Old MacDonald Had a Poop

Happy Fatherhood Friday everyone! I've recovered such that I'm ready to catch up on all of the great bloggers over at dad-blogs.com, and you should do the same.

You probably won't might remember from a little while back that Little Brother was showing some interest in potty training at about age 18 months, which was quite exciting.

Since then, we've just been going with the flow (literally and figuratively) with him, trying to be encouraging but not pushy.

Accordingly, his interested has waxed and waned.

Lately, however, we have seen a resurgence in his interest in using the (so-called) "big boy potty." All I can say is, "Man, does Little Brother sure want to be a big boy like his Big Brother!"

(If Big Brother licked a toad, no doubt Little Brother would swoop in for seconds.)

And so, we've had some luck with Little Brother going pee-pee in the potty, albeit inconsistently.

He is very proud of himself, and has enjoyed wearing regular big boy underwear over his diaper.

The only downside is that the first time he was "successful", Big Brother was going potty in the other bathroom (leading Little Brother to say, "I want to go potty, too!"), meaning Little Brother had to use our bathroom.

And so now the Elmo potty seat is a permanent temporary addition to Mom-E and Dad-E's bathroom, and Little Brother adamantly refuses to tee-tee elsewhere and throws a full-blown hissy fit tantrum prefers to potty there.

What adds to the fun of this potty training endeavor is that Little Brother has figured out a GREAT way to get attention is to yell out that he has to go potty.

This is a particular fun way to delay naptime, bedtime, etc.

Little Brother also ups the ante by taking off his pants AND diaper while in his crib. If you don't come and take him potty (fairly) promptly, you don't know what color of stain you might find in his crib.

Despite his interest in going pee-pee in the potty, he's still quite afraid to "drop the kids off at the pool."

So far, we've found a half-naked toddler nearby poop in:
1. His crib (TWICE)
2. Mom-E and Dad-E's shower (long story)

He's starting to become like Old MacDonald, because we seem to find a "poop, poop, here, and a poop, poop there. Here a poop. There a poop. Everywhere a poop, poop."

Fortunately we've only been graced with solid (versus mushy) poops.

While we're proud of his potty training efforts, it was a bit easier in the days when he just pooped in his pants.

Gallagher said "You don't have a baby, a baby has YOU!" I think it's time to replace "baby" with "child", and to extend that analogy throughout the lifespan.

Have a good weekend,
Busy-Dad-E

Bat Girl-Friend

There's been no doubt this year that Halloween has been a VERY popular holiday.

The boys have had so much fun, and gotten so much wear, out of their costumes that Mom-E and I are planning an entire super-hero wardrobe for them for winter they were worth every penny.

(If only they would put on regular clothes for school, church, or just so they wouldn't parade around the house naked etc. as willingly as they throw on their Batman costumes.)

Keeping up with the spirit of celebrating Halloween for an entire month, this past weekend, we took the boys to a trick-or-treat event held at a nearby zoo.

(Yes, this means a second major sugar rush trick-or-treat on Halloween itself).

It was actually a little on the warm side when we got there, and 30 seconds after putting on his costume, Little Brother wanted no part of his fleece Batman outfit.

Fortunately, he was wearing Thomas the Train jammies, and I wanted his candy no matter what we considered that to be good enough of a costume for a 2 year-old.

Big Brother, on the other hand, morphed into Batman faster than you could say Willie Wonka.

To make things humorous, while Little Brother was throwing a tizzy about his costume, Batman started talking about how he was going to "shoot" all of the princesses and dinosaurs as they walked by. (C'mon, he has to keep the "bad guys" away from his candy, after all.)

In short, the trick or treating was successful. The boys visited all of the "stations", amassing some candy, as well as crayons, masks, and vampire teeth.
Mom-E and Dad-E were able to stave off requests for waiting an hour to ride the merry-go-round (they always get to ride it when we regularly go to the zoo) and to pay $19.99 for a light-up device that will "burn out" the moment you get back to the car.

A highlight of the event was a kids dance party as you entered the zoo.

I was fully hoping that the boys would just bust-a-move as they did during recent air time of the Ghostbusters theme song at our house.

Although they were excited, they opted for an approach-avoidance style of dancing. (Translate: Dad-E carry me, and you dance so that it looks like I'm dancing, too).

However, we returned upon the dance party on the tail end end of our sojourn, and this time thanks to the sugar rush of a blueberry icee Big Brother really wanted to go dance.

And so we danced together, including the public debut of a new "signature move" we spontaneously created not long ago.

And then he saw HER. There was Bat Girl on the dance floor, and Big Brother was drawn to her by the magnets in their imaginary tool belts.

"Dad-E, come with me so I can give her a high 5."

Nice. Way to go, Big Brother, going after a 6 year-old Bat Girl. As long as I don't have to go with you on your prom date, we're doing great.

But then, of course, he got a little nervous. Big Brother called in for back-up, and instead asked for Mom-E to "help."

(Oh we're going to have fun when he's a teenager asking if we can come with him to help him talk to girls.)

It was as awkward as it was precious. Big Brother went up to Bat Girl and held up his hand methinks without uttering a word. Bat Girl looked a little confused, not sure whether Big Brother
1. Was the Joker in disguise
2. Wanted to dance with her (oh that would've been cool, since the video camera was
rolling)
3. Was going to slap her

Fortunately, she caught on and gave him a high 5.

Again, nice job Big Brother. Well played. I was very proud. You definitely faired
much better than Little Brother's last zoo girlfriend , even if the relationship lasted only a few moments.

It was a fun-filled evening that we'll all remember, and I didn't even get into Little Brother smearing chocolate all over himself in the car

See you on Fatherhood Friday. For now, back to the Bat Cave,
Busy-Dad-E

Edith Ann Reincarnate

Hello everyone!

Mom-E and I got (a little bit) rested up this weekend following my "little" trip across the pond. That is to say that I got a (short) nap in on Sunday, which is pretty unusual. I was happy that Mom-E was able to nap on both Saturday and Sunday, which was an absolute requirement.

I'm still fighting the jet lag, but doing okay.

Of course, having two very active boys speeds along the process of recovering from the jet lag.

Do any of you remember Lily Tomlin in the Edith Ann sketch from Laugh-In?

In short, she plays an ornery girl who sits and offers commentary in a (massively oversized) rocking chair (which makes her look even more like a little girl). (See below)


Well, Little Brother has been attempting an Edith Ann impression lately.

In his neverending quest to imitate his Big Brother become a big boy, Little Brother has started to refuse being rocked to sleep at night in the rocking chair.

Instead, the precocious little bugger blurts out, "wanna rock BY MYSELF!"

This translates to "put me in the rocking chair while you still on the foot stool and rock the chair by pushing on it."

Or, occasionally, Little Brother will want you to sit beside him on a little 2 inch strip of rocking chair.

"Sorry, buddy. Ain't no one here with that tiny of a heiny except your stuffed animals."

He really is quite a sight in the rocking chair, which could pretty much swallow him whole.

Next thing you know, he'll be interviewing celebrities while he rocks.

There's such an interesting dichotomy with this latest expression of 2 year-old independence.

On the one hand, it's exciting to see him turn from a baby to a little boy, full of energy, enthusiam, preferences, a desire to imitate and learn from Big Brother, and a heaping spoonful of bull-headedness

On the other hand, it makes me a little sad--or at least sentimental--that as he becomes a "big boy" he wants us to cuddle and rock him less and less.

Fortunately, despite this desire to "rock solo", Little Brother still enjoys laying his head down on my shoulder and "dancing", which is pretty much rocking without the chair.

The end of "dancing" is probably around the corner, too, but therin lies (part of) the sweetness of having more children: the opportunity to prolong that phase of total dependence on Mom-E and Dad-E.

One of the best feelings in life is a small child cuddling in your arms, relaxing to the point of just melting in to you, filled with unconditional trust.

And That's The Truth. Plllllllllll.

Have a good week,
Busy-Dad-E

Home Sweet Home

It's great to be back in the land of Fatherhood Friday!

Don't forget to check out the great bloggers over at Dad-blogs.com!

I, however, am excused from that activity for today.

You see, yesterday, I was on the other side of the "big pond".

"Dad-E, how many airplanes did you ride?" asks Big Brother.


3! Yes, three.


And now Dad-E is:


HOME!


And here's how everyone felt about Dad-E's return:


HAPPY!


"Dad-E, did you bring us any dinosaurs?" ask Big and Little Brother (they think I rode all those airplanes to go buy them dinosaurs).

YES!


And here's how Mom-E is doing after my trip:


Completely EXHAUSTED! (So exhausted that she's now a teeny, tiny, Mom-E).


So the least I could do was bring her a relaxation "kit":






(N.B. MASSAGE WAS A BDAY GIFT PLANNED FOR USE AFTER MY RETURN)


And here's what we're both going to do while the boys play with their new toys:


ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!


Have a good weekend!
Shh! I'm sleeping.
Busy-Dad-E

Mickey D's: The New Subway

In Big Brother's world, there are pretty much only 2 places that are acceptable to go out to eat: Subway and Panera Bread.

And he prefers Subway about 95% of the time.

The other day, after the boys got their flu shots, Mom-E was going to take them to Subway as a treat.

However, on the way, Big Brother had to use the potty and they were near a McDonald's.

Both boys were intrigued (they've never been there before), and they actually wanted to eat dinner there.

Apparently, the boys were absolutely in love with the Ronald McDonald statue. They both climbed on him and sat in his lap.

Big Brother wanted to know who turned him into stone.

The boys ate a few french fries and polished off their apple slices, but of course wouldn't touch the chicken McNuggets.

As an aside, both boys are OBSESSED with apple slices right now. They're like the ghost Captain in the Pirates of the Carribbean movies: they could eat a whole bushel of apples in a week.

What's really funny is that Little Brother won't eat the skin of the apple. He'll eat the apple slice like it's a piece of watermelon; when he gets close to the skin, he'll toss the piece on the floor (if you're not watching him) to Pupp-E's delight.

What was even funnier is that although the apple slices at McDonald's do NOT have skin, Little Brother ate them according to his M.O. and left a little behind as if there were still skin on them.

The apple slices also came with caramel dipping sauce. Of course, Little Brother
refused to dip his apples, but thought the french fries tasted great with caramel sauce.

All in all, it was a very entertaining trip!

I somehow fathom that when I get home, I'm going to get a request to go to McDonald's, "The New Subway".

This brings back childhood memories of how I used to call McDonald's "Ki Ki Burger Fry Fry".

See you on Fatherhood Friday, back on my home side of the pond,
Busy-Dad-E

Busy Dad-E Phone Home

Hello everyone from abroad! As I mentioned in a previous post, due to work I’m actually on the other side of the pond right now, missing Mom-E and the boys very much.

Your prayers for Mom-E’s sanity (and everyone’s health and safety) right now are much appreciated. (She’s EXTREMELY capable, but pregnant plus 2 kids under 5 while hubby is away is stressful no matter how good you are.) She’s hanging in there so far, but we’ll both be very glad when I’ve returned.

Today I just wanted to share with you a story about how the important role that people and friendship play in our lives.

Including layovers, it took me 4 flights and 24 hours to get to my final destination. (Fortunately the return trip will take “only” 16.5 hours for a number of reasons).

Anyway, after my long (and fortunately uneventful) sojourn, all I wanted to do was call home and hear the voices of Mom-E and my boys.

We have used a prepaid calling card before on a trip here, so I was confident this would work.

I planned to use an online “callback” system to place the call.

The only problem was that the phone—the only phone where I’m staying—was a pulse and not a touch tone phone. So, when I went to put in the PIN number for the calling card, I got an error message.

Mom-E, of course, was at the zoo with the boys at the time, and she had no way of knowing exactly when I would arrive at my lodging to make the call herself.

Not wanting to make a credit card call for $10/second, I turned to the internet.

First, I emailed Mom-E and a few family and friends to let them know I’d arrived safely.

Then, I emailed everyone to say, “Hey, if you get this message, please call Mom-E to let her know I got here okay and am having trouble calling her. If you want, here is all of the information that she needs to call me where I am.” I also said, “I’ve been up for the better part of 30 hours, and I don’t know how long I can wait up before I’m going to crash.”

I happened to include a work colleague in the email, solely because she’d just responded to another email, and I thought perhaps she was online.

I thought right.

My work colleague was the first to reply, and was able to get the information to Mom-E.

After about 20 minutes and a few failed attempts, Mom-E was finally able to get through.

It was so wonderful to talk to them. Of course, I was utterly exhausted from the trip and Mom-E was utterly exhausted from trekking around the zoo with 2 tired, fussy boys, but their tired, fussy voices were still a little slice of heaven.

Of course, Big Brother and Little Brother didn’t really even talk to me much. They were preoccupied with zoo stuff. I could hear Mom-E ask them, “Do you want to talk to Dad-E?”

“No!” I could hear them reply in the background.

Strangely, it was still sweet music.

I just took it with a grain of salt, after all, they think that I’m going on this trip solely to get them toys.

At first, they asked for dinosaurs. Then, Big Brother became more general in his questioning. “What kind of toys do they have in ‘X’?” he asked.

“They have all kind of toys in ‘X’.” I replied, fighting back with another generalization to keep my options open, lest I corner myself into buying some remote-controlled Diego rescue pack. “I’m sure I’ll find something cool for you, if you’re a good, helpful boy for Mom-E.”

Some day I will enjoy explaining to them that I did not fly on 4 airplanes just to buy them dinosaurs.

Oh well, they also think that I’m only a few inches away on the map.

All I can say is that I’m very grateful for the help in phoning home. It made all the difference.

Have a good week,
Busy-Dad-E

BatMcQueen

Holy Fatherhood Friday, Batman!

Check out Dad-blogs.com! The people over there sure put the POW! BAM! SHAZAM! in blogging.

When we last left our caped crusader, our hero was thoroughly enjoying his get-up, but the Joker had captured his understudy's (Little Brother's) enthusiasm for his Halloween costume.

I'm happy to report that the enthusiasm has been rescued.

All it took was explaining to him that, "when you wear your costume for Halloween, you're going to get candy."

Nevermind the fact that he took this to mean that we would give him candy RIGHT THEN AND THERE if he put the costume on. (We didn't have any candy, but we did have some magic cookies.)

And so, here's Batman and "Batman, Too" sporting their Halloween regalia.


All of a sudden, Little Brother is now even more enthusaistic than Big Brother about wearing his costume.

"I want my costume. I want my costume," he exclaims.

The only (funny) caveat, is that Little Brother decided that he didn't like the Bat mask.

And so, now he INSISTS on wearing his Lightning McQueen hat and sunglasses with his Batman BatMcQueen costume.


Here's another shot of our caped (and hatted & sunglassed) crusaders. Note the need for liquid refreshment after a day of running amok in the house crime fighting, as well as the need to drape your cape over your little brother's head.


Have a good weekend. If you see Robin or BatGirl, send them our way.
Busy-Dad-E