Dear Trinity,
One more month and you are going to be three years old. I hardly know what to say about that, though when the time comes I'll do my best regardless.
I wanted to talk to you this month about your Mom a bit, because she doesn't use this kind of communication to talk to you, and deserves the same kind of conduit to you that I have. Probably because after keeping up with an almost-3-year-old every day, she's too tired to sit down and type. And your Mom isn't much for technology anyway. Uses it as a tool when she needs it, but that's about it. Her and I couldn't be more different that way.
This month you have managed to be fairly busy while still maintaining some semblance of routine at home, and you have your Mom to thank for that. I work a weird swing shift job and am gone at all different times of day, and I can't keep my own schedule straight so I can't expect you to.
But your Mom is there every morning to wake up with you, and get you breakfast, and read and play and experience the day with you. I am more of a footnote I guess. Sometimes I am there, and sometimes I am either sleeping or at work. But your Mom is a rock.
So whatever happens between now and whenever you read this, I wanted to tall you that your Mom loves you more than you can possibly imagine and that, in my opinion, she is the best Mom ever. I've noticed that people experience parenting very differently, some taking to it as second nature, some doing the bare minimum they think their responsibilities obligate them to, and still others that probably shouldn't have been parents at all. But your Mom is in a class all her own. She is patient, and nurturing, and encouraging, and so loving. But don't go thinking she's a pushover or anything. If you ever need her to be firm (or you do something that requires her to be), your Mom can be as tough as diamond when she needs to be. I know that I've said this before but she is going to be your most stalwart supporter, so lean on that woman whenever you need to.
It goes without saying (yet here I am saying it, and not for the first time) that I am also there for you whenever you need me to be, because there isn't a thing that I wouldn't do for you, your happiness, your safety. The problem is that I have less patience and even lesser resolve. So I end up being less nurturing and a little more demanding of you, yet if you flash those brown eyes and either dive-bomb me with a hug or turn on the waterworks, I pretty much completely cave in t whatever demands you make.
What have you done this month? Well we took you to the Toronto Zoo and aside from the recurring issue of fighting with you about keeping your sun hat on, everyone had a great time. You were amazed by all of the animals, but were particularly fascinated with the elephants, and with any baby animals there. During the trip, you got to meet your new cousin, and you had a lot of fun playing with a real baby, in spite of the fact that he did little more than sleep.
You still delight your Mom and I with some of the things you say. Yesterday you overheard me talking to your Grandma about one of our less popular extended family members, her third husband. The guy's name is Barry but for reasons that I won't get into here, we either refer to him as 'Bunkie', or when we has really annoyed one of us, we refer to him as 'Underpants'. So while I was on the call, you were yelling at the top of your lungs 'Bunkie Underpants'! It was awesome.
You also have been taking to signing quite a bit lately, because either at home or in the car we always have music on. One of your favourites is 'Born to Be Wild' by Steppenwolf and that one you can sing the first verse of spectacularly well. The song you love most seems to be The Beatles 'Hey Jude', because that one you sing along with your Grandpa, and seem to have a pretty rocking time of it.
See you next month.
Love Daddy
One more month and you are going to be three years old. I hardly know what to say about that, though when the time comes I'll do my best regardless.
I wanted to talk to you this month about your Mom a bit, because she doesn't use this kind of communication to talk to you, and deserves the same kind of conduit to you that I have. Probably because after keeping up with an almost-3-year-old every day, she's too tired to sit down and type. And your Mom isn't much for technology anyway. Uses it as a tool when she needs it, but that's about it. Her and I couldn't be more different that way.
This month you have managed to be fairly busy while still maintaining some semblance of routine at home, and you have your Mom to thank for that. I work a weird swing shift job and am gone at all different times of day, and I can't keep my own schedule straight so I can't expect you to.
But your Mom is there every morning to wake up with you, and get you breakfast, and read and play and experience the day with you. I am more of a footnote I guess. Sometimes I am there, and sometimes I am either sleeping or at work. But your Mom is a rock.
So whatever happens between now and whenever you read this, I wanted to tall you that your Mom loves you more than you can possibly imagine and that, in my opinion, she is the best Mom ever. I've noticed that people experience parenting very differently, some taking to it as second nature, some doing the bare minimum they think their responsibilities obligate them to, and still others that probably shouldn't have been parents at all. But your Mom is in a class all her own. She is patient, and nurturing, and encouraging, and so loving. But don't go thinking she's a pushover or anything. If you ever need her to be firm (or you do something that requires her to be), your Mom can be as tough as diamond when she needs to be. I know that I've said this before but she is going to be your most stalwart supporter, so lean on that woman whenever you need to.
It goes without saying (yet here I am saying it, and not for the first time) that I am also there for you whenever you need me to be, because there isn't a thing that I wouldn't do for you, your happiness, your safety. The problem is that I have less patience and even lesser resolve. So I end up being less nurturing and a little more demanding of you, yet if you flash those brown eyes and either dive-bomb me with a hug or turn on the waterworks, I pretty much completely cave in t whatever demands you make.
What have you done this month? Well we took you to the Toronto Zoo and aside from the recurring issue of fighting with you about keeping your sun hat on, everyone had a great time. You were amazed by all of the animals, but were particularly fascinated with the elephants, and with any baby animals there. During the trip, you got to meet your new cousin, and you had a lot of fun playing with a real baby, in spite of the fact that he did little more than sleep.
You still delight your Mom and I with some of the things you say. Yesterday you overheard me talking to your Grandma about one of our less popular extended family members, her third husband. The guy's name is Barry but for reasons that I won't get into here, we either refer to him as 'Bunkie', or when we has really annoyed one of us, we refer to him as 'Underpants'. So while I was on the call, you were yelling at the top of your lungs 'Bunkie Underpants'! It was awesome.
You also have been taking to signing quite a bit lately, because either at home or in the car we always have music on. One of your favourites is 'Born to Be Wild' by Steppenwolf and that one you can sing the first verse of spectacularly well. The song you love most seems to be The Beatles 'Hey Jude', because that one you sing along with your Grandpa, and seem to have a pretty rocking time of it.
See you next month.
Love Daddy
So I am sitting in a hotel room in Toronto right now, while Trin and Superwife slumber away in the double bed beside me. And I can't sleep even though I have been on day shifts for the last 4 days. My mind would just rather be awake then asleep I guess.
We came down here to take Trin to the zoo and either delight her with the fact that all those animals she sees on tv and in books are real, or scare the shit out of her with that same fact as they stomp around in front of her. Either way, we're hoping for a big reaction.
Oh, and here's an update: I went to see Indy 4 after work last night with a pal, and don't listen to anyone that tells you otherwise, this movie. Is. Fucking. Awesome. Fucking awesome I tells ya! Its fun, campy and full of comedy, just like all its predecessors. Yes, there is a very scif-fi MacGuffin instead of the usual religious tripe. So? If anything, that made the movie better than any of the first three. Check out this thread if you're interested in hearing more on the debate. If you are a fan of these movies, don't be a sheep and listen to the naysayers. Go see it. You won't have more fun at the movies this year until, well, until you get around to seeing Iron Man. Or until Dark Knight comes out. Or Hulk. Or X-Files 2. Well still, it is very good.
And just so its been said, Shift Work FTW!, cause its a Tuesday night and my workweek is over til Friday night.
We came down here to take Trin to the zoo and either delight her with the fact that all those animals she sees on tv and in books are real, or scare the shit out of her with that same fact as they stomp around in front of her. Either way, we're hoping for a big reaction.
Oh, and here's an update: I went to see Indy 4 after work last night with a pal, and don't listen to anyone that tells you otherwise, this movie. Is. Fucking. Awesome. Fucking awesome I tells ya! Its fun, campy and full of comedy, just like all its predecessors. Yes, there is a very scif-fi MacGuffin instead of the usual religious tripe. So? If anything, that made the movie better than any of the first three. Check out this thread if you're interested in hearing more on the debate. If you are a fan of these movies, don't be a sheep and listen to the naysayers. Go see it. You won't have more fun at the movies this year until, well, until you get around to seeing Iron Man. Or until Dark Knight comes out. Or Hulk. Or X-Files 2. Well still, it is very good.
And just so its been said, Shift Work FTW!, cause its a Tuesday night and my workweek is over til Friday night.
Dear Trinity,
Has a month gone by already? Where did that one go?
I thought I'd first tell you about how your voice affects me these days. I have been working more nights this month than usual and your Mom and you have been calling and leaving me messages on my phone's voicemail. Usually they are of you telling me what you guys are doing at that given moment, either what you did after supper, or what books you might read later. Maybe it is to tell me that you love me or that you had a big poop. I have been saving all of them and listened to them in a row last night while at work. Its good that I was again on nights, because I might have to answer questions from people wondering why I was crying a little at work.
You are so funny lately. You asked me the other day if I was going to go to work that night, and when I said no, you actually yelled 'Woohoo!' and did a little dance. It was awesome. Speaking of dancing, somewhere along the way you have decided that the thing to do while dancing is pull your pants down so that the crack of your butt is exposed, followed usually by a lot of giggling. Not sure where that one comes from, but I do know that you keep doing it because I can't help laughing every time I see you do it. If I have, in so doing, encouraged you into a profession that I might not have otherwise approved of, I formally apologize.
You and I went for haircuts together this month and it was a lot of fun. I couldn't believe how still and obedient you were with the girl doing your hair. Frankly I was thinking about seeing if we could set her up at our place in some way, since you seemed to enjoy the experience so much that you forgot to be your normal wild self. But then the moment passed and I realized that one of the things I love most about you is that you are your own person. But it really was adorable.
Storytime has had a bit of a paradigm shift this month. You have now gone past the point where you want us to read your stories to you, as well as past reading your books to us, and have moved right to attempting to read my books to me. It is very cute and made better by the fact that you like to make up your own stories and characters as you flip the pages. Case in point:
And now, the screaming. Looking back and reading this, do you remember that when you were 34 months old one of the best ways you could think of to get our attention was to scream as loud as you can? We certainly are having a tough time figuring it out. You get a lot of attention from both of us, and you pretty much always have your Mom around to interact with, so its a strange thing when you start screaming for no apparent reason other than to get us to stop doing whatever it is we're doing and try to get you from hurting your larynx and our ears any further.
The weather finally started changing for the better a bit this month, although we only had nice weather for a few days and then it either got cold again, rained a lot, or often times both. We actually had snow on the road when we came home from visiting your Aunt and cousin. We had a nice time visiting with them, and not only were you ok with the long drive, you really didn't seem to care that you were cooped up in a car for 5 hours straight each way.
When the weather was nice though, we took you to a bigger park than our usual one and we tried flying a kite, to limited success. But you had a blast alternatively chasing that thing around the park or dragging it along the ground. The view through your eyes really is a fun one. Maybe a little opaque sometimes, but it still provides a sense of wonder to my life that I would never otherwise have.
I love you,
Daddy
Has a month gone by already? Where did that one go?
I thought I'd first tell you about how your voice affects me these days. I have been working more nights this month than usual and your Mom and you have been calling and leaving me messages on my phone's voicemail. Usually they are of you telling me what you guys are doing at that given moment, either what you did after supper, or what books you might read later. Maybe it is to tell me that you love me or that you had a big poop. I have been saving all of them and listened to them in a row last night while at work. Its good that I was again on nights, because I might have to answer questions from people wondering why I was crying a little at work.
You are so funny lately. You asked me the other day if I was going to go to work that night, and when I said no, you actually yelled 'Woohoo!' and did a little dance. It was awesome. Speaking of dancing, somewhere along the way you have decided that the thing to do while dancing is pull your pants down so that the crack of your butt is exposed, followed usually by a lot of giggling. Not sure where that one comes from, but I do know that you keep doing it because I can't help laughing every time I see you do it. If I have, in so doing, encouraged you into a profession that I might not have otherwise approved of, I formally apologize.
You and I went for haircuts together this month and it was a lot of fun. I couldn't believe how still and obedient you were with the girl doing your hair. Frankly I was thinking about seeing if we could set her up at our place in some way, since you seemed to enjoy the experience so much that you forgot to be your normal wild self. But then the moment passed and I realized that one of the things I love most about you is that you are your own person. But it really was adorable.
Storytime has had a bit of a paradigm shift this month. You have now gone past the point where you want us to read your stories to you, as well as past reading your books to us, and have moved right to attempting to read my books to me. It is very cute and made better by the fact that you like to make up your own stories and characters as you flip the pages. Case in point:
And now, the screaming. Looking back and reading this, do you remember that when you were 34 months old one of the best ways you could think of to get our attention was to scream as loud as you can? We certainly are having a tough time figuring it out. You get a lot of attention from both of us, and you pretty much always have your Mom around to interact with, so its a strange thing when you start screaming for no apparent reason other than to get us to stop doing whatever it is we're doing and try to get you from hurting your larynx and our ears any further.
The weather finally started changing for the better a bit this month, although we only had nice weather for a few days and then it either got cold again, rained a lot, or often times both. We actually had snow on the road when we came home from visiting your Aunt and cousin. We had a nice time visiting with them, and not only were you ok with the long drive, you really didn't seem to care that you were cooped up in a car for 5 hours straight each way.
When the weather was nice though, we took you to a bigger park than our usual one and we tried flying a kite, to limited success. But you had a blast alternatively chasing that thing around the park or dragging it along the ground. The view through your eyes really is a fun one. Maybe a little opaque sometimes, but it still provides a sense of wonder to my life that I would never otherwise have.
I love you,
Daddy
Labels: trinity
Dear Trinity,
I'm writing you a little later than normal this month; for some reason I haven't felt like I have all that new to tell you lately. But of course, like any other month, you continue to grow and change and develop and I am just not making a big deal enough out of that. Or maybe its that I have been so busy either having fun or losing my (admittedly small amount of) patience with you. One neato thing about your personality developing is that as it grows so does your capacity to want to get your own way, and so often what you want conflicts with what I think might be the right course of action. Foreshadowing for the future, you think?
This month has been about par for our life as it is nowadays. I work a lot, you and your Mom hang out at home a lot, or visit with your family up here. When I am off, we get to hang out, continue watching the few episodes of Star trek that might be considered kid-friendly.
We are going to head down to see your Aunt and some old friends 5 hours away tomorrow morning and I am both really looking forward to the trip and dreading it because its been almost a year since we've had you in the car for that length of time. We will just have to see how it goes.
Your Grandpa came to visit with us this past month. You had such a good time with him, which really surprised us, because you really haven't seen him that much, so we figured you'd be shy around him. But not so. You played harder with him than you have with anyone, launching yourself at him like a skydiver. You made him pretend to be the Big Bad Wolf (of 'Three Little Pigs' fame) about a hundred times, but in your version of the story, the little pig was always the winner. The next time we see him will likely be at his 4th wedding this summer, if we can get to it. Yeah, 4th wedding I said. Ask me about that one sometime.
This month I noticed a greater than usual amount of people commenting about your immense vocabulary and your control over it. I imagine that a function of being around adults more means that you are likely to pick up linguistic skills easier, but its just as plausible that you are a ridiculously smart girl instead. I like that one.
Some favourite things of yours this month: Kraft Dinner. No matter what meal it is, the one thing that we are guaranteed that you will at least eat some of, is Kraft Dinner. You usually like to share too, which always brings a smile. Your favourite book lately has been a collection of condensed Disney stories, that you often prefer to flip through yourself a few times before you pick one (or all) for me to read. Your favourite tv show has been 'Peep and the Big Wide World'. You call it Peep and the Whole Wide World, and you scream bloody murder if we try to correct you. I just call it Peep.
I couldn't settle on what pictures to post with this letter, so I am attaching more than the normal amount. Each of them is just too adorable to toss into the pile of other pictures I'm not showing the world (and you).
See you next month.
As always, your Daddy loves you.
I'm writing you a little later than normal this month; for some reason I haven't felt like I have all that new to tell you lately. But of course, like any other month, you continue to grow and change and develop and I am just not making a big deal enough out of that. Or maybe its that I have been so busy either having fun or losing my (admittedly small amount of) patience with you. One neato thing about your personality developing is that as it grows so does your capacity to want to get your own way, and so often what you want conflicts with what I think might be the right course of action. Foreshadowing for the future, you think?
This month has been about par for our life as it is nowadays. I work a lot, you and your Mom hang out at home a lot, or visit with your family up here. When I am off, we get to hang out, continue watching the few episodes of Star trek that might be considered kid-friendly.
We are going to head down to see your Aunt and some old friends 5 hours away tomorrow morning and I am both really looking forward to the trip and dreading it because its been almost a year since we've had you in the car for that length of time. We will just have to see how it goes.
Your Grandpa came to visit with us this past month. You had such a good time with him, which really surprised us, because you really haven't seen him that much, so we figured you'd be shy around him. But not so. You played harder with him than you have with anyone, launching yourself at him like a skydiver. You made him pretend to be the Big Bad Wolf (of 'Three Little Pigs' fame) about a hundred times, but in your version of the story, the little pig was always the winner. The next time we see him will likely be at his 4th wedding this summer, if we can get to it. Yeah, 4th wedding I said. Ask me about that one sometime.
This month I noticed a greater than usual amount of people commenting about your immense vocabulary and your control over it. I imagine that a function of being around adults more means that you are likely to pick up linguistic skills easier, but its just as plausible that you are a ridiculously smart girl instead. I like that one.
Some favourite things of yours this month: Kraft Dinner. No matter what meal it is, the one thing that we are guaranteed that you will at least eat some of, is Kraft Dinner. You usually like to share too, which always brings a smile. Your favourite book lately has been a collection of condensed Disney stories, that you often prefer to flip through yourself a few times before you pick one (or all) for me to read. Your favourite tv show has been 'Peep and the Big Wide World'. You call it Peep and the Whole Wide World, and you scream bloody murder if we try to correct you. I just call it Peep.
I couldn't settle on what pictures to post with this letter, so I am attaching more than the normal amount. Each of them is just too adorable to toss into the pile of other pictures I'm not showing the world (and you).
See you next month.
As always, your Daddy loves you.
Dear Trinity,
You and I continue watching old Trek series together and have this month moved to the all-important watching Star Trek: The Next Generation portion of our Daddy/Daughter relationship. Much to Mom's dismay, you really get off on yelling around the room when its time to watch a new episode. Obviously a series that can sometimes show adult themes or violence can only be seen in a very abbreviated state by a 2 year old, but this is where the luck of having a Dad that has seen every episode at least a dozen times comes in. I just skip past the offensive bits and you and I have a blast together.
You continue to amaze with both your vocabulary and your ability to hold conversations with it. You can carry on a conversation now on some level about almost anything, and you have integrated talking so much into your imaginative play that its awesome to just sit back and listen as you tell stories, make up scenarios, have conversations. The books you like to read have also been affected by your growing vocabulary. You now want to read stories that have lots of text and sometimes you like to flip through them and repeat the words you know are associated with each page, as if you were reading them on your own.
The longest part of the winter is almost over now, and I for one am just fine with it. Your Mom and I have spent the last month with you taking advantage of whatever we could think to do in the sometimes ridiculously cold Northern Ontario winter, and we're pretty much ready to start doing things outdoors with you in nicer weather now.
Yesterday, you and I went ice fishing together, (no Mom allowed this time) and hung out with your Uncle Dave and a friend of his and his little girl. You did what we do out there; ate hot dogs, jigged for fish and were generally the highlight of everyone's afternoon. On the way back you honked the horn the entire way across the lake to your grandparents house, and it was funny all the way there.
Today we went out to a local Maple Tapping operation to expose you to probably the last winter outdoor thing we could think of that we hadn't already done or rejected. We went on a horse sleigh ride, saw some part of the 5,000 or so tapped trees, ate taffy and hot dogs, and had an all around awesome time. We also went out for dinner tonight, and you opted to wear a princess dress-up outfit. There was a live band and you again entertained everyone as you ran around the restaurant between our table and the band's setup dancing your little heart out.
The past few months has seen a quantum leap in your ability to draw, a fact that I have gone around telling, showing and blogging about already. Here is the latest from the growing pile of your artwork we are putting away. You actually told us it was Baby Jack Jack from The Incredibles. Awesome.
You also have been really enjoying using the computer lately. You haven't quite got the mouse down yet but your Mom and you discovered interactive flash games on the Sesame Street site and you have been using the keyboard a little when prompted. You love Youtube too, and can't get enough of being able to ask for something and finding a video clip of it a few seconds later. Until you surpass me as the resident computer geek of the family, I will continue to find it both cute and a point of pride.
See you next month,
Love Daddy
You and I continue watching old Trek series together and have this month moved to the all-important watching Star Trek: The Next Generation portion of our Daddy/Daughter relationship. Much to Mom's dismay, you really get off on yelling around the room when its time to watch a new episode. Obviously a series that can sometimes show adult themes or violence can only be seen in a very abbreviated state by a 2 year old, but this is where the luck of having a Dad that has seen every episode at least a dozen times comes in. I just skip past the offensive bits and you and I have a blast together.
You continue to amaze with both your vocabulary and your ability to hold conversations with it. You can carry on a conversation now on some level about almost anything, and you have integrated talking so much into your imaginative play that its awesome to just sit back and listen as you tell stories, make up scenarios, have conversations. The books you like to read have also been affected by your growing vocabulary. You now want to read stories that have lots of text and sometimes you like to flip through them and repeat the words you know are associated with each page, as if you were reading them on your own.
The longest part of the winter is almost over now, and I for one am just fine with it. Your Mom and I have spent the last month with you taking advantage of whatever we could think to do in the sometimes ridiculously cold Northern Ontario winter, and we're pretty much ready to start doing things outdoors with you in nicer weather now.
Yesterday, you and I went ice fishing together, (no Mom allowed this time) and hung out with your Uncle Dave and a friend of his and his little girl. You did what we do out there; ate hot dogs, jigged for fish and were generally the highlight of everyone's afternoon. On the way back you honked the horn the entire way across the lake to your grandparents house, and it was funny all the way there.
Today we went out to a local Maple Tapping operation to expose you to probably the last winter outdoor thing we could think of that we hadn't already done or rejected. We went on a horse sleigh ride, saw some part of the 5,000 or so tapped trees, ate taffy and hot dogs, and had an all around awesome time. We also went out for dinner tonight, and you opted to wear a princess dress-up outfit. There was a live band and you again entertained everyone as you ran around the restaurant between our table and the band's setup dancing your little heart out.
The past few months has seen a quantum leap in your ability to draw, a fact that I have gone around telling, showing and blogging about already. Here is the latest from the growing pile of your artwork we are putting away. You actually told us it was Baby Jack Jack from The Incredibles. Awesome.
You also have been really enjoying using the computer lately. You haven't quite got the mouse down yet but your Mom and you discovered interactive flash games on the Sesame Street site and you have been using the keyboard a little when prompted. You love Youtube too, and can't get enough of being able to ask for something and finding a video clip of it a few seconds later. Until you surpass me as the resident computer geek of the family, I will continue to find it both cute and a point of pride.
See you next month,
Love Daddy
Dear Trinity,
I have to gush about this one. When I saw this picture that you drew when I came home from work tonight I was so taken aback I actually said the words ' I am completely taken aback.'
At which point you said 'Don't take it back!' and proceeded to remove the object of my fandom from the refrigerator. But seriously, this thing is getting framed. You have been drawing, painting and colouring for months now, but out of nowhere your random squiggles and lines and shapes coalesced today into a fairly clearly recognizable depiction of a person, a little baby in fact. I was so taken aback.
And here's an interesting thing; You just watched me open my utorrent client on my laptop and with no prompting from me whatsoever you asked if we could 'download shows Dad?' So either I am introducing you to illegal downloading or I am exposing you to the communal experience of filesharing, depending on one's point of view. But either way, you are paying close attention. If I hadn't already used it, I would claim that the event had me taken aback. But I digress.
This past month has seen your Mom and I expose you to something we thought we wouldn't do for years: ice fishing. I had myself convinced that you were going to end up in the lake if we took you out, but as it turned out, it was a very safe, enjoyable experience. You loved helping out with the bait and were very into being taught how the whole operation worked. It was a lot of fun. And your Mom introduced you to the sole reason why she goes ice fishing; Hot Dogs. Apparently in her family, no matter what time you go out, or if you ate immediately before you left, went you get to the ice hut and light the stove, it is necessary to cook and eat hot dogs. I think it likely that it contributed to your enjoyment of the whole experience.
You have been busy this past month snapping pictures with your new camera, so we have lots and lots of digital pics of the floor, the ceiling, body parts that come off as random blurry somethings, and the occasional self-portrait that would make any MySpace Profile-portrait-taker envious. I mean seriously, things don't get much cuter.
When I sit down to write these letters, I always feel like I need to tell you more about what's going on in your life, because it seems like I fall short of accurately capturing how you've changed since the last month. But I also don't want to feel like I am taking notes either. I guess as long as you look back on these and know how I felt about you when I wrote them, then my work is done.
Love Daddy
I have to gush about this one. When I saw this picture that you drew when I came home from work tonight I was so taken aback I actually said the words ' I am completely taken aback.'
At which point you said 'Don't take it back!' and proceeded to remove the object of my fandom from the refrigerator. But seriously, this thing is getting framed. You have been drawing, painting and colouring for months now, but out of nowhere your random squiggles and lines and shapes coalesced today into a fairly clearly recognizable depiction of a person, a little baby in fact. I was so taken aback.
And here's an interesting thing; You just watched me open my utorrent client on my laptop and with no prompting from me whatsoever you asked if we could 'download shows Dad?' So either I am introducing you to illegal downloading or I am exposing you to the communal experience of filesharing, depending on one's point of view. But either way, you are paying close attention. If I hadn't already used it, I would claim that the event had me taken aback. But I digress.
This past month has seen your Mom and I expose you to something we thought we wouldn't do for years: ice fishing. I had myself convinced that you were going to end up in the lake if we took you out, but as it turned out, it was a very safe, enjoyable experience. You loved helping out with the bait and were very into being taught how the whole operation worked. It was a lot of fun. And your Mom introduced you to the sole reason why she goes ice fishing; Hot Dogs. Apparently in her family, no matter what time you go out, or if you ate immediately before you left, went you get to the ice hut and light the stove, it is necessary to cook and eat hot dogs. I think it likely that it contributed to your enjoyment of the whole experience.
You have been busy this past month snapping pictures with your new camera, so we have lots and lots of digital pics of the floor, the ceiling, body parts that come off as random blurry somethings, and the occasional self-portrait that would make any MySpace Profile-portrait-taker envious. I mean seriously, things don't get much cuter.
When I sit down to write these letters, I always feel like I need to tell you more about what's going on in your life, because it seems like I fall short of accurately capturing how you've changed since the last month. But I also don't want to feel like I am taking notes either. I guess as long as you look back on these and know how I felt about you when I wrote them, then my work is done.
Love Daddy
A friend of mine loaned me his entire collection of DVD sets that encompass the seven year Star Trek: Deep Space Nine series and I have been working my way through it whenever I can, sometimes by myself and sometimes with either or both of Trin and Superwife watching with me. I know, this guy is a nice friend eh? I wouldn't trust anyone I know with hundreds of dollars of my stuff. But that maybe says more about me being a a bit of a jerk than anything else.
Anyway, out of all of the Star Trek series I have watched over the years, DS9 was the one that I always thought the least of. I watched a few episodes here and there, but I never paid it the kind of fanatical attention that I have given to all the other series. To wit, I have copies of pretty much every Next Generation and Enterprise episode, all the movies on various formats, and have watched and re-watched all the Original Series episodes countless times. Even with Voyager I have seen every episode at least once and I knew that show sucked while I was watching it. I think probably because I was (and am) a HUGE Babylon 5 fan that I never gave Paramount's version of a space station on the frontier much of a chance. But I am almost through Deep Space Nine now, one season left to go, and I have a whole new appreciation for the series. Its really very good. I listened to a speech put on by Armin Shimmerman (the guy who played Quark, the bartender) at a convention once, and I now wish I had been more into the show at the time so that I would have geeked out a little more about seeing him speak in person.
The reason for this morning's DS9 love in, is that I just now finished watching one of the most moving Trek episodes I have ever seen and felt the need to record my thoughts before they flitter off onto something else less impactful.
The episode was called Time's Orphan and centered around a Time Travel accident that involves The O'Briens and their daughter Molly. The little girl disappears through a re-use of the City on The Edge of Forever prop 300 years into the past, and when the O'Briens manage to get her back she has aged ten years, and not for the better. She has spent the last ten years as a savage, the only inhabitant on an isolated planet. She is violent, can hardly communicate and only wants to go back to what she thinks of as home. At one point while the O'Briens try to reconnect with their daughter she attacks a number of people and ends up viciously stabbing one poor bystander, causing her to be arrested.
In the end, faced with the prospect of their little girl being sent to some rehabilitation center she would most likely die at, the O'Briens (through the miracle of Treknology) decide to send her back through the time-gate to live out the rest of her life where she is happy and safe. And the scene when they let her go, and the two of them have to say goodbye to her, ostensibly forever, is just really, really heartbreaking. Either the acting in this Star Trek was better than I would have thought, or the fact that I now have a daughter impacts me in ways that I would never have suspected. I seriously had a good cry because of that scene.
And yes I know my daughter isn't likely to go time travelling anytime soon, but I do not ever want to say goodbye to her in any permanent sense as long as I live. I can only hope that she outlives me by a wide margin and that she gets the chance to be happy and safe for however long she has. See, here I go again. Fucking Star Trek: You've been teacher, comforter, friend and longtime companion. But I never thought you'd turn me into a crybaby.
Anyway, out of all of the Star Trek series I have watched over the years, DS9 was the one that I always thought the least of. I watched a few episodes here and there, but I never paid it the kind of fanatical attention that I have given to all the other series. To wit, I have copies of pretty much every Next Generation and Enterprise episode, all the movies on various formats, and have watched and re-watched all the Original Series episodes countless times. Even with Voyager I have seen every episode at least once and I knew that show sucked while I was watching it. I think probably because I was (and am) a HUGE Babylon 5 fan that I never gave Paramount's version of a space station on the frontier much of a chance. But I am almost through Deep Space Nine now, one season left to go, and I have a whole new appreciation for the series. Its really very good. I listened to a speech put on by Armin Shimmerman (the guy who played Quark, the bartender) at a convention once, and I now wish I had been more into the show at the time so that I would have geeked out a little more about seeing him speak in person.
The reason for this morning's DS9 love in, is that I just now finished watching one of the most moving Trek episodes I have ever seen and felt the need to record my thoughts before they flitter off onto something else less impactful.
The episode was called Time's Orphan and centered around a Time Travel accident that involves The O'Briens and their daughter Molly. The little girl disappears through a re-use of the City on The Edge of Forever prop 300 years into the past, and when the O'Briens manage to get her back she has aged ten years, and not for the better. She has spent the last ten years as a savage, the only inhabitant on an isolated planet. She is violent, can hardly communicate and only wants to go back to what she thinks of as home. At one point while the O'Briens try to reconnect with their daughter she attacks a number of people and ends up viciously stabbing one poor bystander, causing her to be arrested.
In the end, faced with the prospect of their little girl being sent to some rehabilitation center she would most likely die at, the O'Briens (through the miracle of Treknology) decide to send her back through the time-gate to live out the rest of her life where she is happy and safe. And the scene when they let her go, and the two of them have to say goodbye to her, ostensibly forever, is just really, really heartbreaking. Either the acting in this Star Trek was better than I would have thought, or the fact that I now have a daughter impacts me in ways that I would never have suspected. I seriously had a good cry because of that scene.
And yes I know my daughter isn't likely to go time travelling anytime soon, but I do not ever want to say goodbye to her in any permanent sense as long as I live. I can only hope that she outlives me by a wide margin and that she gets the chance to be happy and safe for however long she has. See, here I go again. Fucking Star Trek: You've been teacher, comforter, friend and longtime companion. But I never thought you'd turn me into a crybaby.
Dear Trinity,
This month you got to spend your first xmas at our new place, and you had quite a time of it. You got a laundry list of things for xmas from your Mom and I, as well as from all of your grandparents and Aunts and Uncles and friends. If things keep on like this, this new house of ours is going to get filled up quicker than we'd planned. Here is some of the loot that I think bears worth remembering:
You had a lot of fun opening and playing with your new stuff. And you were so polite to everyone, every single time you got a new gift. One would think that you would get tired of all the "Thank you so much"es and "I love you"s, but you didn't seem to. We shot some video and of course, we took a number of obligatory pictures. Not as many as I did last year, because I tried to actually be a participant as well as a photographer this time around.
A friend of mine loaned me the series set of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and I have been working in episodes pretty much whenever I can. I don't know if its the exposure to it or that you get off on knowing how much it pleases your Dad, but the fact of the matter is that you like Star Trek. For a geek like me I really don't know what else there is to say other than that you. Like. Star Trek. So fun. And it is so annoying for your Mom, because now there is no longer only one trekkie in the house, so we actually get to watch it. Obviously any episode that has any real violence in it gets omitted, or if anything nasty is coming up, we just skip by it. For that reason I end up re-watching a lot of Trek, but I'm not complaining about that. And when you see the Changeling shapeshift your imagination is working overdrive. That is pretty cool.
You got your very first dogsled ride this past month. We were walking our husky and pulling you along on your toboggan at the same time and decided maybe we had ourselves a winning combination. So we hooked the leash to your sled and you had the time of your life. I think we are going to have to get that doggie a proper harness for next time. Both you and her had a big sleep that night and that is the kind of thing your Mom and I like to see in both of you.
It looks like your Mom is going to be able to work a few days a month now that we have access to free daycare (your Grandma) that will make it financially viable for her to. But on the days that your Mom is going to work and I am off (thank you, shift work) you and I are going to get to hang out together, and I am so looking forward to that. And its not looking to be the nasty cold winter we were promised, so hopefully we'll get to do a lot of outdoor fun stuff in the snow. I am thinking of taking you ice fishing, but you are only going if you are attached securely to me. I don't want to spend any part of the trip freaking out worrying about you deciding to see where the hole in the ice goes.
Not much else to tell you about Princess, except that you are my Princess. I don't mind the implied connotation that I think of your Mom as a Queen, because she is, but I am no King, except maybe of random Star Trek trivia.
See you next month,
Love
Daddy
This month you got to spend your first xmas at our new place, and you had quite a time of it. You got a laundry list of things for xmas from your Mom and I, as well as from all of your grandparents and Aunts and Uncles and friends. If things keep on like this, this new house of ours is going to get filled up quicker than we'd planned. Here is some of the loot that I think bears worth remembering:
- Twilight Turtle - We got this one for you. It projects a starfield on the ceiling from a cutesy plush turtle. The telescope is next year, so keep your eyes on the stars. Er, ceiling.
- Digital Camera - I so love that you have this. Until you take a pic of me with a finger knuckle deep in a nostril with it, that is.
- Dora video game - aww, your first video game (actually it isn't but the infant learning one we bought last year never caught on)
You had a lot of fun opening and playing with your new stuff. And you were so polite to everyone, every single time you got a new gift. One would think that you would get tired of all the "Thank you so much"es and "I love you"s, but you didn't seem to. We shot some video and of course, we took a number of obligatory pictures. Not as many as I did last year, because I tried to actually be a participant as well as a photographer this time around.
A friend of mine loaned me the series set of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and I have been working in episodes pretty much whenever I can. I don't know if its the exposure to it or that you get off on knowing how much it pleases your Dad, but the fact of the matter is that you like Star Trek. For a geek like me I really don't know what else there is to say other than that you. Like. Star Trek. So fun. And it is so annoying for your Mom, because now there is no longer only one trekkie in the house, so we actually get to watch it. Obviously any episode that has any real violence in it gets omitted, or if anything nasty is coming up, we just skip by it. For that reason I end up re-watching a lot of Trek, but I'm not complaining about that. And when you see the Changeling shapeshift your imagination is working overdrive. That is pretty cool.
You got your very first dogsled ride this past month. We were walking our husky and pulling you along on your toboggan at the same time and decided maybe we had ourselves a winning combination. So we hooked the leash to your sled and you had the time of your life. I think we are going to have to get that doggie a proper harness for next time. Both you and her had a big sleep that night and that is the kind of thing your Mom and I like to see in both of you.
It looks like your Mom is going to be able to work a few days a month now that we have access to free daycare (your Grandma) that will make it financially viable for her to. But on the days that your Mom is going to work and I am off (thank you, shift work) you and I are going to get to hang out together, and I am so looking forward to that. And its not looking to be the nasty cold winter we were promised, so hopefully we'll get to do a lot of outdoor fun stuff in the snow. I am thinking of taking you ice fishing, but you are only going if you are attached securely to me. I don't want to spend any part of the trip freaking out worrying about you deciding to see where the hole in the ice goes.
Not much else to tell you about Princess, except that you are my Princess. I don't mind the implied connotation that I think of your Mom as a Queen, because she is, but I am no King, except maybe of random Star Trek trivia.
See you next month,
Love
Daddy
Labels: everything else, family, star trek, trinity
I am feeling old tonight.
I was laying in the bath earlier and was listening to my daughter throw a spectacular tantrum out in the living room with Superwife. And I just felt old. I know that I am not that old to have a two year old daughter, but sometimes I am older than I'd like to be with one.
Earlier today Trin threw a similar tantrum while Superwife was trying to take her out of her carseat and ended up smacking herself so hard in the lip on the car door that she cut herself. It wasn't Superwife's fault at all, but I was so paralyzed when it happened.
I guess tonight I kind of wish that we had Trin years ago, when I was only marginally less stupid than I am now. I am comforted by the fact that causality would have demanded that we had a totally different child then the one we have in the here and now, but I have been thinking lately of how old I will be when certain milestones in my daughter's life are reached. First day of school, driver's test, high school graduation, first boyfriend. And yes it will happen in that order, if me and my shotgun have anything to say about it. I am also comforted by the fact that Superwife is the awesome Mom that she is. I love my little girl more than I love myself, and being the narcissist that I am, that is saying a lot. But I don't have the patience that Superwife does, and she is so good with our little girl that I feel like such a pretender by comparison.
I don't think this melancholy has anything to do with the changing of the year, but I suppose if I think about it long enough, I could make a connection. I just feel old in my bones tonight. Maybe its the fact that the holiday season is over and there's not much to look forward to between now and warm weather except for a little ice fishing. Maybe its that I feel like at my age, it might be better to have more security at work than I do now. But I have only my decision to switch careers a few years ago to blame for that one. Maybe its a recurrence of the financial pressure of being the only bread-winner in the family. But maybe I just know that I won't be around forever, and when the end does come, hopefully 70 years or so from now, I am going to want to have had more time with the people that matter to me.
Or maybe I am just having a periodic attack of melodrama and I need to lighten the fuck up.
I was laying in the bath earlier and was listening to my daughter throw a spectacular tantrum out in the living room with Superwife. And I just felt old. I know that I am not that old to have a two year old daughter, but sometimes I am older than I'd like to be with one.
Earlier today Trin threw a similar tantrum while Superwife was trying to take her out of her carseat and ended up smacking herself so hard in the lip on the car door that she cut herself. It wasn't Superwife's fault at all, but I was so paralyzed when it happened.
I guess tonight I kind of wish that we had Trin years ago, when I was only marginally less stupid than I am now. I am comforted by the fact that causality would have demanded that we had a totally different child then the one we have in the here and now, but I have been thinking lately of how old I will be when certain milestones in my daughter's life are reached. First day of school, driver's test, high school graduation, first boyfriend. And yes it will happen in that order, if me and my shotgun have anything to say about it. I am also comforted by the fact that Superwife is the awesome Mom that she is. I love my little girl more than I love myself, and being the narcissist that I am, that is saying a lot. But I don't have the patience that Superwife does, and she is so good with our little girl that I feel like such a pretender by comparison.
I don't think this melancholy has anything to do with the changing of the year, but I suppose if I think about it long enough, I could make a connection. I just feel old in my bones tonight. Maybe its the fact that the holiday season is over and there's not much to look forward to between now and warm weather except for a little ice fishing. Maybe its that I feel like at my age, it might be better to have more security at work than I do now. But I have only my decision to switch careers a few years ago to blame for that one. Maybe its a recurrence of the financial pressure of being the only bread-winner in the family. But maybe I just know that I won't be around forever, and when the end does come, hopefully 70 years or so from now, I am going to want to have had more time with the people that matter to me.
Or maybe I am just having a periodic attack of melodrama and I need to lighten the fuck up.
Dear Trinity,
It's been a big month for the Brown Family. We finally moved into our new house a few weeks ago, after what seemed an interminable wait. I love your grandparents a lot, but living with anyone who isn't your immediate family for any length of time can be hard even under the best of circumstances. They were gracious and generous, but not having your own space can always cause friction. And I am sure that your Dad was no picnic for them either.
You love the new place, and that has made your Mom and I a little less anxious. With moving you from the only place you've ever lived into your grandparents, then into another place again, we were worried you wouldn't take well to it. But we forgot what a trooper you are. You love your new room, you moved from a crib to a bed in one night, and you pretty much want to spend all of your time in your room, playing with newly rediscovered toys. Maybe the fact that you have a room again is part of it.
One of the benefits (and downfalls) of living up north is all the snow up here. You love it, and you love getting either pulled on your sled in the snow, or pulling it along yourself. Shovelling it and driving in it are different matters, but so long as you're happy, who am I to complain?
Another christmas is coming soon, and you are totally jazzed about that. There are some things that I am not a big fan of with the holiday, but I don't want to ruin the fun that goes along with knowing that some things aren't what you think they are. You'll find that out all on your own, over and over, without my help. You helped your Mom and I decorate the tree and that was a lot of fun. You went right for the Darth Vader ornament, so its not all bad at all.
We got a surprise visit from your Aunt and cousin last week and you had a great time of it. You got to visit and play with your cousin who you hadn't seen since the early part of the summer. She is just over a year old, and cries a lot, and its almost funny how we all forgot how things were with you at that age. Almost. Of course, you have your own idiosyncrasies at this age; throwing things, screaming, tantrums being the most fun on the list. But its so different when its
someone else's child doing anything negative, even if its my sisters. I love my little niece to bits though, and I do hope that you and her get to be close as you are growing up. Of course, the next time they come up, they could leave the nasty cold that they gave all of us at home.
I can't wait until the next time I have a chunk of time off from work again so we can spend more time together. I envy your Mom a fair bit these days, as she gets to hang out in our new place with you all the time. But even though I have to work a lot of the time, its totally worth it. I get to make sure that my two favourite people are happy. And that's pretty much all that matters.
Love,
Daddy
It's been a big month for the Brown Family. We finally moved into our new house a few weeks ago, after what seemed an interminable wait. I love your grandparents a lot, but living with anyone who isn't your immediate family for any length of time can be hard even under the best of circumstances. They were gracious and generous, but not having your own space can always cause friction. And I am sure that your Dad was no picnic for them either.
You love the new place, and that has made your Mom and I a little less anxious. With moving you from the only place you've ever lived into your grandparents, then into another place again, we were worried you wouldn't take well to it. But we forgot what a trooper you are. You love your new room, you moved from a crib to a bed in one night, and you pretty much want to spend all of your time in your room, playing with newly rediscovered toys. Maybe the fact that you have a room again is part of it.
One of the benefits (and downfalls) of living up north is all the snow up here. You love it, and you love getting either pulled on your sled in the snow, or pulling it along yourself. Shovelling it and driving in it are different matters, but so long as you're happy, who am I to complain?
Another christmas is coming soon, and you are totally jazzed about that. There are some things that I am not a big fan of with the holiday, but I don't want to ruin the fun that goes along with knowing that some things aren't what you think they are. You'll find that out all on your own, over and over, without my help. You helped your Mom and I decorate the tree and that was a lot of fun. You went right for the Darth Vader ornament, so its not all bad at all.
We got a surprise visit from your Aunt and cousin last week and you had a great time of it. You got to visit and play with your cousin who you hadn't seen since the early part of the summer. She is just over a year old, and cries a lot, and its almost funny how we all forgot how things were with you at that age. Almost. Of course, you have your own idiosyncrasies at this age; throwing things, screaming, tantrums being the most fun on the list. But its so different when its
someone else's child doing anything negative, even if its my sisters. I love my little niece to bits though, and I do hope that you and her get to be close as you are growing up. Of course, the next time they come up, they could leave the nasty cold that they gave all of us at home.
I can't wait until the next time I have a chunk of time off from work again so we can spend more time together. I envy your Mom a fair bit these days, as she gets to hang out in our new place with you all the time. But even though I have to work a lot of the time, its totally worth it. I get to make sure that my two favourite people are happy. And that's pretty much all that matters.
Love,
Daddy
Labels: trinity
Dear Trinity,
Another month, another month that we are still homeless. Even you are getting anxious to get into your own space. Every time we go over to the house you tear down the hall to go check out what (if anything) might have changed in your room and you throw a fit when it is time to leave. And not just any fit. The kind of fit that you lately only reserve for the real freakouts, like when we go shopping and it looks like you aren't going to be getting a treat. Or when we drive past (and do not stop at) a McDonald's. Or when it is time to leave the park.
Man, can you yell. I don't raise my voice very often; I have been always been more the whiny, moody angry type. And your Mom is more of the quiet grudgy angry variety. So we don't know where the screaming comes from. Personally I think it comes from watching your Grandpa in action, because that guy can yell and slam doors with the best of them. Maybe not the finest example of things you're learning while living with your Grandparents, but there it is.
But its not all unfinished houses and door slamming. You have been really fun to hang out with lately. The different facets of your burgeoning new personality come out more and more all the time. For example, seemingly out of nowhere you have decided to proclaim yourself your Uncle's personal champion. He is still banged up pretty bad, the worst of it being his leg slowly healing up, and you have decided to take it on yourself to defend him from any perceived wrongdoing, even from your Mom and I. If someone sits on his couch, even if he isn't coming back for awhile, you pull them out of it. If someone moves his glass, even to refill it, they get a 'That's Uncle Dave's!' for their trouble. It is really funny to watch.
This month has seen the introduction of my two so far favourite phrases from you. The first, 'I love you so much' melts me about as fast as an ice cube might when tossed into the sun. You usually accompany this gem with a huge hug, some kisses, and a nosy thrown in for measure. A nosy being rubbing our noses together and saying 'Nosy, nosy, nosy'. And you do this on your own, without provocation, when you feel the need to communicate how you feel about us. Its awesome.
The other new favourite phrase is this: 'You wanna watch Spaceballs dad?' Inexplicably, this movie fascinates you. It does happen to be one of my all time favourites, and I count among my skills the ability to quote any line from any scene from memory. But I haven't pushed this on you one bit. I think the only time I have ever watched it with you at all was one time waaaaaay back during the first few weeks after you were born and you hadn't yet started sleeping through the night. And that couldn't have been less than 2 years ago. Maybe its the image of Dark Helmet that gets you so. It is pretty funny. Either way, you love this movie, and because of that aforementioned skill about knowing every scene in the movie, I can skip past the parts I deem inappropriate and you and I can watch a good father-daughter movie together. And eat popcorn, let's not forget that part.
Another thing that you are getting into, and this can only be attributed to my interest in comics, is superheroes. You love going through the issues that I am okay with you tearing to shreds and you can name most of the DC Universe now. How many other 2 year olds can do that? The only complaint I would have is that I am now noticing how male centered the superhero genre is. I have tried to find you some girl superhero pjs or play costumes, and its almost impossible. I finally settled on a pair of Spider-Man pjs, and have just taken to calling you Spidey or Spider-Girl, which you love.
Our major highlight from this past month was definitely taking you out for your first Halloween. That was so much fun for everyone. You had a few different outfits to choose from, and you ended up settling on a lion. So cute. And safe? I can’t imagine a safer why to spend Halloween than having your Mom and Dad drive you to every house (you went to 4 total), walk you up to the door and then drive you to the next one. You said Trick or Treat at each stop and you also thanked the candy givers each time.
Next year, I think we might try out one of those mall things, where we sign you up and you go around to the participating retailers to get your goodies. Still as safe, not quite as much fun, but you’re certain to get a ridiculous amount of candy in the process. And that is likely to matter more as the years go by.
I think next year I am going to dress up too. No point in you having all the fun. Maybe we can go as some kind of father daughter team. Although now that I think of it, none really come to mind. Well, I have a year to think about it.
Talk to you next month.
Love,
Daddy
Another month, another month that we are still homeless. Even you are getting anxious to get into your own space. Every time we go over to the house you tear down the hall to go check out what (if anything) might have changed in your room and you throw a fit when it is time to leave. And not just any fit. The kind of fit that you lately only reserve for the real freakouts, like when we go shopping and it looks like you aren't going to be getting a treat. Or when we drive past (and do not stop at) a McDonald's. Or when it is time to leave the park.
Man, can you yell. I don't raise my voice very often; I have been always been more the whiny, moody angry type. And your Mom is more of the quiet grudgy angry variety. So we don't know where the screaming comes from. Personally I think it comes from watching your Grandpa in action, because that guy can yell and slam doors with the best of them. Maybe not the finest example of things you're learning while living with your Grandparents, but there it is.
But its not all unfinished houses and door slamming. You have been really fun to hang out with lately. The different facets of your burgeoning new personality come out more and more all the time. For example, seemingly out of nowhere you have decided to proclaim yourself your Uncle's personal champion. He is still banged up pretty bad, the worst of it being his leg slowly healing up, and you have decided to take it on yourself to defend him from any perceived wrongdoing, even from your Mom and I. If someone sits on his couch, even if he isn't coming back for awhile, you pull them out of it. If someone moves his glass, even to refill it, they get a 'That's Uncle Dave's!' for their trouble. It is really funny to watch.
This month has seen the introduction of my two so far favourite phrases from you. The first, 'I love you so much' melts me about as fast as an ice cube might when tossed into the sun. You usually accompany this gem with a huge hug, some kisses, and a nosy thrown in for measure. A nosy being rubbing our noses together and saying 'Nosy, nosy, nosy'. And you do this on your own, without provocation, when you feel the need to communicate how you feel about us. Its awesome.
The other new favourite phrase is this: 'You wanna watch Spaceballs dad?' Inexplicably, this movie fascinates you. It does happen to be one of my all time favourites, and I count among my skills the ability to quote any line from any scene from memory. But I haven't pushed this on you one bit. I think the only time I have ever watched it with you at all was one time waaaaaay back during the first few weeks after you were born and you hadn't yet started sleeping through the night. And that couldn't have been less than 2 years ago. Maybe its the image of Dark Helmet that gets you so. It is pretty funny. Either way, you love this movie, and because of that aforementioned skill about knowing every scene in the movie, I can skip past the parts I deem inappropriate and you and I can watch a good father-daughter movie together. And eat popcorn, let's not forget that part.
Another thing that you are getting into, and this can only be attributed to my interest in comics, is superheroes. You love going through the issues that I am okay with you tearing to shreds and you can name most of the DC Universe now. How many other 2 year olds can do that? The only complaint I would have is that I am now noticing how male centered the superhero genre is. I have tried to find you some girl superhero pjs or play costumes, and its almost impossible. I finally settled on a pair of Spider-Man pjs, and have just taken to calling you Spidey or Spider-Girl, which you love.
Our major highlight from this past month was definitely taking you out for your first Halloween. That was so much fun for everyone. You had a few different outfits to choose from, and you ended up settling on a lion. So cute. And safe? I can’t imagine a safer why to spend Halloween than having your Mom and Dad drive you to every house (you went to 4 total), walk you up to the door and then drive you to the next one. You said Trick or Treat at each stop and you also thanked the candy givers each time.
Next year, I think we might try out one of those mall things, where we sign you up and you go around to the participating retailers to get your goodies. Still as safe, not quite as much fun, but you’re certain to get a ridiculous amount of candy in the process. And that is likely to matter more as the years go by.
I think next year I am going to dress up too. No point in you having all the fun. Maybe we can go as some kind of father daughter team. Although now that I think of it, none really come to mind. Well, I have a year to think about it.
Talk to you next month.
Love,
Daddy
Labels: everything else, our new house, trinity
So Superwife and I took Trin out for her first Halloween tonight. And it was so different than it ever would have been if we had have stayed down south.
We took her to canvas the people in the neighborhood that she knew and that entailed driving her to and from each one, getting out of the car, going up to the door and watching her turn into some shy meek little thing that I had heretofore never met in my life. She managed to whisper out a trick or treat each time, and because hardly anyone ever visits the sticks, every stop she scored a ridiculous amount of loot.
But the best part was that we live so far out in the middle of nowhere that not once on our tour of the back roads did we come across one other single kid out for Halloween. Truth is we were watching for deer a lot more than we were watching for other kids. And we actually saw deer.
We took her to canvas the people in the neighborhood that she knew and that entailed driving her to and from each one, getting out of the car, going up to the door and watching her turn into some shy meek little thing that I had heretofore never met in my life. She managed to whisper out a trick or treat each time, and because hardly anyone ever visits the sticks, every stop she scored a ridiculous amount of loot.
But the best part was that we live so far out in the middle of nowhere that not once on our tour of the back roads did we come across one other single kid out for Halloween. Truth is we were watching for deer a lot more than we were watching for other kids. And we actually saw deer.
Dear Trinity,
This month sees the start of the first of 2 additional months that we are still going to be living with your grandparents. The date for our house to be finished was pushed back til mid November, and so we are all one big happy family for a little while longer. Although to be honest, I can't wait to see you running around in your new house. Everytime we visit, you want to visit your new room, and you know where it is, even though the inside of the house is little more than framed.
From your point of view, I don't see how you could be much happier. You get to have lots of different people in and out of the house all the time, so there's always new faces to see and new people to play with and test your boundaries on.
Your favourite song lately is 1234, by Feist. Along with the rest of the world, you discovered it on the latest iPod commercial and asked for it often enough that I both downloaded for you to rock out to in the car and everywhere else, and I added the video to my youtube favourites so you can watch it whenever you ask. Which is a lot.
This month marks the first time that you and your Mom collaboratively ganged up together to make fun of me. Apparently at 3 am when you are usually sleeping in between us (because who wants to sleep in a crib anyway?) you like to thrash and kick and be fairly belligerent about the whole thing. And apparently when that happens, in my sleep I say things like 'Oh, man' and 'I'm trying to sleep!'. And now you and your Mom harangue me every chance you get about it. It is very funny the way you try to do my voice and drag out the 'ohhhhhh, maaaaaan's. I don't think I sound like that, but its still hilarious.
You finger paint now!
What else can I say about that? You finger paint! And you actually seem to be pretty good at it. Your level of concentration alone is worth the price of admission.
This month also marks the last time I will be working days for awhile. I have been getting into the habits involved in working regular days and being off in the evenings and on weekends. We have dinner together, we do the bath, we read a book, you go to bed. It doesn't work that regularly very often, but it was a brief period of normalcy for us, and I was kind of getting used to it.
One of those things we would work into that routine was a read of your currently favourite book, one I picked up for you that retells the story of Star Wars from the perspective of R2D2. You call it the D2 book and you ask for it pretty much everytime. I love that you are into the things that I like, even when I don't push them on you.
Love,
Daddy
This month sees the start of the first of 2 additional months that we are still going to be living with your grandparents. The date for our house to be finished was pushed back til mid November, and so we are all one big happy family for a little while longer. Although to be honest, I can't wait to see you running around in your new house. Everytime we visit, you want to visit your new room, and you know where it is, even though the inside of the house is little more than framed.
From your point of view, I don't see how you could be much happier. You get to have lots of different people in and out of the house all the time, so there's always new faces to see and new people to play with and test your boundaries on.
Your favourite song lately is 1234, by Feist. Along with the rest of the world, you discovered it on the latest iPod commercial and asked for it often enough that I both downloaded for you to rock out to in the car and everywhere else, and I added the video to my youtube favourites so you can watch it whenever you ask. Which is a lot.
This month marks the first time that you and your Mom collaboratively ganged up together to make fun of me. Apparently at 3 am when you are usually sleeping in between us (because who wants to sleep in a crib anyway?) you like to thrash and kick and be fairly belligerent about the whole thing. And apparently when that happens, in my sleep I say things like 'Oh, man' and 'I'm trying to sleep!'. And now you and your Mom harangue me every chance you get about it. It is very funny the way you try to do my voice and drag out the 'ohhhhhh, maaaaaan's. I don't think I sound like that, but its still hilarious.
You finger paint now!
What else can I say about that? You finger paint! And you actually seem to be pretty good at it. Your level of concentration alone is worth the price of admission.
This month also marks the last time I will be working days for awhile. I have been getting into the habits involved in working regular days and being off in the evenings and on weekends. We have dinner together, we do the bath, we read a book, you go to bed. It doesn't work that regularly very often, but it was a brief period of normalcy for us, and I was kind of getting used to it.
One of those things we would work into that routine was a read of your currently favourite book, one I picked up for you that retells the story of Star Wars from the perspective of R2D2. You call it the D2 book and you ask for it pretty much everytime. I love that you are into the things that I like, even when I don't push them on you.
Love,
Daddy
Labels: trinity
Dear Trinity,
Weird month to talk about this time around. Weird because between spending time at the hospital with your Uncle Dave and starting my new job I really haven't seen you that much.
Your uncle got into a really bad motorbike accident three weeks back, and we've been up to see him at the hospital every day. Sometime we bring you with us, sometimes not. You have been having a real hard time on the times we do bring you along. It turns out that you are not so big on seeing loved ones in pain, on medication, looking distressed. You are getting more comfortable with the whole thing, I suppose because we are taking it more in stride than you are, but that in itself isn't necessarily a good thing. I think more people should feel empathy the way you do.
What's new with you this month?
You continue to love living up north. We moved up here with the intention of you being able to be closer to your grandparents, and you have decided to jump all over the whole thing. Your Grandma has taken you into town shopping (just the two of you!) a few times now and your Mom and I have only had mild anxiety attacks, so we're clearly doing much better with the trust issues.
You have already made more friends up here in one month than you had living down south for the last 2 years. You have playdates each week, and are really seeming to socialize well with the many different new faces.
People are amazed by how well you convey your thoughts; how large your vocabulary is, how long some of your sentences are. From my end, I am just delighted that you and I can carry on conversations back and forth now. Lately you ask me about the world and I do my best to answer as well as I can, knowing full well that you are drinking in my responses like a hungry sponge. I may not give the right or best possible answers, but they are usually the best answers I have handy.
You are getting really good at communicating your feelings as well. When I do see you during the week when I come home from work, you throw your arms around me and tell me that you love me soooooo much. I fall apart every single time. I plan on saving those moments for some undetermined point in the future when you care a little less for me but still feel the need to let me know. I'd like to think it won't happen, but I don't want to be too naive about things.
One thing that I have decided to implement, once a week, is some scheduled Daddy/Trinity time. Last week you and I went out together for the afternoon, went out for lunch, did a little shopping. It was so much fun, and I realized that I need to be very careful not to miss out on the opportunities to bond with you that come up. I don't stay home with you all the time, and I realyl want to build a relaionship with you that is strong and enduring, and that won't happen without my effort. So I have decided that we are going to have at least one afternoon like that a month, and I'm going to shoot for once a week. I am really looking forward to it.
I hope to get to spend more time with you this month than last.
Love,
Daddy
Weird month to talk about this time around. Weird because between spending time at the hospital with your Uncle Dave and starting my new job I really haven't seen you that much.
Your uncle got into a really bad motorbike accident three weeks back, and we've been up to see him at the hospital every day. Sometime we bring you with us, sometimes not. You have been having a real hard time on the times we do bring you along. It turns out that you are not so big on seeing loved ones in pain, on medication, looking distressed. You are getting more comfortable with the whole thing, I suppose because we are taking it more in stride than you are, but that in itself isn't necessarily a good thing. I think more people should feel empathy the way you do.
What's new with you this month?
You continue to love living up north. We moved up here with the intention of you being able to be closer to your grandparents, and you have decided to jump all over the whole thing. Your Grandma has taken you into town shopping (just the two of you!) a few times now and your Mom and I have only had mild anxiety attacks, so we're clearly doing much better with the trust issues.
You have already made more friends up here in one month than you had living down south for the last 2 years. You have playdates each week, and are really seeming to socialize well with the many different new faces.
People are amazed by how well you convey your thoughts; how large your vocabulary is, how long some of your sentences are. From my end, I am just delighted that you and I can carry on conversations back and forth now. Lately you ask me about the world and I do my best to answer as well as I can, knowing full well that you are drinking in my responses like a hungry sponge. I may not give the right or best possible answers, but they are usually the best answers I have handy.
You are getting really good at communicating your feelings as well. When I do see you during the week when I come home from work, you throw your arms around me and tell me that you love me soooooo much. I fall apart every single time. I plan on saving those moments for some undetermined point in the future when you care a little less for me but still feel the need to let me know. I'd like to think it won't happen, but I don't want to be too naive about things.
One thing that I have decided to implement, once a week, is some scheduled Daddy/Trinity time. Last week you and I went out together for the afternoon, went out for lunch, did a little shopping. It was so much fun, and I realized that I need to be very careful not to miss out on the opportunities to bond with you that come up. I don't stay home with you all the time, and I realyl want to build a relaionship with you that is strong and enduring, and that won't happen without my effort. So I have decided that we are going to have at least one afternoon like that a month, and I'm going to shoot for once a week. I am really looking forward to it.
I hope to get to spend more time with you this month than last.
Love,
Daddy
Labels: trinity
Dear Trinity,
It's been a big month for our family. We packed up our house, said goodbye to Southern Ontario, and moved the gang back up to where the air is cleaner and the Tim Horton's aren't everywhere just yet.
Our lives are in a particular state or limbo right now. I have yet to start my new position at work, the house we're having built hasn't been started yet, the majority of our belongings are being stored in a family member's ice shacks, and we are living with your Mom's parents. Things have been more stable for us at other points of our lives. But who wants stability anyway, right?
You have been a real trooper throughout the move though. You seemingly couldn't care less about leaving our house behind and moving in with your Grandma and Grandpa. You love living at their place on the lake; so much so in fact that I am more than a little concerned that the next move may not go quite so smoothly. But we'll burn that bridge when we come to it.
You finally received the book I had made for you composed of the first 2 years of these letters I have been writing you. Instead of destroying the thing as I had anticipated, you took one quick glance at it, gave it a 'Meh', and moved right on to something else. I was able to hide my disappointment. But not by much.
We've had a few firsts, your Mom and I. As ridiculous as it is to say this, your Mom and I had our first real date in over two years this past month. One of the really lousy things about living down south is that we had no one close at hand to look after you so your Mom and I could spend some time together. We went to a Police concert while your Grandma stayed at our house with you for the evening. Turns out we still really like each other, so that was fun to find out.
You have been really fun this past month, especially since getting up at your Grandparents' place. You love to swim and play on the beach. You're not a huge fan of wearing the life jacket, but once you've had it on for a few minutes, you get over it. Maybe we're too over protective, but being so near the water with you has put me within only a hair's breadth of having a panic attack at any given moment. The life jacket helps, but only a little.
You have really cultivated a great laugh in the last few weeks. You still have your characteristic chuckle, but now when you find something really funny, you let out this awesome belly laugh. And even if the reason for your laugh wouldn't otherwise be funny to me (say for example, you just dumped a bowl of cheerios on the floor) I can't help but laugh along with you when I hear you go. You particularly found my dressing up as a pirate amusing. Every time I'd give you a 'Yarr!' you'd be in hysterics. I can only hope that I continue to amuse you for a long time to come.
Hmm, what else? We have been trying to take full advantage of this summer's corn crop by getting fresh corn every other night for dinner, and in so doing we have discovered one of your all time favourite foods. You go nuts for the stuff. Its really funny to watch you go to town on it.
Its a weird time for us all Trin; I don't know that I used to care much about feeling disconnected from normalcy before you came along (in fact I have always prided myself on NOT being normal), but now that you're the driving force of our lives, I find I am really looking forward to getting into our new place, being amongst our own things, getting a routine again. Yikes I think I just realized that 32 is a lot older than I thought it was. Well, at least you know what your old man was doing when he really felt his age for the first time.
But old or not, I wouldn't change one single event in my life, good or bad, because the myriad paths my life has taken has led me to moments like this, with you playing peekaboo with me from within your sleeping bag:
I love you,
Daddy
It's been a big month for our family. We packed up our house, said goodbye to Southern Ontario, and moved the gang back up to where the air is cleaner and the Tim Horton's aren't everywhere just yet.
Our lives are in a particular state or limbo right now. I have yet to start my new position at work, the house we're having built hasn't been started yet, the majority of our belongings are being stored in a family member's ice shacks, and we are living with your Mom's parents. Things have been more stable for us at other points of our lives. But who wants stability anyway, right?
You have been a real trooper throughout the move though. You seemingly couldn't care less about leaving our house behind and moving in with your Grandma and Grandpa. You love living at their place on the lake; so much so in fact that I am more than a little concerned that the next move may not go quite so smoothly. But we'll burn that bridge when we come to it.
You finally received the book I had made for you composed of the first 2 years of these letters I have been writing you. Instead of destroying the thing as I had anticipated, you took one quick glance at it, gave it a 'Meh', and moved right on to something else. I was able to hide my disappointment. But not by much.
We've had a few firsts, your Mom and I. As ridiculous as it is to say this, your Mom and I had our first real date in over two years this past month. One of the really lousy things about living down south is that we had no one close at hand to look after you so your Mom and I could spend some time together. We went to a Police concert while your Grandma stayed at our house with you for the evening. Turns out we still really like each other, so that was fun to find out.
You have been really fun this past month, especially since getting up at your Grandparents' place. You love to swim and play on the beach. You're not a huge fan of wearing the life jacket, but once you've had it on for a few minutes, you get over it. Maybe we're too over protective, but being so near the water with you has put me within only a hair's breadth of having a panic attack at any given moment. The life jacket helps, but only a little.
You have really cultivated a great laugh in the last few weeks. You still have your characteristic chuckle, but now when you find something really funny, you let out this awesome belly laugh. And even if the reason for your laugh wouldn't otherwise be funny to me (say for example, you just dumped a bowl of cheerios on the floor) I can't help but laugh along with you when I hear you go. You particularly found my dressing up as a pirate amusing. Every time I'd give you a 'Yarr!' you'd be in hysterics. I can only hope that I continue to amuse you for a long time to come.
Hmm, what else? We have been trying to take full advantage of this summer's corn crop by getting fresh corn every other night for dinner, and in so doing we have discovered one of your all time favourite foods. You go nuts for the stuff. Its really funny to watch you go to town on it.
Its a weird time for us all Trin; I don't know that I used to care much about feeling disconnected from normalcy before you came along (in fact I have always prided myself on NOT being normal), but now that you're the driving force of our lives, I find I am really looking forward to getting into our new place, being amongst our own things, getting a routine again. Yikes I think I just realized that 32 is a lot older than I thought it was. Well, at least you know what your old man was doing when he really felt his age for the first time.
But old or not, I wouldn't change one single event in my life, good or bad, because the myriad paths my life has taken has led me to moments like this, with you playing peekaboo with me from within your sleeping bag:
I love you,
Daddy
Labels: trinity
Dear Trinity,
Well, two whole years with you has come and gone.
Its been quite the ride so far. Now, normally I extoll all of the good things about having you with us, and I'll be doing a bunch of that in a moment, but because of the lack of sleep I'm going on right now, I've decided that I don't want you to think that its all one big party. So I'll try to include the odd note about what new method you've devised of keeping us up at night, or a story about a recent tantrum, if for nothing else than juxtaposition to all the fun you enrich our lives with.
You had a really fun time at your second birthday party. We were still living in Southern Ontario at the time (still are as of this moment in fact), but we had your party at your Grandparents place up north. As is typical for a party at that location, pretty much everyone there was drinking and making a more adult party of things. But it was a lot of fun. You got so many presents that even you were overwhelmed opening them, and you got very quiet (and seemingly frightened) when the whole posse of forty or so people regaled you with a Happy Birthday song.
But you're a trooper so after only a few seconds of shock, you blew out your candles and ripped into one awesome cake.
Some of your favourites out of the many, many presents that you received this year are your Darth Tater, your Baby Elmo, and your Dora sleeping bag. I am still awating the arrival of the one birthday present that your Mom doesn't yet know about, even though its going on a week late now. I had the first 2 years worth of letters that I have written here for you made into a book, and I have hopes that it might survive long enough to see the next 2 year volume. I kind of expect it not to last much past the first day with you, but we'll see how it goes.
You really are becoming such a smart, polite little girl. You recently picked up the please and thankyou's and because you get off on us lavishing praise on you, you tend to say them as often as you can. Especially when you're having one of those afforementioned tantrums, in the hopes that the please will win the day. As in you belting out at the top of your lungs 'PLEASE can I have that toy/read one more story/have some ice cream?!?' whilst writhing on the floor and flailing your arms. It never works, but you have yet to discover that fact for yourself.
One of the more cuter of your recent catchprases is 'take a little drive?'. Its a question you put to us usually after taking a long-to-longish drive already and are approaching or are back in the driveway. It hasn't gotten old yet, because you hardly ever get upset about that one, and when you ask its usually in a sad 'why can't I' kind of voice. Unfortunately for your Mom and I, that one usually works every single time. We expect you to pick up on that one any day now.
You do love to be out and about these days. You like to make friends wherever you go, and you don't seem to be bound by whether those friends are people, animals, or mannequins. I like that you don't discriminate. I also expect a big cheque from Old Navy for the cuteness factor of my daughter holding hands with one of their mannequins.
You love being outside too, either running around in the back yard, walking the dog (albeit a little slower than our Husky might like), playing at the park, or riding in your Grandpa's boat. That last one you really like.
You have grown and changed so fast over these last two years that even though I am constantly trying to keep myself aware of each moment, I can feel each one sliding by at light speed with little for me to do but document them here in the hopes that you will someday appreciate how loved you are. I hope that I am fortunate enough to be able to continue to be with you, and subsequently, to write these letters to you for at least another 2 wonderful years.
I love you,
Daddy
Well, two whole years with you has come and gone.
Its been quite the ride so far. Now, normally I extoll all of the good things about having you with us, and I'll be doing a bunch of that in a moment, but because of the lack of sleep I'm going on right now, I've decided that I don't want you to think that its all one big party. So I'll try to include the odd note about what new method you've devised of keeping us up at night, or a story about a recent tantrum, if for nothing else than juxtaposition to all the fun you enrich our lives with.
You had a really fun time at your second birthday party. We were still living in Southern Ontario at the time (still are as of this moment in fact), but we had your party at your Grandparents place up north. As is typical for a party at that location, pretty much everyone there was drinking and making a more adult party of things. But it was a lot of fun. You got so many presents that even you were overwhelmed opening them, and you got very quiet (and seemingly frightened) when the whole posse of forty or so people regaled you with a Happy Birthday song.
But you're a trooper so after only a few seconds of shock, you blew out your candles and ripped into one awesome cake.
Some of your favourites out of the many, many presents that you received this year are your Darth Tater, your Baby Elmo, and your Dora sleeping bag. I am still awating the arrival of the one birthday present that your Mom doesn't yet know about, even though its going on a week late now. I had the first 2 years worth of letters that I have written here for you made into a book, and I have hopes that it might survive long enough to see the next 2 year volume. I kind of expect it not to last much past the first day with you, but we'll see how it goes.
You really are becoming such a smart, polite little girl. You recently picked up the please and thankyou's and because you get off on us lavishing praise on you, you tend to say them as often as you can. Especially when you're having one of those afforementioned tantrums, in the hopes that the please will win the day. As in you belting out at the top of your lungs 'PLEASE can I have that toy/read one more story/have some ice cream?!?' whilst writhing on the floor and flailing your arms. It never works, but you have yet to discover that fact for yourself.
One of the more cuter of your recent catchprases is 'take a little drive?'. Its a question you put to us usually after taking a long-to-longish drive already and are approaching or are back in the driveway. It hasn't gotten old yet, because you hardly ever get upset about that one, and when you ask its usually in a sad 'why can't I' kind of voice. Unfortunately for your Mom and I, that one usually works every single time. We expect you to pick up on that one any day now.
You do love to be out and about these days. You like to make friends wherever you go, and you don't seem to be bound by whether those friends are people, animals, or mannequins. I like that you don't discriminate. I also expect a big cheque from Old Navy for the cuteness factor of my daughter holding hands with one of their mannequins.
You love being outside too, either running around in the back yard, walking the dog (albeit a little slower than our Husky might like), playing at the park, or riding in your Grandpa's boat. That last one you really like.
You have grown and changed so fast over these last two years that even though I am constantly trying to keep myself aware of each moment, I can feel each one sliding by at light speed with little for me to do but document them here in the hopes that you will someday appreciate how loved you are. I hope that I am fortunate enough to be able to continue to be with you, and subsequently, to write these letters to you for at least another 2 wonderful years.
I love you,
Daddy
Labels: trinity
As previously mentioned this clip has become my daughter's (so far) all time favourite.
If you have kids, and they know who Elmo is, chances are that they'll love it too. And as a plus it does have the lovely Natalie Portman in it.
If the embedded video isn't, check it out here instead.
Labels: trinity
Dear Trinity,
Wow, what a month this has been. This month, your Mom and I were beginning to think that our little family unit had outgrown our house and started to look around local neighborhoods for some bigger digs. It was during this search that I turned to your Mom and asked why we looking in this area at all, and why we weren't planning a move to our old home town, where we have always planned to get back to someday.
So we switched gears and began the process of thinking about moving back to Northern Ontario. I asked for a transfer at my job. I got one. We listed our house, thinking it would take a long time to sell. It didn't. It was sold for more than we'd asked in less than 24 hours. We met with a builder up north to find out whether we could get something built within the next year. We'll be living in our new house this October. Crazy.
As I sit in the backyard of our current home now, and reflect on what new has taken place with you specifically over the last month, I find it impossible not to reflect on the last 2 years, as your 2nd birthday is now only a few weeks away.
You spent a lot of time up north with your mom and grandparents this past month, while we were pursuing the aforementioned move. You got to swim in the lake again, and play on the beach. You have become really excellent at shovelling and flinging sand. One could even say that it is your thing.
While up north you got to play a lot, and it turns out that you are a big fan of dandelions. You'll pick a bunch and give them to whoever is handy. Your Mom, Aunt Beck, Grandma, me. Its touching when you do it, because its a way for you to feel like you're doing something nice for one of the many people you love so much.
Your Mom also took you to Dairy Queen for the first time. I am so glad that she had the presence of mind to take a picture for me. Looks like you had a good time.
And in a move that I couldn't be happier about, it seems that you might, at least partially, be taking after the old man. I introduced you to (the kid-friendly parts of) YouTube this month, and every single time I open my laptop, you demand that we watch 'The Princess and the Elephant' starring Elmo. Most times I acquiesce. When I don't you sometimes take matters into your own hands.
Two new things that you have taken a recent likely to are bathwater and ketchup, both of which we find both hilarious and baffling. The ketchup does not necessarily need to be on anything; if we put a big old plate of the stuff in front of you, you'll tuck into it like we've just served you the best thing ever. The bathwater stems directly from us telling you not to drink it, and our protestations only cause you to guzzle the stuff faster.
As we did a few times last summer, we took you to the drive-in last week. Brought your Elmo chair and everything. You had so much fun. The only real problem was when it came time to leave, you couldn't get why we wouldn't just start Shrek 3 over again. So there were some obligatory tears. But you get over things like that pretty quick.
Hmm, what else? Just today I built you a cottage. Built is probably a strong word. I put a plastic prefab play sized cottage together for you today. That's probably closer to the truth. But it is awesome. You picked it out a few weeks ago and today your Mom and I picked it up and I set it up for you. I hope that watching you hollering out the windows never gets old, because its really funny to watch.
I'm not sure what else there is to tell you. We're not sure where we'll be having your birthday, because we don't really know where we'll be, or what city we'll be living in. Its kind of fun to live with uncertainty, though I don't highly recommend it for extended periods of time. I am really looking forward to your birthday though. I have something special in mind wherever we happen to be.
Cya next month.
Love,
Daddy
By the way, in case Future You ever wonders what you might have looked like when you had to get up at 5:30 am and drive Daddy to work, wonder no longer:
Wow, what a month this has been. This month, your Mom and I were beginning to think that our little family unit had outgrown our house and started to look around local neighborhoods for some bigger digs. It was during this search that I turned to your Mom and asked why we looking in this area at all, and why we weren't planning a move to our old home town, where we have always planned to get back to someday.
So we switched gears and began the process of thinking about moving back to Northern Ontario. I asked for a transfer at my job. I got one. We listed our house, thinking it would take a long time to sell. It didn't. It was sold for more than we'd asked in less than 24 hours. We met with a builder up north to find out whether we could get something built within the next year. We'll be living in our new house this October. Crazy.
As I sit in the backyard of our current home now, and reflect on what new has taken place with you specifically over the last month, I find it impossible not to reflect on the last 2 years, as your 2nd birthday is now only a few weeks away.
You spent a lot of time up north with your mom and grandparents this past month, while we were pursuing the aforementioned move. You got to swim in the lake again, and play on the beach. You have become really excellent at shovelling and flinging sand. One could even say that it is your thing.
While up north you got to play a lot, and it turns out that you are a big fan of dandelions. You'll pick a bunch and give them to whoever is handy. Your Mom, Aunt Beck, Grandma, me. Its touching when you do it, because its a way for you to feel like you're doing something nice for one of the many people you love so much.
Your Mom also took you to Dairy Queen for the first time. I am so glad that she had the presence of mind to take a picture for me. Looks like you had a good time.
And in a move that I couldn't be happier about, it seems that you might, at least partially, be taking after the old man. I introduced you to (the kid-friendly parts of) YouTube this month, and every single time I open my laptop, you demand that we watch 'The Princess and the Elephant' starring Elmo. Most times I acquiesce. When I don't you sometimes take matters into your own hands.
Two new things that you have taken a recent likely to are bathwater and ketchup, both of which we find both hilarious and baffling. The ketchup does not necessarily need to be on anything; if we put a big old plate of the stuff in front of you, you'll tuck into it like we've just served you the best thing ever. The bathwater stems directly from us telling you not to drink it, and our protestations only cause you to guzzle the stuff faster.
As we did a few times last summer, we took you to the drive-in last week. Brought your Elmo chair and everything. You had so much fun. The only real problem was when it came time to leave, you couldn't get why we wouldn't just start Shrek 3 over again. So there were some obligatory tears. But you get over things like that pretty quick.
Hmm, what else? Just today I built you a cottage. Built is probably a strong word. I put a plastic prefab play sized cottage together for you today. That's probably closer to the truth. But it is awesome. You picked it out a few weeks ago and today your Mom and I picked it up and I set it up for you. I hope that watching you hollering out the windows never gets old, because its really funny to watch.
I'm not sure what else there is to tell you. We're not sure where we'll be having your birthday, because we don't really know where we'll be, or what city we'll be living in. Its kind of fun to live with uncertainty, though I don't highly recommend it for extended periods of time. I am really looking forward to your birthday though. I have something special in mind wherever we happen to be.
Cya next month.
Love,
Daddy
By the way, in case Future You ever wonders what you might have looked like when you had to get up at 5:30 am and drive Daddy to work, wonder no longer:
Labels: trinity
I really don't know that I am using this blog the way they were intended. I go in spurts where I write in it all the time, and then I hit spots where I either don't feel like writing or don't have anything much to say. Or both. Is there such a thing as blogger's block, or it just called laziness?
Meh, either way.
I'm feeling pretty isolated these days. Superwife and Trin have been gone for a week tonight, and they won't be back til Friday still. And its too long to be without them. I went home to let my dog out last night about 1 in the morning (night shifts this week) and went into my daughter's room, closed the door, turned off the light and just soaked it in. Her empty crib, bathed in the amber glow of the streetlight, the smell of her diapers and cream and wipes and clothes making me wince with the strength of their associated memories. I only cried for a minute or so.
I could never have imagined being this dependant on relationships with other people. If you had told me that I would end up like this 10 years ago I would have laughed at you. Hard. If there was one defining thing about my life prior to my time with my girls it was that the only person who could ever be counted on was myself. Everyone else in my life had always turned out to be a disappointment, or worse. But now, I find being away from the only people who really matter to me for any length of time is so hard its almost unbearable.
I heard that old John Waite song on the radio earlier today, the only one of his that anyone would remember, Missing You. And as cheesy a song as it is, it fit with my melancholy mood spot on.
I can't wait until my girls come home on Friday. I can't wait until I get to have some time off with them. And I can't wait to feel my little girls arms around my neck again.
Meh, either way.
I'm feeling pretty isolated these days. Superwife and Trin have been gone for a week tonight, and they won't be back til Friday still. And its too long to be without them. I went home to let my dog out last night about 1 in the morning (night shifts this week) and went into my daughter's room, closed the door, turned off the light and just soaked it in. Her empty crib, bathed in the amber glow of the streetlight, the smell of her diapers and cream and wipes and clothes making me wince with the strength of their associated memories. I only cried for a minute or so.
I could never have imagined being this dependant on relationships with other people. If you had told me that I would end up like this 10 years ago I would have laughed at you. Hard. If there was one defining thing about my life prior to my time with my girls it was that the only person who could ever be counted on was myself. Everyone else in my life had always turned out to be a disappointment, or worse. But now, I find being away from the only people who really matter to me for any length of time is so hard its almost unbearable.
I heard that old John Waite song on the radio earlier today, the only one of his that anyone would remember, Missing You. And as cheesy a song as it is, it fit with my melancholy mood spot on.
I can't wait until my girls come home on Friday. I can't wait until I get to have some time off with them. And I can't wait to feel my little girls arms around my neck again.
Labels: everything else, trinity
Dear Trinity,
Once again I am writing you a letter while you are visiting your grandparents with your Mommy. I'm starting to think that at some point it might be prudent to just move the whole team up there and start saving on all those travel costs.
I miss you and your Mom a lot, but we figured that since I am in a part of my current schedule at work where I'm either at the office or sleeping, it was a good time for your Mom to take you to see your grandparents.
This past month has seen the last dregs of cold weather swept away and replaced with the kind of warm spring that we spend every winter waiting expectantly for. And we have been taking advantage of it. We have been spending plenty of time outdoors, with you on your big wheel, taking you to the park, just going for walks. It's been really nice, and it bodes well for the coming summer.
Now that we can start making plans for the summer, I am looking forward to picnics, trips to the beach (but we'll skip the swim in the polluted Great Lake), and playing in our soon-to-be-redone backyard. We're hoping to get you a little playground with a swing and a slide once we redo the lawn back there.
One of the fun things that we did with you this past month was introduce you to the traditional Easter Egg Hunt. Yeah, your Mom and I are atheists, but that isn't stopping us from having fun with all of the holidays we can throw at you. You loved the Easter Egg Hunt, but not nearly as much as you loved eating the chocolate that you found was inside them.
This last pic is one I had your Mom take of you as I was driving you both to your Mom's friend Joanne's place before she was to bring you up to your Grandparents place. I have been looking at it every few minutes since.
Can't wait to see you again.
Love Daddy
Once again I am writing you a letter while you are visiting your grandparents with your Mommy. I'm starting to think that at some point it might be prudent to just move the whole team up there and start saving on all those travel costs.
I miss you and your Mom a lot, but we figured that since I am in a part of my current schedule at work where I'm either at the office or sleeping, it was a good time for your Mom to take you to see your grandparents.
This past month has seen the last dregs of cold weather swept away and replaced with the kind of warm spring that we spend every winter waiting expectantly for. And we have been taking advantage of it. We have been spending plenty of time outdoors, with you on your big wheel, taking you to the park, just going for walks. It's been really nice, and it bodes well for the coming summer.
Now that we can start making plans for the summer, I am looking forward to picnics, trips to the beach (but we'll skip the swim in the polluted Great Lake), and playing in our soon-to-be-redone backyard. We're hoping to get you a little playground with a swing and a slide once we redo the lawn back there.
One of the fun things that we did with you this past month was introduce you to the traditional Easter Egg Hunt. Yeah, your Mom and I are atheists, but that isn't stopping us from having fun with all of the holidays we can throw at you. You loved the Easter Egg Hunt, but not nearly as much as you loved eating the chocolate that you found was inside them.
This last pic is one I had your Mom take of you as I was driving you both to your Mom's friend Joanne's place before she was to bring you up to your Grandparents place. I have been looking at it every few minutes since.
Can't wait to see you again.
Love Daddy
Labels: trinity
Dear Trinity,
This past month with you has been busier than most lately, largely because your Mom and I didn't think we had been exposing you to enough different things. So we took you on as many different adventures as we could think of.
First, we took you to a local Sugar Shack, where they tap and make Maple Syrup, among other things. You tried your first taffy on snow. And you absolutely loved it. The folk singers and the maple woodcut branding you could clearly do without, but you and the taffy got along just fine.
We took you to your first waterpark and that went over better than I could have imagined. If we had the money, we would right now be installing a waterslide at home. You spent the whole time there either running through the kid's pool or laughing your way down the slide. It was a lot of fun for all of us.
We went on a few road trips this month too. We visited your Aunt Becky at her place in London. I don't know what she'll be doing with her life by the time you're old enough to read this, but as of right now she's finishing her massage therapy training. And just in case you're wondering, the free massages have been very few and far between indeed. We also managed to visit my Mom on the same trip. And since that visit wasn't a long one, it was manageable.
And not all of our visiting this month was done at other people's houses. My Dad came to visit us and so did your Mom's parents. Whew. I think the next time we see so many people in one month I'll just tell you who didn't squeak in a visit. Suffice it to say that not one of our visitors wanted to see me or your Mom. You are a very loved little girl.
I ended up getting some pretty good news related to my job this month. I got a better contract at my tech support job, and subsequently I went on an online shopping binge. Your new Super Pal Spider Man doll was just one of the fruits of that labour.
Hearing you sing 'Spidey-Man' is awesome, and totally worth it, but I'll try to keep my spending to a minimum next month so we can continue to afford the other stuff like food, diapers, clothes.
Love Daddy
This past month with you has been busier than most lately, largely because your Mom and I didn't think we had been exposing you to enough different things. So we took you on as many different adventures as we could think of.
First, we took you to a local Sugar Shack, where they tap and make Maple Syrup, among other things. You tried your first taffy on snow. And you absolutely loved it. The folk singers and the maple woodcut branding you could clearly do without, but you and the taffy got along just fine.
We took you to your first waterpark and that went over better than I could have imagined. If we had the money, we would right now be installing a waterslide at home. You spent the whole time there either running through the kid's pool or laughing your way down the slide. It was a lot of fun for all of us.
We went on a few road trips this month too. We visited your Aunt Becky at her place in London. I don't know what she'll be doing with her life by the time you're old enough to read this, but as of right now she's finishing her massage therapy training. And just in case you're wondering, the free massages have been very few and far between indeed. We also managed to visit my Mom on the same trip. And since that visit wasn't a long one, it was manageable.
And not all of our visiting this month was done at other people's houses. My Dad came to visit us and so did your Mom's parents. Whew. I think the next time we see so many people in one month I'll just tell you who didn't squeak in a visit. Suffice it to say that not one of our visitors wanted to see me or your Mom. You are a very loved little girl.
I ended up getting some pretty good news related to my job this month. I got a better contract at my tech support job, and subsequently I went on an online shopping binge. Your new Super Pal Spider Man doll was just one of the fruits of that labour.
Hearing you sing 'Spidey-Man' is awesome, and totally worth it, but I'll try to keep my spending to a minimum next month so we can continue to afford the other stuff like food, diapers, clothes.
Love Daddy
Labels: trinity
Dear Trinity,
In only four months you are going to be 2 years old already. Even though I am constantly struggling to be in the moment with you as much of the time as I can, I still cannot believe how fast you are growing up. When I wonder if it will always be like this, with the months and years sliding by at breakneck speed while I helplessly try to hang on to each moment with you I seriously have a hard time keeping from crying. Sometimes I win that battle, sometimes I don't. I honestly don't understand how people with their kids growing up around them manage to go through life without completely falling apart all the time. Maybe it gets easier?
This past month has scene a quantum leap in your vocabulary. Before now, you could string 2 or even three words together, mostly at random, and you would often imitate the words you heard coming from the people around you. Now, you are using short sentences, knowing the meaning of the content, and every word or phrase that you hear from us you parrot right back at us. My days of swearing are no longer numbered: They are over, unless I want you cussing like a tank-driver.
You have learned to sing a new song this month. 'Twinkle, Twinkle' sounds better coming from you than I've ever heard it, even if we sing the majority and you fill in the gaps we leave for you. And you are so proud of yourself when we finish singing a song or dancing a dance. You love being validated by us, and truth be told, its one of the highlights of my life too.
I took the opportunity to teach you a few gems this month that your Mom is pretty exasperated about. One of them is how to do a Silly Walk, after we watched an old Monty Python sketch about a guy applying for a permit for his ridiculous walk from The Ministry of Silly Walks. Really funny bit, by the way. In the skit, the applicant gets turned down, but I think yours would get approved right away.
You are getting to be quite the artist as well, pulling your Mom or I (or anyone else handy for that matter) down on the floor to colour with you. Colouring usually means you directing us to colour your favourite Sesa
In only four months you are going to be 2 years old already. Even though I am constantly struggling to be in the moment with you as much of the time as I can, I still cannot believe how fast you are growing up. When I wonder if it will always be like this, with the months and years sliding by at breakneck speed while I helplessly try to hang on to each moment with you I seriously have a hard time keeping from crying. Sometimes I win that battle, sometimes I don't. I honestly don't understand how people with their kids growing up around them manage to go through life without completely falling apart all the time. Maybe it gets easier?
This past month has scene a quantum leap in your vocabulary. Before now, you could string 2 or even three words together, mostly at random, and you would often imitate the words you heard coming from the people around you. Now, you are using short sentences, knowing the meaning of the content, and every word or phrase that you hear from us you parrot right back at us. My days of swearing are no longer numbered: They are over, unless I want you cussing like a tank-driver.
You have learned to sing a new song this month. 'Twinkle, Twinkle' sounds better coming from you than I've ever heard it, even if we sing the majority and you fill in the gaps we leave for you. And you are so proud of yourself when we finish singing a song or dancing a dance. You love being validated by us, and truth be told, its one of the highlights of my life too.
I took the opportunity to teach you a few gems this month that your Mom is pretty exasperated about. One of them is how to do a Silly Walk, after we watched an old Monty Python sketch about a guy applying for a permit for his ridiculous walk from The Ministry of Silly Walks. Really funny bit, by the way. In the skit, the applicant gets turned down, but I think yours would get approved right away.
You are getting to be quite the artist as well, pulling your Mom or I (or anyone else handy for that matter) down on the floor to colour with you. Colouring usually means you directing us to colour your favourite Sesa