My little buddy

Rhona calls him Mr. Man, Autumn calls him Gabby Gab, and I call him little buddy. Either way, he's gonna be the little dude for years I think. He's the youngest brother, and since I get fixed on Friday, he'll presumably always be the younger brother.

He's smiley, happy, and chatty these days. He also flipped over on his own on the weekend (that's a milestone moment.) That means he should be crawling before the month is out.

Anyway, I took this picture today. I like the look on his face.

Curling in Boston

Here is where we're playing.


This is the Men's Locker Room at the Brookline Golf and Country Club. The curling facility is a little smaller. But this was a cool room to walk through.

I miss the wife and kids, a lot. But luckily, I have a lot of pictures of them on this computer. I can laugh and them laughing at the camera.

Skating with Autumn

Took Autumn skating for the first time. Here's a shot.

Weird fun with Photobooth

Photo 247
Originally uploaded by rdcaden

Look at the size of this boy's head! And many people think Autumn has big eyes, so...

Gavin Created

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Potty Trained

Driving home from Brampton the other day, mom and Autumn had a discussion about the potty. Autumn needed to go peepee. Mommy was on the QEW, and needed to get home.

Autumn was wearing a diaper, so she could have just gone peepee in the diaper.

Nope. not gonna do it, she said. And pleaded with mom to stop on the side of the QEW so she could pee in a bush.

She's potty trained.

The Stairs index

Approximate age of the house: 98 years
1: estimated number of coats added to stairs every 20 years.
2: number of people who took said paint off stairs.
3: days to finish
7: estimated # of days it should take
17: tools used
1: tools (a power drill) borrowed from next door
3: meals we got out of the Chinese Food we ordered.
6: new tools purchased
1: tools taken back after being used and returned for a brand new one (shhh)
2: tools broken
1: bandages needed to repair injuries

total:
16 stairs with almost 100 years worth of paint on them, finished. They aren't stained yet, but they are now wood. if there was iron in the paint, then it's gone. Why people painted these is a question I'll wonder for a long time, but it's nice to know it's all done.

Thanks Granddad. I couldn't have done it without you. Note, look at the paint behind Autumn. that's all gone. :)

Top six gifts people buy to send a message

Does your dad have too much nose hair? Want Aunt Sally to stop dressing like the cast of Designing Women? You’re not alone. According to a new survey by Remington Products, more than two-thirds of Americans think people use gifts to send a message. 46% all women admit to buying a “message gift” for a friend or loved one. Check them out.

read more | digg story

Ban Left Handed Marriage

Image via WikipediaVoters in California banned gay marriage on the same day that they elected the first Black President.

Well, marriage isn't saved yet. There's another group that could destroy marriage.

Lefties.

"I know there are some who say that being left-handed is not a choice…
That people are “born” that way.
That’s ridiculous.
We all know we choose which hand to write with and feed ourselves.
And this disgusting abnormal perversion of this radical minority cannot be the will of God.
Right is “right”! It says so in every language. Left is sinister, evil, gauche, maladroit.

Right is “droit”, right, correct, the Law!"

Don't let these Sinister people destroy marriage. Well, except me, a lefty. Let me stay married.

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• Left-Handed Marriage in Peril
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Gavin has a penis

Says Autumn.

"And I don't have a penis."

She continues.

"And mommmy doesn't have a penis, but daddy does."

She fumbles a little on whether Romeo has one (unsure), or Lucy has one ("Yes"0, but overall, she gets the whole boy/girl thing.

And it's not like we walk around every day going "Dad's have a penis, and you don't". This is one of those things that she picked up since we've been giving them baths together.

And part of us wonders if we shouldn't have gone with another word. Like Johnson, Little Gavin, wee-wee. It's somewhat jarring to hear a two-year old say "You have a penis daddy."

On the other hand, it's called a penis. Not a wee-wee, or a knob, so it seems better that it should be called a penis.

It's really just a little jarring to hear the little princess say it.

On gavin

We've been remiss about updating Gavin. The second born, and all that.

What can we say about the little dude? He's bigger than Autumn ever was, but he's still little. He loves to be tickled, and he loves, more than most things, to be in his jolly jumper. He's got a good grip, a heart-melting smile, and a sensitive side.

If you're holding him, and he's relaxed, don't start a conversation with someone in the next room. He'll freak out.

All of this is normal baby stuff. He'll cry a little, but if we pick him up, he'll stop. He's not currently sleeping thought the night in any meaningful way, but that will change. Autumn's a champion sleeper.

We'll try to do better. Sorry Gavin.

Autumn and Gavin

PB304562, originally uploaded by MRHames.

Click on the image, and then look at some pictures on Flickr.

Fun with Photobooth

Photo 234, originally uploaded by MRHames.

it's a little dark. But you get the point. With the amount her eats, it's like there's two of him.

rain

rain, originally uploaded by rdcaden.

This is one of my favorite images.

You have to Excuse me

Image by Graham Ballantyne via FlickrAutumn's favorite song is "Home for a Rest" by Spirit of the West. Normally, during the slow part at the beginning, she used to say:

"Wait for it."

Meaning, wait for the jumpy part. So when she didn't say "Wait for it", I asked her what she says. And, for the first time ever, she sang the tune.


Watch.

I love him

I love him, originally uploaded by MRHames.

It's fun to watch them together

I love him

I love him, originally uploaded by MRHames.

Autumn loves little Gavin. She's an awesome big sister.

Who is the new President?

That was the question posed to Autumn. She answered, then things got a little silly.

Yes we can

From this:



To yes we can. More to come.

aunt tracey's screensaver

here you go Aunt Tracey.... sorry it took forever.

gavin

gavin, originally uploaded by MRHames.

This is the part of his life where he's getting really expressive. Call his name and he'll look over and laugh. Play peek a boo, and he'll giggle.

If Autumn comes running over to him, he'll laugh. For a while, when she came barreling over to him, he would look afraid, or begin to cry. now, he's all smiles.

It's cute.

The equivalent of popping a zit.....

So yesterday I did a sincerely MOM thing. Something I certainly never expected I would do. Let me clear, I never thought I would THINK of doing it, and god knows I never thought I would actually do it.

But I did.

Autumn was at school and Gavin and I were hanging out. As you may have gathered, Gavin is a happy baby. He very very rarely cries.... if he does you can usually get him to stop within three moves. Yesterday though he was straining, struggling and clearly had a serious belly ache. Keep in mind- we have started solids and the boy chows. I have been pureeing everything under the sun and thus far he has scarfed down sweet potatoes, bananas and butternut squash... he eats a lot and he eats well. What he does not do so well is poop out that food.

so, he was struggling and straining. I changed his diaper and he had a solid poop- but obviously was not done.

So I helped him.

Yep- I helped him push out his pooop. I pushed and pulled his little legs to move his belly and then I helped pull the blockage out of his cute little body. Basically I pushed the poop out of his belly.

And we did it four times yesterday.

And he smiled after each session. So, Gavin later in life I promise not to talk about this at your wedding or commitment ceremony or whatever the hell they are calling it in the future.

Glad you are feeling better little guy. I promise to puree the food more in hopes of making your moves more smooth.

Junior hockey event expected to land in Buffalo

Associated Press:
BUFFALO, N.Y.–USA Hockey is expected to announce that Buffalo will host the 2011 World Junior Hockey championships.NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Sabres owner Thomas Golisano will attend a news conference Monday afternoon, about six weeks after USA Hockey officials toured Buffalo and HSBC Arena as a potential site for the annual tournament.The tournament, which features the best male hockey players under the age of 20 from 10 countries, will run from Dec. 26, 2010 through the following Jan. 6.The Sabres-backed bid for the tournament includes games at both HSBC Arena and Niagara University, about a half-hour drive north of the city.Other finalists for the tournament were Grand Forks, N.D., and Minneapolis-St. Paul, each of which previously hosted the event.

TheStar.com | Junior Hockey | Junior hockey event expected to land in Buffalo

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The crazy little lady

Last night, Autumn had a tantrum like I've never seen. I've heard about the terrible two's. About how things might get crazy at times.

Well, they got crazy last night. Autumn hasn't been at her best, she has pink eye, and the drops we keep putting in her eyes are starting to work.

So yesterday, when it came time for bed, and she began to complain somewhat bitterly, we chalked it up to a busy day, no nap, and the pink eye thing.

Then, things took a decided turn for the worse.

She began screaming hysterically. I was up[ stairs with her, trying to get her undressed. She fought this like I was an invading army. Kicking, screaming, flailing.

You should understand that most nights, when I say lets get the jammies on, she strips. Even takes off the diaper (after answering the "did you poo" question.)

She's also pretty clear about the books that she wants to read, or that she wants me to read. Sometimes she'll complain a little about going to bed, but I can usually redirect her with some of the little rituals we do at night.

Not last night. The only thing she could say was "Mom." She was sobbing like crazy, repeating gibberish that ended with "mom".

I called in the cavalry. Mom took over and took her to our bed where they just hugged. After about twenty minutes, mom called to ask for a glass of ice, and a glass of milk. Those were Autumn's demands.

At some point after that, Autumn was laughing and smiling again, and ready for bed. In that 40 minutes to an hour, she was a different little girl. Crazed. Wild. over-tired.

We knew these scenes were coming. As someone commented on Twitter, at least we go to see her like this in the privacy of home and not in public.

Yes, we eat Turkey at Canadian thanksgiving

This is the 6th year in a row that I've worked on Thanksgiving. For the purposes of my own sanity, I will no longer call it Canadian Thanksgiving.

Here's the point: Thanksgiving is a celebration of the harvest. You know how all those farmer's markets are popping up all over the damn country? That's the harvest. The harvest is not at the end of the November. The only thing that's harvested at the end of the November are cash registers. Still, it's a thing that even Wikipedia clings to:

In the United States, Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day is an annual one-day legal holiday to express gratitude for the things one has at the end of the harvest season. It is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November

I'm not one to disagree. Still, the point of this blog post is to explain that we eat Turkey, roast potatoes (potatoes cooked in the Turkey fat are just about the greatest things in the world), cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, and at my sister's house, various vegetables including a yearly brussel sprout casserole that attempts to make them taste edible.

Autumn sat at the the big people's table.

Images of Autumn, I mean Fall.

He did it!!!!

The boy slept through the night- from 11pm- 6.16am. I should mention at this time that Autumn ALSO slept through the night. At 6.17am when I was creeping down the hall quietly to go to the bathroom I actually heard her singing Happy Birthday in her crib.

So, he slept. She slept and we slept.

Mom and Gavin

So awesome

The top ten greatest misses in Soccer. Take a look.

Gavin... the gavster.

Gavin... well, I can take this one as I am home with him and see him a bit more.

he is my little dude, and by little, i mean BIG.

he is roughly 16lbs. and is wearing 6/9 months size while still a few days shy of 4 months.

he looks great in dark blue.
he is just about ready to flip over- in fact with a little bit of help- he can roll.
he has put his own binky in his mouth once or twice.
he has held his own bottle once.
he is working really hard on a giggle.
he does not like to converse during mealtime- and don't get me started on his hatred of dog barking.



when he sees me he smiles like i am the greatest thing in the world.
he loves to get his diaper changed and has only peed on me once.
he is patient and even tempered.
his sister makes him laugh - even when she leans on him a bit too hard.
he is a happy kid who only cries when he needs something- tired, hunger, diaper or boredom.
right now, gavin doesn't seem to need a whole lot of sleep.

i love the little dude.



but i sure wish he would sleep through the night soon.

Two is harder than one

And by that, I mean two kids. They are harder than one. And not doubly more work. 10 times more work.

Is this the point where I should say that I love my kids? I feel silly qualifying this, because this isn't a complaint.

Just a point.

That we're tired.

But an update:
Autumn is a little girl. She helps us clean up. She sings, dances, hugs, kisses, and will engage you in a conversation for as long as you want. She also has a wonderful imagination. At night, when I'm reading books to her, she calls Uncle Simon and UncaNina (Aunt Christina) on the phone using a little remote control for a stereo. This is how it goes:

"Hi, Uncle Simon? We're just sitting here reading books with my Daddy before bed. Want to speak to my daddy?"

"Let me see if he's here."

Priceless. She's call monitoring on fake calls.

A few months ago, if I sang the wrong words to a Mary Poppins song, she would get upset and possibly have a meltdown. There's a scene in Mary Poppins where the children sing about what they want in a Nanny. It starts:

"If you want this choice position, have a cheery disposition".

I used to make up words to that, but she would have none of it. Sometime around a month ago, I officially won her over. Now, we sing a sing when she brushes her teeth that goes:

"If you want to brush your teeth up, put some toothpaste on the toothbrush". And it goes on from there. The point is, she's willing to imagine that a song can be changed and made up."

The last thing is that at daycare, she's been offering to get Dan, her teacher, a beer. I asked her to get me a beer once, and now it's turned into a thing that she does.

If you're looking for a beer, it's great. If you're at your kid's daycare, not so much.


Tomorrow, we'll give an update on Gavin. Our little man.