At first we decided to let her cry herself to sleep. After crying for a hour or so we decided to rock her to sleep, after another hour of crying/screaming we brought her downstairs and turned on the lights. After another hour of holding and rocking and singing we put her back in her bed and left her. After all, how long can a child cry (considering there didn't seem to be anything physically wrong with her). At about 3 AM she decided that she had enough and went to sleep. I realized then that I was in trouble. If she is stubborn enough to cry and scream for 5 plus hours in the middle of the night through sheer stubbornness then teenage land should be tons of fun.
There are other nights I could write about involving vomit and such but nothing affects a parent more than hearing their child cry and not being able to do anything about it. Everyone should be happy to know that there is a happy ending though. Currently the kids go to bed on time every night with no crying:)
Sometimes I wake up in the morning not knowing who will be in bed with me. I sleep like the dead and therefore usually have no idea if a kid has decided to wake up in the middle of the night and scream until he/she is brought into our bed or if my wife has had enough of the kids and decided to sleep on the couch. Considering I'm as big as my wife and two kids combined and sleep in the fetal position my quality of sleep doesn't usually suffer much. If anything it might improve since the kids usually want to squish over to mommy's side which leaves me with most of the bed (otherwise my wife sleeps diagonally).
My daughter is the worst of the sleepers. She sleeps horizontally moves a lot and grinds her teeth.
My son is much better at sleeping with people. He cuddles with mommy and doesn't mind if I push him out of the way to make space.
Night to remember
A few years ago when my daughter was one and a bit she decided she was going to cry her head off instead of sleeping. At first we decided to let her cry herself to sleep. After crying for a hour or so we decided to rock her to sleep, after another hour of crying/screaming we brought her downstairs and turned on the lights. After another hour of holding and rocking and singing we put her back in her bed and left her. After all, how long can a child cry (considering there didn't seem to be anything physically wrong with her). At about 3 AM she decided that she had enough and went to sleep. I realized then that I was in trouble. If she is stubborn enough to cry and scream for 5 plus hours in the middle of the night through sheer stubbornness then teenage land should be tons of fun.
There are other nights I could write about involving vomit and such but nothing affects a parent more than hearing their child cry and not being able to do anything about it. Everyone should be happy to know that there is a happy ending though. Currently the kids go to bed on time every night with no crying:)
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Ballet & Swimming
Ballet,
My daughter tried ballet when she was 2 years old. She spent 30% of the time sitting on the side watching the other kids do their thing. She just wasn't interested so we didn't register her for the next class. She did look adorable in the ballet outfit and homemade tutu. At my daughter's request we tried ballet again when she was 3. Again there were periods when she refused to participate. As long as there is music running and jumping she's OK but as soon as some of the finer points of the dance are practiced she prefers sit on the side. Of course on parents day when I saw her perform with her peers, for the first time (but definitely not the last), I got a lump in my throat thinking how grownup she's become. Able to perform a rehearsed show was very touching.
Swimming
We've had the kids in swimming since the beginning. At 4 my daughter can swim the width of the pool. She loves the freedom that goggles give her in exploring underwater. I love the fact that I don't have to get into the pool with her. She swims with fearlessness and enthusiasm. I'm very proud of her.
At almost 2 my son loves the water. The cold pool doesn't phase him at all. Highlights of the lesson are throwing the toy and then kicking his feet to get it (then repeat). He isn't quite as fearless as my daughter was in the pool but enjoys it just the same. I can't wait until he can do this by himself as well.
Skiing
The grandparents gave skiing lessons to my daughter this past winter and volunteered to drive her to the hill most weekends. I thought skiing at 3 was a bit young but sure enough by the end of the lessons she managed to negotiate the biggest of green hills with a slow and steady snow plow. Some days I'm amazed by what she can do.
My daughter tried ballet when she was 2 years old. She spent 30% of the time sitting on the side watching the other kids do their thing. She just wasn't interested so we didn't register her for the next class. She did look adorable in the ballet outfit and homemade tutu. At my daughter's request we tried ballet again when she was 3. Again there were periods when she refused to participate. As long as there is music running and jumping she's OK but as soon as some of the finer points of the dance are practiced she prefers sit on the side. Of course on parents day when I saw her perform with her peers, for the first time (but definitely not the last), I got a lump in my throat thinking how grownup she's become. Able to perform a rehearsed show was very touching.
Swimming
We've had the kids in swimming since the beginning. At 4 my daughter can swim the width of the pool. She loves the freedom that goggles give her in exploring underwater. I love the fact that I don't have to get into the pool with her. She swims with fearlessness and enthusiasm. I'm very proud of her.
At almost 2 my son loves the water. The cold pool doesn't phase him at all. Highlights of the lesson are throwing the toy and then kicking his feet to get it (then repeat). He isn't quite as fearless as my daughter was in the pool but enjoys it just the same. I can't wait until he can do this by himself as well.
Skiing
The grandparents gave skiing lessons to my daughter this past winter and volunteered to drive her to the hill most weekends. I thought skiing at 3 was a bit young but sure enough by the end of the lessons she managed to negotiate the biggest of green hills with a slow and steady snow plow. Some days I'm amazed by what she can do.
Easter 2004
Easter was fun. Holidays is all about family traditions. Easter morning is all about the hunt. Since the kids already had two egg hunts lined up for the day we set up a chocolate turtle hunt. Who knows perhaps years from now the kids will reflect on all the fun they had with the "traditional" turtle hunt.
We went to the farm and visited the animals. My son knows all his animals and the sounds they make even if he has trouble pronouncing them. My daughter did great at the Easter egg hunt, finding her quota of three (the farm had 6,000 people visiting that weekend). The highlight of the visit was the newborn chicks. Extremely cute and too young to bite your finger off.
My son is a chocolate monster. He plays very well by himself or with his sister. He's just starting to understand the 1..2..3..timeout routine, except right now he likes getting the timeouts before listening. Trucks and car toys are his favorite. He is also into teletubbies even if his attention span lasts for less than 10 minutes. All the kids love the baby in the sun and he's no exception.
My daughter talks a lot. Many a parent told me before my child could speak that one day I would wish that she would shut up. As a general rule I believe everything I'm told by those parents who've done this before me. Therefore I'm not too surprised by all the talking and hopefully I won't be too surprised when the emotional hurricane that they call adolescence hits in about 10 plus years. At least for now she's my little girl and the highlight of my day is when I get my hugs and kisses in the morning.
We went to the farm and visited the animals. My son knows all his animals and the sounds they make even if he has trouble pronouncing them. My daughter did great at the Easter egg hunt, finding her quota of three (the farm had 6,000 people visiting that weekend). The highlight of the visit was the newborn chicks. Extremely cute and too young to bite your finger off.
My son is a chocolate monster. He plays very well by himself or with his sister. He's just starting to understand the 1..2..3..timeout routine, except right now he likes getting the timeouts before listening. Trucks and car toys are his favorite. He is also into teletubbies even if his attention span lasts for less than 10 minutes. All the kids love the baby in the sun and he's no exception.
My daughter talks a lot. Many a parent told me before my child could speak that one day I would wish that she would shut up. As a general rule I believe everything I'm told by those parents who've done this before me. Therefore I'm not too surprised by all the talking and hopefully I won't be too surprised when the emotional hurricane that they call adolescence hits in about 10 plus years. At least for now she's my little girl and the highlight of my day is when I get my hugs and kisses in the morning.
Thursday, April 08, 2004
Nicholas' First Words
My son can say a few words. His favorite is Bus. We can't drive anywhere without him yelling bus so I started a family competition. Every time you see a bus yell it out. Whoever sees the most busses wins. My daughter keeps a very accurate score (surprisingly) for all three of us. I think it's important that you teach your kids to try hard and to try and win while accepting a loss. If you always let them win than they might not try ever. The first time I won the game and started doing my victory dance my daughter cried. I guess that's all part of the learning process (even the victory dance). Oh ya, before I forget, other words my son can say is: please, juice, woof woof, moo, meow, mama, papa, je je (Chinese for big sister) and mm mmm (baby talk for thank you and any other word he can't pronounce).
Weirdos
When we got home from daycare the other day my daughter asked me if she could play outside (it was a beautiful day). I told her sure as long as it was in the back yard. She wanted to play in the front. I told her she was too young but I couldn't come up with a good excuse to say no so I let her play on the front porch with the screen door open. Soon after I heard her yelling hello. I went to the front door to see who she was yelling at and sure enough it was two women who belong to a halfway house down the street. At first they ignored her but she kept on yelling. Finally the one lady with tattoos all over her arms turned to her and said "You shouldn't talk to weirdos." after noticing me looking out in the doorway she said " Of course your dad is freaking huge and you can talk to however you want because he can kick their ass". That's when I brought her inside and told her "That's why you have to play in the back."
I guess it's time to teach her the stranger danger routine. I hate spewing the media endorsed propaganda that there is a child molester around every corner but the kid has to learn eventually that there are bad people in the world and it might as well be now. It's a damn shame because I know there's lots more good people out there than bad people even if they're a bit crazy.
I guess it's time to teach her the stranger danger routine. I hate spewing the media endorsed propaganda that there is a child molester around every corner but the kid has to learn eventually that there are bad people in the world and it might as well be now. It's a damn shame because I know there's lots more good people out there than bad people even if they're a bit crazy.
First Blog
It's morning routine and the standard craziness is in full swing. My daughter is not a morning person, she's like a teenager sleeping in a 4 year old body. At least when she wakes up she is a regular 4 year old again. She wants to not only dress herself but also pick out her own clothes. Today she wanted the underwear with the fairy on it. Whatever, I choose my battles and what she looks like in the morning is not one of them.
My son on the other hand is a morning person. At 1 and a half he's starting to find his independence as well. Good thing he has a great big sister to look after him. Today he started screaming when I tried to put on his boots. I stopped and asked him what was wrong. He pushed me away and tried to put on his boots by himself. Of course when he figured out that he couldn't do it himself he called me over to help him.
The kids are great. I'm going to miss them this weekend since I'm taking off for a few days to Montreal. The Grandparents will be taking them. It's great having family in town and the only grandkids on both sides.
My son on the other hand is a morning person. At 1 and a half he's starting to find his independence as well. Good thing he has a great big sister to look after him. Today he started screaming when I tried to put on his boots. I stopped and asked him what was wrong. He pushed me away and tried to put on his boots by himself. Of course when he figured out that he couldn't do it himself he called me over to help him.
The kids are great. I'm going to miss them this weekend since I'm taking off for a few days to Montreal. The Grandparents will be taking them. It's great having family in town and the only grandkids on both sides.
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