Simon and his dog.

Simon is getting more mobile and into more stuff than before. I LOVE this time! He is soooo much fun to hang with. I am no longer doing the coaching thing because I just do not want to be away from him. For Simon's first Halloween he is going to be Sparticus or a Roman guard I am not too sure, you can be the judge when you see the outfit. I will have a bunch of photos here and on Facebook on that night. The hardest part will be running around all day Saturday with Simon in his outfit and me in my toga and then getting up on Sunday to run my half marathon. What a busy weekend.

Simon! Come on boy.

Simon is sick for the second week. Now it is pneumonia. He is on antibiotics and he has a lot of energy, but he is still sick. I have used 5 sick days of my 9 and Amber's work is giving her a hard time. What ever happened to family first? In an age where bottom dollar is the most important of all, this is truly a sad time. "Kids need nurturing and role models" is what I have heard over and over, but they left out the key element, "after money". I am VERY LUCKY to have a boss who understands the concept "family first" and TRULY owns the notion. I know I am a teacher, but come on! We are all human and when money is a driving force who looses? Family? I know we all need to work to provide, but at what point does society as a whole step in and lift the burden of greedy men who do not understand the true meaning of "FAMILY"? My son first then all else. Am I a minority? Anyone? Anyone? We have to carry our young to a safer and smarter society. Educate them young to be pasionate about what they believe, no matter what that may be. Not to be swayed by the all mighty dollar.

Rant over,
Doug

Fun times "crawling".

Simon is cruising like a low rider. He is not up on all fours, more like an Army crawl. He is growing so fast that I am worried about missing it even though I am with him daily. I don't know if it is normal, but I have trouble doing anything without him. I can truly say Simon is my life. I have heard this before from moms but not too often from a "guy". We (guys) are suppose to stay strong and not show emotion...right? I feel this is a down fall in our society. If a mom does not spend time with their child they are looked down on. but A guy doing the same thing is sad, but accepted. There is a time everyone has to step up and realize life is not about the "ego" but about what we will leave behind when we are gone our most precious resource. This is where parenting comes in to the equation. Kids are our legacy but we treat them as a "job" and something we work into or around our schedule. We all need to take a break and realize the schedule needs to work around the kids.

That's the end of my rant. To whom ever reads this, thanks.

Doug (Dad and husband first)

Last swim of the summer.

Simon and I went to the PTO "Dive into the school year" swim at the Republic Aquatic center. Simon had fun even though it was cold. He even made a friend.
Earlier in the day Amber, Simon, and I rode our bikes from Forest Institute to Phelps Grove park for a picnic. We ended up doing 15 miles! Simon rocked it! We had a great day and weekend.

The weekend is here!

After a tough week (leaving Simon at daycare not school work) the weekend is here. I had some issues with dropping Simon off at his school (daycare) and leaving him there. As a "guy" I should not make a big deal over this minute issue, but it is tough. Simon loves his school and the other babies. His teachers told me he will sit in the exersaucer and belly laugh at the toddlers as they play. His buddy Max and Simon will talk to each other even though no one can tell what is being said. All in all Simon has adjusted well to his new surroundings. I feel lucky to have such a great work environment and friends.
The best thing about the week is the weekend with the fam!

Daycare update.

Thanks to everyone for the kind thoughts. As a "guy" I know this type of thing should not faze me, but it did and does.Amber is also having major guilt because she wants to be the one who watches Simon. In our time and economy both parents (in most cases) have to work to provide. I got to feed Simon at lunch on Monday and will do the same on Tuesday, Wednesday. I think Thursday will be our last park day before going to school for real. Our staff daycare is awesome but is still hard leaving your "buddy" behind so I can go to work.

Daycare tryouts.

The fam and I went to the daycare today (EC) to drop off Simon's school supplies. He took to the teachers and other kids like he had known them for months. This kid has a great personality. Tears did not roll (yet) and the visit went great. I am going over to EC at lunch to feed him on Monday and Tuesday, this should make it easier on him (more like me). I am also blessed with great friends who work in the building (EC) who will drop in on him during the day. This just goes to show, Simon is a great kid who goes with the flow and loves to flirt with the ladies. Man I wish I had his people skills.