If you've got so much time.....write your own blog

Whenever it takes me a few days (this time it was 10days) to post new pictures to the blog, I get a few (two to three this time) messages from friends and family about the need for new pictures. I have a suggestion. Take your own pictures and write your own commentary. I have a hard enough time finding clean cloths and remembering if I spend anytime in a shower on any given day.

Updates-
Dylan is finding naptime increasingly inconvenient. I view his attitude towards naps as very inconvenient. So what gives? He usually falls asleep later in the afternoon and 1 out of the last three times he slept from 4ish until the next morning. Last night he woke up 7ish, drank some juice and went to bed. (he went peepee before going to bed) At 3am I woke up with him next to me (I don't remember when he got in bed) soaked in pee. So, we got up washed him up. He slept in his bed. I slept on the floor. I hardly think this is fair. But I'd be more delusional than I am if I expected raising children to be fair. It's amazing, exhausting, and not fair.

Zachary loves to smile. At everyone. Including but not limited to me, Tricia, jj, Dylan, strange homeless people named Kevin that won't stop talking to us while we eat our lunch, Megan, Sandy, and anyone he's never seen before but looks in his general direction.

Me - My shoulder hurts from sleeping on the floor next to Dylan's bed. I'm sure it could have been worse. But I have to complain about something. Zach's crying to be held. Hope to read your blogs soon.

What's Next?

I have a solution to our government buying out/loaning companies money. Sell our companies to China. They're interested in our debt why not our "real" companies. Hell, they can take our whole economy.

If that doesn't work. Let's just give ourselves a loan and let our children pay it off. Oh, wait a minute that's what we've done.

Can we get some freaking fiscal responsibility? If someone knows where we could buy it; it would be our wisest investment.

Since when does deficit spending make sense. How many companies are engaging in this practice. And how many more need to be managed/bought out/loaned money so that our stock market might rebound in the near future?

I'm dumbfounded and completely annoyed.

Some answers from either one of the potential presidents would be nice. But I'm old enough to know that novel concept won't happen. Instead we'll hear about who's or what's wearing lipstick, whether or not comments are sexiest or racist and see how far the facts can be stretched in political advertising.

Utterly ridiculous.

For Zachary? He's continuing to screech, eat, sleep, laugh. He's begun to giggle when I tickle him. He's rolled over from front to back and back to front but not when he wants to, which is quite frustrating. He's still pooping once a week and that is still Tricia's problem.

For Dylan? He's starting preschool tomorrow. Yes, he's very excited!

For me? My wife. I got to talk with my wife. Even for a two hour period at the Malt House (on Milwaukee street) and thanks Jennifer for watching the kids! I got pants that fit and gave away the ones that didn't. I found my butt...I'm not sure where it went but I have a theory about men over 35 or maybe it was men with children but anyway.....it's that your butt leaves and reappears on the front porch or beer guttial region.

I can't speak for Tricia but I would think the best thing is new clothes!!!!

It's September already.

Wow. I really can write and post to this blog. I was beginning to think that there would never again be time in my day for this sort of "me" time.

Edgewood Community Band started up again last night and, again, I'm having a hard time counting my rests through all the time signature changes. It was the first night in 5 months and the first time through the music but I can't help thinking that the music would be easier to play if the composer would stick with a tempo and time signature for at least 10 measures at a time. I think it would be easier for a volunteer band to play and a volunteer crowd to listen to.

Dylan - is a little big boy, because Logan is a big boy, and he routinely talks like a baby and makes up silly words. He just recently used the words actually and suddenly in sentences and can now say the word squirrel along with Puyallup, Washington (although this is not new) and we've been working on nocturnal and sustenance. He will be starting preschool on the 18th and is very excited about it.

Zachary - has displayed his voice. He screeches, screams, and ooo's whenever he thinks about it. He's also waved to me a few times. He likes to eat his hands, grab things and drool. Recently, he as decided that he no longer poops. (I think this is from mommy)

I'd write more but the 3 o'clock feeding is 20 minutes past due and the monster should be stirring soon.

An Update.

This month is almost over and I have written nothing but two posts about my camera. (I could write about the gas prices, global climate change, or the upcoming presidental election but those issues don't impact my life on a day to day basis like the health of my camera) It continues to give me the error and I continue to twist and pull to fix it. The pictures are still acceptable so we won't be taking any action as of yet.

Tricia has been back to work for three weeks by the end of today and finally Zachary is falling into a somewhat predictable pattern. He wakes. He eats. I change his diaper. He coos, squirms, and has tummy time. He gets fussy. He goes to sleep, sometimes. And during these sometimes he stays awake and requires holding, rocking in a chair or walking around to assist him into a deeper sleep.

When the predictable behavior happens, I'm able to clean the house, clean myself, make dinner, put out the buffet spread (Lois and Dylan's all-day meal) and complete other household tasks like - playing with Dylan, going to the park, changing Lois's diaper, and writing and posting pictures to these blogs.

Zachary is/and has been sleeping through the night since day 4 of his life. (Please don't send mean spirited comments or you'll be cursed with a non-sleeper.) I know that we've been lucky with Dylan and Zachary

Dylan continues to be a bit more whinny and needy, especially when it comes to mommy-time but we expected that. Overall, he's a great big brother and loves to play with Zachary whether it's touching his body parts and naming them or pretending to eat his toes. The past two mornings, they've watched Sesame Street together laying and sitting side by side on the couch, covered with the same blanket.

Camera - It's fixed...I think.

So the lens had been stuck open and the picture on the LCD screen was very blurry. After a few seconds the camera would beep and LCD would read, lens error, restart camera. When I restarted the camera it would produce the same blurry picture and repeat. This was and sometimes still is my problem. My advice. Don't buy a Canon Powershot CD1000 digital ELPH or any camera that has a lens that telescopes every time you turn it on or off. (That is if you ever plan on taking it out of the container) I will have to preface this by saying, it takes great pictures and I love it but there is a serious design flaw.

Here's what I found when I googled it.....paraphrased of course. After looking on various chat rooms regarding my error message, I've found that I have a few options to explore. Number 1, remove the battery, put it back in and then restart. No dice. Number 2, hit (with moderate force) on a the end where your battery is housed. This didn't work for me but fixed the problem for some people. Number 3 and the winning option, twist and pull(lightly) on the telescoping lens and it with click and all will be better. That is until it gets stuck again, and it has. Great design! A word of caution, don't toggle from camera, to video, to picture review while the camera is on....it makes the lens go in and out, gets stuck and gives this error alot! Number 4, send it to Canon. If a warranty would cover this problem, which it appears by reading these chats that it doesn't, you could send it into Canon. Since I don't have a warranty, I took it apart and looked at it just long enough to realize that I should put it back together. For the record, it's not a good idea. I was able to get it back together and it still works.

So far, no need for a new camera, but I've added it to the budget.

Lens error. Restart camera.

My day is officially ruined. What will I do? My camera won't stop giving me this message. I think I'm going to cry. Never mind, Zachary's awake, he'll cry for me.

Skin vs. Plastic...

Not even a debate. Zachary hates plastic nipples. Unfortunately in this case of breastfeeding vs bottle feeding he'll have to concede at some point. So far, no concession seems likely. He screams, pukes, chokes, and overall refuses to calm down during bottle feeding times. All I have to do is put the nipple to his lip or cheek and he flies into a fit of madness and screaming. I've only tried three times and only gotten him to suck and swallow once.....I know it will happen again but it's frustrating. I'm sure he feels much more frustrated than I! Especially judging by the time it takes him to stop crying in between tries.

Since I don't remember this transition with Dylan, I'm having to go back to square one and try my luck at it. The only thing I remember with Dylan was he took a bottle no problem...I'm sure that I blocked out the first few attempts due to the huge failures that they were.

So I looked up on Asksears.com and found that you shouldn't put the nipple in his mouth but let him take it by himself. Mistake #1. Tricia and I had a feeling he wasn't eating much during some of his feedings. This almost proves that he's really not hungry but just looking for mommy and Zachary time. I don't blame him. I've been looking for Mommy time for some time now. Just occupying the same space with cats, kids and mommy DOESN'T count!

Expecting Zachary to follow the same "pattern" with bottle feeding as breastfeeding. Mistake #2. So, wer'e less than 10 minutes since the last failed attempt, he normally naps from 9ish to 2ish with a breastfeeding stop in the middle, he's sitting in his swing chair looking at the ceiling fan and completely happy. (this is until I write this down)



I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to relearn this process because I forgot everything and because I've pushed one baby through this phase, I'm thinking that I know everything. Mistake #3.


He just started fussing. Should I try again? Did the Berenstein bears go into the Spooky Old Tree? Yes! He dares!

Never mind. He feel asleep. Pattern schmattern. Baby's are difficult.