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Neurotic

Tonight dad realized how neurotic he is with his daughter. In his mind he is always planning for her future. With that planning comes teaching. He reads to her the science encyclopedia, shows her and explains to her how to cook, explains to her how the vacuum works (he isn't 100% sure but figures she is learning something), tells her about electricity, talks to her about never jumping on a bed with pennies in her mouth because she might swallow one like dad did when he was younger, and last but not least, reading to her bedtime books written in spanish.



Dad took 6 years of Spanish. He can not speak fluently despite taking "Conversational Spanish". He can pick out words here and there if someone is speaking spanish, but wishes they would speak s l o w e r. Some days he greets her with "Hola Senorita Charlotte". He is confident Charlotte will be bi-lingual if he reads to her the spanish book once a week. He even tries to mimic the accent when he reads it to her so she might speak it better than he doess (then there are other nights he reads to her with a southern drawl because he thinks it sounds so cute when kids talk with a southern accent). He thinks about all of the damage he has already done to her by speaking English this whole time. Then he thinks maybe he should talk to her in sign language. He does not know sign language except for a few choice dirty phrases. Maybe he should be teaching her latin? or binary code? These are the thoughts and ramblings of a neurotic father.

Coming Home

Tonight when dad came home Charlotte, Abigail, & Oliver were all waiting for him.
This is what they saw:





















This is what dad saw:

To show or not to show

Due to the rain on Saturday, we did not go apple picking. We went apple shopping. We still went to the farm, but picked our apples out of bins instead of off the trees. We managed to load up on two bags of Honey Crisp apples. If you have never had one you must try one. Simple the best apple for eating imaginable. Since it was raining we stayed in the rest of the day and cooked.

Sunday Nicole Siciliano came to visit mom. Dad was busy out side doing yardwork, driving back and forth from home to Lowes, and eating raw cheeseburgers from McDonalds (yes one of his cheeseburgers was RAW in the middle. Mark these words if he gets sick). Nicole spent a few hours with mom and Charlotte. Dad was so busy outside he didn't get much of a chance to talk with her. So later on Sunday night after she left while eating dinner with mom, dad asks mom "How did Nicole like the house?"
Mom "The house? Oh she didn't see it."
Dad "What do you mean she didn't see it?"
Mom "She never asked."
Dad "You are suposed to offer. What did you do sit in one room the whole time?"
Mom "Yes. I thought it would be rude if I asked her if she wanted to see the house."
Dad "Rude? How is that rude?"
Mom "Well what if she said no I dont want to see it?"
Dad "Would you say no? Of course not, you would want to see the rest of the house"
Mom "So I should have offered?"
Dad "Yes"

So Nicole, we are sorry Shelby didn't offer to take you around the rest of the house. Since you are going to be staying here on weekends to babysit and take care of the dogs (the offer is open for you) we figured it would be nice for you to at least see where your room was.

Friday Night Lights

Friday nights used to mean we could stay up late going out. When we were living in Boston Friday nights were about dinner and sangria at Tasca . After dinner we would catch a 9 or 10 pm movie or meet friends out downtown. Friday nights truly started the weekend. It was a night to go out. It meant Saturday mornings we could sleep in.

Maybe it was moving to a small town that changed that. Going to a movie now entails a 30 minute drive. Tapas and Sangria where we live? I'd love to just ask someone where there is a good place to get Tapas. I could see the response now "Topless? You are looking for a strip club?" No....Im looking for Tapas. "Topless?....well you have to go into the city for that".

Maybe it was having a baby that changed things. Gone are the days of sleeping in on Saturday mornings. They are like every other day of the week. Up when the baby is up. 6am or earlier. There is no sleeping in. Not to mention going out on a Friday night to rip it up in town with a 9 month old doesn't go over so well. It just doesn't happen.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I would not trade my lifestyle now for the world. It's just different. Somehow the weekends are shorter. Life passes by faster. Now Friday nights we are both so exhausted from the week that an exciting night is staying up until 11pm to watch a rented movie (and usually we both fall alseep before it's finished). It means a glass of wine at home instead of pitchers of Sangria. It means eating dinner at home quickly, just to eat so you aren't hungry, before Charlotte goes to bed. Fridays just are not the same as the once were. They are different.

Sisterly love

You know the drill. Spread the love. Visit Chookooloonks

Charlotte using her dogster Abigail to stand up. Abigail loves Charlotte. Charlotte loves Abigail.

Hey Abigail, Can you help me??


Sure Charlotte, hop on!


Yipeee!! I'm Standing!!

Lack of Post = Lack of Sleep

8 hours of sleep over two days might not sound all that bad when you are 21 and in college...but when you are in your 30's, slightly overweight, and losing your hair, every minute of beauty rest is necessary just to function as a human.

Last night both mom and dad struggled to get Charlie to sleep. She couldn't breathe which meant she couldn't eat much. No eating means no sleeping. After an hour of wrestling her to bed, she was out. It was short lived. As mom and dad were tip-toeing past her bedroom we heard her crying. Crying turned quickly to screaming. Screaming turned quickly into wailing. There was no putting her back down now. It was into bed with us.

Tossing and turning all night. Waking up at 12pm for a feeding crying. Charlotte wouldnt take the bottle becuase she couldn't breathe. Mom yelling to dad "dont you dare turn on that light to suction her nose!". Dad poking her in the face with the aspirator trying to find the source of the snots to suck it out of her head while in the dark, while she struggled, while she cried, making more snots, making more work for dad. Finally he had to turn on the light to see what the hell he was doing, thus waking her up even more, thus making it that much harder for her to go back to sleep. Multiply that fiasco by 3 times and you have our night last night. And our night on Sunday night. 8 hours of sleep in two nights is not as fun as it used to be in college.

Wetnose

There was no apple picking today. Instead Charlotte ended up with a cough, vomiting, runny nose, and 102.8 fever. What do you do when your daughter has all of the above?
a. Nothing, it will hopefully go away.
b. Immerse her in an icewater bath to bring the fever down.
c. Make the pediatritian open the office on a Sunday.
d. Go shopping, it cures everything.

Well we actually called "Nurse on Call" and well...they wanted to see her so they paged the pediatritian who was on call and she went and opened the office which is closed on Sunday for us. On the way there, Mom and Dad both looked at each other and said, "Are we over reacting?" Dad said, "Hey, they wanted to see us, we just called them to see what we should do". In the end the doctor said Charlotte has a cold. Give her Tylenol every four hours and hopefully the fever should break in the next 3 days. If not come back in. Hey, what do you know? It's exactly what the book said.

Then we went shopping. It makes Charlotte AND mom feel better.

Magic Words

She did it. She finally said the magic word to dad while at dinner last night. The word that will get her whatever she wants. The word that will get him to shell out $100 for a pair of jeans. The word that will prevent her from getting seriously grounded when she gets caught taking the car when she is 15 years old. The word that will melt his heart when she tells him she is getting married.

There she was sitting across from him at dinner last night. Mom by her side. Handfull of puffs on her tray infront of her. She look up at him, wide eyed, smiled, and slowly said "Dahh Dahh". She smiled wider when she saw dad's face light up and concentrating intently said it again softly... "dahh dahh".

This morning she woke up proud of the fact she finally said it. Again, it was Dahh Dahh....Dahh Dahh...over and over. Unfortunately she has a cold. Our apple picking trip that we had planned is now on hold. She woke up coughing, nose running. At breakfast she vomited. Then coughed some more and vomited some more all over dad. Its going to be a long day, even when you are woken up by the soft words of Dahh Dahh at 5am.

Who's toy is it?

"Abigail, that't not your toy, it's Charlottes!" She grabs the stuffed smiley star in her mouth and pounces around the room taunting Charlotte to chase her and try to get it back. Charlotte likes this game. She crawls after Abigail to get the toy. Pulling the hair on her face until she drops it. This is one of their favorite dog games.

One picture, lots of love

Here is my post for Love Thursday. One picture but lots of love. Shelby and Michael enjoying a night out alone at dinner last week. It had been 7 months since they had a night out alone together. We loved going to dinner enjoying some "alone time". We loved the food and restaurant (Lure on Martha's Vineyard). We loved having Nanny and Grandpa babysit for the night. We loved being proud parents out for a night on the town.

My Toof

Charlotte's upper toof is starting to come in. Yes it is a toof since she can't say tooth yet. Ok, she can't say much of anything except mama and bye. We have been working on Daddy...but she just keeps saying bahh bahhh bahhh. Tonight dad held her up facing him, about 3 inches from her face and said Dadda. DAHHH DAHHH....DAAHHH DAHHH not Bahhh Bahhhh. She studied his face and watched his lips the whole time. Mom and dad could see her little brain chugging away trying to figure it out. She just stared and mouthed the words without saying anything. Then she finally spoke again....BAHHH BAHHHH. One day she will get it. More practice tomorrow. At least she knows how to play the paino already. Spanish lessons start next week. Where was I? Ohh her toof. One of her top teef are coming in. She is going to have 4 teef soon....3 on the bottom and 1 on top.

We also learned Charlotte loves salsa music. We figured this out while at dinner on Martha's Vineyard at Sharky's Cantina. Salsa music was playing and Charlotte was dancing away in her high chair. It could be from mom watching all of those stupid Dancing with the Stars shows. She saves them on the Tivo.

9 Months Old

It's hard to believe Charlotte is now 9 months old. She has been out for as long as she was in! To celebrate, mom took her to the pediatricians office for her 9 month check up. Luckily there were no shots, just the usual measurements; head size, weight, length, etc. She ended up tipping the scales at a whopping 16 pounds. She certianly feels heavier.

Another amazing thing started happening since we have been back home....Charlotte has been sleeping through the night! Mom and dad decided to let her cry when she wakes up at 3am to see if she would fall back asleep. It has worked! She slept until 6am this morning. Let's hope she keeps this up!

It goes without saying

September 11, 2006
Tonight I held my daughter in my arms rocking her until she fell asleep. I am thankfull for my family, for my wife, for my daughter. I am thankful Charlotte was not yet born to experience the tragedy. I am thankfull she hasn't had to experience the same anger, sadness, and fear that we all experienced.

Five years ago hundreds of children had to learn to sleep without a father or mother. Wives lost husbands, husbands lost wives, and suddenly we live in a world where you never know what will happen next. I am thankfull I have learned to take the time to tell my wife I love her and take the time to enjoy holding my daughter in my arms. Not just on this day five years later but every day.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families that were not as fortunate as ours.

The Vineyard

It is safe to say Martha's Vineyard is one of mom & dad's favorite vacation spots. It's not as warm and sunny as Aruba, not as lush and mountainous as St. Thomas, not as exciting as New York, and not as posh as Nantucket, but is a great place for a family vacation.

Saturday:
The trip started early Saturday morning, pulling Charlotte out of bed and loading everyone into the already packed minivan. Nanny and Grampa stayed over friday night and left with us. They were followed us to the ferry in Woods Hole. Charlotte slept most of the way until about an hour into the trip when mom needed to use the bathroom. The only problem was the rest area was 5 miles away and dad was only driving 80 miles an hour. Since mom is upset I am writing this I will only tell you that all we did make it to the rest area in time....with only seconds to spare.
We made it to the ferry early and Tiffany, Ian, and Liam ended up right behind us on the drive. We were all able to catch the 9:30 instead of the 10:30 boat. The seas were rough but Charlotte and her cousin Liam had fun. We made it to the island and checked out our new house for the week!

Sunday:
Hurricane Eduardo brought us lots of rain and wind. We did a whole lot of nothing. We mostly stayed inside, cooked pot roast, and played with the kids. The house had a piano. Charlotte learned how to play Mozart. She truly has a gift.



Monday & Tuesday: Shopping in town. We are not sure which town because dad can't remember. There were MANY shopping trips. Way too many to remember where they were or what was purchased. We did go to every Black Dog store on the island at least twice. There was also a beach trip in here one of the days. It was cold, windy, and Charlotte showed us once again how much she loves to eat sand.


Wednesday: The boys went fishing. We all had bets with each other. $5 to the person who caught the first fish, $5 for the person who caught the most fish, and $5 to the person who caught the biggest fish. Grampa won the first fish, Ian won the most fish (I think it was 12) and dad won the biggest fish (he caught TWO at once!). Once we got home it was the girls turn to go out while the boys watched the kids. The girls went shopping. Suprise Suprise. Liam celebrated his first birthday on Wednesday. He got to eat cake and had a blast! Hard to imagine he is 1 year old already.


Thursday: Beach day. More sand for Charlotte. Dad tried taking her into the ocean but she did not like it. She wanted sand so we let her eat some...thinking after one mouthfull she would get the hint it was not fun to eat. She reached down into the sand with her hand, grabbed a fistfull and shoveled it in her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, and repeated. What is wrong with our daughter? Is she never going to be able to have a sandbox? Her cousin didn't even want to touch the sand let alone eat it. Here she was thinking it was some kind of salty treat. Thursday night mom and dad went to dinner alone at Lure. It was one of the best meals dad had ever had in his life.

Friday: Repeat of above beach day only a warmer day. Dad took Charlotte for a walk and looked for beach rocks. Charlotte liked licking the rocks. Very strange kid she is. Friday night we all went out to Sharky's Cantina in Oak Bluffs. Mom got tanked on Mojitos. Charlotte loved looking at the shark above her head and ate some beans. Liam fell in love with the manager of the restaurant because she was blonde.




Saturday: We packed up the cars to come home. We did a little shopping and had lunch at the black dog. The ferry ride home was great, it was warm and sunny and Charlotte LOVED the wind on the bow of the ship!


Memorable moments of vacation:
** Charlotte playing with lobsters. Then us eating them.
** The outdoor shower. See pictures.

** Nanny tipping over in her chair on the beach (she was not hurt).

** Charlotte chasing Liam around the house.

** Dad and Tiffany in the fudge store. One piece turned into 5 lbs.

** Charlotte eating corn with her gums.

Let the Vacation Begin

Yes we are going on vacation. We have a full week planned on Martha's Vineyard with Nanny & Grampa, Ian, Tiffany, & Liam. This is an actual list of things to do for dad while mom is dropping the dogs off before vacation. It is scribbled on the whiteboard on our fridge. Mom thinks if she puts it on the fridge I HAVE to see it. Of course it has been here since Thursday night and this morning is the first time I have noticed it. Sort of like how mom will put a laundry basket full of clothes at the bottom of the stairs so dad will HAVE to see it and realize he must bring it upstairs. Usually he just steps over it, thinking, "that was dumb, why is this basket full of laundry in my way".

The list reads:

Michael b/f vacation
Vaccum 1st + 2nd floor
Mow Lawn - fri
Weed Wack - fri
Laundry away - thurs
Run dishwasher


Dad did not put away the laundry thursday but he did mow the lawn thursday night. He also started a load of laundry which was not on the list so in his mind he is one step ahead. Of course mom will not find this funny. There are no substitutions allowed.

Below is the check list on the fridge for dad to remember
--------------------------------------------------
Monitor
sound machine
tub toys
videos
food
formula
dish
cup
spoons
bottle brush
sunglasses
backpack
pack + play
Jeep Stroller
Welcome packet w/key
toilet paper (2)
papertowels (1)
relish
mustard
ice pack -me

Ok, toilet paper? We are renting a house. It has a pinball machine, Ms. Pacman video game, and a foosball table. Does she really think they won't have toilet paper? And relish? Can't we live a week without relish? Instead we have to lug a jar of relish. For what? If we are bringing relish and mustard why no ketchup? It makes no sense to me but I have learned not to question as I will not win these battles.

We will try our best to keep the blog updated during our vacation. One thing is for sure...Charlotte will eat lots of sand, dad will end up with a third degree sunburn, and there will be the usual fight in the car about not knowing where dad is going.

Wish us luck!