Last week was Marc’s 2nd birthday. What an amazing feeling to watch my son blow out his own candles, to now hear him babble out words that sometimes I understand… weird but I’ve developed an hear for toddler-ese.
I know he’s understand about 70-80% of what I’m saying these days, which is great but also is troubling when you’re saying no dont touch that and as he’s staring me in the eyes goes and touches it. Hello my friend we’ve entered the terrible twos – something that will push my mental toughness to new limits because really why do our outlets look like little smiling faces? why is no equal to a yes to a toddler? why is it always yes, yes, yes until the one thing you really want them to do is now a no? why do people give you the stink eye when you’re kid is screaming like you kidnapped them in the elevator… lol its going to be a long but very interesting year.
I’m told the highlights will include potty training – yah right?! I’m going to stock up on the huggies diapers now cause I dont think there is enough vodka and wine in the state to keep my sane for that… I do ok with poop in a diaper on the floor? or in a plastic bowl that I need to scrape out isnt in the cards for this urban dad.
I love the fact that Marc can speak a good bit and can try to explain to me what he wants and now he knows to pull me and point to things if I dont understand his toddler-ese… I just wish there was an off button for jumping off the couch with no one there to catch him, and looking at the hot water tube like it was the golden ticket or something.
I can only imagine in his head – dada said no that must mean its really good and for him – I want to try this out myself.
A few weeks ago New York Magazine published this article “I love my Children. I Hate My life.” [http://nymag.com/news/features/67024/] I was sitting at my desk watching headlines flow by when I just stopped and was like wow – only sometimes… After watching the tweets and blog posts about this article I was surprised to see how many denied ever having a single moment of saying I miss those good old days.
Dont get me wrong – the best thing in my life is my son, with a quick second being my wife. She’ll get mad as she would most likely would have wanted to be number one and having the kiddo being number two. oh well. I do wish for alterations in my life – mainly in the life style department. I really dont know many people at this point in life who dont wish for different things in the lifestyle aspect. Perhaps a larger apartment, maybe some money in the bank, more support to help with the kids, money for private school… ect…ect the lists could go on and on.
One amazing thing when you think about having children is that we used to have child in order to create clans, or in some aspects of the world it was to help with the farm. Now we have children out of the desire to have legacy.
I dont know if I hate my life right now, I enjoy having many different things on my plate and things are starting to take shape… I do know I’m not in love with my life in many of the aspects that I listed above… I would love to have money in the bank, money to put 20% down on a house, money for the best education my child could have… but there are aspects of my life I wouldnt trade for the world – the giggling-laugh of my child, the kisses my wife gives me when she’s happy (I’m sure there could be a joke in this one someplace), the moments I look out my windows on to the sea of people visiting the farmers market in Union Square.
I clearly thing there is a difference between life and lifestyle – I love my life – love the family and friends – love the times I share with my family. Its my lifestyle that I wished was something different and maybe thats my fault, maybe it is a combination of looking at what others have and having a jealous of why not me? (which I really try not to do) but I do know there is things I want and I’m trying to work hard to earn them.
Which goes back to the greatest issue of the modern times of work life balance, unless you have family money (and sometimes even then) you’re still working to make a living. That could be an American concept this live to work not work to live mentally like other nations have….
I don’t have a child who is now being prepped to go back to school – cramming that summer reading list (by feeding the cliffnotes editions – here’s a tip save the cash and read the Wikipedia entry :P) but I am starting to prep for the end of summer, which is a pro and a con… Pro I can walk a city block without changing shirts (seriously it was a brutal summer anyone at blogher will say you walked a block and needed a shower!) Cons are pretty simple is that fall is becoming a quick season and winner will be here sooner then later… which means I’m due to spend a lot more on the back to school clothing 🙁
This video has been making the rounds, I posted it on facebook a few days ago and I wanted to share it again… because I keep hearing from Dads who have children going back to school – that this video is really what they’re doing while shopping for school supplies (in their head at least :P)
For the better part of the last two weeks we’ve been traveling at some point or another. Its been pretty clear that worst part of traveling as a family is getting in long plane rides. There is limited ways around this, you could drug your kids (I think most of us wish that was cool but its usually not!), have a short enough flight were it feels like a car ride – like a hopper flight from NYC to Rochester, you can pack up a sweet to go back for a kiddo with games, books and TV/DVDs in our case it was an iPad loaded with dozens of his favorite shows. Still that wasnt enough to stop the dreaded Toddler on the Plane… I honestly felt for the kids in front of us – thankfully their father had the foresight to place his two teenage sons where he was supposed to be siting (I really was holding in the laughter at the scene where he explained to them why he needed to sit with their sister). In the end I’m sure those kids where saying lines that only Samuel L Jackson could truly pull off.
So if there is a movie producer out there looking for sequel to Airplane with some spicy Samuel L Jackson lines give me a call 😛 cause seriously don’t we all love that screaming baby on a plane (just sucks when its your kid who’s doing the screaming).
On the bright side for those who think we do a lot of traveling Marc is about to turn 2 in August which means we need to purchase a seat for him to fly with us… I highly doubt we’ll be doing as much traveling with him when he costs us another 300-400 dollars to get some place. I’ll apologize now to all grandmothers and great grandmothers and great grandfathers because this will limit our traveling plans (ALOT).
Traveling with a baby or toddler is rough as we had to fly with a car seat, a stroller, and a bag full of diapers/wipes/milk bottles and dozens of other things you NEED to have… add the extra clothes that need to be split between the two check bags and now we’re also pushing bag weight limits. This really reminds me of all those National Lampoons Vacation movies or maybe the home alone where they wake up late for the flight and need to rush out of their home forgetting one thing or another (child). Really its how it is – STRESS to a different level between needing to take your child’s shoes off at security or have them test the milk it really could make one snap – add a screaming toddler for long periods of time maybe that’s why MamaDrinks and DadsGoneFishing could be such popular sites or topics.
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