Our Baby Size Life!

Birthday Preview???

John — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:12:18 +0000

Yes that’s a McCain cake pan on his head… He’d just finished scraping every little morsel out of the thing and he decided the only logical remaining course was to wear it like a hat… Which is normal for an almost-two-year-old. Right?? Hey! He was high on icing sugar at the time!!! This Saturday is Sam 2nd birthday and the gang is coming over to have some fun! Will it be a wacky and wild as this dessert session? Either way, I bet there will be some icing everywhere, a few loose diapers and, definitely, a couple tired parents… We’ll be back soon to fill you in on all the crazy eating details!!!

Sam the Conductor

John — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 03:27:21 +0000

We try and be the best parents we can, which means that we do some things right and other, well wrong. But Sammy boys toy management is something we do pretty good. Sam has a lot of toys and that’s not due to us buying him any… He’s got a family that spoils him something fierce. So we’ve implemented a toy rotation system that encompasses the whole house. The basement, living room and Sam’s bedroom are his play areas and as the toys cycle down to the basement, they are slowly moved into boxes and out of circulation. This keeps the amount of toys available to him at a reasonable level, and ensures he’s got new things to play with every now and then. This time we whipped out the Thomas train set my brother gave Sam. Let me tell you, every night after we pick Sam up from daycare, its “Choo-Choo?”. Sam just can’t wait to bust through the front door and get at the train set. He doesn’t even wait for us to take his boots or winter coat off...

The Thomas toy train is battery powered that is activated by a big button on the top. When Sam discovered this, we no longer had to play with him while prepping supper. He just loves this train. He loves breaking up the track that Dad took 20 minutes to figure out… And putting it back together again. We have to tear him away from this thing when leaving for work in the morning. He even places the Thomas engine in the tunnel and says “Dodo choo-choo”… Priceless folks. So, I guess we owe Mike a big “thank you” for the train set!!!

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Sam Cleaning House

John — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 01:59:36 +0000

This kid is one of a kind! Not even two years old and he’s helping Mom and Dad out around the house. I guess we’d better take advantage of it while we can, cause the day is coming when he’ll discover that cleaning ain’t fun. But for now, it’s as cute as can be to see our little guy running over to help empty the dishwasher, or steal a rag off the counter to go wipe the edges of the kitchen table… All on his own, without any parental guidance. Crazy. It’s like I’m living in some kind of Bizzaro world were everything is backwards! Next up, Melissa is gonna let me sleep in on the weekends while making me her famous french toast with blueberries… Man, I hope she’s reading this Anyways, the pic below shows you to what lengths Sam will go to… He’s actually cleaning the wall behind of stove! That has got to be one of the stickiest places in the house… hehehe… minds out of the gutters people! But seriously, check out his dedication!

Really! Giving up his Saturday morning cartoons (Bugs Bunny and Tweety) to help out his folks. Let me tell you, I was never around when cleaning was on the menu with my parents. Holy crap, I did everything but buy a plane ticket,change my name and get a hair transplant to get as far away as possible. I would got play Chess or read instead of putting a rag in my hand. For a young sports-playing kid like I was, doing anything involving sitting down, without a video game controller in my hands, was murder. But I did it to get away from the cleaning. Ah memories!

I’ve actually been pretty lazy about posting on Sam’s cleaning habits, because the next pic was him passing the vacuum 6 months ago!

6 months ago, Sam was suckin' up dust bunnies.

One thing is for sure, if this blog is still around when Sam is older, I’ll be sure to let you know when our little boy stops helping out around the house. We’re taking bets if anyone is interested… He’ll start ducking out like his Dad did when he’s about 5 years old… But that’s just me.

Take care and keep cleaning!

Belated Xmas Wrap Up!

John — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:59:31 +0000

It’s taken me a little longer than last year to write a Christmas round up, well, mainly because the post Christmas-I’m-fed-up-with-anything-Christmas feeling I get lasted a little longer than usual. Don’t get me wrong, we had a wonderful and happy Christmas with family and friends. Things couldn’t really have gone better, but I think the Xmas burn out is due to the fact that this year was Sam’s first real Christmas. Last year, he was like a bump on a log, sitting and watching all the merriment and traditions happen around him. He barely touched some wrapping paper. This year was a completely different story. He’s almost two, and the hyper-active, ever inquisitive little guy was fully in the Christmas spirit: which burned us out!

He had his fingers in everything! Let it be Melissa and I wrapping gifts in front of the T.V. in the basement, or cooking in the kitchen. Sam was there to sample, fiddle and disrupt all. He figured out Santa Claus was a good guy and never shed a tear when he sat on his lap (two times this year!) . He also got to indulge in some of Mom’s awesome holiday cooking. No dessert was safe if placed on a low-enough table or even the edges of a higher up kitchen counter! Sam hikes up onto his tiptoes to let his little fingers crest the top of the counter and begin their blind search for… well anything! Many gingerbread men have lost their lives this way We’d find the bodies laying in Sam’s toy bin or under a couch, the heads or limbs missing…sniff, it was terrible!

Speaking of the toy bin, I think we’re gonna need a bigger one as his toy collection grew (like our credit card debt) over the holidays. Amongst all the books, crayons, clothes and other nifty gifts, Sam got two gifts that I had when I was a tot: the Fisher Price farm and the Fisher Price parking garage! Sam loves these two toys and plays constantly with them. We have freakin’ Hot Wheels cars flyin’ out of the parking garage ramp, rolling through the dining area, only to rest up next to a cow in the barn. Hot Wheels are NOT friends to busy parents, especially Dads with big feet. It’s akin to a teen leaving his skateboard in the driveway… yeah, I can’t wait for that either!

Another great gift: My PJs can kick your PJs ass!

Born to ride: tattoos and biker babes are forthcoming.

While Sam loved ripping open presents, even those that weren’t his, the big, big winner of the season was all the Christmas lights. This kid would go blind looking at those lights if we didn’t stop him. Talk about your “deer-in the -headlights” syndrome. You want to get something out of his hands without as fuss?

Turn on the Xmas lights!

You want to keep him from crying in the car?

Show him some Xmas lights!

The best, however, was when Sam figured out that flicking the red button on the power bar beside the tree turned the lights on and off… Well, you can imagine the rapture he was in! The first time he figured it out, Melissa and I are in the kitchen getting supper ready and Sam was coloring on his play table a mere ten feet away. We’re chatting away all the while listening for any signs of trouble from Sam. After a few minutes of unusual quiet coming from Sam’s area, meaning he’s up to something, we decided to check up on him. We turned to see what’s up as the silence usually indicates one of two things: a parental law being broken or poop time. Upon turning towards the living room to spot the little guy, we see the Xmas tree blinking on and off at an unusual interval… riiiight. A little investigating found Sam hunched down behind the couch with a huge smile, and his little index finger, straight as an arrow, flicking the power bar button on and off. Cute… If only his other straight-as-an-arrow index finger wasn’t buried hilt deep in his left nostril…

Overall, the holidays blew by and left us exhausted in their wake. No matter how much we think we are in control with all the planning and organizing, once everything is done, you realize you made it through regardless of how your well-laid plans turned out. My one, brilliant plan for this holiday season did go as planned for once. I splurged a bit on my holiday budget (Santa helped a bit) and got Melissa something she’s been wanting forever…

She’s a Mac girl, so I indulged her with her very own! We had promised each other to only get little gifts, but I can’t obey a rule like that with all she does for me and Sam! Come on folks, that wouldn’t have been fair! And, besides, she’s on Santa’s “Nice” list, which is tough to do for an adult these days… She was all surprised/ mad/ happy/ crying/ threatening/ grateful /worried when I gave it to her on Christmas morning, but as you can see in the above pic, she got over that quick. Maybe I’ll post the video of her opening her gift on Christmas morning… Hmmmm

Well, it’s been a long one and I guess it’s time for bed… Oh! What? You want to know what I got for Christmas? Well sure I’ll show you… Hold on I got a pic here somewhere… Ah yes, here you go… Better than all the Fisher Price farms, kick ass pyjamas and iMacs you could unwrap under the tree… I got these incredible gifts that just keep on giving, no matter what, every day of my life. I hope your Holidays were are fulfilling as mine, I really do, because all the tinsel and wrapping in the world can’t warm my heart a like big bear hug from my son or a tender kiss from my love.

My gifts: They kick ass too!

Stricktly Ballroom

John — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:30:07 +0000

OK, OK! I’ve been a little lazy in the posting department, but I have quite a few posts lined up and ready to go that need a little more tweaking. Until those start popping up next week, I have for you here a fun little vid of Sam and I doing a little improvised ballroom dancing. Trouble is, I can’t help be the clown, so I threw myself around a little bit more than required in traditional ballroom dance, but Sam loved it and that’s all that matters.

Before playing the vid below; however, I would like to warn viewers that the auditory content of the video might not be suitable for everyone. No it’s not hardcore gangsta rap, an excerpt of an Andrew Dice Clay stand-up routine, high pitch, whiny static or even Celine Dion… It’s me “singing” off key. So watch at your own risk as I guarantee that whatever discomfort you endure at my hands will surely disappear the moment you hear Sam’s reaction to my clowning around.

What can I say folks, being a Daddy to a giggle-pus of a kid has made me even goofier than before! Wow. Goofier than before. What’s really cool is that even Melissa is getting on the goofy band wagon, so I’ll be sure to put some mildly embarrassing video of her doing something foolish up on the blog soon. MUHAHAHAHAHA!

Enjoy!

Back from Holidays!

John — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:44:57 +0000

Hey everybody! No the blog is most definitely not dead! Yes everyone is doing just great! We were just away from our online lives a little bit for the holidays! And now that those depressing, dark and long January days are now here, it’s time to shut out the real world once again, and delve back into our digital persona’s to help make us forget the cold outside.

Since I didn’t do this before the holidays, Melissa, Sam and I hope you all had the best of holidays! We can, however, still wish you all a very happy, healthy, successful, sexy and rich New-Year!!!! You can re-arrange those characteristics in the order of your preference

So, check back in soon, for some Holiday Hijinx as I am waiting on my bro to get me the pictures he took over the holidays! Come on brotha!!!

Until then, here’s a family pic we took in our pyjamas one night in front of the tree. Ahhh, cozy winter nights, snuggled with my loves! Nothin’ beats it folks! Nothin’ I tells ya!!!

Slay Ride!

John — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:14:35 +0000

Yes, yes I purposely misspelled the title of this post, but I did it so I could make a point! And that is to convey how I felt after tugging my little stay-puff marshmallow baby through the snow on his sleigh for close to twenty minutes the other night. Made me realize how out of shape I am.

Dammit!

I hate crashing back down to earth like that! I though I was doing pretty good, but I guess I was only fooling myself as exercise never lies. And next up on the menu is all that delicious holiday eating. It’s not looking good folks! I may yet get a belly extension for Christmas!

Sammy tucked in and Mom cuddling in for a pre ride pic.

Watch your bellies folks and get out into the snow!!!

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Sammy’s New Pyjamas

John — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:23:28 +0000

Every parent does it. I am sure of it. It’s a weird situation, because people with no children see other parents do it and say:

“Poor kid, I’d never do that… It’s kind of tacky!”

Then, those same people have a kid and then a holiday rolls around and BAM! They buy the kid theme pyjamas.

Guilty as charged!

I guess it’s not as bad as the whole mini Santa suit cliche, but there is still time before the big day… Hmmm.

Looking down on his belly and... HEY! Who's that?!?!

Sammy spots the snowman!

At this point, Sam was tired and way past his bedtime, so we went "dodo" right after this shot.

Sammy the Nutcracker

John — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:10:15 +0000

Sammy loves to dance since he’s been training at his daycare for a Christmas show, which will be tomorrow. Melissa and I figured out something was up back in early November when Sam would start dancing to the music from his toys. He would just bust out some moves we had never taught him or seen him do elsewhere. It was really fun to see him go and was a genuine surprise to us… One of those special moments you can’t plan for. Well, I finally managed to catch Sam in the act last weekend at my parents. My Dad, a Christmas junkie, has a singing snowman that belts out Jingle Bells with accompaniment from his dog. You start the thing by pressing the snowman’s hand and the good times start. Sam figured this out quickly enough, and once the power to command was in his hands, there was no stopping him! Dance Sammy dance!!!

You may have noticed the speakers on the singing toy start screeching some static, that’s because Sam played it so often, the speakers are starting to suffer some wear and tear! Go Sammy go! Wrecking Granpa’s Xmas toys!!! So Sam is told to put the toy back, which is where he brings it towards the end of the vid… right back where he found it! Also notice Sam almost losing control in his spinning and getting dangerously close to the village that took me six hours to set up!

Have a great weekend folks!

Village People

John — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:10:33 +0000

This past weekend, we packed up and headed to my parents house to spread a little Christmas cheer. We were a whole 5 days into the month of December and my parents had not put up their Christmas tree or their Christmas village, which I look forward to every year. Now folks, this is an injustice. My family has been pretty adamant about putting up decorations for the season since my youth: I’ve been tempered in the tradition of kicking off the seasonal cheer as close to December 1st as possible. Now, It was our turn to step in and get their house ready as they have way too many decorations for two people to handle. We got the tree up pretty quick as we all chipped in and got it done. And folks, leaving your lights on the tree from the year before works. Saved us HUGE amounts of time, which let me be free to work on my favorite piece: the Xmas village.

A Christmas village doesn’t seems like a big deal, but my Dad was a pretty heavy collector of the Dickens Village, Heritage Collection by Department 56 back in the day… well most of the nineties. Which means his collection has grown to the point of near insanity. It took me a marathon 6 hours to set this puppy up, and that’s with some help from Melissa and my parents… Oh! And Sam’s occasional mad dash to grab a piece. Some of these pieces are priced in the hundreds as the amount of hand painted detail is pretty crazy, so it was constant vigilance with Slippery Sam sneaking around! So check out the slideshow below and see if you can find what Melissa and Sam were doing while I was playing mayor in Christmas town at 11pm… All I can say is that they sure do look comfortable! ;)