He’s Three!

Last weekend TT turned 3.  TQ and I had a small party for him, including his grandparents and godparents.  It was a nice celebration and TT really fed off the engery.

I baked him a cake from scratch (with the help of my trusty baking coach).  The party theme was John Deere (yellow and green), so we used green frosting with yellow lettering.  We put a small tractor on the cake as well as a small farm enclosure containing some toy farm critters (Crumbled up Oreos for the ‘dirt’.  There are some good birthday suggestions sites out there in Internet-land).

Of course, he received plenty of John Deere toys as gifts, so it worked out great.

The best part was when we brought out the cake and everyone gathered around to sing for TT.  He was standing on a dining room chair and he had the most amazing expression on his face.  I think he got it – all these people and the decorations and the cake, they’re all for me.  I think he realized it was his special day and that many people cared for him. 

It was and we do.

Enjoy the day.

Fun-filled Fourth

Well, a good time was had by all in the CycloDaddy household over the Fourth of July weekend.  On the Fourth, we took TT for a nice bike ride along the lakefront and had lunch on Nay Pier.  TT got to ride the Thomas train which was a big hit.  He shared a car with little girl and they looked so cute together – the little girl’s mom even said something to us about how nicely they were interacting.  Since he’s an only child, it’s great for us as his parents to see him interacting successfully with others his age.

On Sunday we took another bike ride and let TT play in the Crown Fountain at MIllenium Park.  The fountain is an amazing public art installation.  The historic Chicago skyline on Michigan Avenue serves as a backdrop for children frolicking in the fountain and its reflecting pool.  Their yelling and laughter combine with the traffic noise creating an ever-changing sound-scape under the warm summer sun.  If you have little ones, I highly recommend visiting this fountain.

Enjoy the day!

Bike to Work Week

This week is Bike to Work week in Chicago.  Unfortunately, our annual celebration of travelling by bicycle has gotten off to a very rough start.  One cyclist was killed on Monday night when a motorist in a parked car “doored” the rider.  He was knocked from his bike into traffic and run over.  The motorist was cited.  Another cyclist was injured Tuesday morning in a collision with a CTA bus.  The bus driver was cited.

After a brutal winter and almost non-existent spring, summer is finally here and streets and paths are filling with more cyclists.  Unfortunately, not all drivers change their habits and not all riders conduct themselves appropriately when sharing the road with motorists.

So if you’re going to heed the call and hit road on your bike, please ride predictably and obey the rules of the road.  And if you’re a motorist, please share the rode with the cyclists.

Ride safely and enjoy the day!

Gone too long

It’s been over a month since my last post.  I was doing most of posting over the weekends while TT takes his nap.  With the weather getting better, that time has been mostly spend working around the house getting ready for summer.  I plan on making more time so I can keep this blog current.

The big event since the last post is our trip to Florida.  TQ, TT, and I went there over Mother’s Day weekend to visit my parents.  It was a big event because, as a family, we realized a number of firsts:  it was TT’s first time on an airplane and it was TT’s first time sleeping anywhere other than his home (well, except for his stay in the hospital after his birth).

Amazingly, TT did really well on both legs of the trip.  His favorite part were the cab rides to and from the airport.  There were so many cars and trucks on the expressway, TQ and I could hardly keep him still.  The plane rides themselves were pretty good, though he did have a “moment” on each flight.  The good news was his fits only lasted a few minutes and then he calmed himself.  Fortunately, we weren’t “Those People”.

One thing that helped make the flights somewhat bearable was bringing several sippy cups on board the plane.  Thanks to a tip from a co-worker, we made TT drink from the sippy cups during take-off and landing.  His sucking on the cups helped equalize the pressure on his ears.  On the return flight, there was a baby whose parents were not prepared and the poor child was screaming bloody murder during the descent.  Unfortunately, that family was “Those People”.

So remember, if you’re going to take a flight with a young child, bring something on which they can suck – it really helps with the ear pressure.

Enjoy the day!

 

Beginnings and Endings

Two weekend ago, we had a beginning – the beginning of the CycloDaddy-TT cycling season!  Sunday was sunny and mild – not warm, but nice enough.  We asked TT if he wanted to go for a walk or a bike ride, and he very excitedly said he wanted to go for a bike ride.  It warmed my heart to see him get so excited about spending time with his daddy and doing something that I enjoy so much.

We did a nice 18 mile ride up and down the lakefront and he was awake and engaged the entire time.  He gets so excited as I point out all the interesting sites along our route:  dogs playing in the surf, maintenance equipment in the parks, and cars and buses on Lake Shore Drive.  The ride was a great beginning to the 2008 season and I’m looking forward to many more fun rides with TT.

Unfortunately, I think this past Sunday was an ending:  the last Kangaroo class at the Old Town School.  TT is at such a beautiful innocent stage right now, and it really shines during the Kanagroo class.  He’s one of the most energetic and engaging children in the class and has no problem interacting with the other children and their parents.  Every week he makes people smile with his contageous laughter and his perpetual motion during the class.  He is a free spirit and has no inhibitions what so ever.

We won’t enroll him in another Old Town class until the fall when he’ll be six months older.  I wonder if he’ll still be the uninhibited free spirit I was with last Sunday.  I can only hope, but I’m afraid this stage may be ending.

Enjoy the day.

 

There is hope…

This week, I rode to work all five days for the first time this year.  We took TT for a walk this morning and let him run around and use the equipment at our neighborhood playlot.  Many other families were out enjoying the modest springtime warmth.  I’m sure Old Man Winter isn’t quite done with us yet; however, this past week it felt like he was losing his grip on Chicago.  There is hope for spring!

Enjoy the day.

Nanny Drama Solved!

One of TQ’s favorite expressions is “things happen for a reason”.  I think our nanny drama did happen for a reason.  After a weekend of frantic interviews, we found a nanny that we really liked.  Though she’s young, she has a lot of experience and was very at ease around TT.  And TT really responded well to her during the interview.

She started last Wednesday.  TQ spend that day and Thursday with her and we both worked with her on Friday.  The transition days went pretty smoothly, and TT was warming up to the new nanny.

This past week she “soloed” with TT and she really hit the ground running.  Unlike our previous nanny, she drives and she wasted no time loading TT into our car and taking him fun places like a pet store and a book store.  When we originally started looking for a nanny, we didn’t think having a license was a big deal – our neighborhood has many things to do all within walking distance.  Now, I can see the advantages of having a nanny who drives.  It’s all about the experience for TT, and she can provide him with new and interesting experiences beyond the boundaries of our neighborhood.

So, nanny drama is solved – and so far, so good.  Maybe things really do happen for a reason…

Enjoy the day!

Nanny Drama

TQ and I both work full time, so we have a nanny for TT.  While I liked our nanny, TQ had some reservations.  Her “woman’s intuition” was vindicated last two weeks ago.  Since the beginning of the year, our nanny has been talking about a trip back to her home in India (she was born in Tibet and raised in India).  We told her we would work with her as long as she gave us a least two weeks notice.  On Monday, she told us she was leaving in two weeks for four weeks.  OK, we thought, we can work with that.  We’ll probably tap out our vacation bank, but we can manage.  Then, on Tuesday she told us she was leaving Saturday for five or six weeks.  Huh?

Needless to say, TQ was livid.  We talked and thought and planned through Wednesday and decided we could not accept the Nanny’s behavior.  So Thursday, we wished her a safe trip and told her not to come back.  Now we have to find a replacement…

Enjoy the day!

Sick of it…

*** RANT ON  ***

Here in Chicago, we’re limping towards the end of February and the end of meteorological winter (according to Tom Skilling).  And I do mean limping.  It’s been one of the most extreme winters in terms of days below freezing and the amount of snowfall.  Normally I’m kind of a winter guy, but after this week’s snow and single-digit temperatures I’m raising the white flag.

The fact TT has been sick, like, the ENTIRE F*CKING MONTH sure has not helped my overall mien.  The cold air and low humidity have played havoc with his asthma.  It’s gotten so bad that even the slightest exertion on his part leads to an asthma attack, and that just plain sucks and ain’t fair (I know there are other families with far greater crosses to bear, I’m just wallowing in my own misery here). 

How do you tell a happy-go-lucky toddler not to run around and jump up and down?  That’s like asking a chef not to cook or an alcoholic not to drink – they just need to do it.

That and the fact that TQ and I both caught something last weekend sort of sealed the deal for me.  I’m done.

And I’m not even going to mention how few times I’ve been able to ride the bike…

*** RANT OFF ***

Enjoy the day!

President’s Day

Today is President’s Day and many people have the day off.  TQ and I both had to work.  There are some benefits to working on a day when many others are off.  TQ and I got seats together on the train ride in this morning, which rarely happens on a normalwork day.  Also, the sidewalks were much less congested making for a more enjoyable walk across the Loop.  Some co-workers took the day off to spend with their kids so the office is quite, which is nice on a Monday.

So while I would have preferred the day off, it hasn’t been a bad President’s Day.

 Enjoy the day!