On Huggies and Haggis

Here's a completely random thought. I am often amused by the words that a spell checker will suggest. It's especially fun when a suggestion for somebody's name really suits them. Well, I was sending somebody an e-mail about Huggies diapers and "Haggis" was suggested as an alternative. There are days when Evan's Huggies do resemble a Haggis.

Stood Up!

No, Evan did not just stand up - he's been doing that for a long time now. We got stood up - for a date...a playdate. Not only that but this was my, er, Evan's first playdate. It was traumatic, to say the least.

I had cleaned up the house, made sure there was a variety of snacks for the kids, set out the martini glasses for the adults, and dressed Evan in his best playdate outfit. We then went out front to wait. We watered the maple trees and waited some more. We watered the front flower bed and waited some more. We watered the grass. Finally, 15 minutes into the one-hour date, I figured C & L (names withheld) were past the normal grace period I would give any busy parent. A phone call confirmed my fear that we had been stood up. Dejected, Evan and I wandered to the back yard, drained the pool, deflated the play castle, and sent the entertainers home. It was really going to be great but I guess we'll never know.

Here's a recent picture of Evan, who likes to climb into the cubicle shelves in his room:

Maybe I'm figuring it out

Though I had my doubts, I think I may finally be getting this parenting thing figured out. It seems I'm actually learning how to be a parent and get things done without going crazy. Case in point is this evening, when I looked at the clock and reflected on all I had done between 3:45, when Evan woke up from his nap, and 8:00, the then current time. Here's the list:

- Got Evan up
- Fed Evan a snack and a few drinks
- Saw out the full drama of the potato chip clip and the pinched finger
- Cooked (not merely heated) dinner for Evan and myself
- Walked the dog
- Watered the garden/lawn
- Washed the car
- Changed two diapers
- Ate dinner with Evan and gave Evan seconds and thirds and fourths
- Did and put away breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes (all handwashed)
- Made/received a few calls
- Did a bit of work and checked e-mail
- Horsed around with Evan
- Videotaped Evan trying to shoot baskets while wearing flip flops 9 sizes to big

In the ensuing 45 minutes, I
- Took a 15 minute call with relative
- Gave Evan a bath
- Took a shower
- Gave Evan his milk
- Helped Evan brush his teeth
- Put Evan to bed

Yes, parenting keeps one busy but it seems that it does get better with practice. It used to take me an hour just to get us ready to leave the house.

Cheers!

Here's a quick post to let you know things are OK. I'm back in LA and my father, who spent a week here helping out, has now gone back to Florida. It's just me and Evan in the house so we're getting some good bonding time. I promise to post some pictures soon.

Anyway, my father and I generally toast with our drinks before we eat and evidently Evan was watching. Now he insists on toasting too (with his sippy cup). He has all the finer points of this ritual down - from making eye contact while toasting to drinking deeply afterwards. Except that he likes to toast 5 times in a row.