The Misadventures of Dr. Overboard & Prof. Evenkeel
Life and Love in the Suburbs.
(based on a true story)
Monday, March 26, 2007
catching a wave
Tonight, as usual, I returned home while Overboard was getting Kenny ready for bed. I popped upstairs and said hello and was rewarded with a plethora of smiles and giggles. As if that weren't enough to make my day, when I got ready to leave the room I waved "bye-bye" to Kenny and he...waved back. Oh, yes.
The women at daycare have been diligently working on waving with Kenny (as have Overboard and I), and it seems to be paying off.
The amazing thing about parenting is how much the little things mean to you. My whole day is that much better because my son waved at me. How awesome is that?
Overboard broke out her bubble blower yesterday and introduced Kenny to magic world of soap bubbles. He was pretty transfixed and somewhat entertained by the bubbles, and tried to grab a few of them.
Best of all, he looked sharp doing it while wearing his new Che Guevara bib. Viva la bubble revolution, amigo.
If only all of our front doors were so entertaining...
Our super-phenomenal next door neighbors (who have two boys of their own) gave Kenny this awesome playset a while back. After letting it sit in the garage for a bit while Kenny worked on his crawling, we took it out the other weekend and got it all cleaned up and ready to go.
There are tons of sounds that emanate whenever you do just about anything (open the front door, push the doorbell, open the window, etc.), and plenty of songs as well. Kenny thinks it is pretty damn cool, and especially likes to spin the petals of the flower around and around. He also managed to open the front door and crawl on through this morning, as he attempted to check out the light sockets on the other side (which are properly plugged with plastic protectors, thank you).
Kenny practices his door to door sales technique. "Why thank you, ma'am, I'd love to come inside. Wow, what a lovely light socket!"
After spending the winter growing out her scruff and working on her stink, Sadie was forced to visit the groomer this weekend. Every time I let her go for a long period of time in between trips to the spa, the difference in her return appearance is stunning. Check out the before and after shots below...
BEFORE: The pre-grooming Sadist in repose. "Don't look at me! I'm hideous!"
Aunt Robin and Uncle Bob* came in from Dallas for a visit the other weekend. They stopped by Glenview for a few days before visiting Bob's brother Bill in Moline. We all had a blast with our house guests, but I think it's safe to say that Sadie was the most excited of the bunch. Why? Well, Aunt Robin is to dogs what the Stanley Cup is to hockey players. Plus, she brings treats.
Robin and Bob hadn't been to Chicago since our wedding, so we did a number of touristy activities like seeing some of the museums downtown, Wrigley Field, and even a visit to Northwestern to pick up a few official t-shirts and tchokes. Additionally, we tried to introduce them to some local flavor, including our favorite hot dog stand, "Hot Dougs." Hot Dougs isn't a total secret, thus the long lines to get in on Saturdays. The wait was well worth it, though, as we all chowed down with wild abandon and healthy appetites. Even Mr. K munched away contentedly on his zwieback toast.
It took 45 minutes to get to the counter, so Kenny whiled away the time by flirting with the teenage girls in line ahead of us.
Since I have been taking the Metra downtown for my new freelance gig lately, I offered Robin and Bob the use of my car, Wedge, for their drive to Moline. Jokingly, I told them although he was making some loud noises lately, he should be fine for the drive, "or at least until you reach the city limits." Yeah, I should have kept that quip to myself.
When Robin and Bob got to Moline they discovered that Wedge had some sort of piece in between his muffler and manifold that wished to break free and separate from his underbelly. Good grief. Luckily for everyone involved, Bill was able to jerry rig a solution that kept the car intact and stable enough to drive home. Even better for me, Robin and Bob didn't try to throw me under said car for letting them leave town in my lemon masquerading as an Integra. In his defense, Wedge is 13 years old!
Automotive escapades aside, we all enjoyed having them here and hope it won't be another three or four years before they return!
Aunt Robin snapped a few fun pix around the homestead... Who, Me? Damn right I'm cute! Sadie puts on a display of her balancing abilities. /> Overboard gets Kenny ready for bed with a story or six.
*When people use the phrase, "Bob's your Uncle," I say, "Yes. Yes he is."
We took Mr. K to the doctor a few weekends back and got his latest vitals: Height = 28" , Weight = 19 lbs, Head Circumference = 18.5". What does this mean? Well, Kenny is hovering around the 25-30th percentile for height and weight, but the 90th percentile for head circumference. Yes, the boy has a big ol' brain, which explains why he is so wicked smart.
Otherwise, all of his functions, etc checked out normal and the doctor was very pleased with his progress. Kenny was even asked to donate some blood for testing and did so with a minimum of screaming and/or fussing. I think the numbing cream they put on his arm helped, but I prefer to chalk it up to the toughness of the boy we call "Ironhead."
Ironhead, you ask? Well, lemme 'splain...
Whereas we all assumed that my brother's son, Adam, would be the one to need a crash helmet at all times due to his father's injury-prone childhood, Kenny is proving to be adept at smacking himself around too. Of course, most of the time he just shakes it off and keeps on going, thus his new moniker of "Ironhead." Overboard and I cringe and gasp every time we see him inadvertently smack his noggin on something, but I can't help feeling a certain sense of pride when he just keeps on going...you know, like a hockey player who refuses to miss his next shift.
I'm just sayin'.
The late, great Craig "Ironhead" Hayward utilizing Kenny's preferred mode of forward motion.
See Kenny shake his head side to side! See Kenny crawl across the floor commando style! See Kenny shake his keys into submission! All this and more for your viewing pleasure!
Kenny decided to celebrate R.E.M.'s induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame by practicing his ability to stand on his own (while hanging on to something, of course). This nice leap forward in motor skills goes "hand in hand" with his newfound ability to sit up on his own, coupled with his improved crawling skills.
I'm working on putting together a video compilation of his new achievements, so hopefully that will be up soon.
In the meantime, Overboard and I need to get serious about further baby-proofing the house, investing in some baby gates, and properly briefing the dog on how to handle a baby boy crawling at her at increasing speeds.
It's been really cold around here for quite some time. And when it wasn't snowing, it was raining. All of this means that the urge to go outside and clean up after the pooch when she's in the yard taking care of business has been minimal at best. Plus, it's easy to ignore the issue when Sadie's hard work gets buried under repeated snowfalls.
But when that snow melts away? Well...it ain't pretty.
I just spent an insane amount of time and used an inordinate number of poo bags to try and reclaim my backyard. The upside of all of this? Well, if we don't have the most heavily fertilized lawn in Glenview, then I'm going to have to let the dog go (and without any kind of severance package).
Overboard thinks I'm nuts to be telling all of you about any of this, but then again, she's not the one who had to proverbially wade into the morass of doggy manure. Come to think of it, I'm not sure why the hell I am talking about this.
Did I mention that we do manage to clean up after the boy on a regular basis?
Ladies and gentlemen, may we present to you the product of much drool and discomfort: Kenny's two bottom teeth! (ain't they somethin'?)
Overboard commented this morning that she thinks she sees some buds on the roof of his mouth as well. I suppose I need to section off a piece of the Kenny Fund to cover braces, just in case.
CALVINIZED: The smoothed-out coiffure that Kenny sports after having his hair brushed post-bath. The look is reminiscent of the comic strip character, Calvin, of Calvin & Hobbes fame, whose hair was always spiky and messy, except in those rare (and brief) occasions where his parents brushed it smooth.
Of course, Kenny goes to bed with his hair all neat and nice, but wakes up with his usual "casually tousled" look.
The other day we were getting ready to go out for a bit, and had everything (and everyone) packed up and ready to go. In order to buy a second of free hands time, Overboard placed Kenny in his exersaucer and gave him a zwieback toast to much on.
Sadie, sensing Overboard's rookie mistake, slipped around her and went straight up to Kenny, who was holding the zwieback precariously at Sadie-mouth level. Pausing for an instant, Sadie then grabbed the zwieback in her mouth. A brief tug-of-war ensued, but Sadie proved victorious, taking mere seconds to wolf down her prize, much to Kenny's apparent delight.
I was going to admonish the dog, but instead I went for Overboard.
"You can't give him one of those and put him at dog level! At least give him the high ground!"
I mean, it worked for Obi-Wan versus Anakin, so why not Kenny vs. Sadie?
Kenny's crawling continues to improve, as he's doing a lot less rolling, and a lot more commando-style crawling (i.e. he's dragging himself forward by his arms and elbows, and avoiding enemy fire while sneaking up on his target, be it a toy or the dog).
Overboard and I will need to be acquiring baby gates sooner than later, in order to limit our mobile man from leaving the "green zone." The interesting part will also be seeing how Ms. Sadie takes to having her access limited (or denied) as well. She hasn't done so well with ID checkpoints in the past...
Two weekends ago, we all packed up and went out to Oakland & San Francisco to spend President's Day with Uncle Mike, Aunt Carol, and cousins Adam and Hannah.
Kenny did an excellent job of flying, even though these were his longest flights to date. Since Mike & Carol were already armed with car seats, strollers, and other baby accoutrement, we left all of Kenny's extra baggage at home. Thus, he spent both flights in either Overboard or my arms.
While he did experience some minor crankiness at takeoff and landing both times (and opted not to really nap), he was pretty content to play with his toys, flirt with female passengers and wonder aloud why Southwest Airlines doesn't have any sort of in-flight video entertainment... Kenny wears his plane bib in honor of his big flight.
After getting into Oakland somewhere around 9am, I was discouraged to discover that the local In 'n' Out Burger doesn't serve breakfast. Sigh.
We made our way back to the house and then later rounded everyone up for a quick romp over at Adam's favorite park. While Adam ran amok playing with the toys that people leave in the park for communal use (how CA, huh?), Overboard and I were bummed to see that Kenny was still a bit too small for the swings. Instead, he amused himself by hanging out in his stroller and grabbing his toes, or attempting to grab his uncle's face. Kenny and "Unkie Mike" bond The East Bay Rolnicks
Speaking of things that are very California...afterwards we grabbed lunch at a burrito place where I had a "Prawn Burrito" that was actually pretty tasty. I was incredibly tempted to try the "Lobster & Steak" burrito, but decided not to splurge at the last minute.
Kenny was pretty content to sleep in the stroller or gnaw on a spoon while we ate, and watched in amazement as his cousin Adam slowly devoured a whole burrito on his own.
Back at the homestead, Kenny took great pleasure in exploring the awesome exer-saucer Aunt Carol picked up in his honor. As the "official tester" for his cousin Hannah (who will be in there soon enough), Kenny eagerly swatted at and tried to eat every last dangly object he could grab. Our only fear was that he would get back to Glenview and wonder why his own exer-saucer was the stripped-down model... "Daddy! This thing ROCKS! Can I have one like this? Please? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"
Kenny's internal clock was all over the place, so when he finally went down to sleep for the night (after pretty much refusing to take a real nap during the day), he went down hard. Of course, he also woke up screaming around 2:36am.
Now, while at home we're well into "letting him cry it out." That's harder to pull off when you're staying with someone else (and especially when there are two other kids trying to sleep in the rooms next door). Consequently, all of our hard work was set back a few giant leaps, as we gave Kenny a bottle, picked him up, played with him, promised to buy him a pony, and did basically anything we could to get him to stop screaming and go back to sleep. This happened every night we were there, and lucky for us, continued when we got back home.
Mike tried to tell me that this happens to all kids when you travel and usually takes a day or two to straighten out. Yeah. After we got home, it took Kenny almost a week to start sleeping through the night again. Wheeeeeeeeee. But back to the story...
The next day, we went into San Francisco to meet up with Jarrod and Molly and their two boys, Sammy and Solly (who will undoubtedly start their own deli someday). The weather was unreal, as the high was 76! Back home? -206 with the wind chill. I'm just sayin'.
We met the Winters at Embarcadero, then took a trolley ride up the hill into Chinatown. Jarrod led us to this hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant for lunch, that for lack of a better word, looked a tad sketchy. However, I may never doubt him again, as the food was unbelievably good and we all ate and ate and ate. Overboard waits for the trolley "So, where is this 'San Francisco Treat' I keep hearing about?"
Little Sammy decided to try a dubious gastronomic concoction of his own by gulping down a handful of pepper when no one was looking. This did not go over very well, and eerily reminded me of the first time his daddy tried wasabi while over for dinner at my parent's house when we were in high school. Maybe with less tears. Sammy, that is.
After lunch, we wandered around Chinatown for a bit, hitting a park and a "Chinese new year street festival" Jarrod had heard about. This unfortunately turned out to be a short street with a series of "Carny" games, but Solly was pretty happy when he kept winning little stuffed animals. Solly gets into the competitive spirit
My favorite moment from the afternoon came while we were in one of the MANY stores in Chinatown that all seem to sell the same crap. Sammy was slumped over in the front part of the double-stroller, when Solly came back and got ready to climb into his seat in the back. Before doing so, he grabbed his dozing little brother by the shoulders and screamed, "WAKE UP!" I think I saw a little gleam in Kenny's eye, as he imagined being able to torment a younger brother or sister like that someday... The Winters of Turlock The Rolnicks of Glenview
Another thing we noticed while in town was that Kenny was fascinated by his cousin Adam's blond hair. Like the little old ladies in Italy when I was 10, Kenny would constantly grab at Adam's hair and try to inspect it more closely. "Yo, Blondie, lemme see that!"
On Sunday, we met up with my buddy Geoff, who I was roommates with while living in Boston. Geoff's been in SF for years now, and I don't think he misses the cold very much. Geoff is a computer programmer, and I once caught him in Boston scribbling zeros and ones in a notebook. To this day, I'm not sure if he was really working on something or just trying to see if he could freak me out.
The tough part about being a computer guru is that you get suckered into fixing everyone else's computers. Like, I dunno, Mike and Carol's wonky home laptop. Of course, for his troubles, Geoff got a nice dinner and a Visa track suit, courtesy of Mike. So that ain't so bad. If Geoff stops working, Carol gives him the cattle prod.
Overboard's good college friend, Linton and his husband Jeff live just around the hill from Mike and Carol, so they stopped by to say hello as well. Jeff, being a lot more adventurous than either of us, was actually in Chicago this past fall to run the Chicago Marathon. I offered up my logic that I just can't rationalize running 26.2 miles unless someone was chasing me with a chainsaw, or perhaps a large stick. Even then, I think somewhere around Mile 3 I'd just stop and give up. "Make it quick, ok?" I'd say. "I can't feel my legs, so maybe start there." Linton and Jeff (who stopped running long enough to have this picture taken)
Monday morning, while Adam spent two hours stubbornly engaging in a standoff with his parents over his refusal to blow his nose, Overboard and I put Kenny in the more baby-friendly swing outside the house, much to his delight. "Faster! Higher! I think I'm gonna hurl!"
We managed to squeeze in one more park visit that afternoon before heading out to the airport and heading home. The cousins at the park Overboard and Kenny at the Oakland airport waiting to go home
There were other stories and LOTS more pictures, but I think this post has gone on (and on) enough for now.
Also, while in town, Mike introduced to an awesome Australian band called The Cat Empire. Their song, "Hello," became the theme song of the trip. Check out the song and video:
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