"That Boy Sure Is a Running Fool" - Forest Gump

A small "boardwalk" at the
entrance of the beach area.

When Bubs 1 arrived home on the school bus last Thursday, we all headed for a nearby beach. Once we parked, we had to hike for about 50 minutes through the woods in order to get to the beach's entrance. Along the beaten path, we passed a lot of people walking their dogs. This excited Bubs 1. He greeted every dog with, "Ruff, ruff. Hi doggie."

Bubs 2 slept the entire time. He was tucked inside a sorta reverse-backpack-type-of-thing called an Ergo baby carrier. (not as fancy as the ones in the prior link). He did block the cool ocean breeze for me. Although we could not see the ocean (sound), we could smell the ocean air and feel it's wind as we walked alongside the river in the woods. The multiple land characteristics were pretty cool for traveling such a short distance (about 4 miles total).

Bubs 1 chose to run most of the trail. He walked and ran about three quarters of the hike. His mom and I were surprised by his energy and willingness to continue running once we got to the beach. Although we had the stroller (jogger), Bubs 1 only hitched a ride sparingly.

The beach was wide open space. The bubs just kept running. I was reminded of this movie clip

I'd like to make an early prediction. Bubs 1 is a runner. His dad ran a handful of long distance races including a marathon and multiple half-marathons on the west coast. His grandfather also was a runner. He ran over 70 marathons in his lifetime, including a few 100-mile runs. His uncle is also an experienced runner. Uncle Eric has been running his entire life. He held the national record for the fastest time in a marathon for the 11-13 year-old age category. He's competed in  marathons, triathlons, and even ran an Iron Man (or two?). Not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Talking about all this running has just inspired me to get out and run more regularly. I'll bring the bubs too. We'll bring the jogger for him to sit in and maybe he'll decide to jump out and join me around the track. I know a professor, up on campus, who told me that "nothing is natural." He believes we're taught everything we know - everything. This is sitting in my head right now and has been since I heard him say it. Perhaps a bit too philosophical for this blog post, but nonetheless thought provoking.

Could running also be in Bubs 1's bloodline? I hope so.

Sibling Relationship Building

Bubs 1 and 2 continue to get acquainted with each other. The other day, Bubs 1 sat down next to his younger brother and initiated conversation. Bubs 2 actually participated with a few coos. The topic of conversation didn't get too deep. They weren't discussing the candidates for the GOP in this general election year. Instead, Bubs 1 showed Bubs 2 his tongue and encouraged Bubs 2 to show his.

These guys are three years apart. The difference in years between my brother and me is 7 years - almost 1/3 of a generational gap. I remember some activities like throwing the Nerf football in the front yard. But the most eventful were the boxing matches (with snow mittens as gloves) in the living room. In hindsight, I wonder if my brother suggested this activity because his suggestion always came after he was directed (by our parents) to babysit me. These boxing matches happened a few times when our parents left for the evening. My memory is patchy, but I have fond memories of pulling the winter gloves from the bedroom closet and sliding the coffee table to the side of the room to form the "ring." I also have a memory of jumping around, with those damn footed pajamas, as I tried to stick-n-move while my brother deflected every punch I threw - even my haymaker. I'm sure I telegraphed it since I was like 4 or 5 years old. I also remember laying on the living room floor crying while my brother attempted to bribe me, "What do you want? I'll make you chocolate pudding just stop crying before mom and dad get home." That gold, matted rug was always full of lint and hair. However, I have no memory of eating any chocolate pudding after these boxing matches. Perhaps the pudding was never prepared? I'll never know. Good times.

If my brother and I were closer in age, then we may have ended up throwing beer parties when our parents left for the evening, instead of boxing. I hope that doesn't happen with Bubs 1 and 2, because underage beer parties aren't treated the way they used to be. Parents are thrown in jail these days.

Maybe their mom and I will buy them some boxing gloves and head gear (and mouthpieces)?

The Egg's Yolk

Bubs1 chowing down his egg

During breakfast yesterday morning, the Bubs asked me for an egg. He loves hard boiled eggs, but just not the yolk. Although the yolk holds many vitamins, it also contains all the egg's fat and cholesterol. Bubs 1 probably doesn't have to worry about his cholesterol levels just yet, but we don't want to turn into a solid when he reaches his 30's.

Bubs1 with a mouthful of egg
without yolk (right hand)

The only problem is that he likes to hide his uneaten yolks. Recently, his mom and I found his yolks on the floor, under the table. Yesterday, he tried to hide his yolk under his napkin. I'm not sure why he feels compelled to hide the yolk. We've never forced him to eat any food. Perhaps he feels guilty?

I remember a night when I was forced to sit at the table and eat my lima beans when I was young. I can't remember if I fed the lima beans to our family dog (under the table). Our dog, Pierre, was always ready and more than willing to accept my hand-me-downs. I memory is not too tarnished, I think that Pierre would have also passed on the lima beans. He had his food challenges too. I just could not deal with the lima bean texture. A lima bean is rough on the outside with a dry-pasty inside (I can feel the hair on my neck raise). I remember dry-heaving one time after being forced to eat one. Like most kids, veggies were not that popular with me.

Bubs 1 laughing after his hidden
yolk was discovered

However, I ate all the veggies that came with Swanson "TV" dinners. Everything tasted good on those aluminum trays. Maybe it was just the sectioned areas of the tin plate that made those veggies edible to me? While in middle school, I used to heat up those frozen dinners in our oven every night after school, when my mom worked her second job at the restaurant. This was pre-microwave times. They took an hour to cook. This oven/stove was old too. If I wanted to use the broiler, then I had to light a match, get down our knees, lean down and reach under the oven and blindly wave the lit match near the open gas feed. When I used the stove top, I also had to use a match and turn the gas dial. Sometimes I'd jump back from just the loud "fwooo!" sound made when the gas caught fire. I always knew when it was going to make that sound if the match was held too long before igniting.

The Bubs won't have to worry about fire-hazard stoves and broilers like the one I had to deal with. He also doesn't have a family dog (yet) that he can feed his egg yolks too. This got me wondering if it is harmful to feed dogs egg yolks. I was sure that I was the only one to think of something so obscure. I even felt kinda dumb, but after conducting a Google search - I started feeling better. It's nice to not be the only dumb person out there: Should I feed my dog egg yolks?

Raising Future Giants Fans

I'm not sure if the Bubs 1 even knows what football is, but I do catch him watching a game on any given Sunday. If he is a fan, then I hope he becomes a Giants fan.

I'm doing my part in socializing him to be a Big Blue fan-atic... Bubs 2 too.

Bubs 1 owns a long-sleeve thermal shirt with the NYG logo, he owned a NYG little skully (which was lost in his preschool... made dad angry), he owns a Big Blue ball cap and his pediatrician even has a Giants poster in his office (pictured right).

It was easy to be a football fan where I grew up. I grew up in a NY Giants culture. Most of my friends and I all played football - and we all loved the Giants. We played pick-up Nerf football games after school and even donned the shoulder pads for a local "pop-warner" league.

There were so many Giants fans around me as a kid, I thought everybody like the Gmen. That is, until I found out that my Uncle Mike was a Jets fan. He was the first Jets fan I ever met. Since then, I've found out that I have other family members who are Jets fans too: Uncle Bill, Aunt Katie and cousins Stacey, Bill, Johnny, (Amy?), Jimmy, Kevin... there are just too many to list. Actually, I just don't want to waste anymore space on my blog talking about the - (gag) - Jets.

I'll just be sure to keep an eye on both the Bubs during family "get-togethers" and make sure he doesn't spend too much time with the Jets crowd... just in case it's contagious.

The Sleeping Sibling

Bubs 2

Bubs 1

These two bubs have many similarities, but I'm confused over which one was easier to get to sleep. The bubs' mom thinks my memory is selective, because I remember bubs 1 being very easy to put down between feedings. She thinks the opposite. Aren't all our memories selective? I distinctly remember how I got bubs 1 to sleep. We had a system and it operated with the consistency of a fine-tuned Swiss watch. Looking back, I can remember that as soon as bubs1 was done with his feeding, I wrapped (swaddled) him tight (hog tie-like) in a Miracle Blanket, popped in a binky and turn on the static (white noise). Presto - sleeping bubs1. That bubs was asleep before I placed him down. I sweat on it!

However, bubs 2 operates on another system - one that I have not yet fully discovered.

I feel like my senses are sharp as I collect data on bubs2's transition to sleep. I notice everything he does, and does not do, when watching this monkey drift towards unconsciousness. My senses are so sharp that it is to the point that if I am holding bubs2 to the north (versus northwest) and he falls asleep - I'll figure it out. No needle too small for this haystack-of-a-detective. I continually think about this as I hover above bubs 2's crib. I hover with a binky in one hand and the volume dial, of the static-playing radio, in the other. Trying to find the right blend of tools to send this kid to la-la land is my goal.

Currently, all indicators are targeting the binky.

Bubs 2

Bubs 2 hasn't taken to the binky as well as bubs 1 and this adds to my work in getting him to sleep. I need to convince bubs 2 on the joys of the binky. Once I have this accomplished, there will be peace. Until then, I'm going to continue to hover. I will continue my vigilance.

Bubs2 will take the binky - and power will be all mine again. muhaha...

Toddler Bribery

   

Helping to socially develop Bubs 1 has been challenging at times. Other times, it's clicked like clock work. For example, his mom and I are helping him learn how to sit at the dinner table - and stay in his seat. We know that a typical three-year-old doesn't have the ability to stay stationary for too long on his own, so we bribe him. Bribery is such a negative term, so let's say "reward" instead. Bribery, I mean a reward system, starts early and never ends. Quid pro quo.

During dinner, we've instituted the "five-minute-(inject reward here)" game. Over the past couple of evenings, we have been bribing (uh uhm, rewarding) Bubs 1 with these little, bite-sized fruit snacks. The Bubs normally requests the "purpool one pwease." By using a timer that offers the time remaining in red, the bubs can simply visualize (and begin to internalize) how long five minutes lasts (a very long time for a 3-year-old). In order to claim his fruit snack, Bubs 1 has to stay in his seat for the full five-minutes - and he does. He is an involved player, because he likes the reward. Sometimes he forgets (since he's only three) and climbs down from his chair until we remind him that he'll lose his reward. This reminder gets him quickly scrambling to get back into his seat.

Today, it's "purpool" fruit snacks. Tomorrow, it's going to be the keys to the car.

Older Sibling Regression

 We were warned of the incoming regressive behavior that Bubs 1 was going to display after Bubs 2 arrived, but we didn't realize the extent of how far Bubs 1 is willing to take it. We are receiving word that Bubs 1 is being "aggressive" with his classmates at his preschool. He has also been showing some of this aggression at home. Aggression that I look forward to him ditching soon - very soon.

But that's not all.

Bubs 1 also is displaying a sweet side of his regressive behavior... like commandeering his little brother's crib. To be fair, this crib did use to be the Bubs 1's sleeping area. However, it is no longer his primary bedstead.

In an attempt to show Bubs 1 that we are "listening" to him, we decided to let him take his nap in the crib today. He said, "I want to lay in (Bubs 2)'s crib." So he did. Not only that, but he found Bubs 2's binky (a newborn binky) and stuck it in his mouth. To me, his sticking that binky in his mouth was the ultimate show in marking one's territory. This behavior is just one step higher than urinating in the corner of the crib.

I happened to be watching when he woke. He picked his head up and wearily surveyed his surroundings, smirked, and layed his head back down in triumph!