Moddy! Dammy!

While he may not look like me, I'm more and more convinced that I am the actual father of my son (not that there is much doubt, but he doesn't hardly look like me at all). Mainly because of his recent muddled thinking. Lately, he seems to be thinking he wants to say Mommy all the time, until he realizes he is talking to me and changes midway. So I get "Moddy" all the time. When he realizes he messed up, he'll correct himself, but not by calling me Daddy, but by calling me Dave. His mom gets the opposite "Dammy" sometimes, but not as much as I get Moddy. He refers to me as Dave quite often, even though we try to correct him. But only recently has he started calling Mrs. Dave "Heather" instead of Mommy. Now she knows how it feels!!

Well, we know it's just something kids go through as they are learning to talk and express themselves more, it's just funny.

Otherwise, we had enough of the right kind of snow to make a 3 1/2 foot tall snowman Sunday. It was little boy's first. His grandmother (my mom) got him a snowman kit for Christmas, and this was our first chance to use it. It has wooden buttons, mouth, pipe, nose, eyes and a felt scarf, hat and mittens. Little boy was very excited and babbled on and on to Frosty. "Hi Frosty, how ya doin'?" I hope to have photos sometime in the next couple of weeks. They were the first ones on the roll, so I have a little ways to go yet.

Anyway, what's with all the snow falling on weekends here this year? I'll never get a day off before Memorial Day at this rate! ;-)

Dave

Decisions, decisions

Man, what to do? what to do? Gigantic Enormous is a good place in which to be an employee. But I didn't start here, I started at fun little company (compared to Gigantic Enormous) which was eaten by Gigantic Enormous. So, now things go the way Gigantic Enormous says.

People from happy little company are dropping like flies or being asked to move far away. I'm afraid that's going to happen to me before long, because I'm the only one that does what I do here. One telling thing is that many of the leaders of fun little company have made their way to the exits already.

So, here's Dave, no real boss that talks to me more than once a quarter or so, leaving everyone else to think they are my boss. It's good because the boss isn't a micromanager. Bad, because sometimes you really need guidance and someone to get the other "bosses" off of my butt. Right now it looks as if my old boss' (who I worked closely with) position won't be filled by anyone, so I linger in a lonely limbo. It's kinda boring in limbo. Fun projects are scarce (unlike fun little company). And I need fun.

Just, do I hang in there with Gigantic Enormous and when things get better, they'll get a LOT better, or jump into the great unknown? Could be fun, could be painful...I dunno. Just don't like the stall I'm in, and worse, I'm starting not to care. Ice cream company sounds like a possibility, but football team, that would be the thing. Oh yes, definitely the 'it' thing for me...

Dave the chronic cryptic

A second slice of Heaven

Here's another pic from our trip:

I can't really tell you much about this particular train, I just thought this was an interesting angle from which to shoot it. The white face of the boiler and the white wall make it look as if it's outside, but it's not. It's in the roundhouse. I wish I had brought my unipod with me to make things a little sharper, not that this is bad after a minute or two in Photoshop.


Here's the stagecoach. It was strange seeing this, because I'm so used to seeing them in westerns and such where it is pulled by a horse on dirt roads. Sometimes coaches like this were pulled by horses on the rails. It was also interesting that they put the seating on the roof of these coaches, part of the reason the funnels were so tall compared to the trains. I guess it was a strictly summertime pleasure, though.


Dave

What heaven looks like

to a little boy. We went to the B&O Railroad Museum last weekend. What a great time he had there. I think he couldn't believe how big real trains were compared to his toys and Thomas on TV. But what a treat! He got to ride on a real train and everything. At the end, he was exhausted, but genuinely thrilled.

In 2003, a bad snowstorm caused the roof of the roundhouse to collapse, doing severe damage to several of the trains inside. You can see some photos of what happened here. It was a really sad day. But they have rebuilt the roof to withstand such events and opened to the public. There are still several trains that need to be repaired. Most will cost over $500,000 to restore, one was over $1,000,000. Such a shame when you compare them to the condition of the trains that survived the collapse relatively unscathed.

So, here are some photos from the trip, I know they are huge, but I wanted them that way, so deal...;-):

Here is the little boy in front of one of the trains that are outside:


Here is one of the trains that is still damaged. You can see the paint has peeled badly and the cockpit area was crushed. $500,000 to repair.


This is one of the jewels of the museum. When I see that big funnel, I can only think of "The little engine that could."


Here is one view of the inside of the roundhouse today. Standing on the turntable in the middle and looking around is an impressive experience. The size and complexity of the trains just sitting there, was enough for me. I can only imagine it would be more so to see them in motion. The roof below the lower windows is what collapsed and fell directly on the trains.


Lastly, here is a shot of the upper roof, also restored after the collapse. It was taken from on the turntable below. It's a really impressive sight in person.


There are several other photos, but these are some of my favorites. What a great day, and despite all the granduer of these trains, what could we not pull the little boy away from? The model trains! This is probably something I wouldn't have really thought of going to without a child. Just another reason I'm glad we had him!

Dave

Did I BlogThis? Huh, did I?

Whoa, this could be cool... just pop it into the little box here...

Jailbreak!

The boy has liberated himself from the crib! Repeatedly! Oh, boy. First he could open doors on his own, now this. We'll have to figure something out for naps until then. Apparently, he is quite good. Doesn't make a sound while he's doing it, doesn't fall on the floor or anything. According to Mrs. Dave the only giveaway was that she heard him close the door to his room. So much for privacy, now! Well, we knew we'd have to get a "big boy" bed for him sooner or later, this just pushed it into the "sooner" category.

It's going to be a challenge to keep him in bed to take a nap though. He'd rather do anything almost than take a nap, especially if he has options.

He's growing up way too fast!!!

Dave

Safety Kills

Sometimes in our litigious society we are bent into irregular shapes in order to keep "safe". To walk in the warehouse of my company, you must have steel-toed shoes. Now, if you work back there, you're more likely to have a pair, but I don't work back there, so I don't have any. That's the case for a lot of people here. So, they have these steel foot covers that you have to put on over your shoe. It's kinda like wearing a sandal, except the sole would be hard and on the top of your foot instead of the bottom. No forklifts tried to run over my toes, so I can't vouch for their effectiveness. BUT, I got to the receiving dock where I had to check out some stuff. There were several boxes on the floor, some of which didn't have labels. Without really thinking about it, I squatted down to get a better look and OWWWW!!!!! Steel foot covers don't bend with your feet like shoes and the end of the cover jammed into the front of my ankle hard, knocked me on my butt! Could have been avoided...all I'm saying, with a little common sense.

 

Dave

Truths

that are undeniable, a continuing series:

• News stories about health as it pertains to healthy eating/weight loss will always, always show a long clip of a bunch of fat asses from the neck to the knee. Don't they have something else to show? I am among said fat asses, ok, not like the ones they show on these clips, but please, I'm just tired of looking at them.

• News stories about breast implants will always feature a clinical setting with an anonymous latex-gloved hand fondling an implant on a tray.

• My dog will plot for hours and hours to knock over a trash can. He makes sure the coast is clear, then makes his move. Forgetting that we are only upstairs, we hear CRRRAAAASHHHHHH! He's in heaven for 2 seconds, before he gets a swat on the butt, but apparently it's worth it, because he does it every single time he has the chance!

• Stories on the news about any drug, for whatever reason will feature a shot of a pharmacist (I assume) shuffling around pills (which may or may not be the pills the story is about) on that little tray to put it in the bottle. Booooooorrrring!

What are yours?

Chugga Chugga

Has anyone out there with little ones ever been to A Day Out With Thomas? We're planning on going this year. We are sure that the little boy will enjoy it, but think that when he sees a life-sized Thomas he will either be thrilled or terrified. Strasburg is the closest he comes to us. Apparently he used to come to Baltimore before the B&O Railroad Museum roof collapsed. Maybe he'll be back next year. Despite being in the middle of Lancaster County, PA, it looks like it could be a lot of fun, I'll just try not to breathe in too much (cow country for those who don't know) ;-).

Dave

Blind Spot II

For those who are interested, there are a couple of photos of the young'uns below!

Dave

Blind Spot

The boy is just getting too big too fast. Such a short time ago he needed us for everything, even to support his head and now he's climbing everything with no fear. I have gotten used to those parts. What I've noticed recently is that when I carry him, I now have a huge blind spot because he's growing so much. Used to be his head was down near my shoulder and I could see around him easily. But now you have no idea how much stuff I step in or on and bump into (including other children) because he eats up so much of my field of view. I'm so proud of him, but he's just growing up so darn fast!

Dave

A fascinatin' thing anonymity is...

from a comment to one of my previous posts:

At 12:16 PM, Anonymous said...
Dave,

The following is a class-action post from the fine, foxy ladies of the HOWie Forum of Frustrated Designer Housewives:

"Dave. Despite your thickblooded ways, we all want your body. Bring the Crisco. Or better, maybe some refine soya oil bean oil. (We're health conscious too.) Just hope your critical artery keeps working!"



*Ahem* I've tried nukin' 'em, but I just can't seem to get rid of those canadian roaches!

Dave

No Comment

So, this blog has been on my Howie sig for a few days now, and still no comments, not even from Alina! C'mon guys! Only comments about how lame this template is and how I haven't done anything with it will be ignored! hehehehehe One day I'll decipher the code and do something with it...

Dave

On the Eighth Day, he rested

No, this is not a religious post. It has been raining here in Baltimore quite a bit over the last several days, severely limiting little boy's time outside. He really needs it, too. Now, as a disclaimer I want to say that I know there are many parents out there who have much greater problems with their little one's sleep patterns, and I'm not complaining about my little boy's. BUT with all that he's been cooped up the past several days, he was almost literally bouncing off the walls this weekend. He was up crowing at full volume for his Mommy at 6:30 am (very early for him) on Saturday, and at 5:50 on Sunday morning. On Sunday I stayed up with him because his mom wasn't feeling so great. He ran at full steam for 7.5 hours, running all over the house, jumping everywhere, talking and singing about as loud as he can. (This was a boy that we used to have to really strain to hear sometimes)

So, after a weekend full of fun at romping around, when it was time to get back to the routine of getting up for work and daycare, who is cranky and wants to sleep in??? Yeah, you know.

Dave

Need to get scannin'

It almost feels so early 2Ks (now that we are solidly in the mid-2Ks in 2005) to talk about scanning some photos I took. I'm still a film guy, but digital is getting harder to resist, especially after I saw Mrs. Dave's cousin's photo printer. I like the idea of the new 7.1 Megapixel Sony Cybershot, any thoughts? But it's so much money I don't have right now. *sigh* I really need a nice, big, juicy raise.

 

I have a nice Nikon N60 I got for my birthday several years ago, and love it, just can't drop it. Maybe something a little less...I dunno. But I have to get some photos in here, it's just so wordy. You just haven't seen cute until you've seen little boy peering out of his Thomas pop-up tent.

 

Dave

 

Solar Express

Man, what's up with the freaky weather? In my previous post about the Polar Express, it was around 10°F with a negative wind-chill factor, but this weekend it was almost 70°F! Totally weird for this point in January in this part of the country. Not that I'm complaining! It was nice to take little boy out to ride the tricycle he got for Christmas! Just unusual. I'm afraid that I'm going to be really bummed when temps go back to where they usually are now. Even though I'm originally from upstate New York, I have a Caribbean Soul™ I can barely control, so I'm not too into snow (except when I feel like I need a day off... ;-)).

Dave

The 7th Day Apologist

Blech, the Colts threw that game on purpose so they wouldn't take the chance on facing the Ravens again! Alright, so the Raiders were in on it, too. but jeez, things would have been much better if we beat the Ben-gals and the Colts like we should have. Damn, never thought I would be as upset about a winning season as I am (because the Ravens didn't make the playoffs, in case you're not following any of this).

GRRRRAVENS!

Dave

A Christmas In Five Parts

Well, now that I have a chance, meaning time to type and the internet connection all to myself, I can prattle on about Christmas. It did indeed unfold in five parts:

1. At Home - Christmas Morning

Very nice, the boy didn't get up until 9 am, so we all had a chance to sleep in a bit. I know it won't always be this way, so I'm enjoying it while I can. Just me, Mrs. Dave and the little boy. He was funny. It took a lot of prying to get him to move from one gift to the next. When he opened one, he wanted to play with it then. But, he eventually got the hang of it. Lots of Thomas the Tank Engine stuff. He's played with it a LOT since Christmas. What was really funny was that when we showed him that Santa had come and eaten the cookies we left out for him, he started crying, thinking that Santa had taken his cookies from him! Mean ol' Santa! :-)

2. In-Laws Family Confab - Christmas Afternoon

We went to the in-laws in the afternoon. It was a nice time. We got to see my niece, whom we haven't seen in a while. Little boy got a box chock full of Fisher Price Zoo animals and such and a magna-doodle, cool! Mrs. Dave's cousin Melissa showed us her new digital photo printer. It's an Epson 320 (I think), but it really rocked. So many of the digital photo printers I've seen stink, but this one printed nice crisp bright and colorful images from 3 megapixel shots. If I only had a digital camera, now... But, we had a nice dinner and took one seriously tired, but happy little boy home to bed.

3. My Mom's - Day after Christmas Morning

Headed up to York, PA to visit my mom (for those who don't know, my folks split up a while ago.) My sister and her husband were there too. They also have a little boy who is two months older than ours. He is also big-time into Thomas the Tank Engine and had a bunch of track and cars out. So, needless to say, they both had a grand time. When present time came, both little boys were inundated with cool stuff. In addition to Thomas T-shirts, he got a Thomas pop-up tent. It's one of those springy coil things like for you car windshield when it's hot, except this is in the 3-D shape of Thomas! How much cooler can you get for a 2.5 year old? Not much! Once again, we left with a very tired, but decidedly happy young man.

Here he is in the tent:


Here's a little wider shot:


And this is my niece. She's had a rough 2.5 years on earth. She always looks so lost.



4. Mrs. Dave's Parents - Tuesday after Christmas

Since there wasn't a lot of space at the other inlaw confab, we got together with Mrs. Dave's parents and my niece on Monday. It was just the six of us, and since her parents gave us an oven for Christmas that we received a few weeks before, we didn't get anything then (not that there's anything wrong with that!) But we were there mainly for the kids anyway. Little boy got more Thomas stuff and a huge Matchbox Fire Engine that holds a ton of cars, makes lots of noise and can be driven about. All kinds of fun.The kids had a really good time together.

5. My Dad's - Wednesday after Christmas

My dad and his girlfriend came down to visit on Wednesday. We had a nice dinner and enjoyable night. Dad didn't get on the Thomas bandwagon, which is fine. He got the little boy a Craftsman junior carpenter workbench. It has pegboard, hooks and holes to hold everything, plus a drill and flashlight. If you should have a reason, it packs up into the size of a small suitcase, too! He also got a circular saw to go with it, but the bigger deal were the dump truck and bulldozer he got. Those were major fun. The dump truck can easily hold all of the extra screws, etc. from the workbench, and can carry most of the Thomas trains he has. So, without official endorsement, that was his Bob the Builder Christmas.

So, now we have a boy that never wants to use the restroom or go to bed because he has so many cool new toys! That's ok though. He's so much fun to watch as he creates all kinds of different adventures for his vehicles. One thing my wife and I agreed on early was that we wanted to but toys that didn't have all the fun for our son. We wanted toys that stirred his imagination, and so far it has really worked. Those trains find all kinds of peril on the couch and help each other out very politely "Thank you, Toby!" "Good job, Percy!" "Hi Guys, how ya doing?" It really is fun.

Well, I've written a lot more than I intended and I wanted to keep this short!

Hope you had a great Christmas as well! Happy new year!

Dave