I Was Never Tardy In School

I know I haven’t posted anything since Jimmy Carter was president (or maybe it just seems that way), but I have many good excuses. So select the one you like and run with it:

 

1.         I was busy.

2.         I was really busy.

3.         Boy, was I busy!

4.         Can’t talk – busy!

5.         Busy!

6.         My bookie had my fingers broken for failure to pay up on my bad bets, so I couldn’t type anything.

7.         I have a blog?

8.         Summertime! And the living is eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeazayyyyy!

9.         Peter has been sitting quietly in a corner, reading Chaucer, Faulkner, and Danielle Steele ever since June, and has therefore been boring.

10.        The internet was busted so I couldn’t do nuthin’.

 

 

And for anyone who doesn't know, Peter's going to be a big brother in about 4-5 months. We just found out today that he will have a little sister (well, we can't say that with 100% certainty, but we did not see any twigs or berries in the ultrasound this morning. There could have been some hiding going on, but we doubt it). Peter was pretty adamant about preferring to have a puppy instead of a baby at first, but now he's come around 180 degrees and is now obsessed with Baby.

 

I had started another blog way back when we found out about the baby so I could record what was going on in the early stages of the pregnancy, which I failed to do in this one. I started this one what, two or three months before the due date? I wasn't going to let that happen again. Except for the part about having about 18 minutes of free time all summer. Didn't see that coming. Well, I'll just dump everything in this blog now, you know, every three months or so...

 

Ok, maybe not that intermittent, but I can't guaranty anything. I'll see what I can do.

 

Oh, and Peter's doing fine. Talking a lot, running around, doing little boy stuff. I'll ask him to do something entertaining one of these days so I can write something about it. Or forget to...

The Long Short Weekend

Saturday morning we hit the road with Grammie for a trip to Green Bay, with the National Railroad Museum being the ultimate destination. The Day Out With Thomas tour was in town, and there was no way we were going to let that go by without taking Peter there.

 

Now, it has been “unseasonably cool” here in Southeastern Wisconsin for the past 3 or 4 weeks. (When the high temperature in June is something like 15 degrees below average the weather people will say “unseasonably cool.” In December, they call it a cold snap or something like that. Can we call it a cold wave if we would call 15 degrees above average a heat wave?) The weather in Green Bay was as close to perfect as you could get, temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s, pleasant breezes, sunny. There were a bunch of cottonwood trees around the museum grounds, though, so there we seed puffs floating around most of the time, too. It was your typical Green Bay snow shower, but with a different kind of snow.

 

We got there about an hour and a half before the scheduled ride on the train. And might I add that parking was free? Chicago, you could learn something from that. Seriously. Anyhow, we got there about 10:45 or so, maybe 11:00 by the time we were actually inside the grounds. Peter was delighted, to say the least. Besides the life-sized Thomas taking people for trips around the museum, there were a bunch of retired engines and passenger cars. And of course a gift shop, which was the first thing Peter ran to. After getting him out of the gift shop tent, we took him to see the big engines.  He liked that, but at the same time they were gigantic, black, dirty things that didn’t bring to mind the colorful happy engines one would find on the Island of Sodor, so he was a little intimidated, too.

 

There was also a wooden observation tower on the grounds, and I carried Peter all the way to the top, about 50 feet up. Once at the top we waved for Mommy and Grammie, and then Peter headed right back to the stairs, which was just as well.

 

Soon enough we were in line for the train ride with Thomas. We waited about 20 minutes in line, and if we had gotten to the line about a minute earlier we could have fit into the open-air car. Instead we sat in the 1917 passenger coach named Josephine, which I think turned out better than being on the open air car. Especially when the fluff from the trees really started clogging up the air. Peter liked the train ride, and he also liked the kettle corn that he was munching on for most of the trip. He was very well behaved, unlike some of the other kids there, and really soaked in the experience of the ride. He probably could have stayed on the train all afternoon, but he understood when it was time to get off.

 

After the ride we went inside the museum building for the first time. Peter liked the models running on the tracks. Making our way to the back of the building we found Sir Topham Hatt, and Peter got in line with Mommy to get his picture taken. When it came time for the little boy in front of Peter to go up to Hatty he decided it wasn’t really a good idea, and cried up a little storm. Not Peter.  He went up there with Mom and posed like it was no problem. Once that was done he took off like a shot to go see the set-up of model trains with Thomas, Percy, Gordon, James, Toby, and pretty much every engine in the Thomas universe.  He checked them out for a while and then he agreed with the rest of us that it was a good time to get something to eat.

 

We went to a restaurant a few blocks away and dined well.  Peter enjoyed drinking a lot of Mommy’s root beer, and also liked dipping his fries in the tartar sauce that came with his fish fry. He ignored the fish for the most part, but then he did drink a lot of the root beer when we told him it could give him a belly ache. We were sitting outside at lunch, and next to the restaurant was a private marina. When we were done Peter wanted to see the boats (which he calls “dips” for some reason we aren’t sure of). After we saw the boats we loaded him into the car and took off for the amusement park at Bay Beach. But within about 2 minutes Peter was passed out in his seat. It was around 4:00 at that time, so we decided the park could wait for another visit. Peter slept in the car for about an hour before waking up in time for me to pull into a McDonalds on the drive back so I could inject some caffeine into me. Peter ordered a 49¢ cone.

 

After we got back home Grammie was packing up to leave. When Peter saw her pulling out of the driveway he got very upset, so I brought him inside and we watched some Thomas DVDs to take his mind off things and decompress.

 

Sunday (yesterday) wound up being another beautiful day, and Peter was outside playing with the kids next door from about 11:00 AM to 4:30 in the afternoon. Inflatable pools were inflated and splashed in while parents did yard work. Again, Peter lit the candles from both ends and played harder than anyone. After we brought him in he went down for a nap, but he slept for maybe 45 minutes before getting up. After he got up he just sat on the sofa with us and chilled out with his blanket.

 

So it was another action-packed weekend for Peter, and come Monday morning we needed heavy duty machinery to get him out of bed. He seems to know that other kids are on summer vacation, so he’s got that sleeping-in mentality.  I would have liked that this morning…

 

Long time, no post

Peter is 2 now. Pictures of his birthday will be posted “soon.”

 

Anyway, Peter is making great strides in his development lately. He is showing a lot more maturity (relatively) these days, and is in the midst of the full-fledged verbal explosion.

 

We took him to get his hair cut on Saturday, and the times we’ve done that before have been less than pleasurable.  Each time there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Not this time. He sat patiently and munched on fruit snacks. He didn’t fidget much, and his eyes stayed dry the whole time. He was calm like that when we took him to the doctor’s office last month, too, so it’s not like it was just a one time event.

 

He went to church Sunday morning surrounded by a large number of other kids, and he sat quietly or played by himself for the bulk of the mass. The past several months had seen him being quite the handful in situations like that, but not this time.

 

He’s also saying new words every day now. This morning he said “blueberries.” He’s even constructed some basic sentences like “hit the ball.” He’s doing a lot of parroting. Yesterday his mom said something was fast, and then he said “fast” a bunch of times.  He hasn’t mastered all the sounds of spoken English yet, but he’s working on it. He still says “fra fra” but he will also say “choo choo” and a recognizable version of “railroad.”

 

Another sign of the new maturity is the honesty, or at least self-awareness he displays. He never would admit to being tired before, but now when I ask him if he’s tired he’ll actually think about it and admit “yeah,” he is tired when he is. Does he maybe want a nap? “…….yeah.”

 

I wouldn’t mind a nap…

 

Almost a Deuce

In a matter of days, Peter will be two years old. Two years ago today we were trying to get Peter to turn upside down by holding a couple of lit cigars against Mommy’s toes. That sounds like a joke, but it isn’t. Well, the cigars part is inaccurate, but it was still burning stuff.

 

It didn’t work and Peter stayed breech despite our best efforts. After living with him for these past couple years I know why: he didn’t want to. End of story. He’s strong-willed, smart, and strong. My hunch is he figured out while in the womb that he preferred having his head up, and that last week he figured out how to position his body in such a way that he could stay like that as long as he wanted.  I remember that first day with him, when he had his eyes open and moving around, and he could lift his head on his own. That was a clever little strong guy who had mastered his environment.

 

Now if I had a time machine and could go back two years to suggest a way get him to flip over, I’d tell us to play Thomas videos at Mommy’s feet so he’d turn to check them out. Of course, that would work today. But back then he had dug in his heels (literally, pretty much) and was happy being where he was. If we asked Peter to stop doing something he liked so he could do something else he doesn’t know about, well, let’s just say he’d decline. Some things don’t change.

 

So much is different now about Peter, but really it’s more like our understanding of him that has changed instead of him. He’s really pretty consistent. We’re just kind of slow in understanding him in some ways. And, of course, by “we” I mean me.  

At The Movies With Peter & Dad

Peter, Daddy’s watching that Food Network cake decorating competition. Why are you putting this DVD in my hand? You want to watch it every day, and Mommy can recite the whole thing verbatim now. Ok, fine, we’ll watch it again, but we’re going to do a little work afterwards, ok?

Thomas And The Magic Railroad (2000)
Reviewed by Peter & Peter’s Dad


Peter: Fra! Fra!

Peter’s Dad: Thomas And The Magic Railroad is a feature-length film based on Thomas the Tank Engine, and its American showcase program, Shining Time Station. It was directed by Britt Allcroft, the producer of the Thomas television programs. I think I’ll repeat that for emphasis, she is the producer of the Thomas programs. Directing. Ok? Good. So it stars Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, and Mara Wilson. Peter?

Peter: Fraaaa!

Peter’s Dad: That’s right Peter, the trains were the real stars of the movie. Well, I mean, they should be, but they really aren’t featured as much as one would like. Instead, it’s heavy on the people.

The story deals with Mr. Conductor (Baldwin) being called to the Island of Sodor to take the place of a vacationing Sir Topham Hatt. Also returning to the island is Diesel 10, even though he was a new creation specifically for the film (so how is he returning?). Mr. Conductor travels between his usual home of Shining Time Station and the Island of Sodor via gold dust. He blows his whistle, and gold dust flutters all over him, which somehow causes him to teleport to Sodor. Or maybe he folds space like in Dune. Anyway, he goes tweet and he winds up elsewhere. We learn that his gold dust is running out and he needs to figure out how to get more.

Meanwhile, the granddaughter (Wilson) of Burnett Stone (Fonda) is sent out from The Big City by her very pregnant mother to spend some time with Grandpa. Burnett Stone has been keeping a secret for many years that weighs heavily on his soul. Now, I don’t know who is ultimately to blame, but Peter Fonda’s performance can be summed up like this: lobotomized. No, that’s not his secret, but it would explain a lot if it were. No, this character is about as dynamic as a frozen meatloaf sitting out on a counter, thawing slowly. Has it been in the freezer too long? Does it have freezer burn? Did it smell like that when it first went into the freezer? Maybe you should just have that can of ravioli, instead. Anyway, should I blame Fonda or the director who is really a producer? For all I know, Peter Fonda is a thespian of the highest caliber who got beaten down by a director who just doesn’t understand artists. He could also be less stimulating than a sheet of ¼ inch plywood and the director did a bang-up job of making him as perky as he’s ever been in his life.

Peter, you still with me?

Peter: No noooo!

Peter’s Dad: Ok. Peter, is Gordon in the movie?

Peter: Yah! Go-go!

Peter’s Dad: Good! Does Gordon do much in it?

Peter: Noooooo…

Peter’s Dad: That’s right, he doesn’t. Do you want to go have a cookie?

Peter: Yah! Cook-ah!

Peter’s Dad: Ok, you can go get one in the kitchen.

Where was I? Oh yeah, Alec Baldwin is the highlight of the film. It’s obvious that he likes doing a role for children and it really suits him well. He’s almost the opposite extreme of Peter Fonda, dynamic and interesting. Mara Wilson was kind of famous at the time the movie came out, because she was in Beaches or some other chick flick. Well, not Beaches, maybe Prince of Tides. You know, something Streisandy. Wasn’t she? Well, she wasn’t nobody, but… Oh man, I’m going to say mean things about a kid. Ok, it wasn’t her. It was the director who is really a producer. There, let’s leave it at that.

Peter’s Mom read a book that said eating corn is bad for cows because their stomachs aren’t supposed to be eating it, and it can cause e-coli contamination and other nasties. The screenplay of this movie could cause your average heifer to keel over dead from one page. Alright, maybe it’s not that bad, but whenever I’ve edited the writing of others’ I always advise them to avoid repetition of certain idioms or phrases. If – Peter, stay in the kitchen! – you took a shot for every time “Little engine’s can do big things” or “This is our/your Shining Time” is said, you’d be drunker than Mayberry’s Otis on his biggest bender.

On the whole, it is an entertaining film, even with the flaws. Baldwin is fun. The trains, when they’re around, are fun. Even Peter Fonda does a great job if you tell yourself that he’s actually a leftover zombie from Night of the Living Dead who is slow and emotionless, but he looks great!

Right Peter?

Peter: Fra!

Non, Nein, Nyet, Nuh Uh

And so it has come, the era of No. Last week, Peter started saying no clearly and firmly. He had always relied on the simple head shake before, but now he can just say no. And so he does. It was nice last week when we'd get just a single no, but now he's on to the no-no-no-no-no-no-no response. He doesn't even need to be asked a question for that to come out.

 

I thought he might be saying it just for the sake of saying it, so I tested him.

 

"Peter, do you want to change your diaper?"

 

No.

 

"Do you want to go night-night?"

 

No.

 

"Do you want to take a bath?"

 

No.

 

"Do you want to have some ice cream?"

 

Yeah!

 

 

 

 

He's probably at the doorway to the toddler verbal explosion. He is saying a lot more, but he's working on making the things he says clearer. Case in point: I put him in his car seat last week, and afterwards said "I love you, Peter." He then said back to me "ah lff" and smiled. He also has been saying "doo" for juice, but him mom coaxed a "joo" out of him after several attempts.

 

This afternoon he called me at work. I picked up the phone and before I could even say hello he shouted “Da Da!” After recovering my hearing, I asked him if he was being a good boy. “Yeah!” I asked if he was playing. “Yeah!” I asked if he was playing with Mommy. “Yeah!” I asked if Mommy was being good. Then there was a pause. “Yeah.” I guess I’ll have to make sure he isn’t covering something up for her when I get home.

 

And I would be remiss if I did not let you know that I have had the Thomas and Friends theme song stuck in my head most of the day. It’s not the most pleasant experience.

Before & After

Pix

Pix

Prodigious

I know I’m slacking in putting up stuff here, but I’ve been busy. Doing… stuff. Y’know.

 

Anyhow, I just want to take a moment here to state for the record that as of March 5th 2009, at age 22 months and 2 days, Peter can identify numbers. Yes, thanks to the digits on the sides of the engines of Thomas and his friends, Peter knows the numbers. He already can point out the difference between a steam engine as opposed to a diesel, and in his Richard Scarry picture book he can point to a car, truck, bus or whatever when asked (and he’ll always point to a duck when he sees one, no matter where we are). But this morning I decided to ask if he could point to the number 4 on Gordon’s coal tender, and he pointed right at it. He went on to point to the number 3 on Henry’s coal tender, the number 1 on the side of Thomas, and then later he pointed to the 6 on both sides of his toy Percy.

 

Next: long division.

 

 

Oh, and we brought our car in for an all-day servicing this morning, and got a loaner from the dealership while Old Blue is getting pretty much everything replaced. The loaner was a small, black, sporty sedan. Peter did not care for it at all, and he let us know. But we’ll have our car back tomorrow morning, so it shouldn’t be so bad. I hope...