Leap Year

Why can't leap year come in June? I'd rather have an extra day in June than February.

Happy Friday, folks.

Sunbeam

I've put off going to Target for as long as I can, I'm afraid. We're completely out of Method high efficiency laundry detergent and I'm hesitant to use the thick as molasses knock off Dreft detergent that we have left in our basement. Every time I use it my washing machine motor gets hosed and it takes me a few weeks to get it running properly again. Laundry is piling up. Necessity elicits action. After lunch Zach, Amelia, and I will be running some errands. Yeah, I know this all makes quite boring reading material but I'm hoping that by writing it I will be committed to actually doing it rather than saying I need to. I'll let you know how it works out for me.

(Side note: I just got back from Target, so obviously it worked thus proving that you have a 3:1 greater chance of achieving your goals if you write them down. This ratio was derived by scientific method wherein I had been meaning to go to the store for the last 3 days but was unable)

I have learned a couple new things about Mr Zachary today. The first being that he can get anywhere he wants to go. For instance if he wants to get himself across the room over to our cat Tikki Tavi who happens to be sunning herself in a rare Ohio winter sunbeam he can spin, roll, and scoot right over to her. The second thing I learned about Mr. Zachers today is that he has really strong hands. For instance if that same infinitely patient cat doesn't run away and gets her tail grabbed by a little Zach monster, it is really hard to pry it from his iron grip. Tikki Tavi didn't budge an inch. There's either something really wrong with our cat's head or she just likes sunbeams that much.





P.S. Amelia says "hi".

One of the most fascinating aspects of humans beings is their tendency to come up with inexplainably complex ideas simultaneously leading one to instinctually conclude that we as humans are all somehow inextricably linked through our subconscious minds.

For example, just the other day the Mr Steve family was at the park enjoying one of our warmer 32 degree days and both Nadine and I concluded in synchronicity how sad it is that once the 26th of December hits, you are considered a lunatic if you sing any well known song about snow. A lot of us Northernians have a good four months of snow after Christmas and, darn it, we want to sing about it. But never fear, I'm working on a song as we speak that by it's very nature will have a much longer shelf life than the current slew of ephemeral snow carols. 2009 will be a winter to remember.

This song is not a snow song.
It's a winter song.
You will sing it all winter long.

Yep, now it's stuck in your head too.

-----------------------

Another revelation which came to me this morning was based on the similarities between the words walking and talking. There is but one letter difference and, furthermore, both can seem to happen simultaneously in baby development. Amelia has taken her first steps not only physically, but likewise in the lifelong pastime of labeling the world in a customary language. Some of the words she has picked up so far are: dada, mama, Elijah (sort of), bye bye, duck, and, as these two videos shows, ball and yay.





I just hope she doesn't start balking next..ahahahahahahahahahahaha...balking... Ahhhh.


Starting a new schedule is never easy, even for a bambino as resilient as Zachers. Since Ryan started his new position requiring frequent travel to Scranton (give 'em heck down there at Dunder Mifflin) Zach has been coming a little earlier than usual. The first couple days, he was wide awake as soon as he came through the door and any attempts at sleep would be laughable. This morning though, I believe Zach came to realize something I learned almost six years ago on the day Elijah was born, sleep is not a responsibility your body owes to your mind but, instead, a gift to both. He went right back to sleep without a complaint and slept until both he and Amelia were ready to start their days.

I'm seeing in something in Zach which I saw in Amelia right before she started crawling; boredom. It is as if by scooting himself around the room he understands the power of locomotion resulting in the frustration of not having yet mastered it. This knowledge juxtaposed with the insufficient crawling ability creates an angst that doesn't rear its ugly head again until the late teen years. (It's a good thing I'm too lazy to draw a complete parallel here because it's practically writing itself and that blog isn't scheduled to be written for another 15 years). I've been working with him to show him how to get his hands moving in the proper motion, but at this point, it will just take a leap of faith on his part to get that first hand forward.

Happy Birthday

This past weekend, Amelia, Zachary, and their respective families were delighted to visit someone very near and dear to help him celebrate his first birthday. Yes, our good pal Fred who recently reached the first anniversary of his birth threw an all out soirée on Saturday, to which we were most joyously invited. The three babies were quite happy to be in the company of one another once again. It was just like old times. Michael and Olivia did a fantastic job of coordinating the event with plenty of fun activities for everyone including a game which is a tradition in both China and Taiwan where they are from. Fred was presented a tray with various items symbolic of different occupations and was allowed to choose whichever item he was the most drawn to. It was such fun to watch Fred choose and also to watch all of the other babies get excited about the game.

No frills video day

Thanks

This morning I was pulled from my slumber by an announcement from Elijah, "Dad, there is like a billion snow coming our way." My little meteorologist was absolutely right. The Weather channel, who is the top authority in their respected field predicted 1 to 2 inches. So far, it has snowed at least twice that and does not appear to be stopping anytime soon. So it is proven once again that you get far more accurate Ohio weather predictions when they're coming from a five year old.

A big thanks to everyone who made my birthday a special one and an especially hefty hooray to Ryan and Jen. They bought me a fantastic contraption that when used properly can improve my health and wellbeing, extending my life by a few decades all while providing hours of enjoyment for both Zach and Amelia. Can't figure out what it is?...you can see a picture with the two tots demonstrating how much they also appreciate the present below.

In the updates department, Amelia is now up to a record of 4 consecutive steps before she tumbles giggling to the carpet. Unfortunately, I have yet to catch her on video making any steps. The one time I had the camera in position to record her walking, it was on still frame mode and just snapped a picture instead (so when looking at the picture below, you have to use your imagination a little but, I assure you, she is walking).

Zach is especially pleased with himself today now that he has progressed from his perfect form push-ups to a terrific tabletop. It appears he's finally figured out what purpose those knees serve by lifting his baby belly off the floor and rocking back and forth like a stunt man psyching himself up for his next great leap. Now, all the puzzles pieces are in place for Zach to begin his conquest of the world...mwahahaha... or at least to get the first pick of the toys...mwahahaha....yeah.








The contraption......





...and one more to make up for that incredibly blurry picture of Amelia which I shouldn't have posted.

Great Day in History

34 years ago to this very day a very important event transpired which ultimately saw possible the eventual creation of Mr Steve's Daycare. That event, of course, was the creation of Mr. Steve. To celebrate over the weekend, Grammy flew up from Florida and treated the family and I to a wonderful birthday dinner Sunday night. It was a restaurant which Nadine, Elijah, and I had tried in our first week after moving to Ohio. Thoroughly unimpressed at our first impression, we had not been back. Strangely, since that first disappointing meal both Nadine and I had heard nothing but rave reviews from everyone who had eaten there, but every one of them had eaten at the other restaurant closer to downtown. We decided to give the other location a shot. Fortunately, this time we had great service and delicious food (except for the gummy risotto).

So the point of this rambling is that sometimes second chances can pay off, so you should always keep an open mind. Oh yeah, and also so that you can wish me a happy birthday...

My camera ran out of charge, so I had to post an older (but new to you) video from a couple weeks ago. This video demonstrates that Amelia is as strong as 4 D-cell batteries but way cuter. Zach, as always, enjoys the ride.

A few of you yesterday may have been given the rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of an impromptu serenade by yours truly. Those same few of you may be wondering right now "where the heck did that video go?". Well, my readers, I am going to level with you and tell you the absolute truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me Todd (Todd was a guy I knew in college who I totally would not lie to. His phone number? No, sorry, I lost it.). The truth is...Cher made me take it down. Yes, according to an e-mail I received from her yesterday, her stocks plummeted a record sixteen points based on the impact of that video alone. She explained to me, and I quote; "The recording you made of my classic single,"I got you babe", was so earth shatteringly brilliant that whomever watched it said they would never again be able to watch it sung by Sonny and I. My lawyers have advised an immediate cease and desist never allowing the general public to view the clip again. Oh and P.S., I'm now your number one fan. You rock in a big way."

So there you have it. I trust this will put this matter to rest and no one will be asking me to e-mail them the video clip. Certainly.

In unrelated news, Amelia took her first steps today!!! She made the long arduous journey from one section of the sectional couch to the other; two steps in total. I didn't have the camera on at the time and when she tried it a second time, she fell over and started crawling again. I'm sure It won't be long now that she has a bit more confidence under her belt before she too becomes a full fledged boot jockey.

Speaking of impending transitions in modes of locomotion, Zach has been pushing himself up on his arms almost entirely off the ground and is starting to scoot himself backward. With the combination of his super legs and newfound ability, it would not surprise me in the least if were he able to crawl quicker that a green basilisk once he finally takes off forward.

Snow day

On a normal day I would be the first to speak out against child labor exploitation. The abhorrent working conditions and potentially excruciating hours beg the elimination of any such practices even in ideal situations. When certain countries (and households) allow it, it becomes an almost irreversible slippery slope until the value of human life takes a back seat to cold hard cash. Today, though, I have decided to make an exception. Since Elijah is home from kindergarten on a snow day (It's still coming down. Yippy.) I have elected to temporarily suspend all child labor laws governing our household and have employed his assistance in writing today's blog. Don't get me wrong, I still respect the authori-tie of those who enforce child labor restrictions, but I'm thinking today they're probably wrapped in a fuzzy blanket on their couch. So, for now, I'm taking my chances. Enjoy:

I played chubby cheeks with Zach. Chubby cheeks is a game that Zachary really likes. You pull his cheeks out very slightly and he likes that. Here's another thing with Zachary. He was in the excersaucer and he was playing in it. Well I I um threw the sling at Amelia. She's only seen snow twice. She's gong to have a ducky party for her birthday.I pretended with the sling that Amelia was a bear and a Galapagos lizard (note from the editor: the sling was a present from Nadine's family in Germany and is a fuzzy/furry baby carrier. Amelia loves to wrap it around herself and play peekaboo. end note.) Daddy just took a shower. I was watching meercats while daddy was taking a shower and the babies were sleeping while daddy was taking a shower. They were sleeping while daddy was taking a shower they were sleeping. This is going to be big, and it is ten thirteen.
OK I want to write to grammy. Thank you for bringing toys every time that you come to visit us.

Anything else?

No, not really. I can't think of anything else.

















Elijah's painting of Amelia and Zach as buzz droids, but you already knew that.

鼠

We leave behind, today, the most generous pig of 2007 (by the way, it is said that to bear children in the year of the boar is considered to be very fortunate for they will be happy and honest) to become acquainted with the rat of hope in 2008. That's right, everyone, it's the Chinese New Year today as the festivities are well underway around the globe. My warmest regards to everyone who will be celebrating. Cheers.

Even here at Mr. Steve's daycare the excitement is palpable, though I must say, part of the hoopla stems from a new (to Zach) toy which has been brought out of retirement for the kids enjoyment. A relic from the days of Elijah babydom occupied a good portion of Zach's morning and, from his ecstasy, we all drew some smiles. He cooed away at the Playskool Kick-o-Matic 3000's catchy sing along songs as Amelia danced around it and clapped. However (there always needs to be a "however" in these stories it seems), once I switched the settings over to whirly gig mode (where these little wheels and flaps spin around) Zach's enthusiasm was significantly diminished. As I was helping Elijah look for some gloves in the hallway cabinet, I heard a howl from Zach which sounded as though the Kick-o-Matic had fallen over on him. I turned my head to find that the only thing different were these little wheels which now spun around. I suppose it doesn't help that the toy's spinner axle is a little squeaky and sounds like a rusty chainsaw. Zach, in short, absolutely despised the whirly gig mode. Quickly, Elijah flipped the switch back to song mode and we all sang a couple songs to calm things down. If we do attempt whirly gig mode in the future, I think it may be something we need to build up to. In the meantime, I should break out the WD40 as soon as Zach goes home.

Happy Super Fat Tuesday

Ironic how the day of the highest moral responsibility can fall on the same day as that of the highest moral irresponsibility.

Get out and vote, and eat gumbo 'til your tummy hurts...but please, remember to do it in that order. See you at the polls.

Initiation

On this fourth day of February in the year two thousand eight we bear witness to the initiation of one Zachary Cheese into the secret brotherhood of the clean plate club. There are some among you who may be tempted to challenge the legitimacy of this institution by saying, "That's not even a real club, it's just what we tell kids to get them to eat their brussel sprouts." You could not be more wrong. The club is very real and ultra exclusive. There are certain unwaivable qualifications which one must meet for their membership to even be considered.

These excerpts are taken verbatim from our organization's bylaws:

First, one MUST eat from a plate...or in Zach's case, a dish, which, in its inherent inalienable essence is none more than a plate with sides to prevent runny cereal from exodusing forthright. We shall have no bottle drinkers allowed or furtherthusly clarified, not a single member whom drinks solely from a bottle.

Second, when said plated meal shall cease to be eaten, let there be no foodstuffs remaining on all eating utensils, receptacles, or such instruments of resemblance...or at least until such member's hunger has been entirely, completely, and thoroughly vanquished.

Welcome, Zach. You are now one of us.















Amelia testing the integrity of Zach's new highchair.















The cats check the box to make sure it has not been tampered with.















Sweet. Potatoes. Yummers.