Wow, it's been over a month, almost two, since I last wrote. He has three teeth now, and a forth on the way. He's walking really, really good now. The moment I've been anticipating and fearing is now upon us. I've got to turn my Baron Danger Radar up to fifteen now. It's awesome though.
This is my first ever weekend without my wife and son. They went to Milton-Freewater to visit Calvin n' Clan for Jordan's birthday party. I would've gone but Ghostmob had a show last night so I couldn't go. Ghostmob can't play without their guitar player. It's just not allowed.
So, they went, I stayed. Friday night I slept for ten hours for the first time in a couple of years. It was magical. And then lonely. I thought I'd relax and take it easy, soak up my free time. But I missed my little Barbarian Bear. He's my everyday everything and without him I'm kinda stuck shufflin my feet. Oh yeah, I miss my wife too. LOVE YOU HONEY!!
But, I've talked to the wife on the phone a couple of times and she said that Baron keeps lookin for me, wondering where I am. He probably thinks I've been in the bathroom the whole time. (Maybe I have been....)
With his new found mobility he has also acquired some delightfully colorful bumps, bruises, scrapes and scabs. His beautiful little face looks like a battle ground. He's in the Ultimate Fighter Preemie Division. You should see what the other toddler looks like! And again I have to mention his amazing resilience and capacity and tolerance for pain. It's frightening. He's fallin and really given himself some hum-dingers, all on his face, and he still never cries for more than a minute. About two weeks ago I was packing his diaper bag so we could go to his doctor appointment and I walked away for THIRTY SECONDS and I heard a 'thump' and a 'WAAAAAHHHHH...' and apparently he had fallen off of our chair and scraped his nose and face down the side of our wooden book case. He cried for less than a minute and we left. The next day his little nose was more scab than not and it was completely healed in six days. He does have a healing factor! My little mutant.
And!, at that doctors appointment he got two shots and blood drawn and he took it all like a battle hardened barbarian, impressing not only his parents but also the seasoned medical professionals who don't often have the opportunity to work with young ones like the Burly Bare Barbarian Bear. However, we are getting to finally see the flip side of his strong will and determination. He's thrown a couple of tantrums lately and now we are stepping into dangerous waters. Dealing with children's' negative behaviour is a true test, if not the greatest test, of a parents skill. It is so easy to give in to the dark side and let go of your anger and fight the toddlers' fire with equal and greater adult fire, but that never helps in the long run. It's not only the younglings who learn in these circumstances. Thank goodness for going to daddy play group with Andy and Ollie! It is so helpful for me to be around other fathers and see how they do their stuff. We've been going to several weeks now. It's in the Community Center near Andy's house, which is a long way from me but it's really nice to go to something like that with a friend. Especially if that friend is Andy. He who has a magical way of getting along with anybody and everybody and making almost any social situation a little more laid back. Love him.
I need to get Christina to take Baron to a mommies play group because it is such a wonderful thing on so many levels. I want to look into other Community Centers closer to home that Baron and I can go to, maybe we can find one that isn't parent gender specific! Good stuff.
I sat down with some free local parenting activity guides and wrote down the dates and times for all the free activities that go on all the time in the Portland Metro area. Every awesome attraction like the Zoo, OMSI, the Children's Museum, the Art Museum and others offer a free admission once a month, you just gotta know when they happen. And now I do! And knowing is half the battle.
As soon as we got to Newport we hit the Old Bay Front and checked out the sea lions lazin about below the pier. Then we bought taffy. Why else would anybody go to the coast? Taffy.
After we left the Old Bay Front we hit the Aquarium and Baron had a good time. He really just wanted to be put on the floor so he could hit it at his pace but we couldn't let him do that. Sorry buddy.
He wasn't really too thrilled about most of the exhibits but he did enjoy the jelly fish. I think he could've stared at them softly float through their tank all day long. I think I could too.
He also really liked the walk through shark exhibit but then he found the totally awesome floor lights and that was the best part of the aquarium for him. The little floor lamps. Yep. Floor lamps. But hey, he also really loves ceiling fans!! Who doesn't? I mean, really?! I love the aquarium and all that but I think I could've saved myself thirty bonez and just walked him through a hardware store for free. He would've loved that as much, if not more, than the aquarium. eh.
It was a great trip though. We ended up having chowder at this little mom and pops cafe at six o'clock in Garibaldi(?) and it was great chowder. And the people who owned and opperated the joint really were Mom and Pop. Some old couple, and when I walked in I felt like I had just been welcomed into their home dining room and kitchen, not some little tourist stop on the way to somewhere more popular. I'm not a big fan of Moe's chowder. I've tasted some to-die-for chowders along the Oregon Coast that would send Moe's crying home to her mommie. (Moe was a woman.) The best? the Sea Buouy in Seaside, but if you have your heart set on their chowder you better call ahead 'cause that's the place where all the locals and fishermen get their chowder fix on. It's got a little extra paprika that really makes it come alive in your mouth. (!)
