A Bigger Bed?

"I think Sammy needs a bigger bed."
While I disagreed with these sentiments expressed by my lovely wife I have learned in my nine and a half years of marriage to think before responding.
"I don't think that the size of the bed is the problem."
This discussion was taking place yesterday. Last night the issue came to a head when we heard Sammy crying at about 11 o'clock. We assumed at the time that he wasn't feeling well, since Daniel is definitely under the weather. Suzy comforted him, got him asleep again, but before midnight we were awoken again by his crying. Again Suzy comforted him, and my memory is fuzzy, but she might have mentioned the possibility that he fell out of bed. Verification came this morning when he told us that he had fallen out.
"I think Sammy needs a bigger bed."
I had heard this somewhere before. Again a thoughtful pause. I decided to offer up an alternative theory.
"I don't think that the size of the bed is the problem, I think it is all of the stuff in there."
Suzy considered this, and we tabled the discussion for later. As the morning progressed I happened to be in Sammy's room with him, and proceeded to inspect the scene of the crime. I started taking stuff off his bed. First went the items that really have no business being in a bed...

Eight books.
Three swords (his definition).
One laser blaster.
A bag (for presents?).
Two lightsabers.
A block.
My collapsible boy scout camping cup, with assorted mini-cards inside.
Three diapers, thankfully unused.
A toy mirror.
Pillow fluff.

Next I decided to inventory the more traditional bed type items.

Four bippies (his security blankets of choice).
Three pillows (there was a fourth that I had taken out of the bed the previous day).
Fourteen stuffed animals of assorted shapes and sizes.

No, fourteen is not a misspelling, or an exaggeration. All of these figures and item listings are accurate to the best of my ability. This count was verified by an independent accounting firm.

I feel that my observation about the size of the bed not being a problem is an accurate one. The surprising thing at the end of this exercise was not that he had fallen out of bed last night, but rather I was amazed that he ever fit in there in the first place.

A Second Coke

There are not a lot of 'crazy' decisions in my life. Do I want to ride the long way to work in the morning? Should I read that extra book at night to the boys before bed? Should I have the dreaded second coke in the afternoon at work? So when Suzy suggested that her dad and I go on the Knight's Tournament ride at Legoland the other day I quickly said yes. What did the ride look like? Papa's analogy, which to me seemed very accurate as we walked up, was it looked like the robotic arms they use to build cars. With a place for two people to sit where the fingers would be. This is a ride that Daniel can go on, so it can't be that bad, right? Well, much like Dante's version of Hell, there are different levels. Feeling our oats Papa and I decided rather quickly on LEVEL 5 (out of 5). In that small decision our relaxing and fun day at Legoland celebrating Daniel's birthday got a bit more interesting. One of the big warning signs was that they had a box for you to empty your pockets. Strange, it would be pretty hard to believe that anything would fall out of my jeans pockets, but who was I to argue? They loaded us in, and I do think I saw a bit of a twinkle in the eye of the young guy who set us up for LEVEL 5. After the bar lowered and locked us in, the platform below us retracted. We were lifted sedately into the air and rotated so the people in the viewing area (Suzy, Daniel, Sammy, Nana and Tutu) could get a good look at us. Then we flipped. Quickly. And the spinning. That started then too. Some tossing. More flipping, much time upside down. I never feared for my life, but I certainly was considering how much more could possibly happen. We are looking south, nope that's north, I see the family fly past. Papa and I are carrying on an abrupt conversation, I am pretty sure I heard, "I don't want to do this anymore!". I don't think that it came from me, but it wouldn't be too far fetched. I know that I had the thought that it was good that below you is water, so they could easily rinse out the vomit that was coming. And finally it was over. Back to the platform, which extends towards you. I was thinking that this could be a tease. They could pull that away and start again with the spinning, flipping, etc. Thankfully it was not a tease. We were unloaded, collected our keys and wallets, and proceeded with the rest of the day. A bit nauseated, but alive. Suzy, Daniel, Sammy, and Nana all had very different opinions of the show. Daniel and Sammy thought we were crazy, and both vowed to never go on that ride. My mom had averted her eyes, she said it was as bad as watching me wrestle in high school. Suzy thought it was hilarious. She must have some good pent up frustrations with me, to so thoroughly enjoy seeing me getting tossed around like a leaf in a hurricane.
For me it was fun. A good experience. Something I can use to remind myself to have more excitement in my life. I think i'll go have that second coke...

An Apple a Day...

We took the boys to their yearly check-up today and the doctor has declared them to be in perfect health. I am always a little nervous when taking one of the boys to a doctor or dentist appointment because at this point in the boy's life I am mainly responsible for keeping Daniel and Sammy in good health. In many ways the boy's health is a reflection of me as a parent, or at least that is how I feel. So having the doctor say the boys are growing and healthy made me feel great.

The doctors visit was perfect. Amazingly we didn't have to wait long to get in, see the doctor or get the shots. Daniel and Sammy were perfect patients, answering questions, giggling while being poked and prodded, taking deep breathes and being happy and well behaved children. There is nothing better than having your child behave perfectly while out in public.

Only Sammy had to have a shot and he took it without crying or complaining. While the nurse thrust the needle into his little arm Sammy merely commented, "Ow, that hurt." The doctor did a double take as Sammy practically skipped out of the office with a big smile on his face just moments after getting his Hepatitis inoculation. Little did she know that we had promised the boys Krispy Kreme doughnuts if they behaved well at the appointment. A little bribery, or shall we say reward for good behavior, never hurt.

So Daniel came in at 41 and a quarter inches and weighing 42 pounds. Sammy weighed in at 34 pounds and stood 36 and a half inches tall. Two happy and healthy boys!

I have a 5 year old!

I still can't believe that Daniel turned 5 today! Five years old seems so old to me... probably because it is. This morning we were looking at pictures from Daniel's first year of life. He was so small and so chubby. These five years have gone by just too fast. Five years! Wow.

Although it doesn't seem possible that five years have passed since Daniel came into this world, Daniel definitely seems five years old. He is such a big boy in so many ways. He can do almost everything or at least thinks he can. He is very excited about going to kindergarten next year and is becoming very independent. My little boy is growing up and I am proud of the person he is becoming. Although there are moments and times that he drives me crazy and I get frustrated with him, he is a very sweet, loving and kind boy at heart. And he still lets me kiss, hug and snuggle with him.

This year we had a Lego/Star Wars theme party. I made little Lego cakes and we had the 'Girls' (our old neighbors and the boy's good friend) over for pizza. Daniel got lots of good presents and had a good time.

So now I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Next year I'll have a... I don't want to even think about it. I'll just enjoy this moment. Happy 5th Birthday, my big boy!