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.......

Word from the Front Lines;

Lil' Bear has had a busy, busy week. He's had an appointment with one specialist or another everyday this week but Tuesday. His pediatrician at St. Vincent's, his nutritionists at Dornbechers, his gastroenterologist at OHSU, his surgeon at Emanuel and tonight is his physical therapist appointment back at Dornbechers. He doesn't mind it at all though. It's just more attention for him. And everywhere he goes, doctors, nurses, patients, visitors, receptionists, custodians and every one else has a comment and a smile to share. I really don't mind all the appointments either, it gets us both out of the house. This ugly weather is killing us with boredom. Good thing he got tons of shwag on his b-day. And, I had joked a bit before about how he likes the ladies and all that, but it's really true. If someone were to say it too me I would just dismiss the comment as blind parental love or something, but he really does, he loves hot blondes. He smiles for everybody and usually gets excited when he knows he's around somebody who has a fun, child-like nature, but when he sees a hot blonde he gets LOUD. It's hillarious and a little embarrassing, especially when I'm trying to talk business with the receptionist who can tell that he's freaking out about the hot blonde. I just flash a sheepish grin and propose that he gets that behavior from his mom.

So, after so many medical visits we have new updates on Baron's stats; He's about eighteen and one quarter pounds, he's healthy as a horse, his development is right on track with the exception of language he's all up on his shots (and he only cries for a couple of seconds now when he gets poked with a needle), his surgery should be soon and after last weeks ultrasound they can't find his left testicle. I've looked everywhere, I have no idea where he could have possibly put it.


Nana usually wakes up a few minutes before we do and she's been turning on the Christmas lights downstairs for us. When Baron and I leave our bedroom we can see the soft glow coming from the stairs and when we go down the stairs he strains to burst from my arms more and more with every step until we hit the landing and his eyes get huge and he slowly looks around the incredibly festive room that is so much different now from the one he has gotten to know so well. Sometimes Nana or Mommy will try to get his attention with calls and coos and high pitched exclamations, but always in vain. He has to soak it in. Soak it in.

I think I'm getting a cold. Lame-O, baby. What am I supposed to do? I knew this day would eventually come and now it's here and I can't call in sick. I have to smear a clorox wipe over anything I touch, I can't breathe around Baron for fear of getting him sick and all I really want to do is lay down and take a nap but there is no chance of that happening. It was so hard to feed him at midnight, I almost could have laid there and slept through his cries. Almost.

Damn, he's a good lookin little brat, ain't he?

Spoiled like last months milk.

. Lil' Bear's birthday was a smashing success and Nana and Papa's living room is now flooded with a menagerie of loud, blinking, rolling, singing, ringing, plastic things and at least four new Elmos' to add to his growing army of red, squeaky voiced giggle monsters. I am so tickled that so many people showed up to celebrate his first year. From the wonderful banquet room and the great pizza (a shout out to one of the best taco pizzas in the Portland area!!!), to the love and generosity of so many friends and family, it was a fantastic birthday. And one that will be well documented too; I took a half hour of video, a couple dozen pictures, a bunch of signatures and well-wishings in his baby book that we had put out on one of the tables, and this blog. I think all the bases are covered!

. And he loooooves his toys. He really loves the guitar Nana got for him, but he gets so excited about it when he sees it that he gets a wee bit violent and I'm afraid he's just gonna smash the hell out of it if left unsupervised with it for even a fraction of a second!! He loves all of his Elmos, ALL of his Elmos, and I can now hear that evil falsetto giggle like a hatchet attack every night in my dreams.
. Mommy and Daddy scored a touch down with the inflatable ball crawl playland we got for him. I don't know where we are going to put it though.....
. And a huge, HUGE thank you too the person who wrote down what gifts he received from whom in his baby book. I can never, ever, ever remember that stuff and it always makes me feel like such a jerk! But now we know who to thank and who take take hits out on with a written document of his plunder. Those who gave loud Elmos (I'm lookin at you, Sis), will be remembered when we can afford retribution.

. Again, thanx so very, very much to everybody for their love and support. It makes me so happy and proud that our boy has so many incredible people in his life. I can't wait to see what the future holds and how he's going to grow and what kind of character he'll be and all that jazz.... ugh, I love that spoiled little monster!!!!

These are the good times.

December 11th 2008

Today marks one year. It is barons one year birthday today and boy does it bring back so many memories and thoughts. This time last year we were in the hospital wondering if our little boy was going to make it and watching him fight for his life. Being on life support, being told that they don't for see him surviving and that we should take him off life support. Watching him go Thur his second, third and fourth surgeries. Waiting for everything to end.

Then finally one day we got to take him home and never let him out of our site. To watch him grow and figure things out is totally amazing. Just the other day, I watched him pull him self up the foot of the recliner into my lap. To be able to wake up and see his smiling face and happy laughs make me be more at ease.

My son is my hero. He is strong, he is a fighter. He has been Thur more things in his one year of life, that most people have been Thur there entire life. He can do anything he set his mind to. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BARON LOGAN MENTZER! Keep on fighting. We love you very much

DECEMBER 11th 2009

Baron's first giant Christmas bazaar

Nana Debbie was awesome enough to take the Mentzer Unit to the Nations Largest Christmas Bazaar at the expo center yesterday. I believe it's been a bit of a tradition with Christina and her mom and aunt Sue that they go to this every year and it was after my first time at the bazaar with Christina that I kissed her for the first time (story for another time), so it's our tradition now too, and we wanted His Baronishness to dive into the sensory overload experience with us!
The four of us met up with Aunt Sue, Angel, Tyler and mighty Josie Jo Jo-Jo and we stormed the front with the enthusiasm of blood thirsty Walmart shoppers on Black Friday! Ohh, too soon? Anyway, as soon as we passed the threshold and I saw the blinding light of mindless , decadent, holiday consumerism reflect off of his innocent, angelic face I new there was no going back. Do I really need to say that he enjoyed the hell out of it? Well, he did. In spades. And his enjoyment radiated out to us and a majority of the general public around us. He was nicely contained for a while in mommies fantastic front baby carrier as we slowly made our way through the maddeningly disorientating labyrinth of vendor cubicles. Trying to navigate through the crowds was like stop and go morning traffic, but when we found a break it was more like a downhill ski race through heavy forest with the motivation of an avalanche bearing down from behind. I would like take this moment to say thank you to my wife and to tell her she was right in not bringing the stroller. There, happy?
We did get to see some really beautiful artwork and craft dispersed throughout the rows. I was particularly drawn to the amazing wood work I saw at a few different vendors. Baron loved it all. From the various glasswork artists that looked familiar to me to the Super Soaking Chamois that we later dubbed the 'Scam-wow', he didn't see anything that he didn't want to put in his mouth. And he got pretty close a couple of times, too. But the best part of the whole experience was the public interacting with him and he with the public. He is a magnet for good people with stories to tell and love to share. It's absolutely amazing. I really love it when a gruff biker type sees him and does the baby talk thing. It's happened more than twice, I kid you not. And he smiles and smiles and smiles at all of them. The little girls who're just learning to walk and talk at the same time exclaim "Mama! Baby, Mama! Baby!", and the octogenarians who have seen it all more than a few times and yet still seem surprised when they share a look with him. That's really amazing to me, to see the spark that appears in old eyes when the fall on a fresh life. There's a deep remembrance and a hope in that glow, and I find it very reaffirming and humbling. And I used to be scared of old people!!! And then the recognition in the faces of other Mothers and especially fathers when they see me with my boy in my arms, like we're all part of the same club now, some sub order of the Freemasons or something.
I had no interest in time while we were there, I was having that much fun. And before I knew it FOUR hours had passed!! He did spend a bit of the third hour asleep on mommies chest while in the front carrier, and that is the most heart meltingly beautiful thing ever!!! GAH!! But, he stayed in a good mood the whole time. Which shouldn't be surprising to me because his most favorite thing in the world is to be picked up and carried around and shown new things. I dare say it was his Disney Land. For now.
The bait worked, we fell victim to the trap and bought some stuff. We did get some stuff for Baron!! Nana got him a little guitar! He's going to love it!! Whenever he get's a glimpse of one of my many guitars he makes a bee line to it and attacks it with manic fervor, which was okay until he puked in the sound hole of my $500 Ibanez acoustic/electric. Now I'd like for him to have his own to puke into, maybe I can heave something in there for him sometime as a payback. Just sayin'.
We also got a jar of pickled, smoked garlic cloves (today I stink!), a small container of peppermint schnapps fudge and a few little freebies, some the result of it being the last day of the bazaar, others because Baron looks like a kid who could use some more stuff, apparently.
I did get to hold some amazing Tibetan singing bowls that were just gorgeous. The vendor showed me one tha was huge, over $700 bucks and it's tone was breathtaking. It was a deep, soul rubbing pitch and I could feel the intense vibrations from over a half a foot away. I was in love. Some would ask 'what would you do with a $700 dollar Tibetan singing bowl?'. I ask 'what wouldn't you do with a $700 dollar Tibetan singing bowl?'.
Most vendors were in high spirits, if not completely spent from the six day event, but we did pass one little old lady whose disappointed visage was framed by a full stock of chocolate roses. Ya really gotta have a feel for the market based on variables such as, oh, I don't know, a tanked economy. Poor thing.
All in all, we had a great time and look forward to attending from here on. Maybe someday I'll have a job and have the means to purchase something. Who knows. Always in motion is the future.
And that first kiss? Well, after courting her for three months, I went to this thing with her and her family and when I dropped her off at home, I walked her to the front steps, said thank you, and walked away. Then I turned around, walked up to her with determination, purpose and conviction and planted a kiss on her that made the goddess Aphrodite weep with jealousy. That's how I remember it, anyway.