Barry’s Daily Web News

Slow Day

I was going to take Sean and Ethan to the library today, but they were having too much fun playing outside with their grandparents. Sean and Ethan can go to the library another week. So, I just relaxed this evening.

Ethan is Sick, but no Ear Infection

Ethan was fussy for most of the weekend, so Cortney took him to the doctor. We felt for sure that he had another ear ache. It looks like his ears aren’t a problem, but it looks like he has a sinus infection.

Ethan was fussy again when he woke up from his nap. After his medicine and dinner, he was better. I stayed home with Ethan while everyone else went to Sean’s gym class. Ethan enjoyed being read to and climbing all over my lap. He had no problem going to bed, so I hope he is better tomorrow.

A Morning Trip to the Zoo

Our local zoo now opens at 7:00 am, and we took advantage of that today to avoid the hot weather. While we did not arrive at 7:00, we did arrive around a half hour later. Not only was the temperature cooler, but many animals were out and walking around. We saw the bobcat, mountain lion, mexican wolves, and coyotes. In the past, we rarely see these animals, since they hide in the shade during the day.

Sean and Ethan certainly enjoyed the zoo. We had to make frequent stops at the play areas to work off the excess energy. Both Sean and Ethan had a good time at the petting zoo. Ethan had to say “Hi” to each one of the goats.

Even though we left before lunch, it was still a weary outing, and we mostly relaxed for the remainder of the day.

42nd Birthday

Today was a fairly nice, relaxing day. We went out to dinner this evening to celebrate my birthday. It was a good meal, and if Ethan hadn’t been just a little bit cranky, it would have been close to perfect. Afterwards, we had birthday cake, which Cortney made in the shape of a Lego brick. And, I had some nice presents too. As I said, not a bad day.

A Home Cooked Meal

Tonight, we decided to forgo the usual trip to Burger King. Cortney’s father cooked fish on the outdoor grill. It was an excellent meal.

In place of exercise at the ball pit, I took Sean and Ethan into the pool. Sean had his usual fun. Ethan is starting to relax more and enjoy the pool. He wasn’t nearly as frightened when I first brought him into the pool. He even let me dunk him under water a few times. Ethan started to get cold, but he refused to get out of the pool, since he was starting to have fun. Shortly after, we all got of the pool, since we were all getting cold. That was enough to occupy the evening until it was the kid’s bedtime.

Annual Eye Exam

I went for my annual eye exam today. The good news is that I’m not presbyopic yet. I’m also trying a new contact lense, that’s supposed to be more comfortable at night. I’ll report back tomorrow to see if it makes any difference.

Sean Goes to the E.N.T.

Sean went to the ear, nose and throat doctor today. He recommended a new set of ear tubes, and also to have his adenoids removed. In Sean’s case, we don’t want to take any chances. We can’t afford any more delay in his speech development due to ear problems. We will try to get his surgery done while Cortney’s parents are still in town.

A Nice Day, and the In-laws Arrive

It was a nice day today, breazy, with a high of only 95 degrees. It’s a shame I couldn’t spend more time outside. This evening, I worked on fixing the broken items in the pool. I fixed the auto-leveler, put new feet on the vacuum crawler, and replace the skimmer basket. Surprisingly, I didn’t break anything, although I did get a scare when I snapped the pegs holding a spring on the vacuum crawler. It turns out the springs stayed in place without the pegs. I rewarded myself with a swim in the pool. Even though the air was cool, the water was still nice and warm.

Cortney’s parents arrived late last night. They got caught up in the storm system over Houston, arriving several hours later than expected. Sean was definitely happy to see them when he woke up today. I hope Corky and Leslie enjoy their stay.

Story Time at the Library

Story time is back at the local library. I took Sean and Ethan to the library right after dinner. Since I had to get back early, Sean and Ethan only went to the baby story time. Sean remembered all of the rhymes, and had fun. Ethan had fun too, but he was a little distracted, and did not participate in many of the rhymes. Still, I think we all look forward to going back next week.

Ethan Gets Some Pool Time

Since Cortney took Sean to gym class, I decided to take Ethan into the pool. He has been nervous near the pool lately, and tonight was no exception. I held him closely and walked with him through the pool water. I then tried putting him in the float, which again scared him. I found out that I could hold his bottom and legs, and he could then handle holding onto the float. Finally, I let him stand on the steps, playing with some of the pool toys. Ethan started to enjoy this, even splashing in the water. He even complained when I took him out of the pool, but I had to, as he was starting to shiver. I definitely want Ethan to be more comfortable in the pool by the end of the summer, so it was good that he is already making some progress.

Ethan Speaks A New Word

I was sitting on the toilet this morning, when Ethan came runing in, yelling “Daddy, Daddy”. I greeted him with a hug. He then said something, which sounded like his usual babble. I then thought to myself, maybe Ethan is trying to say something. Ethan then went from his typical happy smile look, to a look of deep thought. He had this look for a second or two, then went back to his smile. He then yelled out “potty”, clearly speaking the word. Of course I told Ethan, “Yes, I’m sitting on the potty”. I was amazed not only of Ethan speaking a new word, but on his picking up my non-verbal cues. I must have had a perplexed look on my face for Ethan to realize I didn’t understand what he was saying at first.

Big Yard Work Day

I spent most of the day doing yard work. It’s loose trash pickup tomorrow, and I needed to trim the bougainvilleas, as well as some of the other plants around the house. After five hours of work, I ended up with two big piles of trimmings, and six bags full of leaf trash.

Sean had an extra long pool session this afternoon. Cortney took him in after she put Ethan down for a nap. She stayed with Sean until I finished the yard work, then I went into the pool with Sean. Even though he was in the pool for more than two hours, it still took some convincing to get Sean to go inside.

A Fun Day for Sean

Sean had a fun day today. We started off with a trip to a local farm. The farm had pick your own vegetables, and so Sean picked a carrot, a cucumber, and a watermelon. Sean and Ethan were also able to see some farm animals, as well as a llama and an ostrich. Sean finished up with a pony ride.

After the trip to the farm, I took Sean to gym class. After lunch, Cortney took Sean into the pool while I was taking a nap.

We all went out to dinner. The dinner trip was interesting, because I had left the backpack, containing the kid’s dinner, in the house. We actually made do with splitting a kid’s meal between Sean and Ethan.

Sean finished his evening with another swim in the pool. This time, I took Ethan in as well. Ethan is still a bit afraid of the big pool. I spent the entire time holding him tightly to try to reassure him. Between tensing up and not moving, Ethan became cold very quickly, and I had to send him back in the house. That left more time for Sean and I to spend together in the pool.

At the end of the day, Sean was actually asking to be put to bed, he was so tired.

Another Trip to Burger King

Another hot day, so we were glad to stay at the indoor play area at the Burger King today. Cortney left briefly and came back, but I was with Sean and Ethan for over two hours. Sean had lots of other kids to play with, so he had a blast. Ethan played briefly with a girl his size, but mostly stayed to himself. Ethan now goes down the tube slide on his own. He has known how to go down the slide for a while, but I guess he was just a little afraid of it. Well, no longer. He comes down the slide with a big smile on his face, and his hair sticking up from the static electricity. Both Sean and Ethan were worn out when we left.

A Hot Day

It was hot today, the hottest day of the year at 110 degrees. Unfortunately, with Sean’s gym class, we did not have time to use the pool. No big deal. Sean really enjoys the gym class, and we will have plently of time to use the pool this weekened.