What a Smile! - Posted by Chris

Kids say the darnest things - Posted by Chris

Here are a few gems from our household...
"Don't be mad Mom, be happy."

"Mom, you the best girl I have!"

As Christopher and I descend the stairs after bath time, "Hi Mom, Hi Enon (Ian), this is my daddy".

Point to Ian and saying; “Look a baby” as if he hasn’t seen him almost every day for the past seven months.

“I popped a poop”

Ian's Official Seven Month Bear Pic - Posted by Chris

Cookies: Lessons Learned - Posted by Chris

Tonight, Christopher and I worked on a project that I've been planning for some time now. We baked chocolate chip cookies (from scratch)! The cookies came out delicious and the activity was a great opportunity for Christopher and I to share some one-on-one time.

Here are a few of the lessons I learned.

Be Prepared

When working on a project as easy as baking cookies, its easy to fall into old habits. I'm sure most good cooks will recommend getting all your ingredients ready before you start, however I tend to get things out as I need them. This method works when your baking by yourself or with another adult, however with a toddler its difficult to keep him on track and scramble for eggs, flour and butter.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

This title should be the mantra for all parents with small children. Being a engineer by trade, its difficult for me to overlook some of the seemingly unimportant details of a project. During our cookie baking, Christopher was determined to spill as much of the flour as possible. After a few minutes I managed to get my brain under control and decided that an eighth of a cup of missing flour wouldn't ruin the cookies

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

When we started our project I figured an hour was plenty of time to mix and bake a least one sheet of chocolate chip cookies (we had to try some before bedtime). In the end we did have enough time however we bumped into bedtime a little bit. While I believe this activity was worth a later bedtime, its now an hour past Christopher's regular bedtime and he is still not asleep.

Don't Forget to Have Fun

Our cookie baking project was lots of fun and I'm looking forward to planning something similar as the holiday season nears (maybe gingerbread men!) As parents we often forget that activities that we view as work can be great fun for our children. Christopher loves to help out around the house and having him help with baking cookies was fun for both of us.

Just when you thought Halloween was over... - Posted by Chris

Happy Halloween - Posted by Chris

Click here for more Halloween Pictures

Very Cute - Posted by Chris

Last night at bedtime:

Christopher: "Hey Mommy, you a girl right?"
Lisa: "Yep"
Christopher: "You beautiful"
Lisa (tearfully): "Thank you, kiddo"

Birthdays are Bad - Posted by Chris

The following conversation occurred at our house this weekend:

Christopher: "Birthdays are bad."
Lisa: "Birthdays aren't bad, they're good. On your birthday you get to open presents, eat cake and ice cream and sometimes play games."
Christopher: "Oh"

A few moments later...
Christopher: "Hey Daddy, birthdays are good!"

There's no crying in baseball! - Posted by Chris

Besides the Tigers won tonight!

I'm a Hammer! - Posted by Chris

Tonight, as is the case every night, we headed upstairs for our nightly bedtime ritual. After brushing teeth and changing into warmer 'jammies', Christopher asked, "Where's Turner and Pat the Hammer?".

If you haven't seen Disney's Handy Manny then you are probably not familiar with these two characters from the show. Pat is a lovable but not too bright hammer (pictured) and Turner is a rather grumpy screwdriver. Christopher has a toy plastic hammer and screwdriver that he religiously takes to bed with him and which are now named appropriately Turner and Pat the Hammer. After quickly finding Turner in Christopher's bed, I began the search for Pat while Lisa tried to get Christopher to focus on stories.

I looked in Christopher's bed, closet, dresser, our room, Ian's room, downstairs (twice) and both upstairs bathrooms with no luck. I began to get desperate as it became evident that Christopher was not going to go to bed without Pat. "I need Pat the Hammer" he said tearfully. Finally after searching high and low, I decided to check Christopher's bed one last time. This time I removed everything and sure enough Pat was there, hidden under Lightning McQueen (yet another incarnation brought to us via Disney).

With stories finished and Pat and Turner in hand, Christopher crawled into bed (after I convinced him that there weren't any scary noises in his room). Christopher, Pat and Turner are now sound asleep.

Sweet Potatoes are Yummy! - Posted by Chris

Ian's Official Five Month Bear Pic - Posted by Chris

We thought this one was too cute not to share also

Gee your hair smells terrific! - Posted by Chris

After several days of traumatic bath times (screaming and refusing to take a bath), Lisa and I decided that something more than the "Terrible Twos" must be wrong. Our guess was that something had happened during a previous hair washing (since hair washing seem to be at the center of the rebellion) and now Christopher was afraid to get his hair washed.

Armed with this knowledge, I decided to take a different approach for tonight's bath time activities. After succeeding in getting Christopher to get in the tub he told me, "I not get my hair washed". I replied, “Lets get everything else washed first and then we'll talk about washing your hair.”

When it came time to wash his hair, Christopher was very reluctant. I asked him if he was afraid to wash his hair because it had hurt his eyes before, he said "Yes". I told him that we had some "special" shampoo that wouldn’t hurt his eyes and that we would wash his hair in a special way. Actually we always use baby shampoo but we guessed that maybe he had got some regular bar soap on his hands and then rubbed his eyes during a hair washing. I had him tilt his head way back so that soap and water wouldn’t run down his face. Success, after a few minutes we had the hair washed with no screaming.

After his bath, I told Christopher how proud I was that he had been very brave. He then declared, "My beautiful hair is clean!”

2006 Detroit Zoo Trip - Posted by Chris

Today we took our third annual Detroit Zoo Trip. The trip was a big hit and a success for everyone envolved.

Ian didn't actually get too much out of the being at the zoo (we could have been strolling around neighborhood for all he cared). He did do very well though and even took a couple of short naps in the stroller.

Christopher, as expected, got a lot more out of the zoo this year than previous visits. For the first thirty minutes he was constantly asking to see the monkeys and "jaffers" (giraffes) but was soon getting excited about most all of the animals at the park.


We took lots of good pictures and had a great time but after four hours, Mom, Dad and both boys were ready to head home. On our way home we stopped and got some dinner at Buddy's Pizza which was quite yummy.

Click here, if you like to see more pictures of our trip.

Houston, we have a tooth! - Posted by Chris

Yes its official, at just shy of four months Ian has his first tooth (beating his big brother by more that half a month, let the rivalry begin).

We had been thinking that we was cutting a tooth for a while now. He constantly chews on his hands and the drooling has be increasing everyday. Yesterday I discover the tooth not yet through and today the tooth had erupted.

Laughing Baby - Posted by Chris

Enjoy



Baby Laugh on Vimeo

New Bear Pic - Posted by Chris

Ian's 3 Month Bear Pic

Sacked Out - Posted by Chris

Both boys asleep in the van, part 2
Originally uploaded by Chris1970.

Both boys fell a sleep on the way home today.

Click here to see the entire series.

Two Brothers - Posted by Chris

Christopher - 3 Months Old
(Taken 2004)














Ian - 3 Months Old

(Taken 2006)

Dinner Conversation - Posted by Chris

Christopher: (something unintelligable)
Lisa and I: "What?"
Christopher: (something more unintelligable)
Lisa and I: (Silent. Looks of confusion)
Christopher: "I AM LITTLE TEAPOT!"

(Laughter ensues)

The Great Purge of Aught-Six - Posted by Chris

Okay I stole that line from LOD but its so good that I had to use it.

Lisa and I have managed to collect an inordinately large amount of "stuff". No we are not those people that you see on TV that have so much stuff that they haven't seen their telephone in twelve years (though we did lose a hand set for quite a long time), but we do have more stuff than we need.

The majority of our excess stuff resides in our basement and as of yesterday we began the long and tedious journey to rid ourselves of this menace. So begins the Great Purge.

Our goal is simple, cut down the amount of stuff, so that what we are keeping will fit in the storage portion of our basement. So far the Purge is going well, we ended up working for three hours and have sorted almost a third of the boxes. Still a long way to go but I'm confident that if we "Stay on Task" we will eventually succeed.

*Note this post has been sanitized for your reading pleasure. The word "stuff" has been used in place of a more profane word originally chosen by the author.

2 Months Old Bear Pic - Posted by Chris

Ian's two month bear pic.

We did take a one month bear pic but I didn't post it until just now. You can check out all of Ian's bear pics with this link.

Happy Father's Day - Posted by Lisa

I'd like to dedicate this to my Dad Dave; my father-in-law Denny; and to Chris, the father of my two boys.

Dad, I couldn't have asked for a better Dad growing up. Even though you grew up in a different era, that didn't stop you from showing me in your own way that you loved me. Whether it was as a "doctor that just puts on bandaids" (as I believed you were until a mean teacher told me otherwise), when you played catch with me so I could practice for softball, your help with all things car-related, the time you said you were proud after my senior awards banquet in high school, or the way you held my hand on my wedding day...I always knew how you felt even if you couldn't say the words. And even though you spoil my boys completely (or maybe because of that reason), you are the best "Papa" in the world too!

Denny, I'm so glad to have you as a second "Dad" in my life. Your strong yet gentle ways are part of the reason that Chris is the wonderful husband and Dad he is today. Your generosity with your time and talents has meant so much to us, even if we sometimes forget to say so. You've made me feel like a daughter, instead of just a daughter-in-law. And I hope you know just how much our boys love their "Pa!" Just like my Dad, you are the best.

Chris, how do I put into words the gratitude I feel to have a man such as you in my life? The day I turned 30, I no longer believed I would meet you, and yet here you are. You're my rock, my love, my best friend, my soul mate...and the best Dad I could have imagined for our two boys. As a mother, it's my job to worry about them, and I do. But I don't worry about the men they will become. With you and their two grandfathers as role models, I already have a good idea of what they will be like.

I love you all! Happy Father's Day!

Long time, no blog... - Posted by Chris

Ok, I admit I've been bad. I've been try to placate you with pictures and video, while using my two children as an excuse for my lack of real posts. So here you go a real live post!

Some random happenings around our house.

• Ian slept (mostly) through the night, the last two nights; five and six hours straight to be precise. Needless to say this has been a welcome development and we are praying for at least a few more nights.
• Lisa, Christopher and I went to see the movie Cars last Saturday. It was a great movie, if you've enjoyed any of Pixar's past movies you'll probably like this one as well. Christopher did great, this being his first time at the movie theater.
• Ian recently had his two month checkup; he weighed 13lbs 9 oz and was 23 1/2 inches long. He is a very healthy little boy.

Ok, I hope that was a good enough post to make up for my recent absence, but just in case it was a bit lacking here's a smiling baby picture:

Detroit Basketball - Posted by Chris

Go Pistons


Detroit Basketball

And then there were two... - Posted by Chris

Christopher and Ian
Originally uploaded by Chris1970.

Sorry we haven't posted much lately. Here are two reasons...

Tivo Generation - Posted by Chris

A couple of things stand out about television when I was young. The first is that my family had two televisions; one was a large color console TV (the kind that sits on the floor) and the second was a small black and white. We could watch three channels with decent quality and a couple more that we’d still watch but whose quality would be unacceptable today. The second thing that I remember is that for a kid there wasn’t much on TV. Apart from Saturday morning cartoons, only a few scattered half hours of programming existed that appealed to children. The idea of recording television to watch later, wouldn’t come to our household for many years.

Fast forward thirty years, my family today has three TVs (all color), we record television shows on computer hard drives and we can pause and rewind live TV. We have Disney, Nick and Cartoon Network just to name a few. My sons will never know a time when it was not possible to replay a funny commercial, rewind a show to hear a missed line of dialog or play your favorite episode with the press of a button. I often wonder how this “convenience” will affect my children. Will it be harder to get them to watch less TV? Will it be easier to get them to do chores (i.e. pause the show and say ‘you can finish watching after you’ve taken out the garbage’)? But most of all, I wonder what my sons will write about thirty years from now? How will life have changed for them?

First Official Bear Pic - Ian - 8 Days Old - Posted by Chris

Ian's First Bear Pic - 8 Days Old

For those who don't know the story behind Bear Pics, hear's the scoop. When both Christopher and Ian were born, my sister bought a big stuff bear for each (something I had done for her children). Lisa and I decided to take a picture of Christopher with his bear each of his first twelve months and then at eighteen months and two years. The picture above is the first of Ian's Bear Pics.

You can see the complete set of Christopher's Bear Pics here.

Ian William - Posted by Chris

Lisa and I would like to announce the birth of our second son, Ian William.

Ian came into our world weighing 8 lbs 6 oz and was 19 inches long. Both Mom and Baby are healthy and now happily at home.

Christopher is already showing that he is a wonderful big brother.

Tired - Posted by Chris

Listen closely for the snoring!

The Negotiator - Posted by Chris

The following conversation happened today shortly after I arrived home from work.

Christopher: "Yang Yang?" (translates to "Little Einsteins")
Me: "You want to watch Little Einsteins? That's up to Mama." (She knew how much TV he had already watched).
Lisa: "Maybe just one."
Christopher: "Kite one?" ("Dragon Kite" - one of his favorite episodes)
Me: "Ok, but you can only watch one show."
Christopher (all business): "No, two."

This Old Box - Toddler Edition - Posted by Chris

Ever Wonder... - Posted by Chris

...what two rolls of toilet paper would look like in your toilet?











-Brought to you by Toddler Research, Inc.

Sticky Hands - Posted by Chris

Stickum™ is a trademark adhesive promoted for used in athletic applications. In 1981 the NFL banned it's use because it gave receivers an unfair advantage.

For my son, sticky hands is not an advantage. Any time he has the slightest bit of crumbs or stickiness on his hands he'll say, "Hands" or "Sticky Hands" which translates to "I need something to wipe my hands" or "Help my hands are sticky!"

My wife and I often comment on how we've never seen a kid his age who is so particular about the cleanliness of his hands. Its a rare meal that he makes it though with wiping his hands at sometime during the meal. I'm not complaining it just kind of funny to see a two year old fret about some spaghetti sauce on his hands.

124 days late... - Posted by Chris

See "The Unwilling Trick-or-Treater" for the other half of this story.
http://pricekids.blogspot.com/2005_10_01_pricekids_archive.html

Cat - Posted by Chris

Luckily Christopher does not (yet) suffer from the extreme allergy to cats that I do.

If I were to do what he's doing in the picture, I would probably win a quick trip to the emergency room! In fact the last time I barely touched a cat (let along hugged a cat) I broke out with hives, had a severe asthma attack and spent the rest of the night in a Benadryl induced coma.

If you haven't already guessed our household will probably never have pets (at least not ones with fur!)

Ava Claire D. - Posted by Lisa

Chris and I would like to send out the warmest and most heartfelt congratulations to our friends Ruthie & Tom on the birth of their long-awaited little girl Ava Claire!

Little Ava came into our world wailing this morning at 7:50am. She weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long (I hope I got this right!). Both Mom & Baby are healthy and doing fine.

Welcome to the world, Ava. You hit the jackpot when it came to parents. And welcome to the world of parenting, Tom & Ruthie. Your lives have been profoundly changed now & forever...and in the best way imaginable!

Odds & Ends - Posted by Chris

I haven't posted for about a week so I thought I'd better.

Cold
Christopher has had a cold for a few days. In the past any illness would mean, "if Christopher doesn't feel good everyone else in the house suffers." However this time round its been a bit different. Instead of waking Lisa and I up every few hours Christopher has been sleeping pretty well (with the exception of the first night.) What's different is that he's really been showing his "terrible twos" side. When Christopher gets tired he starts getting into trouble. Its as if his need for sleep causes his brain to forget how to behave. Now that he's sick and he gets tired faster, he seems to be causing more havoc earlier in the day.

Cold, part two
Christopher said the word, 'cold' today. This event is big because as long as he's been talking his word for 'cold' has been 'poe'. Lisa and I always know what he's saying but no one else. We went out, to eat and to stop at the store, and when we first got in the car he said, 'Cold!'. Of course by the time we returned home he was back to 'poe'.

Bedtime Battles
A few weeks ago I wrote about how well Christopher had transitioned to his toddler bed. I guess all "good things" come to those who wait. Since that post we've make a 180 and have begun nightly battles regarding bedtime. Mostly Christopher just enploys delaying tactics and we have to constantly put him back in bed until he finally falls a sleep. I just keep telling myself, "This too shall past" and probably be replaced by something equally as frustrating.

Stay-at-home Dad? - Posted by Chris

I've recently been reading some posts of bloggers who are SAHDs (Stay-at-home Dads); blogs like A Family Runs Through It. These bloggers have me thinking about whether or not I have to mettle to be a SAHD or not.

Occasionally I play this role when my wife has to work on Saturday or Sunday. I think I do a pretty good job. My son makes it though the day mostly unscathed (he's a boy, bumps and bruises are his life). He gets breakfast, lunch, a nap and we even make trips to the Tool Store (Home Depot) sometimes.

What makes me question if I could be a Stay-at-home Dad full time is that sometimes after a day or two of "practice", I find it hard to imagine doing it every day. I love my son and I love spending time with him but I'm not sure that I'm cut out to be the primary caregiver. I tend to be a no-nonsense parent (I probably get this from my Dad) and while I believe there is a place for my style of parenting, I also think that young children more often need the patience and understanding that my wife shows my son.

Pick-Pick and the Grilled Cheese Challenge - Posted by Chris

Christopher spent the last few days with “Pa” and “Ma” (Grandpa and Grandma) and during his stay; Grandma stumbled upon something Christopher thought was just short of genius.  While fixing Christopher’s lunch she decided to cut up his hot dog and put toothpicks in each piece.  Since then he has asked for toothpicks (or pick-picks as he calls them) at just about every meal.

Now Christopher has always been a pretty good eater.  He eats lots of food that other kids wouldn’t even try; olives, salad, pickles, mushrooms and even Raisin Nut Bran cereal.  Despite this he is still a toddler and getting him to even try some foods can be challenging; hence the Grilled Cheese Challenge.

For some time now Christopher has refused to even try a grilled cheese sandwich, even though he has had them in the past.  Yesterday Lisa decided to try once again however this time she cut the sandwich in to little squares and put “pick-picks” in each piece.  Christopher gobbled them up; his aversion to cheese sandwiches is no more.

Hello. My name is Lisa, and I'm a geeky parent. - Posted by Lisa

Remember when you were growing up and came to the realization that your parents were a bit weird...a little embarassing...geeky even? Come on, you know you do. And remember how you swore that when you were older and had kids of your own, that you'd NEVER subject your own children to the embarassment of having a dork for a parent? You were going to be the "cool" parent.

Well in the past two years since our son was born, I (and to be fair, Chris as well) have officially become geeks.

I say this, not as a bad thing. I'm actually pretty proud of my dorkiness as a mom. After all, I think (at least while Christopher is little) that this is one of the things that makes Chris and I good parents to our son. It's the willingness to take ourselves lightly, and to make Christopher laugh, without fear of appearing too weird to others. It's kind of freeing really, not to worry all that much what others think when you're making a fool of yourself.

So, in the interest of full disclosure, I decided to list the reasons that Christopher thinks (right now) Chris & I are the coolest parents alive, and yet in the future will think we are the biggest nerds on the planet. This is by far not an exhaustive list. I'm sure Chris could easily chime in with some more (and I welcome him to do so). But it's what I can come up with right now, so here goes:

1. While helping him into his pajamas before bedtime, we occasionally like to break into "song." Our favorite? A rather (ahem) brilliant rendition of "U Can't Touch This (Hammer Time)" by M.C. Hammer...except in our version, it's "Jammie Time."
2. Since I'm on the subject of annihilating rap lyrics...while changing his diaper, in order for him to help me gain better access to his backside ;) I'll start chanting "put your butt in the air, and wave it around like ya just don't care!" Imagine me dragging out the "air" and "care" as "ay-ah" and "cay-ah." I can't imagine I would ever do this in public!
3. Singing or dancing to any song on the radio. Sure, Christopher loves this now. But just wait a few years...my habit of singing in the car will have to be broken.

At the moment, these are the only things I can come up with, though I'm sure there's more. Anyone else care to comment on their own dorky parenting techniques (past or present)? Not only would you make me feel just a little less weird, but it would also be a great way for someone to de-lurk in our comments section (which I know there are some of you out there). :)

Car Bed, One Week Later - Posted by Chris

Several individuals have inquired as to how Christopher is doing in his new bed; the answer is 'Surprisingly good!'

Despite all of the horror stories and the Super Nanny shows about kids who won't stay in bed, Christopher has exceeded our expectations. The first two days, Christopher took no nap and bedtime on the first night was a challenge but the second night he went to bed with minimal protest. Tonight was really the only other night that we have had difficulties getting Christopher to stay in bed and we really didn't have that much trouble.

I'm still unwilling to declare victory (call me superstitious) but each night that Christopher sleeps in his car bed I get a little more confident that we've successfully completed the transition.

Car Bed - Posted by Chris

Well, we've made the leap from crib to toddler bed. The first day has been, well let's say, not perfect.

You might ask why we are making this change now, since we really weren't having any problems with Christopher sleeping in his crib. We had considered borrowing a crib from Lisa's parents, however when Ian arrives Lisa will most likely have another C-section and after his birth she will not be able to lift Christopher into and out of his crib. Moving him into his car bed was our only option (short of hiring a nanny). Starting now, 3 months before Ian's birth, seems like the best time.

Christopher could not find any reason to take a nap in this new bed today, despite the fact that he was quite excited about moving his Little Tikes car bed into his room. We tried without success for over an hour but the longest he stayed in bed was about 10 minutes. Nap time ended with Christopher running around the upstairs free from the crib walls that used to hold him.

Bedtime brought on even more challenges as a very tired Christopher cried at the top of the stairs (stair gate in place) and called for 'Mama'. After an unsuccessful attempt by me to get him to stay in bed (usually I'm pretty successful at getting him to lay down and fall asleep), Lisa ended up sitting in the glider as Christopher drifted off in his bed. Christopher has been asleep for about 30 minutes. Lisa and I are holding our collective breath and hoping for the best.

Fo Found - Posted by Chris

This just in, after an "extensive" search of two locations, Scoop was found behind Nanny's computer desk. We are still uncertain as to how he got there (wink wink) however initial reports indicate that a little boy may have been involved in his disappearance. Christopher's reaction was lukewarm at best however a reunion is set for this Friday.

Stay tuned for more breaking news.

SU-uh-da - Posted by Chris

Listening to your child learn to speak has to be one of the greatest thrills of parenthood. It ranks right up there with watching him first learn to walk. Words can not describe the joy in discovering that your toddler can (almost) communicate with the world.

Christopher’s speech is growing in leaps and bounds. One big improvement is that he is now trying to repeat words even if he’s unsure of how to pronounce them. Until recently, he only had a few words and wouldn’t try anything new.

While Christopher is learning to speak, Lisa and I are learning how to understand what he is saying. If you are a parent or even if you’ve watched small children communicate with their parents, you’ll understand that there is a language that is unique between parent and child. I used to be amazed at how my sister would instantly understand what my niece or nephew was saying while their words were foreign to me. Now I understand.

Tonight while reading bedtime stories, I asked Christopher what book he wanted me to read. He replied, “SU-uh-da.” I was a bit confused at first, but with Lisa’s help we discovered that he was saying “Super Grover” (Grover’s superhero personality on Sesame Street). We don’t have any books about Super Grover though we do have some with regular Grover. As I read the Sesame Street book, Christopher pointed out every time he found “Su-uh-da” on the page. He was happy because he was able to tell us what he wanted and we were happy because our little boy is learning to talk.

As Lisa laid him in his crib, Christopher rolled to his side and repeated “SU-uh-da, SU-uh-da” to himself over and over while she descended the stairs.

Lost Fo - Posted by Chris

Today Christopher spent the day at Nanny and Papa's house as he does every day that both Mom and Dad have to work. He took along his "Bob Guys" which travel with him almost every trip. "Bob Guys" are die-cast versions of the Bob the Builder machines. Christopher absolutely loves these little vehicles.

When it came time to go home, we discovered that two Bob Guys were missing; Scoop and Scrambler. Nanny, Papa, Mama and Daddy all searched the house but with no luck, the Guys were lost. We decided we would have to go home and hope for the best.

On the trip home, Christopher would say, "Fo" (his word for Scoop) every few minutes. Lisa explained to him that we couldn't find Scoop but Nanny and Papa would look for him tomorrow. Christopher never cried but for most of the trip home he asked for "Fo" and from the tone of his voice we could tell that he was concerned.

We are pretty confident that Fo, I mean Scoop, will turn up and if he doesn't we can always buy a new one. Meanwhile Christopher is asleep probably dreaming about playing with his Bob Guys especially Fo.