A Wii that is. Wii've been looking for one since Christmas and had pretty much given up hope that there would ever be one in stock again. Then, last Sunday morning at 9 a.m., a friend in Kansas City called and said her husband was at Costco - another exciting weekend as a parent of small children! - and they were unpacking 15 new Wiis. They knew wii had been looking and she was calling to see if wii wanted him to buy it. Done.
She sent the Wii to Lawrence with her mom and I met her in a church parking lot last week to make the exchange. My friend told her mom to be careful with it because it was expensive so when wii met she dug it out from underneath a quilt and a pile of newspapers in the backseat of her car. I felt like I should be watching for undercover law enforcement.
Mark finally got it all setup last night and you can guess what wii've been doing ever since. It comes with golf, boxing, bowling, tennis and baseball. So far Andrew is the only one who's played. Bowling is a little challenging for him, he's pretty good at baseball and tennis and he's got boxing mastered. You should see him dancing and swinging like a madman. Wii're having a slight parenting disagreement over whether boxing is a constructive energy release or the first step on the path to thinking punching's cool. He's working on his golf swing right now. Mark is trying to help which is pretty funny since Mark doesn't play golf anymore because he doesn't have the patience for it.
Thomas is completely intrigued and has, so far, been content to watch the action. Mark hasn't tried yet but I can tell you right now that he's going to love it. I can also hardly wait to get my hands on it, when no one else is around. To date I've watched all this action from the couch. While the rest of the family has enjoyed the new Wii, I'm "enjoying" a raging case of strep throat. I had almost forgotten how much it sucks to feel like you're swallowing razor blades while courting a fever and killer headache, but to take my mind off that I've got built-in entertainment in the form of the multi-sport seminar going on in my basement.
The search for the Wii began because of Andrew having asked Santa for Guitar Hero but it appears he has, for now, forgotten all about his quest to become a rock star because he's got several new sports to master.
March 9, 2008
March 6, 2008
Keeping his head above water
Until mid-November of last year, Andrew had sported tubes in his ears pretty much continuously since he was nine-months-old to battle recurrent ear infections. As a result, he had also worn earplugs anytime he was in the shower or bathtub and had never gotten his head wet at a swimming pool. For years we've told him that as soon as he didn't have eartubes anymore he would take swimming lessons. Because he's a boy that just doesn't forget, neither do we and yesterday we made good on the promise.
Andrew began lessons yesterday with our new friend, Dorie. Dorie comes highly recommended by the mothers-of-preschoolers-set around town and now we know what all the hype is about. Andrew has been talking about these impending lessons non-stop for a week and woke up yesterday morning asking what time he would be going to the pool and inquiring as to whether he would wear his swimsuit to school. He was just a bit excited about this.
Now, picture the scene. Thomas and I have been home all day because he has a fever. Because he wasn't 100%, and because I thought Andrew would enjoy this as a 1:1 activity, Mark planned to leave work in time to stay home with Thomas. He ended up detained by a few minutes so Thomas and I loaded up to go get Andrew at school, with the plan that I would bring him back home before Andrew and I went to the pool. Thomas was so excited to "go, go, go" somewhere that when he realized he wasn't invited on the next phase of the journey he was distraught. That was when we decided that we would all go to swimming lessons. It would be a fun family event. Everyone would love it.
Everyone except Thomas. As it turns out, Thomas is terrified of indoor pools. Who knew? After a few attempts to cajole him into enjoying the outing, he and Daddy left and went across the street to hangout until the lesson ended. The good news is that Andrew enjoyed the experience a great deal. His initial enthusiasm and bravado faded a bit when he realized that his new friend Dorie wasn't kidding about wanting him to put his face in the water. I think he thought he was going to get away with just paddling around, holding his head up like a little turtle, but Dorie had another plan and she's done this a few times.
When the lesson first started, you could have bounced a quarter off any part of Andrew's body. He was a little tense. She began by asking him to float on his back, with her helping support him, and he looked like a stick figure. He was all arms and legs and his heels and hands were levitating off the surface of the water. By the end of 20 minutes she had him relaxing on his back, blowing bubbles in the water and gliding in the water with his face down. By the time daddy and Thomas arrived back to pick us up, the revisionist history had already begun and he had, according to him, had a total blast, had trusted Dorie completely and had been swimming like a fish.
We've got a few more lessons on the books and I hope he's as excited to go back next week as he was when he left yesterday. We're leaving Thomas at school next week.
P.S. Please excuse the low-resolution photos. In the interest of matrimonial harmony I won't blog about the whole story, but our camera was the victim of an unfortunate accident somewhere along I-435 in Kansas City. I've been promised that we'll have a new camera in time for Thomas' birthday later this month but until then I'm reduced to using my phone. I'm smiling, really. It's just through gritted teeth.
Andrew began lessons yesterday with our new friend, Dorie. Dorie comes highly recommended by the mothers-of-preschoolers-set around town and now we know what all the hype is about. Andrew has been talking about these impending lessons non-stop for a week and woke up yesterday morning asking what time he would be going to the pool and inquiring as to whether he would wear his swimsuit to school. He was just a bit excited about this.
Now, picture the scene. Thomas and I have been home all day because he has a fever. Because he wasn't 100%, and because I thought Andrew would enjoy this as a 1:1 activity, Mark planned to leave work in time to stay home with Thomas. He ended up detained by a few minutes so Thomas and I loaded up to go get Andrew at school, with the plan that I would bring him back home before Andrew and I went to the pool. Thomas was so excited to "go, go, go" somewhere that when he realized he wasn't invited on the next phase of the journey he was distraught. That was when we decided that we would all go to swimming lessons. It would be a fun family event. Everyone would love it.
Everyone except Thomas. As it turns out, Thomas is terrified of indoor pools. Who knew? After a few attempts to cajole him into enjoying the outing, he and Daddy left and went across the street to hangout until the lesson ended. The good news is that Andrew enjoyed the experience a great deal. His initial enthusiasm and bravado faded a bit when he realized that his new friend Dorie wasn't kidding about wanting him to put his face in the water. I think he thought he was going to get away with just paddling around, holding his head up like a little turtle, but Dorie had another plan and she's done this a few times.
When the lesson first started, you could have bounced a quarter off any part of Andrew's body. He was a little tense. She began by asking him to float on his back, with her helping support him, and he looked like a stick figure. He was all arms and legs and his heels and hands were levitating off the surface of the water. By the end of 20 minutes she had him relaxing on his back, blowing bubbles in the water and gliding in the water with his face down. By the time daddy and Thomas arrived back to pick us up, the revisionist history had already begun and he had, according to him, had a total blast, had trusted Dorie completely and had been swimming like a fish.
We've got a few more lessons on the books and I hope he's as excited to go back next week as he was when he left yesterday. We're leaving Thomas at school next week.
P.S. Please excuse the low-resolution photos. In the interest of matrimonial harmony I won't blog about the whole story, but our camera was the victim of an unfortunate accident somewhere along I-435 in Kansas City. I've been promised that we'll have a new camera in time for Thomas' birthday later this month but until then I'm reduced to using my phone. I'm smiling, really. It's just through gritted teeth.
March 4, 2008
He's one hot rock
It's Tuesday afternoon and Thomas and I are chilling at home. Actually, he's incapable of chilling, what with his 102 fever and all. Kids are so amazing because one minute 102 can look pretty dire on an almost-two-year-old and the next they rally and look pretty darn good. He usually rallies about the time I get him to the doctor's office. Motrin is some good stuff.
February 28, 2008
Leaving on a jet plane
Last Sunday, on our weekly trip to Target, Andrew asked if we could go on a Spring Break vacation. We were amused and asked him where he wanted to go on this vacation. Without pause he quickly told us San Diego was his dream destination. We questioned him on why San Diego and he, quite logically, informed us that Sea World is there and he would like to see the dolphins.
We were entertained. Instead of just telling him that we don't actually get a Spring Break in our lines of work, we told him that traveling to San Diego would cost a lot of money and that mommy and daddy would need to talk about it.
An hour later, on our way home from said Target excursion, he asked if we'd had time to consider his request and what was our decision about Spring Break in San Diego. This should have been our first sign that he wasn't going to let this one go.
But, no. We're still not getting up early enough to keep up with him. This is what came home from school yesterday, amidst his pile of papers about Dr. Seuss and Dental Health Month.
We were entertained. Instead of just telling him that we don't actually get a Spring Break in our lines of work, we told him that traveling to San Diego would cost a lot of money and that mommy and daddy would need to talk about it.
An hour later, on our way home from said Target excursion, he asked if we'd had time to consider his request and what was our decision about Spring Break in San Diego. This should have been our first sign that he wasn't going to let this one go.
But, no. We're still not getting up early enough to keep up with him. This is what came home from school yesterday, amidst his pile of papers about Dr. Seuss and Dental Health Month.
In the interest of time - yours - allow me to translate. This is a note, in Andrew's very best penmanship, that informs us in writing of his burning desire to go to the airport, get on an airplane and go to San Diego with his mom and dad for Spring Break.
You can imagine that his teacher could hardly wait to ask me this morning if I'd had a chance to look through his papers from yesterday. Needless to say, the staff of the Pre 2 room at Stepping Stones was amused. I'm told that this represents approximately 20 minutes of careful copying of his teacher's draft, letter by painstaking letter.
We really worry about this kid. When might he learn to let us know how he feels?
February 25, 2008
What can I bring?
I feel like I just got that coveted invite to a party that everyone else has been attending for years. Mark has relented and allowed me access to hondo.org. I have RSVP'd to the invitation and this is my blogging debut.
I've arrived at this party without a gift for the host but I've brought kid pictures. Who doesn't love to look at photos of someone else's kid at a big party? What? You don't? But wait, my kids are really cute. Just humor me.
T is so cute that he got away with hijacking his brother's post-dinner cereal snack last week. T's motto goes something like, "If it isn't pinned down and my brother's in timeout, I shall eat it. You know you won't stop me."
I've arrived at this party without a gift for the host but I've brought kid pictures. Who doesn't love to look at photos of someone else's kid at a big party? What? You don't? But wait, my kids are really cute. Just humor me.
T is so cute that he got away with hijacking his brother's post-dinner cereal snack last week. T's motto goes something like, "If it isn't pinned down and my brother's in timeout, I shall eat it. You know you won't stop me."A is so cute that he keeps landing himself in timeout at dinner. Oh wait, that's not actually so cute.
It is, however, pretty cute that he's set-up a practice skateboard ramp in the basement where he uses a sheet of paper to work on his moves. He's anxiously awa
iting warmer weather so he can visit the skate park and watch the experts. There are very few subjects on which he doesn't currently consider himself to be the expert so we're encouraging this.
iting warmer weather so he can visit the skate park and watch the experts. There are very few subjects on which he doesn't currently consider himself to be the expert so we're encouraging this. That's all I've got for now but I hope to be invited back. It appears that my host invited me as a one-time guest with little editing power so I'm off to try and wrangle an invitation that will yield some creative control.
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