More and more terrible by the minute...

Only his second day as a two year old and he's already acting like a big kid! Today for the first time he slept on his big boy bed, we both heard him say 'red ball', and he found his belly button! Can you imagine? One day you're just looking at your stomach and the next thing you know you find this knot of skin that, apparently if you untie it, your guts will fall out of!!
I was a little freaked out by my belly button as a kid. Didn't want NOBODY touching that thing!
He's played with a bunch of his new toys today. He really likes his Mr. Potato Head, thanks again Sis! He really likes sticking pegs in holes and things like that. He's really good with his Mega Bloks, and also his eight little square blocks that fit inside of each other. He's got really good hand coordination. And he's so determined when he plays with his hands like it's a challenge for him and he'll keep trying until he gets it. I love that about him. His favorite thing to do with his books and toys in the living room is to throw them all, ALL, in a big pile. and then walk away. !
Christina just put him down to bed in his big bed for the first time at night. We have our fingers crossed that he'll stay in there through out the night. He hasn't slept with us in our bed since he first went into his crib, but I have a feeling that we can expect a little visitor from time to time from now on. Or we'll be woken by the sounds of him playing with his toys in the living room or by him turning on the light in the living room. which he can easily reach. He gets a real kick out of turning lights on and off. A new phase, a new era, is dawning in Baron's life. Hang on.........

Has it really been that long?.....

Yep. Little man turns two years old tomorrow. I can't believe it's already been two years. But if I stop to think about all of the events that have transpired since his dramatic entrance into our lives it makes my head spin! A couple of days ago he started saying "uh-oh" and it just cracks me and his mother up! It's so cute. I hate saying that, but it really is cute.
We're hoping for a good turn out for his celebration. I know his grandparents will all be there, which is always cool. I know grandparents can be just a tad, tiny bit competitive when it comes to the love of a grandchild, not that I've ever seen that in any of his grandparents, but I think there's a really good chance he's gonna be spoiled silly. We should probably borrow a truck to lug all the loot home in. His mom and I are really excited.

Our first hike.

We rode with Mommy to work and then took the car over to Andy's house where he loaded the car seat into his awesome mini van and we drove out to Tryon Creek for a beautiful morning stroll. That was the idea anyway. The little boys had other ideas about what the definition of 'fun' is when in the out-of-doors. But really, we've come to expect the unexpected from our spawn. See, I was talking to a new guy at daddy's group this last Tuesday about where there are good places to introduce toddlers to the wonders of just walking for the sake of walking. I'd read that Tryon has a 'toddler' trail and he said that he loves to take his little boy, Aidden(?), there. So, I told Andy and we decided to head out the next morning.
It was great having Baron in a vehicle with another kid. Ollie's car seat is rear facing and BAron's is forward facing so they were really able to see each other and interact better. They actually high-fived each other!!! It was so cool! They're awesome.
But hiking didn't really worked out the way we had hoped. Baron and Ollie were much more interested in sticks and leaves on the trail and things that were off the trail than actually getting anywhere. If they had their way we'd probably still be there, playing with sticks and leaves. Oh well, it's a start.
But THEN.... Andy took us to the Elephant playground up by the zoo at the Rose Garden. It was the most awesome non-wood structure playground I've ever seen! It was HUGE!! Baron loved it. He started on the swings and then went right up the steps to the top and ran and ran and went down the slides and then climbed up the slides and ran and ran and laughed and wore my butt down to nuthin'. I definitely need Mommy to come with us next time. Andy was busy with Ollie and Baron wanted down the slides and I couldn't really go down the slides with him (believe me, I tried and it wasn't pretty.) so I'd set Baron on the slide and try to jump down to the bottom before he could slide off of the slide. I'm not as graceful as I used to be. And I wasn't that graceful then, either. So, yeah, Mommy's going next time.
The Daddy Play Group is going on a field trip to OMSI next Saturday, but that's also the weekend when my dad is coming down to visit. We'll see if we can work something out. Maybe Papo and Nana Mentzer would like to watch Lil' Bear tear OMSI down! I've wanted to take him there for a while now. And it's the place where I'd really like to get a membership so we can go play inside anytime. But, we've never been to the Children's Museum and I hear that it rocks. We'll just have to save our pennys and go to the Children's Museum before we make a decision. Soon......

The Pumpkin Patch

He Loved the Pumpkin Patch! Auntie Shelley treated us to a trip through the corn maze at Kruger Farm on Sauvie Island. It was so great! We were a good little group; Auntie Shelley and her friend Jade, the Mentzer Family Unit and Nana and Papa. Oh, and Jade's cute little dog, Jack. Eight of us. In a corn maze. It was crazy. At one point, Baron was leading us through! Everybody took turns carrying him or holding his hand but when he got the chance to hit the ground without anybody holding him back he put his head down and charged forward like a pint sized rhino, knocking anything in his way into the corn stalks on either side of the trail.After we made it through the corn maze we hit the pumpkin patch where Lil' Bear picked out his very first pumpkin. He really seemed like a little bear as he jumped into a pile of smaller pumpkins off to the side of the patch. He tossed pumpkins in all directions, not so much looking for a pumpkin but more just enjoying the satisfaction of decimating a pile of pumpkins. Watching him destroy things sparks a small feeling of what that was like. Little kids can't really build many things, but they can create something new by destroying something that has already been made. It's not malicious (well, not all the time.), it's just fun. Until you get in trouble. And one of the great Unfair Truths' of the universe is that, if you're a little boy and you're having fun there's a good chance that you're going to get in trouble for doing whatever it is that you're having fun doing. Dat's jus' duh troof!

That boy's got him some soul...

One of his most favorite things right now is watching Sesame Street music videos on Youtube. As you can imagine, there are tons of Sesame Street music videos out there. The show's been around for forty years. But of all the videos, he likes the soul singers the most. His top three favorites are; Destiny's Child singing 'I got a new way to walk' (With Elmo, or course), India Irie and Elmo singing the ABC's and the one that really gets him movin and groovin is Patty LaBelle singing a gospel version of the ABC's. She really wails it out and a bunch of the characters come out to help her sing. Seriuosly, it's friggin awesome. He, like most little kids, love to watch the same thing over and over again (if you let them!) and we've watched quite a few vidoes over and over and over, but I think I could listen to Patti LaBelle singing the ABC's at least seventy six more times without getting tired of it.

But he still rocks out to Pantera. He knows his stuff.

He loves Sage, our spastic new kitten. They play great together. They'll both be mindin their own business and out of nowhere Baron'll call out his berserker battle cry and Sage'll jump to her feet with her back reaching for the ceiling and he'll make a bee line for her as she tears down the hall into his room. Then, once there, the tide is turned and Baron will come running back down the hall with Sage bouncing sideways with her back arched, right at his heals. It's great. But I still have to keep such a close eye on him because he's grabbed her tail and pulled a few times and he likes to lay next to her, where ever she may be, and try to roll over on top of her. She's way more careful with him. Despite their rough housing she's only given him a couple of scratches. Far fewer than he deserves is you ask me.
He loves sloppy joes.
And oatmeal raisin cookies. (what?)
And macaroni and cheese.
He likes a lot of things, just not at meal time.
Kids.

Help!! I can't keep up!!

Seriously, he's a grinnin lil' typhoon of rambunctious curiousity and joyous havoc. And everyday brings some new discovery or milestone and I'm really lagging begind on my chronicling of these events.
He figured out how to high-fives after only being shown twice.
He LOVES to give high-fives now.
He figured out how to knock on Nana and Papa's front door all by himself.
He .. oh geez, he's causing trouble........

Is is too late to cuddle?

Yeah, it's the strangest thing. He's never enjoyed being held, ever. In anybodies arms he's good for a few seconds before he wants to go do something else. But, at eighteen months he's starting to get into it. Sitting in my lap while I read to him has only happened a few times, but those are the best, and after a couple of his naps he's just wanted to be picked up and held as soon as he wakes up. The very best though was a couple of weeks ago when the three of us went to have dinner at the Sweet Tomatoes up in the 'Couv. He had played pretty good that day and fell asleep in the car just as we pulled into the parking lot. (Don't kids have AMAZING timing for things like that?) I pulled him out and he was completely limp, put him up on my shoulder and we went in. We went through the line and got our salads and he never moved. We payed, chit-chatted with the cashier for a sec, and found a table and sat down and he was still like a rag doll. Even while I ate brocoli and other crunchy veggies with his head right against my neck, he didn't move. It wasn't until we'd finished our salads and got some soup and bread that he finally woke up. (Also just like a kid to wake up after the salad and vegetable course!) He was so dazed and it was obvious that he was looking around wondering just where in the heck he'd woken up this time. Too, too tooo toot too cute a tot. He enjoyed some good yummy food and his insides didn't have any problem with any of it. So far it seems that the only thing that really messes up his system is large amounts of milk or too much apple juice in one day. Both for different reasons, but you don't really want to hear about all of that, do you?
He loves to dance to the music!! He's got Saturday Night Fever!! You can tell by the way he walks he's a woman's man, no time to talk! I hooked our stereo up he loves listening to all kinds of stuff. He really likes high energy, percussive stuff (Big surprise.); Santana, Sublime, Big Business. And he makes Daddy very proud by liking my band, Ghostmob. I've had him try on some Tony Bennet, Dean Martin, Fohnny Cash, but he's not into it yet. Sadly, he had no time for Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger, which is one of my all time favs. Oh well, could be worse. I wonder what popular kids music is going to sound like in ten years or so. I'll find out, wheather I'm ready or not.

I knew I forgot something!!

I completely forgot to mention Baron's first trip to Oaks Park!! Silly Daddy!! It was for Nana Debbie's company picnic last Saturday and it was a gorgeous day all around. We ate hot dogs, played with some soccer balls, he went on the carousel, we all rode the train and went on my favorite ride several times; the water misters!! I love those things!! Baron does too. After standing in line waiting to get on the train under the relentless oppression of the mid day sun I was dying to walk through those sweet, sweet water misters. I think that they should be installed in a lot more public places!
He is getting soooooo big!!! Everyday he gets bigger. It's very unsettling. He eats all day long and it's a struggle to find high calorie, high fat snacks that aren't complete junk. Cheese is about the best 'cause he loves it and it keeps everything.... um... together. I put peanut butter in his breakfast but he doesn't like it if he can see it on his food. OH!! Oh!, Oh!, did I tell you? It's the most heartbreaking thing!!; He doesn't seem to care for chocolate!! I know that he shouldn't have chocolate at this point and I should be thankful that he doesn't beg for it like I do but REALLY!! How could a child O' mine not love chocolate? It just makes me question some fundamental ideas that I've always just assumed were plain truth. I just don't know what to believe anymore......
When we went to The Dalles on Sunday we stopped to drive through the 'fruit loop' in the Hood River Valley. The Judge and I decided that, after we win the lottery, we will move into a nice little farm nestled back in the Hood River Valley and spend our days working on our land and enjoying the 'fruits' (HA!) of our labors. Sounds delicious. If you're gonna dream, DREAM BIG! So, we thought it would be great to have a farm and on that farm have a restaurant with a bed and breakfast on top. We would serve fresh produce our farm, as well as others in the area, and encourage guests to go out and pick their own produce, maybe throw in some cooking classes and offer suggestions on the multitude of activities available in any direction and put more focus on families and kids specifically. We can tell you that not very many bed and breakfasts cater to kids. I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty rad to me.

Bigger Every Day.

Our little Bear has been doing so good lately. As soon as the sun came out he started advancing with leaps and bounds as far as his development goes. Yesterday and today he has grabbed books and brought them to me so I could put him in my lap and read them to him. He stayed in my lap for over a half an hour!! It's so awesome. He keeps coming back to a counting book and studying a picture of a kitten. He even pets the picture.
So much has happened I'm not sure if I can remember it all. We went to Roseburg to visit my dad and step mom and that was a blast. Three generations of Mentzer boys together and set loose. We HAD to go out for pizza because it's the official Mentzer food. Baron loooovvvveesss pizza. And so do I. We fed the ducks and geese at the duck pond, played at the park where Baron experienced uneven ground for the first time and enjoyed the company of my folks' chihuahua. It was really good for me to hang out with my son and my dad. Every summer when I was a kid we'd make the long drive to Roseburg so me and my parents could hang out with the grandparents and now I get to do the exact same thing with my son. Life is a circle.
We've played at quite a few of the parks in the Portland area in the last couple of weeks. Some are just amazing and have some great equipment to play on but he invariably ends up playing with a pine cone or tries to climb in a garbage can. He gets that from me. I took him to Clackamas Mall a few day ago so we could play in the kids area like we have before but this time he wanted nothing to do with the play area. He wanted to see what the rest of the mall was all about!! Everything was closed but their was still a strong mall-walker presence and he went from closed gate to closed gate, covered kiosk to covered kiosk talking googley talk at full volume so he could be heard throughout the entire mall and lovin' every minute of it. He had a good nap that day. I set him loose in the middle of Delta Park and he loved that too. Nothing but acres and acres of open field that he would walk giant circles in at full speed, grinnin the whole time.
But you would never in a million years guess where the coolest, funnest, most amazing park play structure is. Would you believe that it's at Sorosis Park in The Dalles? We visited my mom yesterday for her belated birthday wishes and took him up to the park to wear him out before we headed back to P-town. It is so mind blowingly fantastic! Baron's still a bit too little to really enjoy it but next year we are going to be all over that thing!!!!
I built him his first furniture fort yesterday and he loves it! I put a blanket over our table and he goes in and out, up and over and all around it. This last weekend I saw at Barnes and Nobles (One of our favorite places to visit!) that they sell these things that look like giant tinkertoys that you can make a frame with and then cover with a sheet and make into a variety of different forts. Pretty cool, but nothing beats creating new environments out of the mundane furniture that we take for granted everyday. A chair is never just a chair when a child is around
I've been researching and writing down a bunch of the fun, free activities that go on all over the Portland area. Different story times, movies in the parks, Sunday Parkways, music in the parks, guided nature walks for kids, all kinds of amazing things.
This is the best summer. Ever.

More beach trip pics.

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. (!)

Is it really summer? Finally?

I remember when I was younger I would hear the older folk talk about this big ball of fire that would light up the sky all day long and it could even get real hot sometimes. But I thought they were just stories. Until a couple of weeks ago. I saw the Sun.! Whoah, so unreal! It was all bright and warm and stuff and even made the back of my neck all red and hurty but I didn't care 'cause the Sun made me want to have fun. And I did. I like the Sun and I hope it stays, at least for a while until people start wondering where the rain ran off to.

Baron has been having nothin but fun since the weather took a turn for the better. Papa and Nana took us on a beach trip and Baron went to the Aquarium and saw jelly fish and sharks and then he played on the beach. And I took him on the MAX up to the Zoo and he met interesting people at every stop. And a couple of days ago I took him to down town St. John's and he got to play on the play ground equipment at the elementary school AND the play ground equipment at the adjoining preschool. AND THEN I walked him over to the St. John's Park and he played there for a while. I was tired.

Greatest. Picture. Ever.

This mindblowingly awesome picture of Baron going down a slide was taken by Nana Debbie today when we were playing at the St. John's Park. It was such a gorgeous day, too. I think it might've reached seventy! It was way too beautiful to stay inside, that's fo sho! He enjoyed the park, but the playground equipment wasn't really designed for toddlers but more for older kids. But anybody can slide.
This is just such a fantastic picture!!!
Today he also fell down Nana's and Papa's back steps. Scared the jeepers out of me. He didn't really cry. And THEN, after we got home he bailed off of the chest that's below the window in his room and landed right on the top of his head. Didn't really cry though.
When we were at Nana and Papa's I was watching him play by himself over in the corner of the living room. I watched as he picked up one of his Elmo books, opened the front cover (right side up!), looked at the pictures, flipped to the next page, looked at the pictures and he continued to do this until he got to the end of the book!!! AND THEN HE DID IT AGAIN!!! He's never, ever ever-ever-ever EVER sat still long enough with a book to do that. I was so excited.
And nobody else was watching.
I've been trying for so long to get him interested in books. I read to him all the time. We're over half way through Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and when that's in the bag we're going to start on The Call of the Wild. But he gets lots of Shel Silverstein and Dr. Suess and Counting and ABC and color books too. We'll be into Douglas Adams before too long and then Advanced Philosophy.

More vids!!

HA! Check these out!

A video! (maybe)

I'm going to try to ....upload? download? unload? wideload?.... a video of Baron gnawing on his first carrot stick a few months ago. We'll see what happens.

He's Walking!!

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.

He keeps going and going and going....

He's awesome! This morning he used one of his soft furniture pieces to stand on and reached up and grabbed a hold of, and tried to turn, the bathroom door knob. What's the use in putting locks on the doors? He's just gonna figure out how to open those next week!!

Everyday brings something new.....

Yesterday he carefully backed down the steps until he reached the bottom!! Can you believe that? I think that's a pretty major step for a kid who tackles every thing with wild, manic energy. I expected him to just throw himself down stairs until he gets much older, like in his teens. But, nope, he tried the first two steps several times over and over until he got the hang of it and then he just went all the way down, one step at a time. He is so smart!!! I really didn't expect that kind of problem solving at such a young age. I'm beaming, can you tell?
And, I'd like to take this opportunity to heap huge amounts of thanx on my sweet sis. Several people expressed concern when they heard we were moving in with her 'cause Sis and I tried cohabitating waaaayyyyy back in the day and it didn't turn out well at all. But we're both older, wiser and better people now and I have so much love and respect for her. If you don't know my Sis, you're missing out. THANK YOU SIS!!! You're a great person and I love you immensely!! We are very happy living in your home with you and I'm very glad that Baron gets the chance to grow in your presence. Thank you.

The only constant is changing diapers

Stuff, stuff and more stuff. It never stops. And neither does Baron!
We've moved into my sis' condo off of Marine drive and we're lovin it. L. O. V. I. N. it!! Baron has so much more space to get his crazy on and we can tell he really likes it here. He finally has his own room!! WE finally have our own room!!!!! Dear God, I don't have the words to help me convey just how much of a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. 'Course, we are in such a deep pit of financial misery it's frightening. Everyday we check the account to see if our salvation has arrived in the form of our long awaited tax refund and everyday it isn't there is more late fees, more phone calls, more spiraling down, down, down.....

But hey, we've got each other. And that's a lot for love.
We'll give it a shot!
Whoah, half way there, Whoah, livin on a prayer!!
Oh Jon Bon, could I borrow a few bones?
It's hard to feel the pain of scraping bottom when it's coming from a millionaire.

Aaaaaanyway... We'll make it. We always do.
Baron had his follow-up appointment with his surgeon yesterday and every thing's lookin good. We have some at-home maintenance to do on his unmentionables and I was going to give a brief description but then I thought 'Ya know, this blog could still be around when he's older and it would really suck for other kids to find this blog and use the information within to tease and taunt him'. I shudder to think what my childhood would've been like if my folks had kept a public account of my upbringing.
But, yeah, he's doing great. I love his surgeon, Dr. Newman. He's a good, good man. The kinda guy I'd like to shoot the shit with over a cold six pack. I should invite him over to a barbecue.

Baron is in a forward facing car seat now.
He loves to clap with his parents when something fun happens.
Yesterday he shoved puffs into my mouth after I shoved puffs into his mouth. (And anybody who truly knows me knows that me letting a baby stick his nasty, sticky, grubby cherubish hand INSIDE of my mouth is a big, big step for me. Ucky!!)
He can pop the lid off of his container of puffs. (uh oh!)
He LOVES LOVES LOVES watching the Sesame Street spin-off for toddlers, Play With Me Sesame!!!!
I've been reading Treasure Island to him. We're half way through it.
He freaks out whenever we're in a store and he sees a balloon. Freaks out!! And it's amazing how many places have balloons! I'd never paid attention before. They're everywhere!!!
Last week I took him to the kid play area at Clackamas Towne Center early in the morning. We had the whole area all to ourselves and it was friggin awesome!!! He had a blast, he was playing so hard he was gasping for air and still trying to go, go, GO! The first time it was just the two of us and then we made Mommy come with us last Saturday. I can't believe that of all of the thousands of babies in this city that we are the only ones to take ours to the Clackams mall at seven in the morning. It's FREE people!!!
He gets nibbles of whatever Mommy and Daddy are eating now. More Mommy than Daddy though 'cause she eats better than me.
He's just doing fantastic, as always. His tolerance for pain just seems to get stronger and stronger. Yesterday he crawled into the bathroom, stood up, grabbed one of the drawers by the sink and pulled it out so it smashed into his face and then slammed his fingers into it. It looked painful (if not a bit comical) but he only cried for a couple of seconds. He just doesn't have time for the pain!!
HA!
I put him in his stroller last week and it took us fifteen minutes to walk to Jantzen Beach. How rad is that? We are going to have an awesome, radtastical spring and summer.
Look out, here we come!!

Baron's surgery!!!!!

What a day. Again, I have to say it just one more time; He is such a friggin trooper. Dr. Newman, one of my most favoritist peoples in the world, sat us down (again) and told what was gonna happen and what to expect and all that what-not. Said the procedure should only take about an hour. Well, when we were waiting, in the waiting room, we watched an hour go by. And then fifteen minutes more and then five minutes more and then minute after minute clicked by, each one infinitly longer than the one before. And then we heard the pager go off on the receptionists desk and we held our breath as she looked at the message on the pager, put it down and started to get up as she looked our way and saw all five of us (myself,wifey,sis,momanddad-in-law) staring at her from across the room with expectation in our eyes. She told us we could go back and see him in about ten minutes and when I heard that, it felt like I'd won the lottery there for a second. Christina went to Baron and I talked with Dr. Newman and he told me a bunch of stuff that was way over my head and I can't remember crap anyway but the gist is that Baron had an odd hernia. He said he'd never seen one quite like it.
That's my boy.
I could go into some specifics, but I don't think I need to. He's put back together. He's going to be more sore than the average baby after this type of surgery because, well, Baron just can't do anything like a 'normal' child (I recognize that there is no such thing as a 'normal child'), but he's on some good drugs and even though I'm no advocate of the fix-everything-with-a-pill mentality I won't mind him being doped up for a few days if it will keep him from hurting.
Damn, I hate to see my son hurt. It almost puts me in a panic. It gives me a near unstoppable urge to rip the world apart to find a way to make the pain go away. Is that bad?
So, yeah, the next few days will be like the old days, when he first came home and I was up every night, all night long just watching him. Hours at a time just watching him breathe in and out, making sure that he never stopped. Yeah, maybe a little extreme but I'm not an out of control parent yet. Yet. But please, keep an eye on me and let me know when to ease up a bit. Thanx.

And now; The Moment You've All Been Waiting For....

Little bear goes in for surgery today at eleven oclock. We've waited quite a while for this moment and now that it's here I can feel the cold fingers of nervousness and anxiety tickling the back of my brain. Nothing too bad though. I have such complete confidence in Dr. Newman and that really is sooooo much piece of mind, to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is in the best hands possible. Still, I know he's gonna be scared and he's already really hungry because he's had to fast since last night so he's going to be in a bad mood no matter what. He's just like Daddy when he's hungry; A big baby.

So much has happened lately. His first fang appeared last week and is getting larger and sharper by the minute. He can stand for almost a minute without anything to hang onto. And now that cold and flu season is winding down we've taken him to a few public play areas, much to his absolute delight. His first time was at Jantzen Beach, on their little car rides. You'da thought he was in Disney Land from the smile on his face. Then Mom and I took him to the play area at Clackamas Towne Center. THAT was quite the experience for all three of us. He crawled on the outdoor playground equipment at the Community Center yesterday. His climbing abiltiy is astounding.
Well, I guess I need to start getting ready for this. Wish us luck!!

Slowly but Shirley. And don't call me Shirley.

He's doin better. So far, so good. I'm not sure what day it was, Tuesday maybe, but he threw up a lot and we were gettin worried about him again but we've remained incredibly diligent and have givin him formula or pedialyte whenever he wants, as much as he wants. Yesterday was really good. He ate every hour or hour and a half and only took two to three ounces, but he kept it all down and his diarrhea is lightening up a bit. That was becoming a major concern too. But, I just fed him some applesauce mixed with formula and oatmeal flakes and he took a couple ounces of that. His first solid food in several days. The first solid food he kept down in almost a week. Yeesh. Fear not, though! The little warrior Bear has maintained his jubilatious attitude through it all, as he always does. GAH!!! I can't say enough how much I love that nasty little monster!! I just wanna gobble him up!!! He just blows my friggin mind. He goes through so much, and he keeps on truckin. Both figuratively and literally. From the obvious big stuff like his initial surgeries to how he tackles a stack of toys that might block his path. He takes it all head on, and he keeps doin it 'till it's done. He doesn't get that from me, I can tell ya that fer sure. I may have helped with his sunny disposition but I do not posses his tenacity and will, and that part of his character puts me in awe. He's not even twenty pounds and I admire him. I'm gonna be such a terrible father when he gets older, I'll let him get away with everything. Fortunately I know Mommy is aware of this and is already pretty good at sniffin out my brand of trouble. She's got that natural mommy instinct but I think that the year or so we lived together before Baron was born really helped prime her for the things that are to come.
Like a storm boiling on the horizon.
Joyous trouble.
Mayhem and mischief.
Dark glee.
Hide the breakables.

The truth revealed..

Well, we haven't heard back from his doctor yet but we're pretty positive Baron just had a little flu bug. We came by this decision after Christina got it on Sunday and I got it on Monday. It's totally weird, we had the same symptoms he had and it only lasted one day. Thank goodness too, 'cause I shouldn't downplay it's possibly deadly potential by calling it 'a little flu but'. Mom and I took it okay, but he really was pretty dehydrated and not doin so good. It's a good thing we took him to the ER when we did. But, we're all feelin good now, so let's watch out for the next one. Yup, there's always a 'next one'.

Our first trip to the ER!!

YAY!! We got to go to the emergency room on Friday night because Baron was really cranky and didn't look good at all. Mommy was worried so we loaded up the car and headed up to the hospital with stress and expectation in our hearts. His mood seemed to improve after we got there, and we waited. And we waited. And we waited. We arrived at the ER about nine and they took some x-rays and took some blood but we wouldn't know anything until his surgeon, Dr. Newman showed up later Saturday morning. Until that time Baron was miserable. He cried and cried, probably for four or more hours straight. We just didn't know it he was crying because he hurt or because he was hungry or something else altogether. It was very frustrating. That's an understatement. Mommy and I were getting pissed. I'm not going to go into detail about it now, but we just weren't happy with way things were set up and how things were being handled. I always give the benefit of the doubt, especially to hospital ER rooms, because I have no way of knowing what kind of emergency could be happening right down the hall, what horrible calamity might have befallen some poor stranger on the floor below. All the same, my boy was in pain and in need and I needed to do something about it.
. He devoured a constant stream of grape flavored pedialyte and has continued into today. He's only getting clear liquid for the next day or so and then he can start having formula again. Solid food is a couple of days away. His doctor looked at him, looked at his x-rays and still doesn't know what the problem is. He still needs to look at the labs and stool samples (RAD!), but even then he may not know. He thinks that it's more than likely that he just got a little flu bug that is moving through him. It's the not knowing that bugs me the most. But really, we're just happy he's home now and looking and acting like himself again. He's resilient, he can take it.
. I was talking with Papa and Nana about the collapse of the Arctic Shelf and the freezing temperatures assaulting China and told them that someday Baron will be Chieftain of the Northwest Tribes after the Earth wins its battle with our overpopulating tendencies. He will stand on the cliffs of the Gorge and feel the wind as he surveys his domain. He will be a mighty chief indeed, who lead his people to safety and prosperity. He will wear the skins of the beasts he has bested in fair battle. The wolf, the mountain lion, the bear. And I will be proud of him. Nana and Papa thinks the flash is out in my camera, if you know what I mean.

First words...

The wife and I are in agreement; Baron said his first words today!!!!!! He's been workin on da-da for a couple of days but today he did it over and over until it sounded right, like he was sayin Dada. So friggin cool!!! And I don't care that he said something in reference to me, I'm just thrilled that he said something. And he's not just saying it, he's repeating it back to us. He is amazing. Spoiled, but amazing.

New Year with the Lil' Bear!!

Well, well, a new year. The Mentzer unit spent the last week watching over Casa Del Fix while Andy, Kim and Ollie the ogre slayer visited their fans back in Michy. It was a nice little vacation for us, we wallowed in the wondrous sensation of living on our own again. But, their house can get COLD on the main floor, so we spent almost all of our time upstairs where the heat is. We watched a little tv, played on the floor quite a bit (as we always do) and enjoyed the company of their cat, Havarti. He is awesome, and the spitting image of my beautiful little Smoke, the cat I had way back in '99 and '00 and he's amazingly cool with babies!!! He totally got up in Baron's face, which Lil' Bear was completely unprepared for. He's used to the mangy ol' curmudgeon of a feline that sulks around Nana's house; Mo. Mo don't like no kids. Havarti, on the other hand (paw?) let Baron get right up to him and pat him up a bit and even tolerate a bit of hair pulling and the whole time Havarti did nothing more than bat back at him, claws sheathed. Great cat.

. So, Baron was counting sheep upstairs in his crib and I was scrounging through Andy's kitchen, taking bites of things and putting the rest back when I heard Da Bear start to cry upstairs. I new he was going to wake up hungry so I got a bottle together, heated it up, slammed the nipple back on and headed up the stairs. He was crying pretty good, but he does that sometimes. I reached the top of the stairs, walked up to his crib and peeked my head over the side to see his sad little face look back at me as he let out a fresh wail. I set the bottle down and reached in to gather him and I brushed a little string that was on his left bicep. But it didn't move so I pinched it with my fingers and pulled and it was stuck. Baron screamed. I looked closer and realized to my horror that a thread hanging from the edge of the blanket that I put over the edge of his crib to block out the light had wrapped around his arm and it was TIGHT. I gave another little tug while I tried to determine which way it was twisted and there was no give. His scream intensified. I didn't panic (much to my surprise upon reflecting back on it now) but I was struck with a deep urgency to do something to stop my sons' pain. I immediately remembered the finger nail clippers I had just used that morning and I ran over, grabbed it and tried to calm Baron as his struggling was just cinching the little string tighter, like a tiny python. I dove in, got the string, clipped it and it mercifully released. I scooped my Lil' Bear up and held him as close and a terrified parent can hold their child when they're hurting. He stopped crying after a couple of seconds and was smiling again in a minute or two but my heart was galloping for a bit longer than that. I felt so bad, so, so, sooooooooo bad. What if I'd taken the time to make a fresh batch of formula? What if I hadn't heard him right away? I know he could have suffered damage to his arm if it had taken me a few more minutes to get to him than I did. I checked his arm after five minutes or so and he had a thin, deep red ring all the way around him arm. He'd already moved past it by that time, it wasn't sore to the touch or anything. But I learned another major lesson while dodging a bullet.


I also learned another important lesson about always bringing food for him whenever we leave the house, no matter how short a trip I think we might be on. We went to pick up mommy from work a couple of days ago. Left for Beaverton about two in the afternoon to make the twenty minute drive. Everything was fine until we reached the top of the Sylvan hill on highway 26 and small flakes began to fill the air. Ten minutes later mommy was in the car and white stuff was everywhere. We headed back on 26 and then saw it was backing up so we got off to go on Burnside. We sailed past St. Vincent's, headed up the hill and then BAM! We were stopped at the cemetery, an uneven line of cars blocking both sides of the road ahead. An armoured car in front of us was sliding inevitably towards the ditch every time his tires began to turn and an old man coming towards us in the other lane at a snails pace, his old foot pushing all the way down on the accelerator as his screaming tires slowly, oh so slowly fishtailed within inches of my drivers door were just the tip of the iceberg in what was to be a very long evening. Everybody was sliding all over the damn place. Nobody knows how to drive in snow around here. Everybody has these lead right feet that either slam down on the gas and make them lose traction and go all over the place or slam down on the brake and make them lose traction and go all over the place. Come on, people! You gotta squeeeeeze that brake, squeeeeeze that gas. Maybe it was the season I spent driving a beat up Ford Taurus with bald tires up Mt. Hood everyday to work at Meadows, maybe it was growing up in the sticks, I don't know. But, I do know how to drive in the snow. For the first time in our relationship Christina was singing praised about my driving. It took us FOUR AND A HALF HOURS TO GET BACK HOME TO ANDY'S!!! THAT'S NOT AN EXAGGERATION! FOUR AND A HALF HOURS!!!! I couldn't believe it. But the worst part of the whole cluster f%$# was our starving little boy in the back seat. Again, I felt so, so, soooooo very bad. He was miserable and with every cry I wanted to get him home that much more. Never, ever leave home without baby food. You never know when everything is going to go all 'The Day After Tomorrow' on ya. AGH!!! Maybe I could offer classes for driving in the snow?

. Anyway, I learned two big lessons at the close of the old year so that I could enter the new year armed with knowledge and experience with which to help me raise my son. In one piece. Cross your fingers.......