My Favorite Time of Day

Shannon and I have been very blessed to have a baby that goes to sleep at an early hour and sleeps through the night. Like clockwork, my little boy is ready for bed at 6pm. The problem for me is that I don’t usually get home before six o’clock. Many nights I get home only to find my son fast asleep in his crib. It always makes me a little sad that I didn’t get to see him before he went down.

In the last couple of weeks he has waited for me to get home before retiring for the night. (I suspect his mom might be letting his bath go a little longer these days.) Max is still ready to go to bed when I get there, but he is awake enough for a smile and a giggle when I walk in the house. I put down my things as quick as I can and then snatch up my baby boy.

He and I will catch up on our day and maybe wrestle for a minute. That is usually when Shannon gives me the “evil eye” and says, “You DO know it’s bed time, right?” That is when we head off to his room with a warm bottle.

I sit in the rocking chair with baby Max in my arms. I turn on the iPod player loaded with baby music and hand my son his “feel good” blanket. The feel good blanket is one of those small, swatch blankets with all the different shapes and fabrics sewn to it. Max likes to rub the corduroy triangles with his index finger while he falls asleep.

For the next 15 or 20 minutes he and I sit in the dark, Max drinking a warm bottle, listening to the soft music and gently rocking. It doesn’t take long for him to drift off to sleep. (Sometimes it doesn’t take me long either.) Even after he has nodded off, I like to hold him and relax for a few minutes.

I can’t think of a better way to end the work day.

Diaper Baby

Happy Halloween!!!

Our Little German Baker

Last month was World Culture Month at Max's school. Each class studied a particular country throughout the month and the festivities came to a close with a parade through the parking lot at the end of the month with each class dressed as members of their respective country. Max's class represented Germany and it's renowned bakers famous for their Pat-a-Cake skills. In addition to wearing the hat, Max is also now proud to demonstrate how he can clap his hands together!

Decoding Baby Talk

I really enjoy the weekend because I get to spend so much time with Max and Shannon. This past weekend was no exception.

Max is ten months old and developing quite a little personality. He is very happy and getting more vocal everyday. He hasn’t said anything that would “technically” be considered his first words. He did say “Da Da” when pointing at me. At first I was excited, but then I noticed quickly that he also says it when pointing to the lamp, window and the dog.

We recently began this fun game called “Test Dad’s Knowledge on Household Items.” It starts with Max pointing at something and uttering “uttsat”. I interpret this to mean “What’s that?” I quickly answer “ceiling fan” (or whatever I think he is pointing at.) Max then responds “huh?” I repeat myself slowly and clearly “ceiling fan”.

Satisfied with my answer (the second time) he points to another object and we begin the process again. The game can last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. It usually ends when we come across something that’s flashes, beeps or sings a (nauseatingly) cheerful song about shapes or animals.

Besides quizzing his father, Max has also begun responding to questions of his own. He has a book about dogs that he likes to read. Big dogs, small dogs, clean dogs sloppy…blah, blah, blah big ears floppy. (Can you tell I have read it a time or two?) There is a part in the book where a puppy says “Arf, Arf!” and Max loves it when you bark out loud.

Anyway, now when you ask Max what the puppy says, he will respond. He can’t quite bark yet but he will say “Ugh, Ugh” or “Bup, Bup”. It's pretty cute.

With him becoming so aware, I really need to start watching what I say or his first real words could be very interesting.

Our Saviour Owen Meany February 1993 - September 2008

Over 15 years ago, Dan and I were walking around Hamilton Place mall a month or so after we had gotten engaged. We spotted the cutest little shih tzu in the pet store. We played with him a little and then walked back out in the mall discussing if we would get a dog after we married and what kind we might get, etc.

I remember sitting on one of those mall benches dreaming about what we might name a dog when we did get one. We were filled with ideas about the life that we were starting to plan with one another. We agreed that we would get an inside dog. I'd always wanted one but had never been allowed and Dan had always had them at his house.

Dan and I had taken a trip to Florida over spring break earlier that year and during the drive I had read out loud the entire novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. (I guess that was before we even knew audio books existed.) After hearing that high pitched, squeaky bark in the pet store that was way bigger than the dog itself, we agreed that the perfect name for that little puppy would be Owen, since he reminded us both of the little boy with the high pitched, very loud squeaky voice that we had enjoyed reading about in John Irving's novel.

I guess once you name a dog, it's yours. We didn't have the money to buy him, but they approved me to buy Owen on credit (at who knows what interest). So, a couple of hours later we were the proud owners of a black and white shih tzu named Our Saviour Owen Meany. That was our first purchase as a couple. And boy was it a good one!

Those of you who know Owen, know that from the beginning he had personality. He definitely had a mind of his own and opinions about lots of things. He never really liked other dogs too much and didn't care for children either. I always thought that he had a little bit of a short man syndrome and wanted to bully anything that he thought he could. Dan suspected that he probably had bad experiences with kids in the pet store before we rescued him. At any rate, we always worried that it would be a problem if we ever had children.

A few years ago, we decided to take in another shih tzu, Foxxy Cleopatra. I wouldn't say that Owen welcomed her into his home with open arms but he definitely came to love her and I think that her perkiness probably extended his life. He was certainly much more active after we got her.

But while I was pregnant, we discovered that Owen had lymphoma and treatment options were limited due to my condition. He didn't seem to have any symptoms other than the tumors growing below his ears, so, we opted for conservative treatments throughout my pregnancy. Owen was already almost 14 years old.

Once we had Max, Owen seemed to have lost most of his hearing, either because of old age or because of the tumors, and was really unphased by the addition to the family. A blessing in disguise I guess. A couple of months ago it seemed that the tumors were growing again so we began some new medications and he responded positively but we knew our time with him was limited. We agreed that we would do everything we could to give him a good quality of life, but once that was deteriorated, we would not let him suffer.

So, yesterday evening, all of the sudden Owen seemed to have lost most of his vision and became very disoriented. We carried him to bed with us, where he gobbled down his bedtime treats just like always. But when he wasn't any better this morning, and couldn't go for our morning walk, we knew it was time to say goodbye.

Owen lived a very long and very happy life. Dan and I are so grateful for the time we had with him and all that he taught us about being responsible adults and creating a loving home. We can't imagine a life without him and are going to miss him beyond belief. Thanks for sharing in our loss and keep us in your thoughts on this very sad day.

Much love,
Shannon

Showdown at the MM Corral

I could use several paragraphs to describe what it is like to babysit my son. It is much easier if I just sum it up for you.

Max is mobile.
Max is quick.
Max does not sit still unless he is asleep (even then he squirms a little).

Shannon and I have resorted to what we call the MM Corral. The MM Corral consists of strategically placed couches, loveseats, ottomans and footrests. Like coaches describing an NFL running back, “We can’t stop him…we only hope to contain him.”

The truth is, it works like a charm. We can spend Saturday afternoons playing with Max instead of chasing him.

We should enjoy it while it lasts. It won’t be long before he will figure out how to get out and then we better lace up the running shoes.