So we all knew that the day would come when Chloe crossed that boundary from toddler to "big girl". Yesterday was such a day. Chloe used the training potty for the first time before bed with big sister there at her side just a coaching her and cheering her on. As I was getting their beds ready for the night, I heard Emma shout from the other side of the wall in the bathroom.
"DADDY! CHLOE PEED IN THE POTTY!" She exclaimed.
"Did she really?" I skeptically questioned?
"SHE SURE DID DADDY!" she replied as she pointed to the training potty.
Chloe was excited and stood up to show me.
As I peeked in the potty, I'm not sure, but I do believe I heard the angels singing Handel's Messiah with the full Hallelujah chorus.
Before I could tell Chloe just how proud I was of her major accomplishment, Emma chimed in with "OH HOW PRECIOUS, DADDY! Chloe pee-peed in the potty. She's a big girl now. We are so proud of you Chloe." I'm sure they gave each other high-fives (after washing their hands of course).
Nothing builds teamspirit like a family urination milestone.
Chloe threw her hands up over her head and said "HOOOWAAAAAAY". She was excited to finally be a big girl. Let's just hope the trend continues.
Way to go Chloe - you get a "special" gold star today.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
An Evening Chat
Tonight Emma was really not feeling well. She probably has a stomach virus and has had a fever since early this morning. After dinner she just laid on the couch and watched Wheel of Fortune (hey it's good for her) as I fed Lydia her early evening bottle. A conversation ensued...
"Daddy you're my friend" Emma said.
"Well what a nice thing to say, Emma. You are my friend - and my daughter too! You are my oldest of three daughters." I replied.
"I have two sisters!" She said proudly.
"Oh really?" I questioned. "What are their names?"
"Wydia and Chloe" She replied. "Wydia is a tiny baby sister and Chloe is a bigger sister, but she's not the big big sister. That is me. I am the biggerest sister"
As the Mrs. was unpacking a tote full of clothing (we're doing the seasonal clothing shuffle), the conversation followed Emma throughout the family room. At this time, Chloe crawled up into my lap to look at her baby sister. She patted Lydia gently on the back and said "oooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhh schmall!" Even Chloe, as little as she is, seems to understand just how precious a baby is to the world. As long as there are babies, I feel there is hope for this world.
Emma came walking back from her momma wearing an all-too-big set of foot apparel.
"LOOK DADDY! I'VE GOT FRIP FROPS!" She shouted as she walked like a big-shoed clown across the carpet.
She crawled back up onto the couch and laid down, picking her toenails like the rest of the women in this family. I'm sure Lydia will do it too as soon as she can sit up.
The next statement Emma made kind of came from nowhere. As she was watching tv and picking at her toes, she calmly said "Daddy you have big boobies like mommy. I have little boobies." Her eyes never left the tv.
I am now officially on a diet. Well.... tomorrow. I must now hurry to Sonic to get a shake so the Mrs. and I can watch The Biggest Loser on NBC and be amazed at how much weight those people lose and what strong will they must have.
"Daddy you're my friend" Emma said.
"Well what a nice thing to say, Emma. You are my friend - and my daughter too! You are my oldest of three daughters." I replied.
"I have two sisters!" She said proudly.
"Oh really?" I questioned. "What are their names?"
"Wydia and Chloe" She replied. "Wydia is a tiny baby sister and Chloe is a bigger sister, but she's not the big big sister. That is me. I am the biggerest sister"
As the Mrs. was unpacking a tote full of clothing (we're doing the seasonal clothing shuffle), the conversation followed Emma throughout the family room. At this time, Chloe crawled up into my lap to look at her baby sister. She patted Lydia gently on the back and said "oooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhh schmall!" Even Chloe, as little as she is, seems to understand just how precious a baby is to the world. As long as there are babies, I feel there is hope for this world.
Emma came walking back from her momma wearing an all-too-big set of foot apparel.
"LOOK DADDY! I'VE GOT FRIP FROPS!" She shouted as she walked like a big-shoed clown across the carpet.
She crawled back up onto the couch and laid down, picking her toenails like the rest of the women in this family. I'm sure Lydia will do it too as soon as she can sit up.
The next statement Emma made kind of came from nowhere. As she was watching tv and picking at her toes, she calmly said "Daddy you have big boobies like mommy. I have little boobies." Her eyes never left the tv.
I am now officially on a diet. Well.... tomorrow. I must now hurry to Sonic to get a shake so the Mrs. and I can watch The Biggest Loser on NBC and be amazed at how much weight those people lose and what strong will they must have.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Daddy, your face is broked!
Yesterday was officially "cut your grass or get sued by the neighborhood association day." I think the last time I cut the grass was a month ago. It has been so dry the grass hardly grew. We got a little bit of rain last week and kaboom - knee high grass/weeds in some places. I must say it looks much better.
So after cutting the Dust Bowl, I came in to get cleaned up. I noticed that my beard was full of dirt. I know, I know - that just screams sex appeal. I never had a full beard until we got pregnant with Emma and a "daddy beard" just seemed like a cool thing to do. I shaved the beard completely each time we found out that we were pregnant so that each baby had their own special daddy beard. I didn't want them to think that I favored one child over another.
I sat there staring at my dirt filled beard and figured it was time to go back to my standard goatee type beard. "It would definitely be much cooler!" I thought. After shaving I took a shower and came out to the rest of the family. Chloe was the first one to realize that Daddy looked different. She pointed to me and laughed and said "fuuuunnnny".
Emma smiled but didn't say anything. The Mrs. didn't notice for about 20-30 minutes until I said "you didn't even notice." I think she likes it this way better than a full beard but i'm not really sure.
Later in the day, the kids crawled up in my lap.
Chloe just looked at my face and touched my cheeks and kept saying "Schmoove, Daddy".
Emma looked at me, not quite sure of what happened and said "Daddy, how did you broked your face?"
So after cutting the Dust Bowl, I came in to get cleaned up. I noticed that my beard was full of dirt. I know, I know - that just screams sex appeal. I never had a full beard until we got pregnant with Emma and a "daddy beard" just seemed like a cool thing to do. I shaved the beard completely each time we found out that we were pregnant so that each baby had their own special daddy beard. I didn't want them to think that I favored one child over another.
I sat there staring at my dirt filled beard and figured it was time to go back to my standard goatee type beard. "It would definitely be much cooler!" I thought. After shaving I took a shower and came out to the rest of the family. Chloe was the first one to realize that Daddy looked different. She pointed to me and laughed and said "fuuuunnnny".
Emma smiled but didn't say anything. The Mrs. didn't notice for about 20-30 minutes until I said "you didn't even notice." I think she likes it this way better than a full beard but i'm not really sure.
Later in the day, the kids crawled up in my lap.
Chloe just looked at my face and touched my cheeks and kept saying "Schmoove, Daddy".
Emma looked at me, not quite sure of what happened and said "Daddy, how did you broked your face?"
Thursday, September 20, 2007
"Is it a truth or the lie, Daddy?"
So my little experiment with truth and consequences must have really sunk in the other day. For the good part of the week Emma has been testing me to see if I know the difference between the truth and a lie. She's pretty creative. One statement really caught me off guard:
"Deoxyribonucleic acid is a protein." She said.
(Not really - that is a lie but her vocabulary is getting so big it won't be long.)
Anyway I gave the girls their bath tonight and got them ready for bed. After brushing their teeth, Chloe just crept back into their room not saying a word and crawled under her covers. I think the poor girl was a tad bit tired.
"Emma you need to go potty." I said.
"I just did Daddy the other day while you were shutting the blinds, remember?" she asked.
She doesn't quite have the concept of time yet. She's good with "in a few minutes" or "tomorrow" but as with most kids, "yesterday" could be 3 minutes ago or last year.
"I didn't hear you go potty. Are you telling the truth or a lie?" I asked.
After pausing for about 20 seconds or so she quipped "Well it's a kinda truth" with a huge smile on her face.
As she sat their going to the potty I realized that it is now 'Game On' so-to-say and I'm in deep s**t with her from here on out. She now knows how to manipulate me pretty well.
Tonight the girls faded off to sleep very quickly. As I write this from the next room over from their bedroom, I cannot hear the traditional Indian drum beat of their little feet on the wall that so often accompanies their drift into slumber.
Sweet dreams baby girls. Your Daddy loves you.
"Deoxyribonucleic acid is a protein." She said.
(Not really - that is a lie but her vocabulary is getting so big it won't be long.)
Anyway I gave the girls their bath tonight and got them ready for bed. After brushing their teeth, Chloe just crept back into their room not saying a word and crawled under her covers. I think the poor girl was a tad bit tired.
"Emma you need to go potty." I said.
"I just did Daddy the other day while you were shutting the blinds, remember?" she asked.
She doesn't quite have the concept of time yet. She's good with "in a few minutes" or "tomorrow" but as with most kids, "yesterday" could be 3 minutes ago or last year.
"I didn't hear you go potty. Are you telling the truth or a lie?" I asked.
After pausing for about 20 seconds or so she quipped "Well it's a kinda truth" with a huge smile on her face.
As she sat their going to the potty I realized that it is now 'Game On' so-to-say and I'm in deep s**t with her from here on out. She now knows how to manipulate me pretty well.
Tonight the girls faded off to sleep very quickly. As I write this from the next room over from their bedroom, I cannot hear the traditional Indian drum beat of their little feet on the wall that so often accompanies their drift into slumber.
Sweet dreams baby girls. Your Daddy loves you.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
World Records
Tonight the family took a trip to IHOP (there's a shocker). It was just one of those nights where you just don't feel like cooking. This trip was the very first time that the Dude and all of the women folk went out in public together as a family of five. There can be no better place to christen your child in public than at your local IHOP.
We pulled into the parking lot and I steered right into our reserved place. I'm not making this up. I think they really reserved us a particular parking spot at IHOP because it's always available. I got out of the car and took Lydia out in her baby carrier and walked around to the other side. After handing her to the Mrs., I unlatched the other two kiddies and we walked hand and hand and hand and hand and baby carrier right into the restaurant. We waited for the hostess and Chloe decided it would be fun to entertain herself. After jumping up on the bench seats for waiting customers, she put her little hands up on the glass window and squealed with joy. When the family of four on the other side of the glass looked up at her she let out a loud
"DUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHH..."
A smart man would have realized this as an omen and just turned around and left. So we are seated by a new hostess. Hostess Cookie and Tamara were no where to be seen. Yes we know the employees by name - don't judge us. As we looked over the menu and patiently waited for her return, Chloe started the chaos by playing a game called "lick the pepper". It was quite entertaining for her and she broke into a regular routine:
STEP 1: Shake the pepper like hell onto your hand.
STEP 2: Lick the pepper off of your hand making sure to get in between the fingers.
STEP 3: Blink both eyes at Daddy as you swallow.
STEP 4: Say "MOAH" (That's Chloe Talk for 'MORE')
Repeat steps 1-4 for no less than 5 minutes or until tongue catches on fire.
About this time, someone across the restaurant was playing "Howl Like Morgan Dog". At least that is what it sounded like. NOTE TO SELF - Find good trademark and patten attorney and protect all rights for HLMD.
As Chloe was eating her pepper by the fist-full, Emma shrugged and shot me a "What the hell look" and began to tilt her head back. I gave her the evil eye and she quietly drank her milk. I think the Mrs. knew in my heart (not to mention the barely audible inner howls I was making) that I really wanted to howl at the kid across the restaurant but she gave me her "Just Do It" look. The JDI look is her trump card. I know if I get that look I'm in big trouble.
As Chloe heard the little boy howl from across the room she decided to see where it was coming from. She stood up on the seat and peeked over the booth dividers. Of course everyone in the restaurant was amused at the little redheaded whack-a-mole and she told most of them "Hi!" in her cute little voice. After convincing her that good girls sit in their booster seats, the waitress (who was also the hostess) came back to the table to take our order and laughed at Chloe who was laid back in her booster seat with her belly showing and her arms behind her head. The Mrs. ordered strawberry pancakes for the kids and French toast for herself. The waitress looked at me and without missing a beat I said
"Yeah I'll have the leather restraints with a side of narcotics please."
I did not smile but the waitress cracked up. I ordered my standard Philly sandwich and then tended to Chloe as she poured out the sweetener packets onto the table. After getting those back in the holder, I turned to check on Lydia and heard Chloe playing with the tiny packets of jelly.
The rest of the evening went a lot like this. Chloe played more games such as hide the shoe, throw the kiddie art book and crayons, blow milk bubbles all over the table, and my favorite - jab the straw into daddy's bicep. After paying our bill, we left the restaurant the same way we came in - as a family with whom I am madly in love.
The girls did well on the way home and the Mrs. flew over the Doopy Doo which made the girls giggle with delight. I can't drive anymore at night and the Mrs. didn't let me down.
After cleaning the girls up and tucking them into bed, I stood outside their doorway as they faded off to sleep singing "The Wheels on the Bus". I know I broke two world records tonight for the most consecutive "No's" and "SIT DOWN's" in a single setting. It was worth it to see the kids have fun at one of our favorite restaurants. Good Times!
We pulled into the parking lot and I steered right into our reserved place. I'm not making this up. I think they really reserved us a particular parking spot at IHOP because it's always available. I got out of the car and took Lydia out in her baby carrier and walked around to the other side. After handing her to the Mrs., I unlatched the other two kiddies and we walked hand and hand and hand and hand and baby carrier right into the restaurant. We waited for the hostess and Chloe decided it would be fun to entertain herself. After jumping up on the bench seats for waiting customers, she put her little hands up on the glass window and squealed with joy. When the family of four on the other side of the glass looked up at her she let out a loud
"DUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHH..."
A smart man would have realized this as an omen and just turned around and left. So we are seated by a new hostess. Hostess Cookie and Tamara were no where to be seen. Yes we know the employees by name - don't judge us. As we looked over the menu and patiently waited for her return, Chloe started the chaos by playing a game called "lick the pepper". It was quite entertaining for her and she broke into a regular routine:
STEP 1: Shake the pepper like hell onto your hand.
STEP 2: Lick the pepper off of your hand making sure to get in between the fingers.
STEP 3: Blink both eyes at Daddy as you swallow.
STEP 4: Say "MOAH" (That's Chloe Talk for 'MORE')
Repeat steps 1-4 for no less than 5 minutes or until tongue catches on fire.
About this time, someone across the restaurant was playing "Howl Like Morgan Dog". At least that is what it sounded like. NOTE TO SELF - Find good trademark and patten attorney and protect all rights for HLMD.
As Chloe was eating her pepper by the fist-full, Emma shrugged and shot me a "What the hell look" and began to tilt her head back. I gave her the evil eye and she quietly drank her milk. I think the Mrs. knew in my heart (not to mention the barely audible inner howls I was making) that I really wanted to howl at the kid across the restaurant but she gave me her "Just Do It" look. The JDI look is her trump card. I know if I get that look I'm in big trouble.
As Chloe heard the little boy howl from across the room she decided to see where it was coming from. She stood up on the seat and peeked over the booth dividers. Of course everyone in the restaurant was amused at the little redheaded whack-a-mole and she told most of them "Hi!" in her cute little voice. After convincing her that good girls sit in their booster seats, the waitress (who was also the hostess) came back to the table to take our order and laughed at Chloe who was laid back in her booster seat with her belly showing and her arms behind her head. The Mrs. ordered strawberry pancakes for the kids and French toast for herself. The waitress looked at me and without missing a beat I said
"Yeah I'll have the leather restraints with a side of narcotics please."
I did not smile but the waitress cracked up. I ordered my standard Philly sandwich and then tended to Chloe as she poured out the sweetener packets onto the table. After getting those back in the holder, I turned to check on Lydia and heard Chloe playing with the tiny packets of jelly.
The rest of the evening went a lot like this. Chloe played more games such as hide the shoe, throw the kiddie art book and crayons, blow milk bubbles all over the table, and my favorite - jab the straw into daddy's bicep. After paying our bill, we left the restaurant the same way we came in - as a family with whom I am madly in love.
The girls did well on the way home and the Mrs. flew over the Doopy Doo which made the girls giggle with delight. I can't drive anymore at night and the Mrs. didn't let me down.
After cleaning the girls up and tucking them into bed, I stood outside their doorway as they faded off to sleep singing "The Wheels on the Bus". I know I broke two world records tonight for the most consecutive "No's" and "SIT DOWN's" in a single setting. It was worth it to see the kids have fun at one of our favorite restaurants. Good Times!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Hookd on Fonix
I've started working with the girls to help them learn how to say big words a little easier. We use phonics to sound out the syllables and they really seem to like that. I was cleaning the kitchen a few minutes ago and Emma came bouncing in all dressed up in a pink shirt and blue jeans.
"Daddy look at me!" she said as she pirouetted through the kitchen.
"That is a pretty shirt and pants." I replied.
"They aren't pants Daddy - they are Brew Jreens." she corrected.
"Brox Fleens?" I joked.
"No Daddy. Say 'BREW'." she stated.
"BREW." I exclaimed.
"Ok good. Now say 'Jreens'." she continued.
"Fleenies." I teased.
"No not quite but that's close. Say 'BREW JREENS'." she ordered.
"Blau Jerxies." I replied.
"No Daddy. That's ok it's a big word. We'll try again later." she said as she skipped on through the kitchen.
"Daddy look at me!" she said as she pirouetted through the kitchen.
"That is a pretty shirt and pants." I replied.
"They aren't pants Daddy - they are Brew Jreens." she corrected.
"Brox Fleens?" I joked.
"No Daddy. Say 'BREW'." she stated.
"BREW." I exclaimed.
"Ok good. Now say 'Jreens'." she continued.
"Fleenies." I teased.
"No not quite but that's close. Say 'BREW JREENS'." she ordered.
"Blau Jerxies." I replied.
"No Daddy. That's ok it's a big word. We'll try again later." she said as she skipped on through the kitchen.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Truth And Consequences
Today I decided to teach the girls the difference between a lie and the truth. As with most parents, I relayed the importance of telling the truth by telling the story of the The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Emma seemed to be really fixated on that story and really paid attention. After the story we decided to do an exercise where Daddy made a statement, and the girls had to say whether it was a lie or the truth. Emma caught on very quickly and now knows the difference between a lie and the truth. Oh yeah the reason for this whole exercise is that Emma was sitting in her little pink princess chair watching Dora and just leaned over and spit this huge glob of spit out of her mouth onto the carpet then denied it even though I had seen her do it.
Fast forward to dinner. We finished dinner in record speed tonight and Emma wanted to hear The Boy Who Cried Wolf yet again and I was happy to tell the story. I made it extra creepy and scary this time and the girls almost jumped out of their skin when the wolf ate the little boy.
"Daddy that was a GREAT STORY (insert assorted woohoo's here)." Emma said. "I'll tell you a story now."
[Yeah I giggled here too...]
Clearing her throat she began her story:
"Once upon a time there was this little boy. He was a shepherd and had a lot of sheep - they were cute too. And the boy lived on a hill and said 'Wooooooooooooooolf' but nobody came so he did it again. And no one came again and the wolf ate they boy and he came out his poop hole."
I can't stop giggling about this one
Fast forward to dinner. We finished dinner in record speed tonight and Emma wanted to hear The Boy Who Cried Wolf yet again and I was happy to tell the story. I made it extra creepy and scary this time and the girls almost jumped out of their skin when the wolf ate the little boy.
"Daddy that was a GREAT STORY (insert assorted woohoo's here)." Emma said. "I'll tell you a story now."
[Yeah I giggled here too...]
Clearing her throat she began her story:
"Once upon a time there was this little boy. He was a shepherd and had a lot of sheep - they were cute too. And the boy lived on a hill and said 'Wooooooooooooooolf' but nobody came so he did it again. And no one came again and the wolf ate they boy and he came out his poop hole."
I can't stop giggling about this one
The Daddy Song
With Lydia needing a feeding in the morning around 530 or so, the older girls have grown accustomed to just going ahead and getting up. They're usually pretty well behaved and go upstairs into their play room to play quietly. Other mornings they decide that it is really fun to play like they are in Pamplona and run with the bulls up and down the stairs. Yesterday was such a morning. I rolled out of bed to take a shower, dreading the fact that in a few hours I would have a needle sticking in my eyeball. By the way that really sucked.
I get out of the shower to the Mrs. laughing hysterically. I listen closely and hear her say "Oh you'll have to do that for your Daddy when he gets out of the shower." I hurry up and get ready, wink at that gorgeous hunk of a man in the mirror, and pretend to fire my six shooters. This is a morning ritual I have developed since my house is now full of estrogen. It just makes me feel more manly.
I entered the family room to see my beautiful girls all dressed and ready for school. I'm not 100% sure as of the writing of this post, but I believe my wife has cloned herself because the toys were picked up, the kids were dressed and she was quietly feeding Lydia her bottle like it was no big deal. Trust me - raising 3 young children under the age of four takes as much skill as juggling a battle axe, a running push mower, and a live hamster. If a man tried to do all that, the kids would be dressed like Mr. Hobo Clown, you'd break your ankles on the toys you trip over, and the baby would be screaming her head off while you fumble in the dimly lit kitchen looking for the right bottle nipple.
"Ok Emma," said the Mrs. "Sing that song for your Daddy."
"Ok!" Emma said as she positioned herself just right for the big show.
Now before I tell you the lyrics to The Daddy Song, I want you to picture this cute little redhead girl side-step dancing while shaking her booty (of course with emphasis on the booty shaking).
Ready for the lyrics?
The Daddy Song
By Emma
Daddy Daddy Daddy Da.
Daddy Daddy Daddy Da.
Daddy Daddy Daddy Da.
Daddy Daddy Daddy Da.
(repeat 3 X)
"THAT IS SO GOOD EMMA!" I shouted. "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!"
The Mrs. later told me that when I was in the shower, she also sang The Mommy Song, the Chloe Song, and The "Wydia" Song. I'm sure you can imagine how those lyrics went.
I get out of the shower to the Mrs. laughing hysterically. I listen closely and hear her say "Oh you'll have to do that for your Daddy when he gets out of the shower." I hurry up and get ready, wink at that gorgeous hunk of a man in the mirror, and pretend to fire my six shooters. This is a morning ritual I have developed since my house is now full of estrogen. It just makes me feel more manly.
I entered the family room to see my beautiful girls all dressed and ready for school. I'm not 100% sure as of the writing of this post, but I believe my wife has cloned herself because the toys were picked up, the kids were dressed and she was quietly feeding Lydia her bottle like it was no big deal. Trust me - raising 3 young children under the age of four takes as much skill as juggling a battle axe, a running push mower, and a live hamster. If a man tried to do all that, the kids would be dressed like Mr. Hobo Clown, you'd break your ankles on the toys you trip over, and the baby would be screaming her head off while you fumble in the dimly lit kitchen looking for the right bottle nipple.
"Ok Emma," said the Mrs. "Sing that song for your Daddy."
"Ok!" Emma said as she positioned herself just right for the big show.
Now before I tell you the lyrics to The Daddy Song, I want you to picture this cute little redhead girl side-step dancing while shaking her booty (of course with emphasis on the booty shaking).
Ready for the lyrics?
The Daddy Song
By Emma
Daddy Daddy Daddy Da.
Daddy Daddy Daddy Da.
Daddy Daddy Daddy Da.
Daddy Daddy Daddy Da.
(repeat 3 X)
"THAT IS SO GOOD EMMA!" I shouted. "I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!"
The Mrs. later told me that when I was in the shower, she also sang The Mommy Song, the Chloe Song, and The "Wydia" Song. I'm sure you can imagine how those lyrics went.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Pirate Daddy
It has been a wonderful week with the birth of my third daughter. Lydia is already showing her personality and just getting cuter by the day. However, I did have a weird experience on Thursday night last week while still at the hospital. I was taking a quick nap and woke up to go home and let the dog out. On the way out to the house, I noticed that the lights on the left side of the road were very dim - almost as if I had blown out a headlight.
I continue home and realize that when I pulled into the driveway, both headlights were fine. "I'm just tired" I thought. I let the dog out and return to the hospital. Morning came quickly and it was time to get discharged from the hospital. When I awoke, it felt like something was in my eye and it hurt and was quite itchy. I also noticed a slight shadow in the center of my eye. I remembered that the night before I had fallen asleep with my knuckles on my left hand in my eye. "Probably the reason for the pain" I thought. The itchy feeling was kind of like my eye was asleep. I figured it would be better over the weekend.
Fast forward to Monday morning. My sight had diminished to the point it was fuzzy in my center point vision and was like I was looking through a darkly tinted window. I picked up the phone and called the eye doctor and they told me to come on down. I was there for five hours. After relentless eye drops and poking at my eye, and tons of pictures I had my diagnosis.
"OCULAR HEMORRHAGE BROUGHT ON MY RETINAL HEMANGIOMA" The doctor said clearly. It is as bad as it sounds. In a nutshell, I had at least one blood vessel that blew up inside my eye and flooded into the retina of my left eyeball.
"Mr. Hendrix, you are legally blind in your left eye." He said.
The life-long fear of losing my sight seemed to be turning into a reality. Tomorrow I begin a 3 round treatment of shots right into my eyeball - through the pupil with a big-ass syringe full of a drug called Avastin. It's a nasty chemotherapy drug used to treat tumors. It cuts the blood supply off to the tumor. Although not approved for used in this form of treatment by the FDA, There is an ok result in "off label" treatment for macular disorders such as mine. Provided I don't stroke out or have a heart attack from the medicine, there is a good chance that the bleeding in my eye will stop. After three shots if I’m still bleeding, it is not going to work and the doctors will not do anything else for me. If the bleeding stops, there is a slim chance that my body will absorb the blood in my eye and some vision will be regained. I will not have my original eyesight back in its pre-hemorrhage condition.
So today the Mrs. ran out and got me an eye patch. The reason is that with my left eye being as useful for seeing as a hard-boiled egg, it's causing my right eye to really strain. It's actually better if I don't see anything coming in my left eye. I strap on the eye patch and Emma heard the elastic band snap against my forehead. She peeked over the couch and squealed
"HI PIRATE DADDY!!!!!"
She giggled and went back to her cartoons. I came over and sat down in my chair and started to work on the computer. She came up to me and said "Daddy you are so crazy. Why are you being a pirate man?"
I explained to her that Daddy has a booboo in his eye and the eye patch kind of made it feel better.
"Oh can I see your booboo?" she asked.
"Well my booboo is inside my eye where you can't see it" I replied.
She seemed concerned and thought for a moment. "Will it get better Daddy?" she asked.
"I'm not sure baby" I replied. "God will make it all better if he wants to and if he decides to use my booboo to help someone else then that is fine."
"Ooooooooooooook you silly Pirate Daddy." She said.
If my little girls see someone that has a problem and just accept them the way they are, I think the Mrs. and I are doing something right.
I am proud of my wife and children and love them more than I can express.
I continue home and realize that when I pulled into the driveway, both headlights were fine. "I'm just tired" I thought. I let the dog out and return to the hospital. Morning came quickly and it was time to get discharged from the hospital. When I awoke, it felt like something was in my eye and it hurt and was quite itchy. I also noticed a slight shadow in the center of my eye. I remembered that the night before I had fallen asleep with my knuckles on my left hand in my eye. "Probably the reason for the pain" I thought. The itchy feeling was kind of like my eye was asleep. I figured it would be better over the weekend.
Fast forward to Monday morning. My sight had diminished to the point it was fuzzy in my center point vision and was like I was looking through a darkly tinted window. I picked up the phone and called the eye doctor and they told me to come on down. I was there for five hours. After relentless eye drops and poking at my eye, and tons of pictures I had my diagnosis.
"OCULAR HEMORRHAGE BROUGHT ON MY RETINAL HEMANGIOMA" The doctor said clearly. It is as bad as it sounds. In a nutshell, I had at least one blood vessel that blew up inside my eye and flooded into the retina of my left eyeball.
"Mr. Hendrix, you are legally blind in your left eye." He said.
The life-long fear of losing my sight seemed to be turning into a reality. Tomorrow I begin a 3 round treatment of shots right into my eyeball - through the pupil with a big-ass syringe full of a drug called Avastin. It's a nasty chemotherapy drug used to treat tumors. It cuts the blood supply off to the tumor. Although not approved for used in this form of treatment by the FDA, There is an ok result in "off label" treatment for macular disorders such as mine. Provided I don't stroke out or have a heart attack from the medicine, there is a good chance that the bleeding in my eye will stop. After three shots if I’m still bleeding, it is not going to work and the doctors will not do anything else for me. If the bleeding stops, there is a slim chance that my body will absorb the blood in my eye and some vision will be regained. I will not have my original eyesight back in its pre-hemorrhage condition.
So today the Mrs. ran out and got me an eye patch. The reason is that with my left eye being as useful for seeing as a hard-boiled egg, it's causing my right eye to really strain. It's actually better if I don't see anything coming in my left eye. I strap on the eye patch and Emma heard the elastic band snap against my forehead. She peeked over the couch and squealed
"HI PIRATE DADDY!!!!!"
She giggled and went back to her cartoons. I came over and sat down in my chair and started to work on the computer. She came up to me and said "Daddy you are so crazy. Why are you being a pirate man?"
I explained to her that Daddy has a booboo in his eye and the eye patch kind of made it feel better.
"Oh can I see your booboo?" she asked.
"Well my booboo is inside my eye where you can't see it" I replied.
She seemed concerned and thought for a moment. "Will it get better Daddy?" she asked.
"I'm not sure baby" I replied. "God will make it all better if he wants to and if he decides to use my booboo to help someone else then that is fine."
"Ooooooooooooook you silly Pirate Daddy." She said.
If my little girls see someone that has a problem and just accept them the way they are, I think the Mrs. and I are doing something right.
I am proud of my wife and children and love them more than I can express.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
A Special Blessing
The Mrs. and I are really trying to help our little princesses get off on the right foot. We made a promise to each other that as soon as Lydia was able to go out into crowds, we'd find us a church and all five us would go on a regular basis. As a "pre-church" learning experience, we have taken up saying the blessing before every meal. We even do it out in public. Growing up I always felt weird doing it at a restaurant but with my own children, it just seems perfectly natural.
So tonight we were all sitting around the table getting ready to eat "unhealthy menu #3a" which also means "Let's get some burgers from Sonic". We unwrap the burgers and of course the kids start to dig in before momma or myself sit down. And of course, when Daddy sits down on his seat (currently a step stool), they know to put their food down and hold their little hands together and bow their heads.
"Daddy, let's say a special bwessing" Emma suggests.
My heart just swelled with pride thinking that Emma wanted to say a special prayer thanking God for Lydia or something really sweet like that.
I cut a quick smile to momma and we both look back at her as proud as peacocks. The reason she wanted to say a special blessing was because the night that Lydia was born, daddy said a special blessing for a safe delivery. I didn't get to see that delivery but that's a whole other story.
I looked down at my beautiful daughter and said "Sure Emma! Daddy can say a special blessing. What do you want me to say?"
"Say the Dora blessing, Daddy" She said.
"I'm not sure I know that one baby" I replied.
Without missing a beat, she giggled "OK Dadddddddddddddy - say the Spider Man one."
We giggled all the way through dinner tonight.
So tonight we were all sitting around the table getting ready to eat "unhealthy menu #3a" which also means "Let's get some burgers from Sonic". We unwrap the burgers and of course the kids start to dig in before momma or myself sit down. And of course, when Daddy sits down on his seat (currently a step stool), they know to put their food down and hold their little hands together and bow their heads.
"Daddy, let's say a special bwessing" Emma suggests.
My heart just swelled with pride thinking that Emma wanted to say a special prayer thanking God for Lydia or something really sweet like that.
I cut a quick smile to momma and we both look back at her as proud as peacocks. The reason she wanted to say a special blessing was because the night that Lydia was born, daddy said a special blessing for a safe delivery. I didn't get to see that delivery but that's a whole other story.
I looked down at my beautiful daughter and said "Sure Emma! Daddy can say a special blessing. What do you want me to say?"
"Say the Dora blessing, Daddy" She said.
"I'm not sure I know that one baby" I replied.
Without missing a beat, she giggled "OK Dadddddddddddddy - say the Spider Man one."
We giggled all the way through dinner tonight.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Today was a good day. The Mrs. and I brought home the third princess for The Dude Room Kingdom. Like her older sisters, she is beautiful and crowned with red hair. She is perfect in every way. It is only a matter of time until her silly father warps her like her sisters. I shall have fun though. I'm already making her "talk" by putting my index finger under her bottom lip and moving her mouth as if she were speaking. In baby voices I say "Mommy - i'm hunnnnnnnnnnnnngry" or "Mommy - i'm stinkyyyyyyyyyyy". It's childish and I love it. Lydia Gail you are already a blessing.
Today was a day to just sleep and enjoy each other. Most of the day was spent sleeping by at least one person in the family throughout the day. Around 4:00pm, everyone was awake and doing something. The girls were amazed at their new little sister. Momma was smiling at her beautiful children and loving watching them get to know each other. I was catching up on a few emails. Morgan dog was humping Pam cat over in the corner - you know a typical day.
We decided that neither of us really felt like cooking since the cupboards were bare. Therefore we decided on Subway and I took the older girls into town to let momma have a little rest time. Now at this point in their young lives, they have never been out in public with "just daddy".
I shall begin this story by saying that it was like a surreal version of Captain Insane Leads the Sticky Wickets. I really have no idea what they got into when we were in the van on the way to the store, but something invisible seemed to coat them and attracted things as we went down the aisles. No kidding... I looked down and Chloe had a box of cereal stuck to her face at one point. I decided that keeping the Barbie Fairytopia cereal was a good idea. I am secure enough in my manhood to eat that without shame.
Now for some reason, the girls decided that they missed Morgan dog and began howling for him. This is a fun game I created about 5 years ago. I can howl like a wolf and Morgan will join in almost as if driven by canine instinct, tossing his head back and letting his ears flop. So there we were - a young father and two very cute but very sticky young redhead girls flying down the Coke aisle as fast as our chariot would take us with our heads thrown back howling like a pack of wolves.
"OOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW" we howled in unison.
Some of the people were really amused and knew what we were doing. Others nervously took out their cell phones and seemed to dial Emergency. Still, others pushed their children behind them and shook their head disapprovingly at me. It was wonderful.
Not being one to stunt their creativity, they continued to howl at the top of their lungs outside as I loaded the GG (Grocery Getter). I buckled them into their seats and rolled the windows down because with the three of us howling, it can get pretty loud in a closed up vehicle. We made a quick stop by Subway and went through the drive-thru. The lady couldn't hear me "because of my dogs". I think when I laughed, just a little bit of pee came out. We pulled up to the window and they only get louder. I couldn't help but shrug my shoulders and join in again. The only thing that could have been better would be if the GG were painted yellow and black so people would think that I was simply driving "the short bus" on it's final route for the day.
It was a very very good day.
Today was a day to just sleep and enjoy each other. Most of the day was spent sleeping by at least one person in the family throughout the day. Around 4:00pm, everyone was awake and doing something. The girls were amazed at their new little sister. Momma was smiling at her beautiful children and loving watching them get to know each other. I was catching up on a few emails. Morgan dog was humping Pam cat over in the corner - you know a typical day.
We decided that neither of us really felt like cooking since the cupboards were bare. Therefore we decided on Subway and I took the older girls into town to let momma have a little rest time. Now at this point in their young lives, they have never been out in public with "just daddy".
I shall begin this story by saying that it was like a surreal version of Captain Insane Leads the Sticky Wickets. I really have no idea what they got into when we were in the van on the way to the store, but something invisible seemed to coat them and attracted things as we went down the aisles. No kidding... I looked down and Chloe had a box of cereal stuck to her face at one point. I decided that keeping the Barbie Fairytopia cereal was a good idea. I am secure enough in my manhood to eat that without shame.
Now for some reason, the girls decided that they missed Morgan dog and began howling for him. This is a fun game I created about 5 years ago. I can howl like a wolf and Morgan will join in almost as if driven by canine instinct, tossing his head back and letting his ears flop. So there we were - a young father and two very cute but very sticky young redhead girls flying down the Coke aisle as fast as our chariot would take us with our heads thrown back howling like a pack of wolves.
"OOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW" we howled in unison.
Some of the people were really amused and knew what we were doing. Others nervously took out their cell phones and seemed to dial Emergency. Still, others pushed their children behind them and shook their head disapprovingly at me. It was wonderful.
Not being one to stunt their creativity, they continued to howl at the top of their lungs outside as I loaded the GG (Grocery Getter). I buckled them into their seats and rolled the windows down because with the three of us howling, it can get pretty loud in a closed up vehicle. We made a quick stop by Subway and went through the drive-thru. The lady couldn't hear me "because of my dogs". I think when I laughed, just a little bit of pee came out. We pulled up to the window and they only get louder. I couldn't help but shrug my shoulders and join in again. The only thing that could have been better would be if the GG were painted yellow and black so people would think that I was simply driving "the short bus" on it's final route for the day.
It was a very very good day.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Open Door Policy
The Mrs. often complains that I spend too much time in the Dude Room. I would like to state that this is not really true. Usually, the lengthy durations in TDR occur while the children are still awake. I seem to spend the majority of the time talking to the children outside the door, explaining why they can't come in, or pretending not to see their little fingers sticking under the door and then pretending to be scared when they make "monster lion" noises between the door and the door jam.
I patiently answer every question they have and lovingly respond to each "Hi Daddy" coming from the other side of the door. As a result of this interactive experience, there is very little "productive" time in TDR. Yes, sometimes my legs go numb due to the length of time which seems to pass.
Effective at 5:00PM yesterday, September 2, 2007, I conceded to the demands of the young people of the kingdom and just don't care anymore. I now have an open door policy when in TDR. I do not care if they continue to bring cups of milk into the room, or small chairs in which they can sit. They can play with their baby dolls and bath toys and Morgan Dog is allowed to come in and have a seat too if he wishes (which he normally tries to do anyway). The time in TDR will now be multi-tasked so that time spent in TDR will be kept to a minimum. I can review emails from potential clients, talk to the children about their day, eat cookies with them - whatever. I think this new plan will help greatly and increase productivity in TDR.
I patiently answer every question they have and lovingly respond to each "Hi Daddy" coming from the other side of the door. As a result of this interactive experience, there is very little "productive" time in TDR. Yes, sometimes my legs go numb due to the length of time which seems to pass.
Effective at 5:00PM yesterday, September 2, 2007, I conceded to the demands of the young people of the kingdom and just don't care anymore. I now have an open door policy when in TDR. I do not care if they continue to bring cups of milk into the room, or small chairs in which they can sit. They can play with their baby dolls and bath toys and Morgan Dog is allowed to come in and have a seat too if he wishes (which he normally tries to do anyway). The time in TDR will now be multi-tasked so that time spent in TDR will be kept to a minimum. I can review emails from potential clients, talk to the children about their day, eat cookies with them - whatever. I think this new plan will help greatly and increase productivity in TDR.
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