I saved many things of Taylor's - but I never thought the witch hat would actually survive to a 2nd child AND a move. Somehow it did.
Katie and I went to our MOMS Club Halloween party today. When she discovered that there were lollipops, it was all over. She loves these things. The only candy Taylor had had at this age was Smarties. Oh how things change for the 2nd child...
Katie and I on the stationary hay ride wagon.
And to go back in time a little - here's Taylor with the same costume. Do they look related or what?
Today, we packed up the kiddos and headed to the Utah State Fair. It was a nice overcast day and we needed to get out of the house.
They had the only traveling Sea Lion show in the US. We missed the actual show but saw these fellas lounging peacefully.
Aussie Experience - complete with kangaroos, wallabies, wallaroos and a Kookaburra. Even an albino kangaroo ! Nothing like seeing them in the wild that the Hoovers are experiencing.
Did you know that a kangaroo can travel at speeds up to 40 MPH and cover over 30 feet in one jump?? That's faster and further than even the world's best Thoroughbred !!
This goat was not satisfied with his "in the pen" view.
Sweet Cow
Cow Bathing Time
This wagon had these Meats and Bugs as choices. Buffalo is about the only one I would try !
Taylor in a tractor race on the Walmart Farm exhibit.
Taylor as a Future Farmer of America.
Taylor and I going down the Giant Slide. It was lots of fun and Taylor squealed the entire way down. Scott thinks the whole entire fair could hear her !
Here's what the fair did to Little Katie - wore her out. I love the video monitor - can't live without it now. Soon, it will be even more helpful when she is out of her crib... Please say some prayers that that will be many months from now though.
The weather here is changing fast. 2 weeks ago, it was 90+ everyday with a couple 100 degree days right at the beginning of school. They even have schools without AC out here still. So, on one of these hot days, a large piece of metal from our swamp cooler flies off the roof. Luckily, it didn't kill anyone landing in the back yard. This particular piece was one that is required by the swamp cooler to get cool air into the house. When the repair man arrived, Scott negotiated a sweet price on installation of air conditioning. Now, we just leave the windows open and there's no need for any type of cooling. (Thus, snow will be here way to soon. Ski season passes are selling fast)
And our TV decided to die tonight just when I went to turn it on to watch 9/11 coverage...
Hello everyone - this blog will soon be revived and put back into action ! Marie here. I plan on posting on our everyday life in Salt Lake City so family and friends can keep up with us and the growth and changes in Taylor and Katie. I warn you - I will not be nearly as funny as Scott.
To get us started - here are some recent photos of Taylor and Katie.
Taylor and her friend Alexandra while riding the train at a local amusement park.
Taylor and Katie doing some driveway art.
Katie climbing the bookshelves at the Sandy library.
Taylor on her first day of 1st grade - she is in red and not looking too happy. The day went well so I guess it was nerves.
Katie enjoying watching Thomas the Train at the Greeley, CO train museum.
Taylor at the sculpture garden (post to follow with more photos) the day she lost her 1st front tooth.
Our family is relocating to Salt Lake City, Utah. I've been offered a fantastic job and we're going to take it. Today Marie, Katie and Isabel (the grandmother) boarded a plane for Utah.
Taking care of a five month old is tough. Taking care of one at 30,000 feet for four hours is enough to scare the hardiest of folk. But we are prepared! Ok, we weren't.
It started with my alarm clock going off at 4:15 am. Normally this would not scare me to death if it was at 5:30 am. But there is something about the alarm clock going off that early that scares the wits out of me. I jumped up and grabbed a shower hoping that I washed everything. Zzzzzzzz.
We all loaded up in the car and for the most part nothing went wrong. Parking was great. So was ticketing. Then came security and we blazed through it at record time. Jesus was cutting me a break today. Katie got on board the plane and was a doll the whole trip. You can't ask for more. Well, maybe you can. You can ask for all FIVE pieces of luggage that you gave the agent back in Atlanta, instead of just four. At least you can ask for the single most important piece to show up and just lose Daddy's stuff.
DELTA - Delivering Excuses Liberally To All
They lost the infant seat. The infant seat is the baby bucket that you carry the child in and the device that fastens it to the car so that she's not the first thing to fly through the windshield when you crash. It is VERY important, especially when you have a grumpy wife pointing her finger at you and yelling "so just what are we going to do now Mr. world traveler?"
Luckily Budget Rent a Car had one that we could rent for $13 per day. The number 13 is NEVER a good number, so I paid him $14. Marie and I sat on the concrete in the rental care pick up zone and tried to figure out how to work it. Finally we just duct taped Katie to the seat and left it at that.
By this time the mommy was quite hungry (read ANGRY) and was pissing me off so we stopped at Fuddruckers for a designer burger. Two of the three designer burgers went back to the kitchen with a thousand apologies from Senior Manager. Takes a lot to screw up a burger so bad that you send it back.
Did Scott sent his burger back? Well, he should. But the baby had puked on his shirt while on the plane and then grabbed his soda and dumped it on him at the restaurant. I was cold and hungry and just didn't feel like fighting. So I ate probably the worst burger I've ever eaten.
The rest of the day went smooth. We left Izzie with the baby and drove all over Utah. It is a wonderful place and the mountains are fantastic. Marie directed me to neighborhoods and we took in the sites. Neither of us can wait to look at houses tomorrow.
Katie was getting hungry, so we went back to the hotel and fed the baby. I found out that the model train store was only two miles a way and snuck out a window with the van keys. The damage was $55 and I made a new friend of the manager. Nothing like my best buddy Mike, but I'll take what I can get.
It's getting dark and Marie and her mom have left to go get dinner. They'll bring me back something later, so I'll just sit hear and stare at my precious daughter sleeping soundly.
The moon is full. Clouds drift over the sky casting eerie shadows. Even the crickets are quite.
This is when Zombies walk the earth.
My daughter is five and still has to wear a pull-up to bed in order to keep her bed dry. We've been trying to help her learn to get up and go to the pottie. The doctor told us that before we go to bed we should wake her up and take her to the pottie. That way she can empty her bladder and get used to getting up on her own. Easier said than done.
I sneak into the room. Taylor is sleeping upside down (head at the foot of the bed) with a blanket around her feet and her stuffed "Horsie" horse-shaped baby blanket on her head. She is out cold.
"Honey, let's wake up. Time to go pottie."
I rub her back gently but get not response.
"T, time to get up."
I remove Horsie from his position on her head. Eyes are closed tight. No movement.
"Cutie, let's get up and go to the pottie."
I tickle her feet. No movement.
I kiss her check. Still, no movement.
"Taylor-pie...time to potty!"
Gently I move her around on the bed.
ZOMBIE EYES!
Her eyes are large and glassy! Fixed in position. There is no happy child smile on her face! She is a zombie.
I pick her up and she is functional enough to drop her landing gear and stand up on the carpet.
"Let's go to the potty."
Zombie turns around and crawls back into bed.
"No, lets go to the pottie sweetie..."
I pick her up again and put her on the floor. Gently I take her hand and lead her into the hall. She turns and moves toward the office.
"Taylor, let's go this way to the bathroom."
We march toward the bathroom. Her Zombie eyes see the baby's room and she redirects herself to the door to Katie's room.
"No Sweetheart, its this way."
Meanwhile the mommy has gotten out the I-phone and has started a video so that we can show Taylor her sleepwalking.
Taylor changes course, passes by the bathroom which has its bright light on and walks to our bedroom. I just let her go. She climbs up into the bed, puts her head on the pillow and is asleep again.
"Honey...no, we need you to go to the pottie."
I pick her up and put her legs on the ground, but Zombies are stubborn if you happen to know anything about Zombies. I've dated a few in my past so I'm an expert.
The Zombie moved toward the door, turned 180 degrees and moved for the bed again.
"No, no cutie...this way" and I gently pick her up again.
Finally the Zombie child makes it to the potty. She stands there for a minute, turns around and climbs onto the pottie backwards facing the tank. She still has her pajamas on.
"Mommy, go help the Zombie."
After a few minutes we finally make pee pees and head back to bed. I put her back in bed the right way with her head on the pillow. Ever so carefully I put Horsie back on her head and cover her with a sheet and blanket.
The mommy and I agree that this is not the right way to potty train a Zombie.
It is sad to leave the cabin. Both Marie and I want another day. I got up early and tried to pack all the heavy stuff while Marie attended the children. Our plan was to all go out for breakfast but everyone got packed before we did and wanted to get on the road.
We ate pancakes at the Little Pancake House and then went to feed the ducks. Katie was quiet, so we hit the road.
The drive over the mountain is spectacular and we stopped to see the scenery a few times. The stops were few and mainly just to feed or take care of Katie. Taylor watched movies the whole time.
The rain met us in Georgia and followed us home. Winston the dog rejoined the family as he was visiting the neighbors all weekend. After what seemed liked hours of unloading and putting away the children are in bed and Mommy and I are exhausted.
Happy Birthday to Me! I'm 46 years old today. After hiking yesterday I feel like 56. The last time I did the Laurel Falls trail I hiked it starting from Ski Mountain, which makes it 13 miles with most of it up hill except for the last two going from the falls to the road. I did it with a 22 pound back pack and wasn't even tired. I've got to go to the gym.
My daughter jumped up into my lap proudly waving a birthday card with DADDY on the envelope, carefully written in her own scribble. She was so happy! Her hug and watching her blow out my candles was the best birthday present every.
My wife gave me a card that, like always, insinuated getting sex, yet wound up promising that for the next 24 hours that I could be right. I bet her the $100 that my mother gave me in her card that she wouldn't honor it. As predicted, she was telling me that I was wrong in less than five hours. Would have rather had the sex, frankly. I didn't even get the extra $100.
Luke and Laura gave me a fantastic present! They will baby sit for us while Marie and I go out. What a great gift! Marie loves to go to movies and so do I so we'll use this one up soon. I also get to go over and pick out a train item from Luke's basement which will be great fun. I wonder if it is too early to start drinking Izzy's present?
We left after a light breakfast to go to town. We are going to see Ripley's Aquarium. It is a very nice aquarium and frankly I think it is better than the one in Atlanta. Mimi and Izzy drove together and showed us where to park. We packed up the baby in the stroller and made sure Taylor looked both ways before crossing the busy street.
Little Katie demanded to be held upright so that she could see all the fish and she was fascinated with them. Taylor zoomed from exhibit to exhibit and back again. The grandmothers and Marie tried their best to keep an eye on Taylor while I toted the baby.
When we were done we realized that it was pouring down rain outside. Mimi got a poncho in the gift shop and we both ran to the cars. While soaking I sat in the steamy car and waited my turn to exit. We picked up the rest of the family on the street and drove to Bennett's Bar-B-Q on the south end of town. Marie and I spent a lot of time their when we first met on just such a rainy day over seven years ago.
Since the rain was plentiful we decided to go back to the cabin and take naps. Instead Laura started teaching Taylor how to play pool on the fancy pool table down stairs. Luke and I played a few games and then Marie joined us for doubles. While playing someone shouted "Bear! I see a bear!" The whole cabin emptied out to the front window. I grabbed my camera and took several shots but the cold camera (from the air conditioning) hit the moist air and fogged up the lens. The photo above is Izzy's.
After having a few drinks and enjoying the view I told the family that I didn't really want to drive back to town to go to Calhoun's for a birthday dinner. It would be a very late night and not good for the children. I suggested that we go to the store and buy rib eye steaks and cook at home. The vote was unanimous.
Katie likes to giggle so we all took turns making her laugh. It is so contagious that the whole room will wind up laughing.
Later, Luke and I grilled the steaks while the grandma's made baked potatoes and zucchini. The steaks were excellent and I was quite full after dinner. Luke and I sat on the porch with Taylor and watched the sun set. In the evening we sat around and chatted and just relaxed. This was my kind of evening.
I can't think of a better birthday than one spent with family and friends.
Our friends Luke and Laura Shyster (not their real names) are both ex-military which means you can set your watch by them and guarantee that at 5:05 am the coffee is ready. They enjoyed a pot on the upper deck while sucking in the amazing mountain views. Coffee sounds good so I fall out of bed.
Breakfast in the mountains is always a treat! Thick sliced bacon, fresh eggs, hot biscuits and country sausage filled me up. Katie had milk. That is about it for her. Babies have it hard. The smell of hot coffee up in the mountain air is invigorating. Throwing a shot of bourbon in it is positively heavenly!
I know my mom thinks I'm an alcoholic because she only sees me on vacations for the most part and I'm always drinking. The funny thing is that it is the only time I really ever have a drink. Seems like I should since it is a vacation. The bottle of rum that I brought with me is from our vacation last year.
Today's adventure will be a hike to Laurel Falls to show Taylor her first waterfall. This is the most popular hike in the Smokies and has a paved trail so I expected it to be non-eventful. Luke, Marie and Taylor joined me on the trail. The humidity was off the scale and the temperature was in the high 80's so it was a bit like walking with twelve wet towels on your head.
The hike started with about fifteen steps and then "are we there yet because my legs are tired." She changed her tune when she got to the waterfall. After she slipped on the wet rocks and landed on her booty, we hiked back. I carried her on my shoulders half of the two mile return to the car. She sang to me to make me feel better.
The Roaring Fork River is ice cold, clear and fast. Taylor changed into her swim suit and Luke and I took her down to the rocks. She loved it! The water made my feet numb in seconds even though it was now in the 90's. We waded in the water and through rocks for about an hour. Taylor is so comfortable in the water that I think she is really half dolphin. She slipped on a rock and fell face first in the the icy water and came out laughing. That's my girl! I like the river, too.
The grandmothers were a bit frazzled when we got back. Apparently Katie-kins decided to start crying the minute we left. She cried and complained the whole time. Lunch was ready when we got there and we all ate hardily of the grilled salmon steaks.
The grannies went to Pidgeon Forge to shop while the Shyster's went to speed around in their convertible hot rod. We put the kids down for a nap and I made it down to the hot tub. Since I'm not a big fan of sitting in a hot tub in 90 degree heat I quickly got out and fell on the bed asleep.
Marie and I had a pre-arranged date this evening so the family kindly took care of the children while we went to dinner. I've never been to the Alamo Steak House which is supposedly Gatlinburg's best restaurant for five years in a row. It was at the base of the hill where our cabin was so we decided to have dinner their.
We were greeted by ducks floating on the river. There was a wait for a table so we went upstairs to the bar and had a Cherokee Indian beverage - the ginnentonka. They accepted my photograph of my driver's license and served up our drinks. We chatted some and watch the TV that was located near the bar. Everything was decorated with wild west motifs and mementos and was as cheesy as a velvet Elvis painting. In fact the restaurant looked more like an out of business wild west museum than the town's best steak place.
We were seated way in the back by a family with fat children and a table of twelve that were talking drunk-kinda-loud. Most did not have sleeves...the men I mean. Sleeves seem to be very optional here. Mostly for showing off their ink I suppose.
We both agreed that the T-bone, which was a less expensive steak than the rib eyes for some reason, would be our meat of choice. Marie is still not able to eat milk products due to baby Katie's intolerance of milk protein, so she had rice. I had the baked potato. Against my better judgment I ordered the French Onion Soup. Onion soup is a favorite of mine and I order it often but the BEST onion soup I've ever had is Marie's own recipe. I've been sadly disappointed by all other onion soups since that first sampling of her soup. The soup went half eaten.
Marie and I chatted while we ate our salads. We aren't impressed with Gatlinburg the town. It is full of local rednecks and even a few imported ones. Manners are non existent. Service in Gatlinburg is atrocious. Almost everyone that works in a store or restaurant is stupid or worse. Seldom do you get good service. Our server tonight was better than normal, but still not much better than someone at the Shoney's on the strip.
The steaks were not cooked exactly right but we ate them anyway. They had a good flavor and the potato was steaming hot as it should be. I'll not go there again I'm sure but it wasn't all bad.
Marie and I like to spend our moments together talking since Taylor seldom gives us a word in edgewise. We decided against going to walk around the town and just drove in the mountains. Later Marie wanted coffee and desert. Getting a desert for someone who can't eat milk products is like getting good tires at a Firestone dealer. Almost impossible.
We parked on the north end of town near the hotels and walked to the corner at light number three. All of the traffic lights are numbered in Gatlinburg so you can find your way back to the cabin when you are toasted. Just follow the numbers. I've found them to be VERY handy in the past.
We pushed our way into a closed cafe that sits overlooking light number three and told them we just wanted coffee and desert. The Rhodes Scholar that waited on us told us they were closed and then took our order. Hello? Oh well. We did find a pie that Marie could eat and we enjoyed our coffee together while watching the Rednecks on Parade outside the huge glass windows. Women are putting tattoos in the darnedest places these days.
I guess I failed to mention that I do, in fact, have a tattoo. Guess where I got it? Gatlinburg Ink, right near the coffee shop where I'm sitting. I too am a redneck. Really, I'm a cultured redneck. That means I have a truck with a wine rack instead of a gun rack. Give me two Bourbon and cokes and I'll fit right in.
I enjoyed the time with my wife and we walked hand in hand back to the car. I counted twenty six fake blondes with low-cut t-shirts on the way back to the parking lot. The crowd is thinning out. Boobs are getting bigger this year, I think.
Back at the cabin all was quiet. Luke had already gone to bed and the grannies were winding down. Laura is counted as a grannie, too. Marie read her book while I dreamed of bears.
Waking up in the cabin is easy. The sun burns through the un-curtained windows in a bright screaming "get the heck up and go play before it gets too hot" kind of mood. Marie had piled six pillows on her head in order to get a few more minutes of sleep. Luckily the baby was still snoozing at 6:42 am. I poured cold water on her feet. Mountain water. Brrrr.
Our first chore was to go to the store. We made a list and I shoved it in my pocket. Mimi wanted to lubricate all the squeaky door hinges so we added WD-40 to the list. I've made millions of cans of WD-40 and it always seems strange to me to buy it.
Marie, Taylor, Izzy and myself went to town while Mimi watched the baby. We watched the baby ducks in the stream and walked around town a bit. We took Izzy to the Arrowmont store and looked at the crafts. Taylor wanted to go home so we left.
Next we all went to the grocery store and bought some necessities and lunch items. They didn't have a skillet or WD-40, so we had to stop by the Ace Hardware for those items.
After a good lunch of grilled hamburgers I fell asleep. I don't realize how tired I am until I get to the mountains and then all I want to do is sleep. With the exception of getting up for water I slept all afternoon.
Luke and Laura Shyster (not their real names) showed up later in the afternoon. With the exception of a counseling session by a State Trooper, they made the trip in their sports car without issue. They drove over the river road from Townsend. Luke needed a beer so we headed back to the store to get some.
Later in the day we got hungry again. Denette made a fantastic beef stew that caused me to have three helpings. We finished our meal with a generous helping of Denette's double chocolate fudge birthday cake that she made for me. Taylor helped me blow out the forty six candles before the smoke alarm activated. My birthday is not until Saturday, but we wanted to dig into the cake soon so that it would be gone before we left.
The grandma's were a big help in getting the kids to bed. Taylor insisted on sleeping with Izzy and did so every night. After they were asleep we opened up the bar. Fuzzy navels, beer and Bourbon were handed around. Luke and I sat on the back porch watching other cabin folk in their hot tubs while Denette taught Izzy, Laura and Marie how to play a new card game. I'm not sure they were having fun because they started communicating with their middle fingers.
My nerves are completely unraveled. This is a great start for a vacation! I worked today and have already driven across Atlanta twice for two meetings before I left late for home.
I got home and Taylor was sitting in the car already buckled up.
"Sweetie, we still have to finish loading the car."
"It's ok daddy. I'm ready!"
We've spent several days packing up the SUV. My wife and I have extensive packing lists so that going on vacation is a breeze. However, we neglect to actually check off items sometimes like my wallet, which stayed in Georgia for the entire trip.
For the women out there who avidly read my blog you might not understand just how important a man's wallet is to him. You know it has my driver's license which I need. It also has debit cards, medical insurance cards and other important documents. Basically it contains everything you need to survive except the Swiss Army Knife (which I keep in the left rear pocket). I can't live without my wallet. Panic came over me.
We were over an hour away from the house and headed toward the mountains when I went to buy my daughter a soda at a gas station while Marie was filling up the baby. No wallet. My face went pale. I started to sweat. What will I do? Will I have to go an hour back to the house, then another hour just to get back where I am now? That is three hours on a four hour trip and I'm not even out of Georgia yet!
Nope. Marie has a debit card and cash. I have a photo of my license in the car just in case I get stopped going to the gym. We'll risk it. I'll go naked for four days in the hills without my wallet. More panic.
We're headed to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. If you have not been there we'll fill you in as we travel. To put it bluntly it is where rednecks go when their is oil on the beach in Panama City, Florida. I like to go there because I'm usually the thinnest guy on the street. You can also spot me because I won't have on a muscle shirt, arm tattoos or a rebel flag on any part of my clothing.
But that is the town.
The real reason to go are the Great Smoky Mountains. To me this is home away from home. My family spent their summers there to get away from the Georgia heat. We've got a huge "cabin" waiting on us there. It is 4,800 square feet with five bedrooms, six bathrooms and a million couches. It sleeps 22 adults. Ok, so we aren't exactly camping out.
I got a deal on the price and since it would cost the same for a three bedroom cabin, we went with the turbo cabin. Marie and I like to have people go with us on vacation since it is more fun that way and folks can help us watch the baby a little, so we invited the grandmothers and two close friends to join us.
Katie does not like to travel and was quite vocal about it. My head was pounding from all the screaming and crying. I would stop and Marie would feed her and she would be happy for a while, but that didn't last much past starting up the car again. WAAAHHHAHAAAAAA! I got out the duct tape but Marie said I was not allowed to do that. Marie was then wearing the duct tape which I am allowed to do in most Southern states.
When we got to the mountains two happy grandmas Mimi (Denette, my mom) and Izzy (Isabelle, Marie's mom) were there to meet us. Taylor was so excited! We looked around this huge "cabin" which was much larger than our house and couldn't believe the view. We'll like it here!
Marie decided that the lower two bedrooms would be better for her in that she could better hear the baby, so we kicked Izzy upstairs. While unloading my gear I opened up the bathroom closet and there sat an unopened bottle of Jack Daniels Original #7 Old Tyme Sour Mash Sippin' Whiskey. Wow! My lucky day! Someone left it behind!
Marie finally told me that her mom had bought it for a present for me and I was still just as happy. I'll save it for a special occasion...like Friday!
We washed the children and all went to bed early so that we could make a good start of the next day.
Every now and then I gets me a bad case o' Southern. It starts out with a little rain, like right now. A stormin' but not a blowin'. Just enough that you can sit out on the front porch without getting wet. When its hotter than a June Bug's ass outside, a little rain makes for a nice coolin' spell.
A good bottle of sour mash whiskey then adds to the evening, drenched with a little Co-cola from a glass bottle. Ice. Lots of ice. I'll stop by the kitchen and make a peanut butter and banana sandwich on the way out the front door. The wife motions for me to grab the gin bottle and the good crystal.
I pull out two chairs and place them close to the brick steps but just out of the trickle of rain that is still falling. Our old dog takes his place between us and sets a spell. The dusk falls to night and the neighbor's porch light is all I can see besides the ever present lightin' bugs.
Its cool out now and my wife swings her bare feet to the music coming from her I-phone. She don't say much. Just a soft smile and her big brown eyes.
Damn its hot. The heat index is 110 degrees today in Atlanta. The pool water is so warm that you can't stay in more than about 20 minutes. The concrete will bake your feet.
What do you do with an infant when it is scorching outside?
Nothing. You stay trapped inside hoping the air conditioner doesn't play out.
My five year old is going crazy. We tried to go get something to eat this afternoon but the car's air conditioner just wouldn't get it cool enough to stand driving. The metal on the roof of the car is too hot to touch.
There is a rumor that it might rain today, but there are no clouds in the sky. Yesterday it sprinkled for a while and my daughter and I danced in the rain in the front yard. It felt good and the clean air filled our lungs.
It was late when I got home tonight. That's happened a lot lately. I arrived just in time to put the children to bed. They were both washed and clean, smelling of flowers and strawberries. Both dressed in pink pajamas they each took their place on my lap, close together.
We sang songs. Taylor more than the baby...but she helped us by laughing. We sang about twinkling stars, magic dragons and cowboys. Cowboys was my idea. We did the Hokey Pokey with me holding the baby's arms and legs. What fun!
Marie put the baby down and I read books to Taylor. We love Fancy Nancy and a book about animals in the spring time. Grandfather Twilight will have to wait until tomorrow since it is late. That book is starting to show some wear. It is now committed to my memory but we must still see the pictures.
Together we talked about going to the mountains and how we might see a bear. We like bears. Many of our books are about forest animals like alligators and squirrels. We love alligators! It is fun to see the animals that we read about.
Taylor likes to jump on my head after books and we wrestle to the floor. A quick tuck and twenty kisses and she is asleep. Yet, I see her peak at me with her large green eyes as I close the door and say goodnight.
"What is that sound?"
"Don't know...where is it coming from, honey?"
"I think its in the baby's room."
"She's asleep...I just fed her and she was sound snoozing!"
"I better check..."
The great joy that I have with my children is watching them learn. My oldest cried at her first swim meet. She fell off her scooter six times in one day. She forgets the word "the" when she reads. But when she perfects a skill or learns something new the joy and happiness she shows will light up the room.
Baby Katie is learning, too!
Today, we are blowing raspberries.
Now for those of you that don't know what a raspberry is I'll walk you through it. Put your lips together and then let your tongue protrude between them. Then blow air past your tongue and lips to make a loud, wet, buzzing sound as your tongue flops around like a dead squid. That's a raspberry.
Katie is in her room practicing her new found skill. She is quite diligent and has been going "ppllllbbbbsssttttt!" for an hour know. I saw the look of determination in her little face. This is serious business, the blowing of raspberries. The crib is now showered with slobber.
I first heard about shaken baby syndrome when we had our first child. We went to a course on baby care at the hospital and the old nurse that was teaching the class told us about it. She said that a common way of death for infants was called shaken baby syndrome and it is caused by the parents violently shaking the baby. Almost half of all abused children die this way and usually from 60% male parents.
"Like making a Martinin? That kind of shaking?"
"Shut up Mr. Perry, this is serious."
"Yeah right, like this might have happened once, and for a parent on Cocaine or something?"
"An estimated 1,600 children a year in the US die from this!"
"No way! How barbaric! This can't possible be happening that frequently!"
I laughed at the old lady on the way out of the hospital. They are always telling you about these rare, oddball instances that happen, like babies drowning in a bucket.
The past two nights I've been up with Katie. She cries. She cries some more. I can't settle her down. Hours go by so slowly. No sleep. She settles and I turn off the light and lay down to sleep and she wakes up again. On and on, over and over, 1:00 am, 2:00 am, 3:00 am. She throws up on me. I change her clothes time after time after time. The monotony.
Yes, shaking baby syndrome is serious. I can so see how it happens. Don't get me wrong, I love my daughter and would never intentionally harm her. I'm so sorry that she feels so bad. But the frustration, the exhaustion, the lack of sleep just build up and irritate you more and more. The headaches. The backaches. All I want to do is to make it QUIET! QUIET! QUIET!
I can see how it can happen. Other men that I know have experienced the same thing. You just want the baby to shut the hell up at any cost.
"You want me to do WHAT?"
"Massage her anus."
"Are you out of your ever lovin' mind?"
"No, that is what the doctor said to do and it works."
It appears that the baby has inherited my wife's uptight-ness. Little Katie has trouble pooping. From what I can tell, talking in man-terms, her release valve and pressure system are not working in tandem.
Picture this...
You have a moonshine still. You heat the squeezin's up and it vaporizes the alcohol. The alcohol vapor moves through the copper tubing and gradually builds up pressure. Luke is supposed to go to the thump barrel and turn the tap while he catches the shine in a mason jar. But what if old Luke has to go into town for supplies, or has been sippin' on the last batch and doesn't turn the valve? The pressure from the increasing amount of alcohol in the pipe continues to grow in pressure. Soon, very soon the top of the mountain blows off the map.
Ok, maybe that is a bad explanation.
Either way, as you build up a supply of poopies and continue to put pressure on your valve, you'll soon need to relieve the pressure or burst the baby. So the doctor has us remove her diaper and rub her little tushie with a warm rag to help her relax.
So I take off Katie's diaper and she immediately begins to grunt. And grunt. And GRUNT! The pressure continues to build. And build. And BUILD! I rub and rub and rub.
BANG! SPEW!
A snot green line of crap shoots out of baby Katie, across the changing table, over the carpet and directly into the doorway about three feet away. And it spews. And spews. And SPEWS!
Baby Katie smiles. She has relief.
Daddy grabs the carpet cleaner. Its going to be a long night.
Hi friends! I guess you thought I died. Close to it, we had a baby.
Sorry for not posting but little Katie has been having a hard time with reflux. Just like our Taylor did when she was little. We have her on a second round of stomach medicine, a specially formulate (hand compounded by a pharmacist) and hoping she will get some sleep. She cries most of the time.
Poor Marie has had hardly any sleep and I feel very sorry for her. Luckily her friends have been bringing meals and will stop and visit her every day so she does get some company.
In the mean time Katie drinks as much milk as she can so that her stomach doesn't hurt. Usually too much. Then it comes right back up. Just like Old Faithful, the geyser. I'm tired of changing shirts.
So much has gone on. Tons of doctor visits.
I'll try to catch up more this weekend, but in the mean time, pray for little Katie to get better.
After waiting for almost an hour while they gave my wife and epidural they finally came and got me. I went through an area that looked like a janitor's closet and into the operating room. Dr. Harris was cracking jokes while I marveled at the technology. The room was full of computerized gadgets. When I made mention of them the doctor laughed and said they just keep them here to impress customers.
I sat down by my wife and stroked her dark brown hair. She looked very scared and her arms were stretched out both ways. Marie said she felt no pain, which was good. There was a large blue drape that separated us from the actual surgery. It happened very quickly.
Once they removed the baby they held it up over the drape for Marie to see. The new child burst into a scream when she laid eyes on mommy which caused the whole room to break out into laughter. This time I didn't get to cut the cord or hold the baby. Little Katie was whisked off to the side of the room where the baby station was located.
Two young female nurses went to work on the baby right away. They cleaned her, weighed her and asked for the time of birth which was 1:45 am. I got up from my seat after kissing my wife and went to count fingers and toes. She was beautiful!
Katie was smaller than Taylor, coming in at 6 lbs 9 oz as compared to Taylor at 6 lbs 14 oz. But Katie was different. She was very quiet. Her cries were so dainty and soft! Not like Taylor who even woke up people in the waiting room. She was very pretty with little of the mess that is normally associated with birth. Her head was perfectly shaped.
The nurses took the baby and told me that I needed to go with them. I again went and touched Marie (there was no way to hug or hold her) and left with the two ladies. In the baby area they told me that I could remove the hot and sweaty scrubs. This room was very warm (for the new baby) and had three nurses.
The nurses set about cataloging my daughter like a science experiment. Really, they treated her like a lab specimen. The cold and uncaring way that they handled her kind of worried me, but they made it seem so normal that I didn't crack any of their heads open. They pricked her foot and made her bleed. This doesn't seem like much, but they poke her with the same size pin that they would poke me with, so if I scaled it down it would be like a 10 penny nail going into my foot.
Then they gave her an injection. Well, not right away because the nurse dropped the first B-12 shot and broke the needle so we had to go get another one. Then we measured her at 19 inches long. After that they started running a countdown of dimensions and checks, all of which showed that Katie was a good fish that could be mounted on the wall instead of being thrown back. One check didn't fair so well and that was blood sugar. It seemed to be a little low so the nurse gave Katie a small meal of Infamil baby food.
The tiniest nurse and I went into another room and gave Katie her first bath. She protested much. Now she is all clean and ready for her mommy. Where is mommy?
It took another 45 minutes for mommy to come out of the operating room. I'm glad it did because Dr. Harris did a great job with the stitches. She was woozy but ready to see her pretty little child. We rolled her into the recovery room and I waited until they had her hooked up and under a heat lamp. She looked like french fries at Mcdonald's.
We reunited the baby with her mother. Mommy was tired and drugged but wanted to feed her baby as soon as possible. I was tired but happy and did what I could to make Marie comfortable. She was so tired she could barely hold the baby. We put her in a small rolling crib.
About 3:00 am a nurse brought me a Coca Cola which was the best beverage I've ever had. It perked me back up and gave me the energy to help Marie to her room. Another nurse pushed the baby and I carried the bags. How Marie was still awake was beyond understanding.
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