The next challenge

Yesterday, Casey and I went for a morning bike ride. We got him a small present, a horn for his bike. So, here we were, him on his bike, riding and honking his horn, and me walking/jogging beside him. He then tells me that he wants to goto the park. He rides all the way to the park, (about a mile, round trip). We get to the park, and he even rides his bike up a decent incline, pumping his quad muscles like a champ. As he gets off his bike to head to the jungle gym, I notice his bike seat is a little wet. Immediately, he tells me, "I have to go potty". Thus began my introduction to potty training. Until now, it would have been easy; I'd have told him to simply pee in his diaper. But, this being the first week of potty training, he was wearing 'big boy underwear'. And Daddy, being Daddy, didn't bring anything with us. No spare clothes, no spare underwear, no tissues, no baby wipes, no portable toilet... I looked around and considered my options. There were no fire hydrants, so I couldn't pretend he was a dog. I saw some trees, but they were out in the wide-open, and it was a crowded Saturday at the park. I decided the best option was to make a mad dash for the public restrooms. We started out walking, and I thought it might be faster if I carried him. So I carried him all the way to the restroom, and approached the first urinal. I figured any boy of mine is gonna be a man and learn to pee standing up. I got him positioned in front of the urinal, and was beginning to undo his pants... When I saw a river coming from the bottom of his pant leg. I managed to get his pants and underpants out of the way, and he just continued to whizzz all over the floor. Considering the flow rate, and length of time he peed, that little guy sure can store a lot of pee in his bladder! Alas, he was now soaked, so our park playtime was cut short. He had a soggy ride home, where we dried and cleaned him. Looks like this potty training this is gonna be a challenge!

Cruisin' the Strand

My big boy just turned three. In the morning, during our bike ride around the neighborhood, I asked him if he wanted to ride bikes at the beach. He wanted to, so I took him on his first Stand Cruise. As he gets older, I'm sure he will ride the Strand countless times, 'taking in the scenery'... I'm guessing most of those rides won't include Dad. But hey, at least I was there for the first one. Thanks for letting me be a part of your maiden voyage!

Two for One (Casey edition)

As many of you may know, Casey and Sydney were both born on the same day... Exactly two years apart. Today we celebrated Casey's 3rd birthday and Sydney's 1st birthday. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great turnout. Friends, family, a taco caterer and a balloon artist all helped us celebrate. Props to Mommy who did a wonderful job preparing. And a special thanks to cousin Ashley who spent a week with us, helping out. Without them, the party would not have happened.

Casey was aware of an impending birthday party. A week earlier, he attended a birthday party for his friend Allison. He came home and said, "My party is next". During the week immediately preceeding the big day, Casey would say, "My birthday party." I had to keep telling him, "Not today baby, but soon". Finally the special day came.

Casey had a blast. Lots of his friends showed up; he splashed around in the pool and played lots of chase with the other young fellas.

Casey watching Ben the Balloon artist make his Seahorse balloon sculpture.


Casey and Cassandra splashing in the pool.


Casey huffing and puffing and blowing his candles out.

Casey obliging Daddy's request for a kiss.


Casey posing with his personal birthday cake.


Casey isn't too messy!

Ass-gasket

Last night, in the middle of his swim lesson, Casey looks at me sitting besides the pool and says, "I have to go potty". I thought, wow, he's making progress. I have been told, ( and I must admit, it makes sense), that the first step in potty training is when they know AHEAD of time the sensation of having to go. So, I get him out of the pool, hustle him to the bathroom. I struggle to take off his swim diaper.. I'm getting nervous, like the bomb squad trying to diffuse a bomb. I don't know how much time I have, I can only assume bladder (and bowel) control is a more advanced topic that comes later on in potty training. I clean off the toilet seat for him and get ready to set him on there.. He says, "No Daddy, I want paper"... He's pointing at the dispenser on the wall. Quizzically, I ask him, "You want an ass-gasket?" He sure did! I set out the gasket, and sat him down... Nothing. After about 2 seconds, he says "I'm done." Nothing happened. Maybe he has stage fright... I don't know. It was a false alarm, but I'm OK with that. No harm, no foul. Next time it might not be a dud, it just might be a live bomb!

Poor Doggie!

Casey's love for his DOGGIE has been well chronicled. Well, we almost had a disaster recently. Over the Christmas break, we spent some time in SD, visiting Nai-Nai and Ye-Ye. On Christmas day, we packed up and left, but 45 miles north of SD, we got a call from Nai-Nai. EMERGENCY... Casey left his doggie in SD. Thankfully, mommy has planned ahead, and has doggie's twin in a suitcase. We brought him out, and Casey didnt miss a beat.

Meanwhile, from back in SD, I got the following email from Nai-Nai. "Casey may not miss his doggie, but I think the doggie missed Casey. When I got downstairs in the morning, I saw doggie sitting in the corner so sad looking. I felt sorry for him, so I gave him a bath (in the washer) and took him upstairs in our bedroom."

Good to know doggie is in good hands while he vacations in SD.

Bike Ridin'

Casey is getting good on his bike. He has started to figure out the whole pedaling thing. There are times he stays at a complete stop; he just says, "Stuck"... and Daddy "un-sticks" him, by giving him a little boost to provide him with some momentum. He especially likes riding over speed bumps, and has figured out that in order not to get "stuck", he needs some initial approach speed.

Family bike outing

Bed manners

Dear Casey,

I can't say I blame you for leaving your room at 2AM. Clearly, you had enough of Sydney's crying and said, "F$^^& this, I'm going to Mom and Dad's room to sleep".
I absolutely LOVE the fact I got to open my eyes and the first thing I saw was your face, your big brown eyes and your smile. I love the fact that I got to snuggle you, and give you a head massage so you would fall asleep.
However, I would be neglecting my fatherly duties if I didnt take this opportunity to give you some advice. Trust me, this stuff will come in handy in the future, when you share beds with other people besides your mom and dad. (Read: girls)
People don't like to get kicked in the ribs while in bed. Lay straight, with your head toward the top of the bed, and your feet towards the bottom.. diagonal across the whole bed is not an option. Save some room for your co-inhabitants. I can't figure out how little ol you had control of such a large area of the bed, and big ol me was confined to a little sliver of bed, right next to the edge. We'll work on this... I assume (err HOPE) we'll have time and opportunity to practice a lot before you go off and start bed-hopping with "others"