The Day in Cell Phone Pictures

Today we headed into the city.  We left late enough to miss rush hour but you are never late enough to miss Lincoln Tunnel traffic.

We went to Madison Square Park to see Hot Peas n Butter.  If your kids watch Noggin in general or Jack's Big Music Show in particular, you have probably heard of them.  It was a beautiful day and the park was full of kids.

Caelyn decided to head up front to the stage while Caleb decided to lounge around with me.

After a bit of relaxing, Caleb decided to work his way though every food product in the bag.  The bottle was after the Honey Comb, banana, and some other snack I can't remember at the moment.

After the show Caelyn got to meet the band. 

We then headed to the playground in Madison Square Park.

Caleb likes going up and down things.

I don't know where he is driving to but he seems intent on getting there.

Our daughter likes to pose.

Our son likes to pose as well.

No trip to the park is complete without a ride on the tire swing.

After the playground it was off for lunch at the Lyric Diner.

 

Chocolate milk is really good.

Upon our arrival home, we were greeted with Caleb's handiwork from the morning.

After his nap, Caleb decided to pick up where he left off.

What is Pollakiuria Anyway?

My daughter has lost her mind.

Seriously, this is not a joke.  I have the doctor's visit to prove it.

A few days ago, Caelyn started feeling the need to go to the bathroom an incredible amount of times a day.  Many of these trips produced little or no results.  As we have taught her to wash her hands after going to the bathroom, she has been washing her hands much more than usual. 

This has led to her obsessing about whether or not they are dirty and washing her hands for no apparent reason.  In addition, she has become more punchy and volatile than usual.  The slightest thing can suddenly set her off into hysterics.

As she has always been a bit volatile, it was the frequent bathroom trips that started to worry us.  Over the weekend she would sometimes go to the bathroom three or four times in an hour or spend fifteen minutes on the toilet trying to "get the pee to come out."

We thought there might be an infection of some kind.  Monday morning I called the doctor and set up an appointment.  Caelyn and I explained to him what was going on.  After an examination, it was determined that there is very little chance anything is physically wrong.  A urinalysis was ordered just to make sure but the diagnosis was Pollakiuria (where do they get these names?) or Frequent Daytime Urination Syndrome.  I'd never heard of it either.

It's cause is emotional stress.  Hence, our daughter has lost her mind.  I have no doubt she will get it back. This condition though, can last anywhere from a week to several months.  It is going to be one bumpy ride.

While it is hard to know the trigger for certain, it is our belief that this has been a direct result of the end of preschool.  Caelyn is a tough kid.  She can take a hit as well as any larger child but she is also emotional.  She was very attached to her teachers and her classmates.  Suddenly, that has been removed.  It has been tough on her.  Her doctor also believes that this would be more than enough to bring on this condition.

Every parent has heard the dreaded, "I have to go to the bathroom" coming from their child.  It is usually followed by the parent asking if the child can hold it or why didn't they go before they left.  When this condition first started to express itself, Kerry and I handled it with the usual amount of exasperation one would expect when your child repeatedly says they have to go and then doesn't.

This, it turns out, was the exact wrong thing to do.  It only makes Caelyn more conscious of the condition. This adds to her stress level which causes the condition to worsen.  It's a cycle that has to be broken if we don't want to spend the next few months visiting every toilet in the tri-state area.

The primary way to lessen and end the condition is to find ways to calm and relax your child.  The most important thing we can do is remain calm and not draw any special to these frequent bathroom trips.  No matter how time consuming or annoying, if we make her self conscious of it, it will make it worse.

Basically, if we act as if nothing is wrong and reassure her that everything is OK, she will begin to believe it and the problem will go away.

Here's hoping it will go away quickly.

(On a side note, we have friends who are really struggling with issues in their families.  They make me feel like a wimp for even writing the above.  Even if we are dealing with this in it's worst case scenario, we are still extremely blessed.)

A Recap

It has been over a week since I posted anything.  Here is a brief recap of the events of the last nine days or so.

Last week was a transition week. It was Caelyn's first week of summer break and the preschool void had me being a dancing monkey for the little one.  She had a bit of a hard time adjusting.  I also had to adjust to having a constant shadow.

Caelyn's end of school year celebration went off very nicely.  It was the Friday before last.  The kids did some singing, some dancing and received certificates of completion.  There was a party that followed.

Caelyn has been very sad with the end of preschool and had a meltdown the day before the year end ceremony. She just rested against me on the couch and cried so it was fortunate for us that shortly after the ceremony, we were off to stay with friends at their house in the Poconos. 

The Poconos weekend was a nice one.  We spent Saturday at the lake.  Caelyn made friends with another little girl and they played all afternoon.  Sunday was spent in Scranton at the Steamtown National Historic Site.  Steamtown is a train museum with a lot of old train engines and cars.  We took a ride in a 1922 Pullman car being pulled by a 1917 steam engine.  This was the kid's first train ride aside from the subway.

Last week itself was, as mentioned before, transitioning to new routines.  It consisted of errands and playground trips and house cleaning.  Nothing terribly exciting.

We visited Kerry at work on Friday and the kids kept large areas of her office building from being able to work.  I am not sure what was the bigger distraction, the World Cup or the kids.

Now we come to this past weekend. It too was pretty calm.  Saturday was the big day for me.  I got my fathers day present; a trip to Guitar Center.  As mentioned in the past, I am a terrible musician but it doesn't keep me from enjoying the racket.  The trip to Guitar Center was a blast for me as I got to play different types of guitars, some of which I could never afford.  I did however, come home with a new one that was a combination Fathers day/early birthday present.  Kerry, who was watching two curious children in a store full of easy to reach musical instruments, did not have as much fun.

Yesterday, we went to church and I received the father's day gifts my daughter had picked out for me.  Surprisingly, she had been able to keep it a secret.  It was Star Wars action figures.  Not surprisingly, she wanted to share them with me and I proudly did.  My little girl likes loud music and Star Wars, how did I get so lucky?

So that is the recap.  Caelyn is sitting next to me on the couch eating breakfast and Caleb is playing in the floor as I write this.  It will be more errands today.  Talk to you all soon.

The First of Four So Far

Our son is now 19 months old. For all those who took the over on his first trip to the emergency room, you win. The over/under line was set at 18 months by our daughter. That is how old she was at her first of what has been four ER trips so far.

To be fair, one of the trips turned out to be unnecessary. However, when a four year old says her head really hurts and she feels sick hours after cracking her head on the floor earlier in the day, you make the trip even if you think it's nothing.  Her first ER trip though, that was something.

When Caelyn was 18 months old she developed a fascination with spinning. I was in the family room talking to my wife on the phone while our daughter was in the adjacent living room spinning round and round.  It was really very funny to watch.  I was laughing about it as I spoke to Kerry.  I was laughing right up until Caelyn lost control and fell like a stone on to the hardwood floor.

I told Kerry I would call her back and scooped up Caelyn. She buried her head into my shoulder, clutching me tightly. I tried to move her head back so I could take a look but she fought me like mad. I decided to carry her into the bathroom to get a look at her in the big mirror. It was then that I saw the blood.

My shirt was soaked with it. Caelyn had it all over her clothes as well. At that point, I forced her head back to look at her face. It took a minute but I found the cut. It was clean, almost like a scalpel and it was deep. Her chin was split open. I called the doctor who sent us to St. Barnabas. After a quick application of a large bandage, it was off on the first ER trip.

Caelyn calmed down in the car. By the time we arrived, she was her normal self. We checked in and waited for the triage nurse to take a look. For some reason, the children's waiting area was unavailable so we were in the main waiting room. This actually turned out to be a blessing as the man next to us really needed something to occupy his mind.

He was waiting for his son to arrive while his daughter-in-law was undergoing emergency treatment after being assaulted during a home invasion. Caelyn entertained the man, even putting a smile on his face by singing, dancing and climbing up in the chairs and jumping off. You would never had know that a short while earlier she was screaming as she bled all over the place.

We eventually got called in to see the triage nurse. They took a look, instantly knowing stitches were necessary. We were moved to a private room. A toy was brought in to keep Caelyn entertained. The toy was loud and repetitive (it's a Diego field journal) but it was just what was needed to distract Caelyn as more nurses and doctors came to look at the cut.

Finally it came time for the stitches. Anaesthetic was given in shot form to the chin. Shortly after the shot, I saw the backboard being brought in. Because of her age, Caelyn would have to be completely immobilized while the stitches were put in place.

The nurses laid the backboard down and I carried her to it. The nurses and I had to hold her struggling little body down while they wrapped her in what was essentially large Velcro straps. The straps covered most of her body, leaving only her head free. She tried to thrash around but could not. She screamed and screamed.

All I could do was talk to her and put my hand over the straps holding her down. A nurse held her head in place as the doctor sewed up the cut. When it was all over, they released her from the backboard and she clung tighter to me than she had before.

The stitches came out two weeks later. It was a tense couple of weeks. I was nervous each time she popped her chin. Caelyn would get hysterical every time we cleaned the cut. Then, one week to the day after the stitches were removed, my fear came true. She busted open her chin again.

This time Kerry was home.  I took one look at the cut and we packed up and headed back to St. Barnabas for ER trip number two. This time, glue could be used to close the wound. So, instead of being strapped to a backboard, she could sit in my lap and the whole procedure was over before she knew what was going on.

Since that time, there have been two other ER trips. One for a hernia that required surgery (a story for another day). The other was for the above mentioned head crack. Somehow, given our daughter's personality, I think there will be more.

One "Last"

When our first child was born, my aunt sent us the book, "Let Me Hold You Longer." by Karen Kingsbury.  It is the story of a mother looking back on all the "lasts" of her grown child's life.  The last time she held a bottle, the last time she rocked him, and on and on until the last time he drove away to start a life on his own.

Having a newborn, I found the book to be sad and depressing.  I did not understand why such a book, as well done as it was, was sent to us as a gift at the time of our first child.  Today, almost five years later, I still find the book sad and depressing but I understand why such a book was sent to us.  It is a reminder to never take any moment, no matter how small or routine for granted.

As I was making my daughter's lunch for school today, it hit me that this would be the last day of this routine.  There will be other days and other routines, but this would be the last time for this particular one.  Tomorrow is the last day of preschool.

The routine will be changed for tomorrow.  There will be the year end show and presentation instead of staying for lunch.  Instead of the same few parents or nannies who drop off and pick up the kids each day, there will be a school full of parents who will be there to enjoy the festivities.

All this is how it should be but this morning was the last time for the routine that has served us well since the beginning of September.  Preschool is ending.

There have been other "lasts" and if I am blessed to live a long life, there will be many more.  There will also be a lot of firsts.  When summer ends, there will be the first day of kindergarten and the first day of another routine but as dawn sets on this one, there is a little sadness at this "last".

"Long ago you came to me,
a miracle of firsts:
First smiles and teeth and baby steps,
a sunbeam on a burst.
But one day you will move away
and leave to me your past
And I will be thinking of
a lifetime of your lasts"
from "Let Me Hold You Longer" by Karen Kingsbury

One Dad, Two Children and No Power

In a world with no power, one man must feed and entertain two small children. What will he do with no television to fall back on? And how, oh how, will he make dinner with no microwave at his disposal?

Such was the case today.

We lost power for a couple of hours. Fortunately for me, it was during our son's nap time. Even more fortunate, he was exhausted and decided to take a marathon nap.  He slept through the whole thing.

It has been dark and rainy all day so when the power went out, the house was fairly dark.  I broke out a couple of battery powered lanterns for light.  Our daughter, who is not afraid of the dark, was just worried about how she would be able to see to play. When she I gave her one of the lanterns to carry around, she found the idea of no power quite enjoyable.

Normally I do not like having gas appliances. We have had numerous small and annoying but not necessarily dangerous gas leaks over the years.  I always felt that if all things are even, I would prefer a house with only electric appliances. Today, however, it was nice to have the gas appliances.

With no power, the microwave is unavailable and if we had electric appliances, there would be no way to cook dinner. As it was, I could use the gas stove to make dinner. I would need to manually light the burner as it has an electric lighter rather than a pilot light but that is not difficult.  So I did what any good father would do in this situation, I grabbed my cell phone and ordered pizza.

As I was talking to the lady at Mario's about our order, the power came back on.  There was no need for the pizza order after all but hey, I already had them on them on the phone so what could I do.  I completed the order.  Our daughter was very excited.  Our son was still asleep.

So I sent our daughter to wake our son in time for the pizza delivery. Pizza arrival is quite the spectacle at our house.  The Beatles got a colder reception at JFK on their first trip to the U.S. than the pizza guy gets at our house.  The delivery guy was laughing so much that I thought he was going to have trouble making change.

So with the arrival of dinner, the crisis was officially passed and I somehow managed to survive the horrible power outage of twenty ten.

Guitar Lesson

I am a terrible musician. I mean awful. I would say godawful but there is a band that I like by that name and I wouldn't want to insult them.

Perhaps if I actually practiced I might get better but with the two little ones, practice time is limited. As it stands now, when working on a song, I move from something that is incomprehensible to something that sounds like a song being played badly. I consider that progress.

Fortunately, what I lack in ability I can make up for in volume and distortion. So essentially, I play very bad, very loud music which is exactly what my wife would say I listen to.

I am proficient in badly playing acoustic and electric guitar, bass and a drum machine. Actually, I can get some really good beats out of the drum machine. So what if it came pre-programed, I am.the one who hit play.

Playing around with the guitar last night, I was joking about my playing when my daughter said, "Daddy, I like your playing even though you are not very good."  I started to laugh. 

She decided that what I needed were some lessons.  Thing is, she had decided that she was the one to give the lessons.  So she marched me over to where her guitar is kept.  It's a small scale electric with a body shaped like a gold fish.  She calls it her fishtar.

I asked her if she wanted me to plug her in.  She did.  So she sat on the floor with her fishtar coaching me how to play. 

She said I needed some rock lessons and that I should play what she did.  She would correct me if I played faster or slower than her.  I had to match her rhythm or else she would stop the lesson and tell me to do what she was doing.

Once the lesson was over, she decided to play a little bit more for us.  Fortunately, we had the foresight to get out the Flip and record a little of it.  So for your enjoyment, click on the link below for a clip of Caelyn demonstrating how to rock.

 Caelyn's Rock Demonstration