(…with Sidekick SuperDad)
Beach Baby
July 19th, 2010
With yet another 90 degree weekend forecast, we headed up to Portsmouth this weekend for breakfast and a trip to the beach. Our breakfast plans immediately went awry as our favorite breakfast place was closed temporarily, so instead we walked down the road until we found another breakfast place.
Now one thing I’ve found about breakfast places is that they tend to be small, cramped, and quiet. Not the ideal environment for a toddler who likes to yell and bang spoons against the table. The place we found fit this mold, but luckily had an open outdoor table. And that outdoor table had all these little holes in it as part of the design, which Maddox, straw in hand, found absolutely fascinating. Dropping a straw through those holes kept him entertained for about thirty minutes straight.
After breakfast we got back in the car and drove to Rye Beach. We found parking about a quarter mile away, which in the past was nothing but now with a baby and his accruements meant a decent trek. We finally arrived, put Mads down on the sand … and he started wailing. We’d actually tried this one before briefly, and he had the same response. So things weren’t looking good.
I figured we had just lugged all this stuff and eventually Maddox had to get tired of crying. Leanne was a bit more proactive and sat down with him and showed him how much fun sand could be. After another minute or two, he realized she was right and for the next hour he had a blast. I think the best thing about this for him was the fact that he could just walk non-stop without us having to pick him up to avoid all the dangers he might normally run into (darn Nature and her lack of babyproofing!).
One of the other things he enjoyed was us digging him a hole, which he would sit in, cross his legs, and then let out a contented sigh.
He didn’t really love the water though, perhaps partially due to the fact that it was probably about 35 degrees cooler than the air. So later on when we were home, we setup the water table his grandparents bought him for his birthday, and he had a great time splashing with that.
A Sick Baby
July 15th, 2010
We have been pretty lucky with Maddox and illnesses so far. Looking back, he was never really sick beyond a minor cold once, and a temperature that went away after a day.
That changed on Thursday when we picked up Maddox early from daycare with a temperature of 101. Nothing dangerous, but enough to have him stay at home. We expected the temperature to disappear after 24 hours like it did in the past, but instead it lasted all the way until Tuesday morning. Long enough that the doctor actually wanted to see him in the office to do some basic tests. One more day and they would have done a blood test!
It was tough to see Mads be so unlike himself. I worked from home on Monday, and at one point early in the morning he pulled out his favorite book, sat in a corner, and just stared at it for almost five minutes straight. When we put him down at night, he would actually lie on his back in his crib and listen as we read to him, something he hasn’t done since he learned how to stand up! He was also extremely clingy (which admittedly was kind of nice). The worst part was his cough, because every time he would cough he would cry after, and you wish you could explain to him what was going on.
Yesterday, all his symptoms seemed nearly gone, but he was pretty much inconsolable all morning and wouldn’t stop crying, so Leanne stayed at home to watch him. And he napped for nearly six hours! So we’re thinking that all this sickness led to a lack of sleep, which led to a rather grumpy mood.
This morning though, he seemed nearly his same self, except for a new penchant for throwing anything he could get his hands on. But even mischievous behavior like that is welcome after the past six days! He even was feeling up to dancing last night, which at this point for him means moving his legs around really quickly and occasionally waving his hands.
A Trip Out West
July 6th, 2010
This being a long weekend, we all decided to get in the car and drive a few hours west to the Pioneer Valley, to show Maddox some of our favorite college spots before he’s told old to complain about how boring and lame it is.
It also was a good test to see how he’d fare on a longer road trip, and he did wonderfully! We left around 9:30 in the morning, just at his nap time, and so he slept for the first hour and a half.
We stopped at a Mexican place for lunch. We actually ordered a whole plate of food for him, some rice and beans, before realizing that he’s not exactly at the age yet where he can down a whole plate of food like that. He loved the rice and beans though. Not a big surprise of course, as there’s still very little he actually won’t eat (besides, for some reason, blueberry waffles. Even though he likes blueberries and waffles. Who knows!). Mads was very entertained by the oversized cartoon pinatas hanging from the ceiling.
After a brief campus driving tour we ended up at a big patch of grass near the center of campus, where our goal was to wear Mads out before the ride back. He’s still immensely entertained just by walking around in circles outside. Standard procedure is for him to pick up a stick and wave it around while parading up and down the grass.
On the drive back Mads started to show a bit of frustration, so for the first time we tried out our secret weapon: the in-car DVD player. And it actually worked! At least for about 45 minutes. He occasionally lost interest, but we heard him crack up every time there was some slapstick comedy. Maddox is a big fan of physical violence, you see.
The biggest problem was that he’s not really at the age where he can use headphones, so Leanne and I got to enjoy the audio-only version of “A Bug’s Life.”
That was actually the first movie we’ve specifically put on for him, as we’re trying to avoid any unnecessary television. It was nice to see that he was entertained, but not enraptured by it.
Ramblin’ Man
June 27th, 2010
It is just so cool to have Maddox walking now. I know he’s been walking for a couple weeks, but I still can’t get over seeing him just stand up and walk down the hall. I don’t think he’s gotten tired of the novelty of it either, as he still seems overjoyed to be able to move around like the rest of us.
Plus in the past few days he’s learned to stand up without the assistance of a wall, chair, cat, etc so he has pretty much complete freedom. Which makes public excursions … interesting. He’s not at the age yet where he understands the concept of holding hands and staying “in bounds.” This, coupled with the fact that he’s still not 100% sure on his feet and might go careening into a pole or curb at any moment, make outings where he goes walking a bit of a challenge. To top it off, if you do put him down, don’t plan on picking him up anytime again soon, as he tends to go ballistic when you interrupt his walking.
He does handle falls pretty well too, usually just shaking them off unless he’s tired or grump. We haven’t had a fall that’s resulted in a bruise or scrape yet, but I’m sure that’s not too far off!
