Dayton's Blog: A pimple on the ass of the Internet.

Today, we had our first "Blame the Sibling" moment.

We're sitting in the living room after dinner, and Michi brought out a container of fruit for the kids to eat as a dessert (blueberries, raspberries, etc.). She set in on the coffee table, and the kids proceeded to chow down. Addy was having fun dancing and whatnot to music on the TV, and in her enthusiasm she knocks the thing of fruit to the floor.

Michi: "Addy, who knocked over the fruit?"
Addy: "Erin."
Erin: (Doesn't say anything, but her expression is totally, "WTF?")

Naturally, that was set straight pretty darned quick, but that didn't stop us from laughing as we marked the occasion.


"She did it."
"Don't go to sleep tonight."

"How old are you?"
"I'm dis many."


Happy Birthday to Addison, 3 years old today!

....here. Look at pics of my kids.


(Click to enlarge. Warning: Cuteness Ahead.)

The indoctrination continues....





Mwuahahahahahahaha......

I think the evidence speaks for itself.

Erin is walking now.

We all think she got a late start, owing to the problems she had with her ears earlier on, and which required us to have tubes inserted right around her first birthday. Ever since the tubes went in, her overall demeanor has changed for the better; she's definitely happier, and more responsive and interactive when you talk to her or play with her. She had been pulling herself up to stand for a bit now, using the couch or coffee table or whatever for balance. But, she made Michi's year when she decided to step out on her own on Mother's Day morning.

Of course, now that she knows she can do this? She's always on the move, testing her balance, speed, ability to change direction, and so on.

Meanwhile, I'm lacing up new running shoes so I can catch up.

New pics from Sunday.




That cheesy grin of Addy's cracks me up. What a ham.

Many thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes to Erin via one of the 15 avenues of contacting me on the Internet. It's very much appreciated, and she had a good day.

I've not mentioned this before, but Erin's been having problems with recurring ear infections. It finally got to the point that our family doctor recommended she have tubes inserted into her ears to help with fluid drainage. After seeing a specialist and getting a second opinion, we got an appointment which originally was scheduled for the 25th, but then last week we got rescheduled for yesterday. 

Happy birthday, Erin!

Michi took her to the hospital at 6am, while I stayed behind and got Addy ready for school. By the time I dropped her off at 7:45 and headed to the hospital, the whole thing was over. We waited for a little while until Erin came out from being sedated, and there were no complications so we were discharged without incident. By lunchtime she was acting normal and by dinner you'd never know anything weird had happened. All we do for a the next couple of days is give her antibiotic drops in her ears, and then we have a follow-up appointment with the ENT doc in three weeks. It takes a couple of days for things to start working, but then she should sleep better and be a lot less cranky. Everybody wins!

Happy Birthday, Erin!

Shameless Daddy stuff:



And yes, in case you were wondering, Addy does indeed like spaghetti.

So, we've been gradually acclimating Addy to toilet training during the past couple of months. It started slow, with Michi taking her to her little chair in the bathroom in the mornings after waking up, and after her bath in the evenings before bedtime. Now that she's in the 2-3 age group at school, the teachers are also incorporating it into her routine along with all the kids in her class. Ask once an hour, let 'em do their thing, etc.

In the evenings after her bath, Addy is taken to the other bathroom by Michi where her chair is, and the two of them are in there with the door shut while Addy sits, reads her Elmo book, they talk about boys, or whatever. Recently, Michi's taken to bringing Erin in there, too, since she can now sit up unassisted, and the three of them are in there, gabbing and laughing and just having a grand old time.

And then, it hits me.

This is how it starts.

Right here, before my very eyes and ears, I'm witnessing the imprinting of behavior upon female DNA which will, in years to come, be directly tied to why women always go to the bathroom in packs. You can't help it, ladies; it's burned into your brains.

I fully expect to come home one day soon and find couches, fresh plants, reading lamps, and soft music in there.

Son of a bitch.

The Armadillo Lives!!!

Where did the time go?


"And it's football season, too? Sweet!"

Now I just delegate the material to my trusted assistant....

Shameless promotion of a different sort....




For those wondering, Addy's shirt reads "Captain! My diaper can't take any more!"

...insufferably pleased with themselves as they finalize their fiendish plot to rule the universe.

Almost forgot to post this, but look who's one month old today:



Now, tell me: Doesn't that expression just scream, "Why, yes, Father, I do so want to watch The Day the Earth Stood Still with you." ???


I thought so.

Erin's sleep number is 45.

That is all.

Erin had her first checkup with the family doctor, and everything is good to go. Michi's also doing great. She's off the pain killers and has taken up putzing here and there around the house.

The kid slept for five hours uninterrupted last night (10:30pm to 3:30ish), before getting fed and then going down for another four. We're hoping we can achieve the same kind of success we had with Addy, and have Erin sleeping through the night by the end of the first month.

(Call me Captain Optimist.)

Michi's doctor gave her the okay to leave the hospital this morning, and the doctor minding the babies in the nursery cleared Erin soon after. I had everybody home just after lunch, and now we're settling in to life with the new family dynamic. The dogs are curious as to the strange little human in their midst, and Addy is fascinated by this tiny version of her. Check out the resemblance:

The first pic is Addy, the day after her birth, compared to Erin just a few hours after she showed up:



Weird, huh?