My baby is 4.
Author - peever
No wait, I’m not ready yet.
This is really the first holiday Shan and I have taken together as educators. This was the big bonus for taking my EA course and getting a job in the school division. So that our family could be together at Christmas, Spring Break, Summer Holidays. Somehow it all makes sense. During the school year our kids are at day care more than they are at home. Having these holidays together really soften the blow of that reality and over the past couple weeks we have really taken advantage of just being together.
Christmas Eve we went to Nolan’s for our yearly visit with the girls. I don’t realize how much the girls have changed sometimes until Christmas Eve at the Nolan’s comes around. Last year we had a baby who wasn’t even walking. This year they are both running around bouncing off the furniture and serving fresh fruit to everyone. That night when we got home we went back outside to spread our sparkly reindeer food from Kathy across the street. She hands it out to all the kids on the street so it was cool to everyone outside spreading it on their lawn. Lexi loved that. Then we set up some cookies and milk, read “The Night Before Christmas” and off to bed.
Christmas morning Lexi was pumped when she saw that Santa had placed a new bike for her under the tree.
JD and Linda came in Christmas day to spend the night so we had a great visit with them. We saw all the Granny’s and Papa’s and even had breakfast with Nolan on Boxing Day. It was great to see everyone and to see the girls with everyone. We got some crazy news this year just after Christmas about a close friends Mom who passed on Christmas day. It really put things into perspective for me and I made sure that I gave out big hugs and pulled my people in close when saying goodbye. The funeral was beautiful tribute to a beautiful person and I am so sorry for their loss. The strength they found in each other over Christmas was truly admirable.
On the 29th Joel and Jen graciously offered up their place for our annual Christmas get together. Usually we do the restaurant thing but it was a bit late to get reservations this year so big thanks to Joel and Jen for hosting a potluck on such short notice. It was great to get out and see everyone. Nice to skate a couple times with Drew while he was here as well.
Speaking about skating Lexi has been working hard on her skills. There is this amazing little rink at Southdale just for learning to skate. It eliminates all the negative stuff that comes with learning that tends to sometimes discourage kids from learning. Things like frozen feet and testicles. It’s awesome and I have been taking Lexi as much as possible. Hopefully she remains interested and we can get out more and more this winter. I was really surprised how naturally she took to it. She was getting up all on her own the first time. So proud of her.
New Years Eve Shan and I cancelled our “plans” and just had a nice quiet night. We fell asleep on the couch watching “Pawn Stars” in our PJ’s and it was perfect.
My New Years Resolution this year is “to be more flexible”. Take that any way you want.
That being said I made another little observation at a little social gathering this Holiday Season that might influence someone else’s New Years Resolution…
Before the guitar came out!
After the guitar came out!
They both even use the “spitting paste” to brush their teeth. A couple times they butt heads a little bit but for the most part Lexi was a great host and even gave up the pink cup to her friend. Ashlyn worked so hard to be noticed it was almost sad at times. I fixed a bed for the girls and Ashlyn came running down the hall with her blanket and barged right in. She had no interest in the movie so she passed the time poking Lexi’s friend and trying to steal her stuffy! It was adorable. The girls slept great in the living room and didn’t wake up until almost 8am.
When single dad Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy) is not at the bar spending what little money he has, he’s passed out on the floor. But led by his oldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum), his industrious kids have found ways to grow up in spite of him.
Friday morning my Dad picked me up and when I got in the car I looked at him and said…”let’s do this”. He dropped me off at Billinkoff’s and after a lengthy discussion about waiting around for me I told him to go and that I would be fine getting home. Once I was inside I had that feeling you get when on a big roller coaster on the way up for the first time. A mix of “did I really need to do this” and “no turning back now” all at the same time.
Dr. Billinkoff called me in and wasted no time. “Strip down to just your t-shirt, by the way my son talked me into watching the Avengers the other night…”.
“Did you like it I asked?” – “Not really, I fell asleep halfway through.”
At this point I am thinking a first appointment in the morning was genius on my part. The Doc is well rested and still in the mood for some banter. He told me to get up on the table and I was happy to find there was no stirrup situation. I wondered what dignity shredding position I was going to be in for this procedure. I figured stirrups or standing and he was just going to lie down on a skateboard like a mechanic and slide right under me. Instead it was flat on your back and I kinda felt like I was at the dentist, until he wrapped an elastic band on old one eye and tossed him to the side. Then it got weird…”your going to feel a pinch”. That’s what they always say right before a needle, except this time he should have said “it’s going to feel like your right testicle is being sucked on by a gorilla”.
He put on an episode of “Home Improvement“, the one where Tim is considering a vasectomy. I laughed a couple times during the procedure and he told me it wasn’t a good idea. I wondered why he didn’t put on “Schindler’s List” or something a little more bland. Instead all Tim’s buddies were making jokes about his manhood and holding up big hedge clippers and whatnot. It was the best worst thing I could have been watching.
Not long after the show started the Doc reached over to his desk for something and it felt like he took righty with him. I winced a little and he looked at me funny and said “you can feel that?”. He asked if I ever had issues with freezing before and told me he was going to add “another gallon”. I felt that “pinch” again. After that it was pretty painless up to the end. I didn’t even get to see the end of “Home Improvement”. The whole thing took about 15 mins. You also get a little talk from the nurse about how to take care of yourself and how important it is to drop off a sperm sample in 3 months. She said it was important to make sure I had my paperwork when I dropped off my sample because “there are a lot of hands involved in the process and things get lost”. That took me to a dirty place and before I knew it I was limping down Waterfront Drive looking for a cab.
Bosak called while I was walking home and of course he insisted on leaving work and coming to get me. This is the same guy who was building me a carport 3 days after his “V”. Thanks Paul, it seems like you are always there when I need you most.
I spent the first day on the couch catching up on “Shameless” and eating fast food. I was supposed to go to poker that night but when I got up for the first time around 7pm I think the freezing was gone and it felt painful to move. Everyone I talk to says the pain is different for everyone. Nolan rode his bike home after his! For me it just didn’t feel like a good idea to head out and be in pain all night playing cards. I even took Monday off this week. Tuesday I was still limping around a bit and getting up and down on the floor with the kids was challenging. I felt a little better this morning but there was still that dull ache and I think my jeans were a little snug around the main floor. By the end of the day I couldn’t wait to get my pants off. It’s like a catchers mitt down there. My goal is play a little hockey on Saturday but we will see.
Not much sympathy from the wife, or anyone else in the c-section club. In fact anyone who has had a baby doesn’t take too kindly to my moaning. Lexi’s daycare provider saw me limping a bit and I told her I had a little day surgery. Told her I had a vasectomy and she chuckled…”surgery” she said. Lexi told all the mom’s at playgroup that I couldn’t pick her up because I had stitches. I have no idea where that came from but they all had a good laugh.
Hoping tomorrow will be much better.
As you all know Porter and I reluctantly retired from the GM position of picking teams at the end of last season. This year we wanted to try something a little different with the teams so Mikey and G stepped up into the GM roles. This year they will pick their team from our list of regulars and that will be their team all year. For the most part this is how it went for the last couple of years anyway except for a couple small changes each week. The changes this year will come in the form of spares, negotiations, and trades.
I think this is going to be fun but who knows…it might suck. Feel free to let me know and if enough guys just hate it we can always go back to the way it’s always been (which I always love anyway).
No more time to smell the flowers.
School has started and it’s been nutty around here. Shan and I are both at new schools and the girls are getting used to full-time daycare. I am so proud of them for adjusting so well. This weekend you could really tell how much they were missing us so we made sure to keep them close to home.
So far I am really liking General Byng. There are some big challenges there but the staff is amazing and I am looking forward to a great year.