An Extended Family

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was able to do something that I never thought I would be able to do. I got to visit the family I had never really known.

My parents separated when I was three, and contact with my father pretty much ended when I was eight. Needless to say, I essentially grew up without having a father.

The only thing I had known about his family was from a high school graduation card I received with some pictures that showed his four daughters. Being 18, I was much too self-involved (and stupid, of course) to think about them, or even to try to maintain any type of contact. So, in retrospect, the last 15 years of not knowing them is mostly my own fault.

Fast forward to last spring, I received an unlikely email from an aunt on that side that I hadn't heard from or seen in 20 years or so. We were able to catch up some, and she was able to fill me in on the family that I'd wondered about. And I learned a lot. My father had survived a pair of surgeries to remove a brain cancer. My sisters were pretty much all grown up. And most of all, I learned that I wished I hadn't been so dumb and self-centered all those years ago. I learned that I wanted to get to know the rest of my family.

My aunt gave me the contact information I needed and had lacked for many years. I was relieved to find once I got in contact that they wanted to know about me too.

Well, we had a lot to catch up on, and still do. But there's only so much you can accomplish via the phone and email and pictures. So, we (my wife, children, and I) arranged and planned to visit the Lincoln family over Thanksgiving. We are very glad that we did.

I have to admit I was nervous. Thankfully, we had previously had the opportunity to meet two of my sisters on separate occasions, so it gave my wife and I some familiarity to start off. In the end, I decided that I really just needed to do what felt natural, and to be myself, and I would be ok.

Well, the visit went splendidly. It was good to get to sit down and hang out with everyone, and get to talk individually to my family members. And again, I learned a lot. In many ways, things were oddly familiar in ways that are difficult to put my finger on. But both Carma and I noted that I share some of my father's mannerisms, tastes, and even the constant desire to make a joke or play on words. As a group, we all played Balderdash, and had a grand time competing, being funny, creative, and amusing each other in general. And it felt completely natural.

Equally pleasing was seeing my sons interact with everyone. All my sisters were natural aunties, and Thurman delighted in playing with the respective husbands/boyfriend as well. Also a hit with the boys was the 3-year-old land tortoise, Neba, who roams the backyard and eats anything nearby.

I can't express enough thanks to everyone for making us feel so welcome. It was really a memorable time, and a great step in getting to know my family better. I don't know when we'll be able to visit again, but I know we will.

The 2006 Baseball Season, as experienced by the Lincoln Household

The 2006 baseball season will be one to remember in our home for a long time. We had some exciting experiences while cheering for the Mets this year in a variety of ways.

The season started with high hopes, as the Mets had acquired a slugging first baseman (Carlos Delgado), a solid high-average catcher (Paul Lo Duca), who both would add to the potent lineup that included youngsters David Wright, Jose Reyes, and a hopefully rebounding Carlos Beltran.

Thurman and I were able to attend a game in early May (6th) against the Braves. At this game, one of the Mets starting pitchers (Zambrano) blew out his elbow. The Mets ended up winning the game, though it was a close save at the end. There was another game that we attended, we had gotten discounted field level seats through my work, but I can't remember when exactly it was.

By the All-Star break, the Mets had a comfortable lead in the division, and several of the team members were having great seasons. Optimism about the team was high all around, and hopes for a long October were strong.

On August 3rd, I received an interesting email from the ESPNZone in Manhattan. They were advertising a contest for the "Ultimate Mets Fan", and was being held that same evening at the ESPNZone. The contest itself was simple: sing "Take me Out to the Ballgame" the best (according to their criteria which included stage presence, enthusiasm, Met fan-ness, and audience applause) and you would be declared the "Ultimate fan" by Baby Ruth (the sponsor) and win a prize package.

As soon as I read it, I knew I would go. How could I not? All I had to do was sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and be the best in the minds of the judges. The prize package was very appealing, but I was initially hesitant. I'd sung the song thousands of times (a bedtime favorite for my eldest), but would I be good enough to stand out from everyone else? I had an idea that might help, so I decided to try. I left work a little early to get Thurman and make the short trek from Hoboken to Manhattan. We arrived at ESPNZone in time to register and waited for the contest to begin. We were clad in our Mets gear and killed some time playing games and enjoying the always-magnificent cookie sundae. Luckily, I was one of those randomly drawn to participate, and was called up to perform. I had prepared for this in a unique way, and was hoping it would pay off. I sang the song using a duck puppet I've had for years, singing in a duck voice. The duck was also wearing a Mets shirt, which I was hoping the judges would notice too. I must have done something right, because about an hour later, I was declared the winner.

Thurman, who knew what he would get to do with me if I won, was overjoyed, jumping up and down when my name was announced. That night we received a gift bag with a Mets hat (given to Thurman), a Mets shirt, and some Baby Ruth candy bars. When we got home, Thurman declared to my wife, "I'm the luckiest boy in the world!"The remainder of the night was spent calling some of my friends and family to share the good news. The next day, I honestly had a hard time even thinking about work, much less concentrating on anything there. The day dragged by, though I did enjoy relating the events of the previous evening to some of my co-workers. Thanks to a lucky break, we were able to secure my wife a ticket for the field level for that night so she and our youngest son (16 months at the time) could join us.

We met our hosts near Gate E at Shea Stadium around 5:00 to check in, and watched entrants for the second Ultimate Fan contest. After the winner was selected, the two lucky winners and their guests were guided through the rear entrance to Shea Stadium. We visited the bullpen and the indoor batting cages, where Carlos Delgado said hi to Thurman (who was wearing a Delgado shirt). Thurman was thrilled! We went by the clubhouse, and eventually were led on the field near home plate just as the Phillies were finishing batting practice. Thurman and I were somewhat disappointed that the Mets weren't going to be taking BP that day, but knew they had gotten back from Miami late the previous night. However, we were still in store for a great treat. We were led over to the Mets dugout, and were delighted to meet the first base coach, Sandy Alomar. I took Thurman's picture with him, and then he called over Jose Reyes to be in the picture as well. They were both happy to have their picture taken and offered to sign his baseball as well. Thurman was a bit star-struck. Soon after, we were led to our seats. They were the "Dream Seats" in right field, near the foul pole. The leather recliners, emblazoned with the Mets logo were very comfortable, the view was spectacular, and we had room to stretch out (or in my toddler's case, room to run around). I would liken it to flying first class versus coach. We had a fabulous time enjoying the game in such a great environment.

Also a part of the prize package was an official Mets jersey, worth about $250, which was pretty cool. Finally, the icing on the cake was the opportunity to stand on top of the dugout with Mr. Met for the 7th inning stretch to lead the crowd in singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". It was such a thrill to see all the people and be a part of something so fun.

You would think that all the fun and excitement would stop there, but it didn't. Later in September, I received a phone call from the ESPNZone. I was then asked if I remembered signing up for a chance to win tickets to a Mets game. I had, on the same night I had won the Ultimate Fan contest. This prize wasn't nearly as elaborate, simply a pair of field level seats and a tour of the press area with a chance to sit in the press box for an inning. Ho-hum. :)

So, of course I took Thurman. We went to the game on Sept. 20th against the Marlins. We had a blast checking out the press area, got to see the reporters typing about the game, and Thurman even enjoyed a sundae in the press box. We also were given some gift bags with hats, shirts, media guides, and Thurman got some fun kids stuff too.

With all of the excitement this season, I'm glad we were able to enjoy it in a very special way. While I was hopeful the Mets would make it to the World Series, I can take a litin theomfort inthe fact that they made it a lot closer than the Yankees did.

I just hope that Thurman didn't get too spoiled, and still enjoys the game in the upper deck, where we will most likely be sitting next year.

The Lincoln Log 4-30-2006

After a six-month hiatus, the Lincoln Log is back. We'd like to apologize to our subscribers for the delay, and promise full refunds for the time missed. We would also like to welcome some new subscribers, and warn them that they get what they pay for. As new subscribers, you should know that the Lincoln Log has been delivered to you because someone has accused you of being related to or friends of the Lincolns, and this is your punishment.

As for the reason for the hiatus, well, someone else has explained it much better:

"The way I see it is this: The first child is like having a hurricane blow through your life. At first it's a mess, but then you pick yourself up, straighten the furniture, and reclaim some degree of normalcy. The second is like an atom bomb. Any routine you have is tossed right out with the bathwater." (Mike Greenberg, "Why My Wife Thinks I'm an Idiot")

Yes, the stresses of having two children instead of one have taken us hostage, much more so since Nicholas became Mobile Unit #2. We love him, he's very cute, but our productivity in general has declined. We're afraid of what could happen if (when) we have another child. Not only will we be outnumbered, but nothing at all will ever get done.

NICH-O-LOG

Nicholas is now a one-year-old toddler, heaven help us all. He started walking just before Easter, and is getting more steady and confident everyday. This, despite all the bruises, bumps, nicks, cuts, falls, and crashes. He is bound and determined to keep up with his Big Brother, no matter what.

At his last checkup (Monday 4/24) he weighed 24+ pounds and was 29.5 inches tall. His eyes are still blue, but his hair has gotten rather long and curly (still blondish). Every time I threaten to have it cut, Carma stares at me the stare of "I'm the Mom, and I make those decisions." The doctor did not officially call him cute, so we're thinking of suing for malpractice.

Nick-names: now, we have adamantly resisted having Nicholas called "Nick" or "Nicky", and stick to that decree. (Nothing against anyone named Nick out there, Dr. Ellig) We have been calling him "Nee-ko", though the spelling of said nickname is under dispute among the 25-34 demographic in our household. Carma contends that it should be spelled "Nico", while I am of the opinion that it should be spelled "Niko". However, if the contract with Nike comes through, we'll just call him that.

At the daycare this winter, he earned a different nickname. He has this cute bunting that made him look like a little bear, and so he was dubbed "Oso Peligroso" (dangerous bear). He was dangerous, as his poops (called "big booms") were very dangerous indeed.

Nicholas is mostly a happy kid, and loves his brother. Thurman is a very good big brother, and will play with Nicholas (sometimes anyway). Nicholas likes just about everything Thurman does. He'll play cars, and even blow raspberries for his car sounds (like Thurman). He also LOVES to play ball. He likes to roll it, throw it, kick it, put it through a hoop, or anything else. Anytime he sees a ball, he usually wants it. This has led to trouble many times. He often thinks oranges are balls, and wants to play with them, and is always sad when told he can't have them. At a restaurant one time, he saw a tennis ball. Unfortunately for him, the tennis ball was attached to the bottom of someone's walker (apparently to keep it from scuffing?). And for Easter, he received a stuffed bunny from Grandma and Grandpa Hamborg that is holding a soccer ball. Much to his frustration and anguish, the bunny will not drop the ball for him (as it is sewn to the bunny). He did however enjoy the plastic Easter eggs, because they were just like balls, even if they're shaped a bit funny.

Nicholas is also very smart (well, we might be a little biased). His first word (also right before Easter) was (surprise!) "ball", and he also says "ba-ba" for bottle. He says "ma-ma" and "da-da", but we're unsure if he ascribes any meaning to those "words" yet. During one bath a couple of months ago, he display the future genius we expect to see. It was the first bath he had with the little foam letters and numbers that Thurman loves so much. Naturally, the first digits he grabbed were "H", "2", and "O".

We've also discovered Nicholas loves music. In church, whenever music is playing, he usually wants to stand to listen, and often waves his hands, "conducting". He also does the conducting at home when 1) he hears the radio/CD player is on, 2) when his music video is on, or 3) when he WANTS to have his video or the radio/CD player on.

One of the unfortunate things with Nicholas has been some health issues. He's continually had colds, etc. But he's also had two ear infections, a sickness that caused vomiting and horrible, horrible diarrhea (which Thurman and I also both had), and as it turns out, he was diagnosed in January as being allergic to milk. This wasn't so bad, as we just put him on soy formula, but after a couple of months he apparently developed an allergy to soy. This really limited us, as all the regular formulas out there are either milk or soy based. Not to mention the poor kids can't have cheese, most breads, yogurt, pizza, waffles, and pretty much anything that he points to on our plates. So, for his formula, we're giving him something called "EleCare" which describes itself as "an amino-acid based medical food." It retails at over $40 for a 14 oz. can. Luckily, Carma was able to get a case of six cans for "only" $200. Ugh.

Despite the diet limitations, he loves to eat more than ever. One Saturday morning I took both boys to McDonald's for breakfast (to also let Carma sleep in a bit). Thurman and I had a tradition of having Saturday breakfasts there every once in awhile, so I thought it would be fun to try. However, I didn't know what to give Nicholas. He couldn't have pancakes like Thurman (buttermilk), I wasn't sure about the biscuits, so I decided to see if he was carnivorous, and let him try some sausage. Oh my, it was like the kid had discovered his true purpose on earth. He loves to eat sausage, as well as turkey, chicken (nuggets), and has even sampled and enjoyed ribeye steak (tiny pieces I cut off for him).

THURM-A-STAT

Well, Thurman survived a winter of indoor play, and is happy to be able to go back outside and play baseball once again. One of his other activities is playing Playstation 2, which was our family Christmas gift. Or, as Carma calls it, "The Boys' Christmas Gift". (But she can't complain too much. She went to Paris). He likes playing racing games (Hot Wheels), a bowling game, and most recently, baseball. Coincidentally, his dad likes playing racing games and baseball as well.

School-wise, Thurman is doing great. He loves his pre-K class, and is usually sad when school is closed for a holiday (or snow day). Every week each kid has a job, and he is always very excited to do his, especially if it calls attention to himself. Thurman continues to amaze us with his abilities. His teacher told us he is the best reader in the class. At we're not talking about "Sit, Spot. Sit."-type reading. He has a very good recognition and comprehension level of words that surprise us. Thurman is a thoughtful little boy and ponders things. Some of his recent concerns have been that the clocks in our apartment are not all completely synchronized to the same time as well as wondering if people live on other planets.

He's also interested in math, and is adding and subtracting at will, and can do some simple math in his head. However, this led one time to a confusing discussion involving negative numbers. I was trying to explain the concept of "below zero" to Thurman, and it didn't work out very well. We'll give him a little more time on that one. Thank goodness it never gets below zero here.

Thurman celebrated his 5th birthday since our last Lincoln Log. He had a miniature golf party, and he was in charge (with strong parental hints) of who to invite. That decision took him weeks to make. We had originally told him he could invite three friends, but then let him pick four if he chose two girls and two boys. The mini-golf outing was a blast, probably in part because the kids thought higher scores were better. We also had cake and ice cream at home afterwards, and were ever-so-grateful to have Nana there to help.

As a 5-year old, Thurman has become much more cognizant of his friends and what his friends think. We are sure this is normal, but the early beginning of peer pressure has made us a little sad at times. The current main culprit is a friend named Brecon. One of their favorite things to do, apparently, is to dance around while singing: "Rock Stars ready to roll!!! Rock stars ready to roll!" As Brecon has no older siblings either, we are unsure of where this has come from. Thurman has also told us that he will no longer take his duck (a stuffed animal/blanket he has had since before he was born) to school, because "Brecon doesn't like hearts and pink and yellow." Brecon is also apparently the leader of the anti-girl talk in Pre-K. Thurman used to give hugs and kisses to his little friend Willow, but told me recently that he wouldn't do that anymore because Brecon doesn't like girls. Carma recently bought Thurman the "Velveteen Rabbit" and with it came a cheap little gold necklace with a rabbit on it. Thurman was very excited about it at first but then said, "I won't wear it to school. Well, maybe I'll wear it to school when Brecon is on vacation." When Carma asked him why, he said, "I don't want Brecon to think I like girls." Also of a large concern of his has been colors. Now, most colors have been defined by Thurman as boy colors or girl colors. We recently had an argument about the color yellow, as he thought it was a girl color. So, in a minor parental triumph, I convinced Thurman that if an NFL team wears a color (such as yellow, i.e. Green Bay Packers), it should be considered a boy color.

Physically, Thurman keeps getting taller, but doesn't ever seem to gain any weight. He's nearly 45 inches tall (3'9"), and weighs about 42 lbs. He's so glad spring is here, as we can now go back to the park to play baseball. He's still striving to be a switch-hitter, which leads to game conversations such as:

Thurman: Ok, I'm the White Sox. Are you going to be the Mets?
Greg: Sure. You're up first?
Thurman: Yes. Who's up first for my team?
Greg: (thinking) I think it's Scott Podsednik.
Thurman: Is he any good?
Greg: He steals a lot of bases.
Thrman. Oh, Ok. Does he hit right or left-handed?
Greg: I don't know. Left, I think.
Thurman: Ok. I'll hit left-handed then.

And so on, all through the batting lineup. Man, thank heavens for fantasy baseball, otherwise my son would think I didn't know anything.

Thurmanisms

-The sign of a child who will never remember not knowing how to Google: One day while Carma was walking Thurman to school, Thurman saw a truck that had two license plates on it. Thurman: "Mommy, why does that truck have two license plates on it?" Carma: "I don't know." Thurman: "We can look it up on the internet."

-Competitive spirit: One of Thurman's favorite games for a while was the "number game". This consisted of one person saying a number and the second person saying another number. Whoever had the highest number would win. The smart readers of the Lincoln Log will quickly recognize that in this game, it is advantageous to be second person. Thurman also recognized this (well, he made up the rules). One day, Carma protested to Thurman that if she always goes first, she will always lose. Thurman's response? "Well, somebody's got to lose." After that, Thurman made a couple of token efforts to actually choose a lower number than Carma, hopefully to pacify her into keeping her first turn.

-Living for the moment: When Carma was in Paris, Thurman got to use her "water pillow" (think water bed, but on a much smaller scale) which is always a big treat for him. Right before Carma came home, Thurman said to me that he was feeling kind of sad that Mommy was coming back because he would lose the privilege of using the pillow. So, I told him he should be happy Mommy was coming home, and then (foolishly) asked him which he liked better, Mommy or the pillow. "Hmmm… I can't decide."

-Thurman the Humble: One of our visitors recently made a comment to Thurman about how smart he was and that he must be one of the smartest kids in the class. Thurman's response: "Yeah, pretty much."

-School Spirit: Thurman attended a series of beginner's basketball classes at the YMCA for about 8 weeks this winter. During one of the classes, the coach asked them who their favorite teams were. Most kids said the New York Knicks or the New Jersey Nets. Thurman said "The Stevens Ducks", which would make my boss's boss proud.


Exciting Events and Exotic Excursions

Normally, this is the place where we talk in painful detail about our latest trips and happenings. However, there is no possible way to cover everything non-kid related that has happened in the normal manner without driving up our subscriber suicide rates. So, and abbreviated version is presented below.

-We attempted to get Thurman into two different charter schools for kindergarten. We are so far down both waiting lists we decided to enroll him in a Chinese school instead. (Actually, he'll go to the public school his pre-K is in now.)

-We spent Christmas in New Jersey as our own little family for the first time, thought we did enjoy a nice Christmas Eve dinner with our friends the Newmans.

-The Embassy Suites in Piscataway, NJ has a pool table that Thurman thoroughly enjoyed in December.

-I went to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a conference in January. Unfortunately, I didn't have much of a chance to enjoy the nice weather. My comments on Puerto Rico, "Well, the people drove crazy. Lots of people spoke Spanish, and the news channels were all based in New York City. It felt just like New Jersey."

-In March, I failed to work a full week the entire month because someone (including me) was always sick.

-Carma went to Paris for four days with her parents to visit her sister Emily who was doing a study abroad. I am not sure what she loved more – being in Paris or getting four full nights of sleep in a row!! She had a fabulous time and with Emily's help, brushed up on her French. Her big accomplishment was going to a local post office by herself and (in French) sending a postcard to Kristen in Germany and buying four post card stamps to the U.S. This was rehearsed many times over before the actual event. (Je voudrais envoyer ce carte postale a Berlin!) She also was quite taken by the little French kids and came back determined to make Nicholas into a French baby (thus the spelling of "Nico", from "Nicolas".) She bought him a little French linen outfit on the Champs Elysees and a children's book in French that we read to him almost every day. ("Les cadeaux de Mimi." Mimi is actually "Maisy," for you Americans out there). And all I got was a little pewter replica of the Tour Eiffel (I really wanted a guillotine.)

-I went to an NFL pre-draft party at the NYC ESPNZone, and brushed elbows with semi-famous sports people.

-I attempted to go to the actual NFL draft, but failed after 5 hours of waiting. The next best opportunity to go to the draft will be when Nicholas is taken in the top ten picks (probably in 2029 as a linebacker).

-May plans include a 5-hour consulting visit to Miami for Carma, and a family trip to Chicago for a conference (Greg) and textbook work (Carma).


Headlines That Didn't Make the Cut

-The Lincolns awake one morning to water running down their walls and out of their light fixtures and vents. At least it wasn't tar.

-Nicholas hams it up for friends and neighbors who visit 1100 Grand #312.

-Carma cracks tooth on olive pit. Who puts olives in a Cobb salad anyway?

-Greg sustains wrist sprain during an intense keep-a-way game at Central Park.

-Nicholas eats everything in sight. And then some.

-Thurman draws way too many pictures every day. As Carma throws some of them away, she reassures herself that "art is a process not a product." -

-The Lincolns have yet to attend a baseball game this season, which is unheard of.

Movie Review: Good Night, and Good Luck

One thing I kind of miss sometimes is going to movies. I like going to movies, and being sucked into a different world for awhile (while eating popcorn, of course). Quite understandably, since having children it is something I get to indulge in less and less. So far this year, I've been to one movie at the theater, Curious George (it was okay). Last year, I think I maybe went to four movies. While I got to go to Star Wars Ep. III and the Wallace & Grommit movie, I also sat through Shark Boy and Lava Girl. So, most of the few movies I get to see are on DVD.

This past weekend, we rented Good Night, and Good Luck, a film about the journalist Edward R. Murrow standing up to the Red Scare in part perpetuated by Sen. Joe McCarthy.

I thought the film was well done, the message was a good one, the actors were swell, and the pace was good. I liked the use of black and white, and the placing the film within its context was superbly done. But the film lacked in a few departments as well, most notably time and story development.

Now, the movie runs short at only 93 minutes. During this 93 minutes, there seems to be a lot of filler. There are three songs sung by Diane Reeves, in their entirety. There are also numerous ads shown, though these are nice because it really helps set the context of the story and the times. One of the two "side-stories" involves two of the co-workers hiding the fact that they are married, as company policy of the time dictated that no couples could be employed by CBS. Other than adding that little drama and context, this storyline feels completely unnecessary to the plot of the story. It feels out of place, or that it could in fact be another entire story on its own merit. But it doesn't seem to belong at all to the main storyline. So, in essence, we've got a short story being told with a lot of contextual fluff.

The other part that seemed to be lacking is any real conflict and/or drama. There is some tension, but I think that the conflict in this story really isn't present at the individual level for the characters. Joe McCarthy isn't cast as an actor in this film, as George Clooney decided instead (and perhaps wisely) to use clips of McCarthy instead. Now, I applaud this move from a historical standpoint, and respect it. But we lose two things because of this. We lose and direct, unrecorded communications that may have occurred between McCarthy and Murrow (if there was any, of which I do not know). But we also lose the "evil guy plotting in his lair" type sequences. Without this, the story becomes rather one-sided and fails to show McCarthy, his agenda, his plans, and ultimately, his demise. Instead, we view the hero and his cronies overcoming a challenge that didn't seem very real or difficult. Which doesn't make for much drama.

Overall I was satisfied watching the film. It was engaging, but also lacking. I'm sure other people liked it more, but I don't think it was Oscar worthy. (Not that the Oscars are really worth much, in my humble opinion.)

Not Dead Yet

"I...feel...happy....I think I'll go for a walk...."

So, somehow we all survived. It got worse before it got better. After the last post, I got sick, but Nicholas got better. So I had a couple of sick days at home sans family to try to rest up.

Poor Carma got sick too, but she didn't let it ruin her trip to Paris.

Needless to say, we were glad when she returned though.

Sick of Sickness

I don't want this to come off as a series of complaints, but I do want to remember how much it sucks when your entire family is sick.

It all started last weekend, when Thurman started to feel ill. He was clingy and morose and cranky, which should have clued us in that he was sick. He also had been yawning and complaining that his ears were plugged up.

We figured he had som kind of sinus thing, and gave him Benadryl to help clear it up. Well, on Monday morning he was hard to awaken in the morning, very sluggish, and cranky. He also said he wasn't very hungry. I made him a pancake anyway and told him he should try to eat some. Carma and I were discussing whether or not to send him to school when he vomited on the pancake. End of discussion.

So, he and I stayed home that day, and he felt mostly better it seemed. He napped some, and ate a bit of lunch. We played video games and watched a movie. I took him to the doctor that afternoon, and was a little surprised to have the diagnosis: both of his ears were infected. He was prescribed some amoxicillin, which we got. We went to pick up Niko and Carma about 5:30, and got home. Next thing we knew, he was vomiting in the garage.

So the debate Tuesday morning was whether or not to send him to school. He seemed fine, and didn't want to miss school again. Both Carma and I had pressing issues at work to deal with, and so we sent him.

So Tuesday afternoon when I went to pick him up, he had just had a HUGE amount of diarrhea in his pants. Let me preface the next part by saying I love my son, and would do anything for him. But cleaning up that mess was the most disgusting thing I've ever had to do. I struggled to keep myself from vomiting the stench was so bad. It took about 20 minutes just to clean him up and get him changed.

So again, the discussion at home was whether or not Thurman should go to school. We figured that the diarrhea was a one-time thing.

We were so very wrong.

Wednesday, I was called to come get him because his diarrhea was bad. The poor kid spent over an hour in the bathroom, and the poor teacher who had helped clean him up. That night, we decided it was best to put him in his "Goodnights" training pants, because he just couldn't help it. We felt bad for the poor kid.

Thursday he spent the day at one of our friend's house, after Carma took him back to the doctor. The doctor, like us, figured it might be an adverse reaction to the Amoxicillin (which we stopped giving him on Wednesday). His ears appeared to be fine though, so he didn't give us a prescription for different antibiotics for Thurman. We were told to monitor the diarrhea situation, and if it hadn't stopped by Friday, to bring him in Saturday. Thursday the diarrhea was better, but still hadn't stopped.

Friday, Carma took him with her to work, which made for a stressful day for her. He only had it once that night, and not very much. So, we decided to pass on bringing him to the doctor's office, and thank heavens that was finally the end of it.

Except that then, Nicholas came down with a cold. A pretty bad one, with tons of snot. Plus he started teething again. Usually, Niko gets up once during the night for a bottle. The past few nights, I doubt he's been up and needed our "help" no less than four times a night. Which makes for very long nights for all of us (except Thurman, who miraculously can sleep through anything).

So, Monday (yesterday) Nicholas was too sick to go to his daycare, with a low-grade fever and his cold. So, I stayed home with him, which was not easy. He was clingy, fussy, tired, and not very hungry all day. We went to get Thurman in the afternoon, and according to his teachers, had spent a lot of the day yawning and saying that his ears were causing him some discomfort.
Monday was an especially long day because after work, Carma was scheduled to go give a lecture at Rutgers. She came home about 11:00 pm, and told me that she wasn't feeling well. She had a sore throat, was congested, and felt sick. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I had a sore throat, and felt nauseatingly tired and sick.

Today, Carma is taking both boys to the doctor, while taking a sick day herself. I'm at the office, despite my body's protests and desire to be in bed.

Oh, and Carma's flight for Paris leaves in less than 60 hours, and I'll be at home with the boys for five days. I really, really, really hope we all feel better by then.

On donuts, and my grandpa

In the heady days before the North Bridge Mall in Albert Lea (MN) was ever even conceived, the Skyline Mall was all we had (and it didn't have a Wal-Mart back then).

These were the days when Ben Franklin was still a store, when J.C. Penny's was alive and well, and there was also a grocery store named Piggly Wiggly's (or something similar).

Near one of the entrances to the mall (on the opposite side of Sibley and Southwest Junior High) there was a happy little donut shop. I remember going there with my grandpa as a kid, and one day he told me I could have ANY donut I wanted. So, I chose the "Texas Size" chocolate frosted donut. My grandpa told me I'd never eat it all. I told him I would.

I was right. I think it may have been the first time (and one of only a few times until age 20 or so) that my grandpa was wrong and I was right.

I've always had a special relationship with my grandparents, mostly because they were an integral part of our family (and support system) when I was growing up. But I really always had a close bond with my grandpa. With a lack of a father in my own immediate family, my grandpa was kind of the surrogate dad that taught me the "manly" stuff.

My grandpa's garage was essentially a workshop. Wood-working, metal-working, fixing things, creating things, everything I could imagine as a boy could be done in grandpa's garage. He had an old-fashioned drill, a compressor, a grinder, a welder, every tool you could ever imagine. And he always seemed to know everything, and just what to do, or how to fix something. It was a magic place, and he was the master.

Throughout my adult life, I've found that while I'm not one to putz around or even have a workshop of my own, I am able to fix things, reason out how to do it and what I need. I'll probably never change the oil in my own car, but knowing I could if I needed to is comforting. I can only hope that I can be for my sons what my grandpa was for me.

Thanks grandpa.

Poorly Planned Potty

The building I work in has a flaw in its design. It is not a fatal flaw, one that endangers the well-being of it's occupants. It is a flaw involving comfort. And temperature. And it occurs in the bathrooms.

On almost every floor in the building, the bathrooms are located in the same place. Not surprisingly, the elevators and stairwells are located in the same places on each floor as well. So, for consistancy and ease of construction, it appears the were all lumped together. So, looking from the opposite side of the building, you see these doorways all in a row: Stairwell 1, Men's Bath room, elevator 1, elevator 2, Women's bathroom, stairwell 2.

As with most elevator shafts in most buildings in the world, ours are not heated.

Similarly, our building's stairwells are not heated either.

So essentially, what you have in the winter is a set of four columns in our building that are cold and unheated. In between these column of cold air, some genius thought it would be convenient to place a bathroom.

And just to make sure hardly any warm air gets into the bathrooms, each one is equipped with two doors that serve as a sort of primitive airlock, denying the movement of warm air into the bathroom.

And though I have yet to prove this, I am convinced that they've somehow found a way to circulate liquid nitrogen (or some other very cold substance) through all of the toilet seats.

I guess should just be glad I'm a guy.

Better things to do

So, one of the fun things we gave ourselves for Christmas was a Playstation 2. My wife keeps calling it the "gift for the boys" (meaning everyone but her). So Thurman and I enjoy playing the games together, he likes the Bowling, and we both enjoy the Star Wars Racing Revenge, Hot Wheels World Race, and the Burnout 3 games (with all the fun crashing a five year old- or 32 year old- could ever want).

And then, later at night, I became addicted to Star Wars Battlefront. Who knew it would be so much fun to be a Stormtrooper and shoot not only the Rebels, but the Gungans and Ewoks as well?

So, at times I feel conflicted. There are certainly much better, and more productive things I should be doing. But I do try to make sure things are taken care of (dishes done, lunches made, etc.) before hopping on. Maybe it's just part of the make gene to become addicted to things for a short time. These things always go in phases, and my wife has learned that it's often best to just wait and let myself burn out on things like this.

She's a lot more patient with me than I probably realize, so kudos to her. I know she put up with a lot more stuff about me than I do about her, that's for certain. But I still felt a little bad about her not being able to share on the "family gift".

So, when she came to me with one of her ideas that gets her excited, I was ready to listen. And a few days later, she's bought her plane ticket to go to Paris. (ok, ok, there's more to it than that)

Her sister is already there on a study abroad, and her parents are going for a week or so in March. She thought it would be fun to tag along, and her parents were excited to have her stay with them. So, it's not like we're out a lot of hotel money. I'm a little nervous about being with the boys alone for a few days, knowing their mother is on a different continent. But I can manage, I just won't have high expectations for anything but survival those days. :)

So, I guess I'll wait awhile until getting Star Wars Battlefront 2. In the meantime, I guess I'll find something useful to do.