In the law enforcement community laughing, happy, uncles are considered prime targets. The dedicated detective who prosecutes this special brand of felonious foe is known as “Ethan Fire-guy”. These are his stories.
We’ve always known that “uncle” Dwayne was a good sport. He’s always good for a laugh and always there to be concerned after you’ve inhaled Kool-aid from laughing so hard. Seriously, when he shows more concern over your turning blue than your own spouse does, THAT is friendship. This visit, no Kool-Aid ( yes she CAN be taught) but I did collapse in a severe asthma attack.
Mark’s Dad has a special drawer of fun things for little boys to play with. Cars, extremely, disturbingly, ow-my-Lord-that-has-to-hurt, flexible GI Joe characters, and handcuffs all inhabit this drawer. Yes I said handcuffs. Sandy helpful pointed out that she wasn’t sure where the key to the handcuffs had been hidden. She helpfully pointed this out after Uncle Dwayne had been unlawfully detained.
Once the joy of arresting and releasing Dwayne had worn off, Ethan arrested the rest of the family. Daddy is apparently a repeat offender and lucky that the DA didn’t throw the book at him. I told him he shouldn’t have made the GI Joe man into a pretzel.
Special thanks to Dwayne for being.. well.. Dwayne.
(No key was required, the handcuffs have a handy release switch. Also, we all have “ligature marks” from the cuffs, because Agent Ethan is into roughing up the suspects.)
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
Nuance
“Ethan Harrison I told you to stop punching that balloon!”
“I not punching it Mamma, I’m slapping it.”
“I not punching it Mamma, I’m slapping it.”
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Ian's 6 month visit
Before I update you on gi-normous head boy and his amazing growth statistics, I’d like to remind everyone that it is Prematurity Awareness month. Prematurity is the leading cause of infant death in the United States and the rates of premature birth go up every year. Chances are you know a preemie. Actually, chances are 100% you know a preemie if you are reading this site, since I’m a preemie and so is Ian! I’d tell you to go out and hug a preemie today, but it’s also RSV season and we preemie parents are a bit paranoid of you germ-ridden huggy types.
So, Ian Kenneth continues to be the biggest preemie EVER ( ok not really, but it amuses me to tell him that). He weighs 17.5lbs (50%), is 27.5 inches long (75%) and has a really big head (90%). The doctor, with whom he LOVES to flirt, says we’ll wait on his blocked tear duct and see if it opens up on its own by one year of age. She was glad to hear he had mastered rolling back to front and mentioned that back to front rolling is considered “the hard way”. Yes, he LIKES doing things the hard way. She noted that he wasn’t sitting, supported or otherwise, on his own yet, but said balancing a head that big had to be hard. (GI-NORMOUS MELON) He received a flu shot, three vaccines and a clean bill of health.
Oh, and in case you haven’t heard, Ian loves bananas. I finally gave up trying to shove cereal down his throat and tried bananas. The first bite he gagged on and spit back at me. The second he swallowed. Then he ate the whole jar. The next night he lunged for the spoon and drummed his heels against the chair with spastic glee. He ate the entire jar that night too. He tried peaches on Wednesday night. They made his eyes cross and his lips pucker and he only ate half the jar.
And in case you’re wondering: no, eating solid foods does not make him sleep any better.
So, Ian Kenneth continues to be the biggest preemie EVER ( ok not really, but it amuses me to tell him that). He weighs 17.5lbs (50%), is 27.5 inches long (75%) and has a really big head (90%). The doctor, with whom he LOVES to flirt, says we’ll wait on his blocked tear duct and see if it opens up on its own by one year of age. She was glad to hear he had mastered rolling back to front and mentioned that back to front rolling is considered “the hard way”. Yes, he LIKES doing things the hard way. She noted that he wasn’t sitting, supported or otherwise, on his own yet, but said balancing a head that big had to be hard. (GI-NORMOUS MELON) He received a flu shot, three vaccines and a clean bill of health.
Oh, and in case you haven’t heard, Ian loves bananas. I finally gave up trying to shove cereal down his throat and tried bananas. The first bite he gagged on and spit back at me. The second he swallowed. Then he ate the whole jar. The next night he lunged for the spoon and drummed his heels against the chair with spastic glee. He ate the entire jar that night too. He tried peaches on Wednesday night. They made his eyes cross and his lips pucker and he only ate half the jar.
And in case you’re wondering: no, eating solid foods does not make him sleep any better.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Ian 6 months
Well my little man is 6 months old today. Half a year after being born 4 weeks early it’s hard to believe he wasn’t always a part of our lives. Sleep deprivation affects the memory first, it seems.
Ian doesn’t sleep through the night even when he feels well and he hasn’t really felt well in several weeks. Right now he’s battling a, thankfully, weaker version of the flu that the rest of the family has had. He has, though, gotten much better about soothing himself to sleep. Several times recently I have laid him down in his crib when he is just barely dozing or just a little drowsy and come back fifteen minutes later to find him sound asleep.
He still only rolls in one direction, and wow is that ever annoying. He gets stuck on his tummy and rocks back and forth trying to get back on his back, but all he does is make himself mad. There have been times where I have been convinced he’s going to dislocate a shoulder the way he’s contorting. I’m not worried, though. I think he’ll figure it out about the time he’s ready for kindergarten.
Speaking of his unique time schedule, Ian hasn’t started solid food yet. I have tried to give him rice cereal several times. What he doesn’t choke and gag on he spits back at me. I think one time a bit of it did get in his stomach. I think this because when he vomited ten minute s later it was chunkier than normal. Yummy, huh?
No teeth in evidence yet, though he does drool and gnaw on anything he can get his hands on. His eyes are still a unique mixture of green, brown, and blue. He still has the hyper-sensitive skin that breaks out if anything brushes against him. He loves to belly laugh at the Wiggles. Ian’s favorite person in the world, despite what his Daddy says, is his brother Ethan. Ethan is the source of much hilarity in Ian’s world.
Happy 6 month day, little sniggett.
Ian doesn’t sleep through the night even when he feels well and he hasn’t really felt well in several weeks. Right now he’s battling a, thankfully, weaker version of the flu that the rest of the family has had. He has, though, gotten much better about soothing himself to sleep. Several times recently I have laid him down in his crib when he is just barely dozing or just a little drowsy and come back fifteen minutes later to find him sound asleep.
He still only rolls in one direction, and wow is that ever annoying. He gets stuck on his tummy and rocks back and forth trying to get back on his back, but all he does is make himself mad. There have been times where I have been convinced he’s going to dislocate a shoulder the way he’s contorting. I’m not worried, though. I think he’ll figure it out about the time he’s ready for kindergarten.
Speaking of his unique time schedule, Ian hasn’t started solid food yet. I have tried to give him rice cereal several times. What he doesn’t choke and gag on he spits back at me. I think one time a bit of it did get in his stomach. I think this because when he vomited ten minute s later it was chunkier than normal. Yummy, huh?
No teeth in evidence yet, though he does drool and gnaw on anything he can get his hands on. His eyes are still a unique mixture of green, brown, and blue. He still has the hyper-sensitive skin that breaks out if anything brushes against him. He loves to belly laugh at the Wiggles. Ian’s favorite person in the world, despite what his Daddy says, is his brother Ethan. Ethan is the source of much hilarity in Ian’s world.
Happy 6 month day, little sniggett.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
The Pajama Birthday
4am 11/3/2002: my water breaks
4am 11/3/2006: Ethan wakes us up with news that he has wet the bed.
It was a fitting start to Ethan’s 4th birthday. The day began with a wet bed and a grumpy birthday boy and ended with fevers and sore throats.
We went at noon to meet Mark, in Fairfax, for lunch. Ethan refused to eat his pizza or his french fries but the real sign that he wasn’t feeling well was when he refused to drink his chocolate milk. By the time the boys and I returned home, Ethan was acting sleepy and running a fever of 101.5 degrees.
By 8pm he was obviously sick and I had a bad cough and laryngitis. Ian, not to be outdone, was fussing and refluxing constantly.
Saturday, the day we had set aside for Ethan’s party, became “The Pajama Birthday party” because only Mark ever managed to change out of his pajamas. (Though Ian and I changed pajamas several times due to his constant puking.)
Ethan loves his new toy kitchen, his new train set (thanks Nana), his computer game (thanks Uncle Brett and Aunt Elizabeth) and his new car and game (thanks Sarino family).
He did perk up enough to eat the “yellow cake with chocolate icing and strawberry ice cream- like Boots eats” that he had been requesting all week.
All in all, not the best birthday ever, but he loves his new toys and getting to spend quality snugglin’ time with my long legged four old boy is almost worth being so sick.
4am 11/3/2006: Ethan wakes us up with news that he has wet the bed.
It was a fitting start to Ethan’s 4th birthday. The day began with a wet bed and a grumpy birthday boy and ended with fevers and sore throats.
We went at noon to meet Mark, in Fairfax, for lunch. Ethan refused to eat his pizza or his french fries but the real sign that he wasn’t feeling well was when he refused to drink his chocolate milk. By the time the boys and I returned home, Ethan was acting sleepy and running a fever of 101.5 degrees.
By 8pm he was obviously sick and I had a bad cough and laryngitis. Ian, not to be outdone, was fussing and refluxing constantly.
Saturday, the day we had set aside for Ethan’s party, became “The Pajama Birthday party” because only Mark ever managed to change out of his pajamas. (Though Ian and I changed pajamas several times due to his constant puking.)
Ethan loves his new toy kitchen, his new train set (thanks Nana), his computer game (thanks Uncle Brett and Aunt Elizabeth) and his new car and game (thanks Sarino family).
He did perk up enough to eat the “yellow cake with chocolate icing and strawberry ice cream- like Boots eats” that he had been requesting all week.
All in all, not the best birthday ever, but he loves his new toys and getting to spend quality snugglin’ time with my long legged four old boy is almost worth being so sick.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Arr, Mateys!
Ethan was a pirate this year for Halloween. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has been in his presence for, oh, the last YEAR. He loves all things pirates right now. That’s fine, his father has always been a scruffy looking space pirate want-to-be. It’s why I love him.
Ethan really “got” the idea of trick or treating this year. He had lots of fun and only ran into the street once. Progress! We went around with the “horde” that had attended our Halloween party. Ian’s toes got cold after a bit, so he and I took a break while Mark and Ethan finished scoping out the candy booty.
He had a “most excellent haul”. Even if I give him three pieces a day, I think he’ll be eating Halloween candy until next Halloween. Now to keep him from trying to feed it to Ian…
Oh, and the parrot? Random neighbor’s pet bird. It sort of freaked out all the kids, but made for a cool photo.
Click on the picture for more pirate adventures shot. My person favorite is “exhausted pirate boy takes lawn nap”.
Ethan really “got” the idea of trick or treating this year. He had lots of fun and only ran into the street once. Progress! We went around with the “horde” that had attended our Halloween party. Ian’s toes got cold after a bit, so he and I took a break while Mark and Ethan finished scoping out the candy booty.
He had a “most excellent haul”. Even if I give him three pieces a day, I think he’ll be eating Halloween candy until next Halloween. Now to keep him from trying to feed it to Ian…
Oh, and the parrot? Random neighbor’s pet bird. It sort of freaked out all the kids, but made for a cool photo.
Click on the picture for more pirate adventures shot. My person favorite is “exhausted pirate boy takes lawn nap”.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Spooky eats
Click on this picture for more pictures of the finished cookies and the decorated house. I'll post party pictures later.
The broom cookies were a huge hit. The bones didn't turn out so great, but I love how the bat cookies looked. We had lots of leftovers, but gave them all away to departing guests and to Mark's co-workers.
UPDATE: You may have to click backwards in the photostream to get to all the photos. Or you can go to this link to start at the beginning: http://www.flickr.com/photos/redamy/285845406/in/photostream/
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