Bikes! Bikes! Bikes!

Here is a pretty creative sideways view of Ellie rocking her balance bike down the hallway. She has been rolling around on this thing every waking moment since we bought it yesterday. It was pretty much an impulse buy--I couldn't resist it--which was easy to cave into considering the price was $13. These things usually run $50, up to $100. This particular model is the Chicco "Red Bullet" bike and I wouldn't have bought it if it was much more. Then again, Ellie is all about this and I've been super proud about how much she is enjoying it. This video shows Ellie's skill level after using it for almost 2 days at 32 months old (a.k.a. 2-years-and-8-months). I can't wait to post her improvements after a year... Maybe on the mountain bike trails...

Let the Holi-daze begin

I like the anticipation of holidays, especially the Big Three that fall in the last three months of the year. (You know what they are. Don't make me say it.) These might be my favorite because, unlike the more political holidays, they have pretty deep roots in human history while also involving lots of prep and grandeur.

Well, this year, now that Ellie is getting bigger and is beginning to understand holiday traditions, we decided to buy our first family tree and bust out our collections of ornaments that haven't seen the light of day for a few years (after we inherited them from our parents).

This morning, it became painfully obvious that Christmas decorations can't be much different from toys--and anything would be treated as such. Emery, wanting to play her favorite game of fetch with Alden, made an effort to pitch a glass ornament--straight down at the hardwood floor as she is apt to do. Smash.  As if to make a point, Ellie purposefully smashed another ball shaped ornament minutes later. Sweet.

I was pretty disappointed and by mid-morning packed up most of those "heirloom" ornaments back in their boxes for another decade, keeping a few choice---F*CK! Ellie just disassembled another one...

So, I guess if anything gets up on the tree it will be some dolls and maybe some rubber blocks.

For now, I'm streaming some pretty cheesy Christmas music station on the internet and keeping the holiday spirit alive.

Babybiggirlprincessladywomanadultchild (All Grown Up)

This girl just turned 2.

I've been meaning to get this update out to the interweb for almost a week now and I found my golden opportunity. Ellie is 2. She can even tell you. It's nuts. Her party was a smashing success, to say the least. I have said it before and I'll mention it here: all credit is due to Carlyn. I did well enough to offer my help and provide good company. I was able to do a few things that aided in the festivities, but really it was all C that made the party what it was. Lots of family, lots of food, lots of sweets, lots of flowers, and (thankfully) lots of sunshine.
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Soon I will upload a pretty poor quality camera-phone video of Ellie doing a pretty intense silly dance during today's pre-nap dance party.

A 2 year old is quite skillful with a pair of scissors.

Birthday Sundae on Sunday

Amazing (100 Days of Emery: Day 1)

This is one of those "once in a lifetime" shots considering i was a fumbling idiot, trying to get the camera off ten-second-timer mode, and didn't even look through the view finder as I took this one of two shots... Amazing

Photo Essay

Garden of Eden, Bikes, Babies, and coffee

Finally getting some stuff done around here. Once you find the motivation to get up off the couch, everything changes for the better. I'm getting smarter about starting and/or finishing important chores during each day. This, in turn, is helping me realize my potential for doing other things--maybe art, or sewing projects, which I've been reluctant to pursue as of late.

Our garden is starting to look like something: soil has been turned; weeds have been weeded; two raised beds are constructed and finally planted (kale, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, jalapeno, onions); bush beans have been sown; zucchini mounds are mounded; strawberries seems to be doing their thing; Asian poppies are popping; irises are iris-ing; and hydrangeas look to be surviving. That AND our lawn is mowed, thanks to our gracious neighbor who said we could borrow his (working) mower.

I've been getting super excited about biking. New cycling shoes are being shipped and new pedals (Crank Brothers "Candy" eggbeater pedals!) are waiting to be installed. One of my mechanic buddies said he would go with me to take our 'cross bikes on some singletrack at a nearby trail park which has got me bursting at the seams with excitement.

Meanwhile, Ellie is becoming her own little person, talking like crazy, naming things, feeding her babydoll, walking, climbing, feeding herself, and playing in the dirt. Not to mention that she sleeps like a champ through the night and two solid naps every day.

Did I mention that "Baby 2" is almost here? Just less than 2 months away and wanting to settle on a name is driving me crazy. It is impossible but I'm starting to get pretty excited. Plus I know Ellie is going to be an awesome big sister and she is proving it every day.

And I've been loving my French press coffee lately.

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Believe it or not, this girl is turning ONE tomorrow.

My instinct is to say the last 365 days blew by, where at times it seems impossible to keep up with her. And while my head is still spinning, this last year was a lifetime where every week Ellie has evolved into a new person; every day she has learned something new and is a world away from where she was on April 8, 2010. It's so easy to take myself back to that day, precariously holding Ellie for the first time, thinking about all her vulnerabilities, all the things she couldn't do for herself; fears and concerns; predictions and hopes.

Tomorrow is big "numero uno" and the day after is the party to begin all parties.  Anyway, there's a lot more to come.

Bonk

Yesterday, Ellie took a pretty good face-first spill outside on the driveway. The result is a scraped up, ping-pong size bump on her forehead. Although it probably wasn't any worse than any of a few of her other falls C was justifiably worried about it, and I was too, but all signs (including a cheery-as-usual mood, toothy smiles, and properly dilating pupils) convinced me things would be okay. My plan was to make sure she would wake up multiple times during the night.

After E fell asleep in her crib, my attention turned to the TV, per usual. At the same time 60 Minutes was airing a story about a project serving wounded children from war-torn countries. Featured was a young boy (10 years old? younger?) from Iraq who stepped on a landmine which blew off one of his legs, an arm, and his left eye, while completely disfiguring his face. When they showed him going through all the reconstructive surgeries and then gave a follow-up, my eyes welled with tears.

This put my worries into perspective and grounded my concern. Granted I was still sure to keep an eye on Ellie's condition, and I chose not to write this post until today when I could be sure everything was okay.

Selfish

"I hope you flip over your handlebars and knock out your two front teeth you selfish son of a bitch!" Vince Vaughn as Jeremy Grey in Wedding Crashers.

This past weekend--Saturday to be exact--C and I agreed to allow each other an hour of personal time. I was excited, the day was sunny and warm and dry and perfect for a bike ride. I suited up and enjoyed every inch of a ten mile loop I improvised.

Did I mention that earlier in the day C spent her hour frosting cookies for us? Us. Granted, she had been wanting to do that for a while, using some cool new frosting bags and a tip she just acquired, but darn. I don't feel too bad, like, I know that the bike ride was quick and a huge boost to my morale, but I hate to think that it was so selfish in the light of the things C chooses to do: making Ellie a scrapbook of her first year of life, clean the kitchen, make cookies... What the eff? I'm mostly kidding. I think she enjoys these things she does. They are outlets for her creativity and things I obviously wouldn't choose if I found the free time. I hope that fact doesn't bum her out. Does it?

The art of silence

Like Zach Morris I'm going to freeze time real quick just to unload this kvetch so I can get on with the day. My life is now marked by silence. I cringe at the clank of dishes as you might a gunshot in the next room. My head spins at the clamor of a door shutting into place in the jamb.  Don't get me started on a creaking door hinge: the bane of my existence. All this because Miss Ellie is sleeping. I walk on eggshells, pee sitting down, and will mute the TV if it is on. Part of the reason is to not wake Ellie; the other reason is to hear if she wakes up. Every aberrant noise is an explosion. As you may have already realized, this is mostly overreaction but I can't shake it because it's working so well. I just can't handle noise anymore.

That is all.

Happy New Year: 2011

So long, "oh-ten." It was a great one. 2011 will be even better, no doubt.

One Love, One Income: First day on the job

Yesterday was my first day on the job as Full-time Father, or Mister Mom, or however you fancy... It's one of those "easy" weeks where you get a couple days to adjust, then two weeks of vacation where you see everyone you know who will ask "So how was it?" and you say "well, it's been two days" and not being one to kill a conversation like that you continue to describe what you think it will be like and how you want to take Ellie swimming.

Anyway, the days have been good. Ellie has decided that sleeping at night just isn't her thing anymore. Blargh.

I'm pretty sure both Ellie and I are getting sick, too, which isn't making anything easier. And right before the holidays. Holiday?

The only thing that has me nervous is Winter. Cold weather, snow, and ice are going to keep us inside and our house is small. There aren't too many places to explore in here.

So, our life with one income begins now. I've been stretching my unimaginative brain in all directions trying to think of possible ways to supplement our income, just because a little more money doesn't hurt. Sewing stuff? Painting stuff? I don't know. But seriously, if you are interested in advertising here, let me know. I'll send you the smallest bill in our stack, on a first-come-first-serve basis; meaning you Johnny-come-lately's will have to settle on our car insurance or our property taxes. Don't delay! Call now!

Also, I updated my Linked-In profile headline to describe me now as an "Entrepreneur and Internet Visionary," for obvious reasons.

Winter, Fabric, and Money

The author of a popular cycling blog recently wrote this: "For some reason, fall makes me start to look at touring and randonneuring bikes."

Well, in my life, plummeting temperatures makes me want to bundle up in lots of heavy duty layers and I don't care if that clothing is large, baggy, and so ill-fitting like every pair of Carhartts that are available in the USA. I just want to wear boot socks, long-johns, canvas work pants, and as many tops as will fit under my winter coat. Instead of visiting bike websites, I prowl for workwear. I dream of wool and windproof softshell.

It's outrageously dorky. I know.

I hope that, in anticipation of quitting my job and forfeiting our second income, I can get crafty and start making some cool stuff, like shirts and pants and hats and socks... maybe more baby clothes than anything. I've been sourcing crazy, technical fabrics. I bet C should be getting a headache from having to roll her eyes so much when confronted with some of the ideas I've been coming up with lately.

Anyway, we had a really short conversation about money last night. It didn't really get anywhere since neither of us had enough attention to pay each other; but we agreed that maybe we should give up an unessential expense each month, even if only for that month, to better understand our budget. This month, for me? How about, no buying clothes?

Outdoor work

Today (which marks the third of four consecutive days I will spend spraying herbicide on or cutting invasive cattails) I considered the different perspectives of a person with the archetypal 9-to-5 desk job and someone with an "outdoor" job. I've had conversations with people who have "inside" jobs and I've wooed them with stories of getting paid to hike through nature preserves taking inventory of plants and signs of animals. The sort of work where I even find myself asking "How do I get paid for this?"  But what about the end of the day? when you go home and get to make decisions about what you will do with your time? Well, after 6 hours of wading though knee-deep muck, under full summer sun, carrying a plastic backpack with a gallon of poisonous liquid herbicide, wearing rubber gloves as if they were keeping the chemicals off my arms and face... I could go on and on... what I want to do is sit down and stare at a screen. TV or computer will do. When C asked if I wanted to go on a run last night I laughed at the thought. If work hadn't kicked my ass, what all would I have the energy to do? Granted, I'm oversimplifying this and there are days when I get to do some cool stuff. But some days are just brutal. Someone recently asked if I would trade in the sunburns for a button-up shirt... right now I'm thinking I could handle a button-up shirt if when I got home I had the energy and desire to hang outside and get sunburned on my own terms.

The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.
Confucius Chinese philosopher & reformer (551 BC - 479 BC)

This quote (minus the "superior" part) reflects well the latest tone of this blog, where I'm writing less about stuff that doesn't really matter and focusing in on stuff that does, like our amazing and adorable baby. Hopefully though I'll find time to branch out and include more of our home and family. Meanwhile I'm figuring out work, trying to keep on the bike as much as possible, trying to keep our garden alive, and working toward expanding our good life.

I guess I've been struggling to prove that I'm actually helping to manage all the work involved with taking care of Ellie, despite the fact that I feel like I'm constantly going-going-going, be it trying to satisfy my boss at work, making sure I'm available around the house, or trying to help clean or whatever. I guess I get so scatter-brained that I'm not really doing anything very well, but doing a lot of things mediocre. And this is something that I've always done. But in the face of a baby and a wife who needs help raising a baby, it's unacceptable. I guess I'm on my way up a learning curve, but I just hate being compared to the "average father" whose statistics in the field of fatherhood are apparently pretty dismal.

Yesterday I got to fulfill some of my homesteading desires by hauling wood from the dead tree that was cut down in our front yard, courtesy of our City. What logs aren't used by my father in law for woodworking, we'll chop into firewood. Something I value, but, again, doesn't really stack up in the world of helping to take care of an infant.

Updates: June edition

So this blaugh has really taken a turn for the worse as I've all but abandoned posting of photos and wisdom and unsolicited (and unwanted) opinions. Well I'm breaking my own accidental silence with this post; a hodgepodge of updates and thoughts, which might be followed up later with a couple photos of a particular cute baby. I can't promise that this is a complete revitalization of ADITGL, but maybe a reminder that I'm still alive and all has been well, but busy at home and work!

First off, the garden is doing well. We've been eating lettuce, sugar snap peas, a couple cherry-roma tomatoes, some basil, some spinach, and plenty of kale! Strawberries came heavy this year and I gave up on harvesting them by the end of May. There is more lavender and oregano than I know what to do with and German Chamomile has turned into a weed that is taking over all the bare soil it can find.  I've also been tending to our flower gardens. I recently added a hydrangea (C's favorite flower), a blazing star, a peony, dame's rocket, and some creeping phlox. I've also been transplanting some goodies like purple coneflower, creeping thyme, bugleweed, and lamb's-ear to places that need some more color. I've tried to add mulch to make bare soil look like something other than bare soil and zucchini is about to explode. Days have been very very hot and precipitation has been little and far between lately, making gardening a challenge.

Ellie has been wonderful. She is growing so fast and learning new things I can't even catch you up. Namely she's holding her head up like a champ and loves staring at trees. The biggest bit of news is that C starts back to work next week and we're both pretty nervous about the huge change.

I was able to celebrate my first father's day this past weekend and it was a great one. I got a great card declaring that I am the world's best dad--which I wasn't even expecting in my rookie year as a father. It was a very humbling honor. I also got a sweet monogrammed wallet from my infant daughter--funny because it's huge, but awesome because it's really nice and will always be my first father's day gift. Thanks Ellie! (Thanks C)

That's all for now. Be on the lookout for some photos coming soon...

Good Life Go!

home

Got back early yesterday and, as if my luck had turned 180-degrees, I was able to go to lunch with my wife, baby, parents-in-law, and sister- and brother-in-law, at one of my new favorite restaurants. With the rest of the afternoon off, we ran some baby errands and hung out. To add to the list of visitors, my stepbrother and stepsister stopped by on their way through town. That wasn't enough, so our "free cable preview" channel decided to broadcast the Cavs v. Bulls playoff game in which the Cavs won and clinched the series. Daaag. The last bit of luck came when Ellie decided to sleep pretty well through the night. It's great to be home.

Great Monday

Things are amazing. I was planning on going back to work, but with the support of my boss, I'm taking more time off this week. Just in time, too, as Ellie has become more interested in the "witching hours" between 11pm and 4am. So, nights have been a little rough--but nothing that can't be remedied by a couple large cups of home-brewed coffee.

It's a beautiful day wherein I'm planning on giving Alden a bath, planting the rest of my seedlings, sowing some other seeds, showering, shaving, and writing/addressing/mailing the birth announcements we're expecting to be delivered today. So far, Ellie received her first piece of mail (her Social Security card!) and I received a free pair of shoes; plus I am uploading a video of Ellie waking up on Day 4 of her life. It's 2 minutes and 22 seconds of pure Adorable.

I feel so busy! But it's all good stuff, including a majority of staring at a beautiful sleeping baby.

Home

This blog might be changing up hardcore. Ms. Ellise Clementine was born last week and I think my focus is going to be about our family and not just me and bikes and maintaining arguments with antagonistic people.

I haven't even made time to write up our birth experience, let alone the cute things Ellie does, or the fact that I just put some kale in the ground and that our basement is almost finished thanks to our dad; so enjoy a photo for now and hope that I can pick this back up.

If nothing else, this might be completely gutted and turned into my journal about being a dad and all the cool stuff we're doing.

Peace and love

Prep

We have 8 days left until Ms. Baby is expected to arrive, in theory. Looking ahead to what might amount to chaos (or at least total exhaustion), C is in the middle of preparing 4 casseroles to freeze. Last week she made a large lasagna and froze all that we didn't eat. It's pretty awesome, 'cause C is a good cook and has some impressive instincts when it comes to personalizing a recipe to make it even better.
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Meanwhile, working on the last of the baby laundry which is mostly flannel receiving blankets, sheets, and miscellaneous fitted covers for stuff... Need to finish up some art and might even go to a nearby antique store for extra decor... I promise, nursery photos will be up soon.