Daddy Daughter Days

On Wednesday morning Grace had a follow up appointment regarding her hurt leg.  For anyone who doesn't remember, she hurt herself when we were going down the slide.  We weren't sure if there were any broken bones because the X-ray didn't really show anything conclusive.  After a little time of her refusing to stand on it, we didn't it was time to put here in a cast.

The doctor told us we were looking at two weeks in the cast and then they would reevaluate.  If they saw any bones in the process of healing, they would put her back in the cast to continue healing for another couple of weeks.  If it still showed nothing broken, she was out of the cast.

We were obviosuly rooting for the no cast option.  We're going on vacation next week and really wanted it to be a vacation without a kid in a cast.  Bath time would become that much easier.  We wouldn't have to rub it in Grace's face that she couldn't go in the pool.  And we could just relax (as much as you can with two 2-year-olds).  It turns out we got our wish.  Apparently Grace has Wolverine-like healing ability because she did in fact break a bone in her leg, but it had completely healed since then.

So yesterday we had a first Daddy Daughter Day without an injured kid in what seemed like forever.

See no cast here.  Just four legs and tennis shoes.  On our way to the park.

I just love Ana's face in this picture.  She always seems like she's up to no good even when she is stuck in a swing.

We went on a march around the park.  Ana decided that we should speed up.  She said "Bye-bye" and ran off.

And Grace faced her fears and went right back down a slide in spite of her last slide leading to injury.  Actually she feared nothing and went right after it like it's her job.

Ana is a little more careful on the slide...

...until I told her to go the other way.  Although it may have had more to do with her sister sliding down on her butt.

And then she got even more adventurous and went right to the big slide.

We logged some building block time.  I asked Grace what she was making here, and she replied with "House."  Obviously she is going for a Frank Lloyd Wright-type design.

We were pooped after a long day of parks, blocks, helping to clean mom's closet and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Great day.

I hope everyone out there has a wonderful and safe weekend.  There won't be a Daddy Daughter Day post next week because I'll be on a little vacation, but I'll have four days worth of Daddy Daughter Vacation pictures when I get back.

Twitter Machine Tuesday

We wanted to let Grace heal on her own after her slide injury.  This was especially true after we saw two separate x-rays with no signs of a break.

She seemed to be progressing.  She started crawling.  Then tried her hand at standing.  She even got to the point of trying to take a few steps.  She still had a limp and wasn't moving or acting the same, so we had another appointment scheduled for this morning.

And we decided on this...


Grace rocking a cast and Ana consoling her

 Erin and I have never had a cast in our combined 60 years of life, and Grace is in a cast before she even turned two.  Bad luck kiddo.  Better safe than sorry.

Onto the Twitter Machine's triumphant return.

-Having a kid in a cast is going to be a pain. No baths and we'll have to wrap in plastic before showers.
-I really want to sign it with inappropriate stuff to get sideways looks from other parents.
-That or a heart with Justin Beiber written in it
-We hung out with Kim and Janelle this weekend. It. Was. Awesome.
-If you think they're cool in blog form, you don't even know how rad they are in person #seriously #timesathousand
-We even have inside jokes now. I'd have no problem scheduling a monthly get together. #baconwrapped
-Janelle's kid Ava is going to make a mint babysitting. Seriously this kid is beyond her years and fantastic with little ones.
-Giants trade for Hunter Pence #yesplease #sfgiants
-It's just great for Giants and Dodgers fans when both teams are good because they'll do whatever they can to beat the other.
-I liken it to an arms race between nations except without the fear of nuclear winter
-The Olympics are on every night in our house. Or as I like to call it "Time to catch up on my reading"
-I've started the Harry Potter series for the first time. Amazon Prime Lending Library #FTW
-Seriously as if free shipping to Amazon Prime members wasn't cool enough, you get a free book from their lending library once a month
-Great gift for a new parent would actually be an Amazon Prime membership. Bought so much baby crap in that first year without paying shipping.
-This is by no means an advert for Amazon. I just like the service. #gratisadvice
-I'm not an Olympic fan. I just don't understand why we hand out medals for basic survival skills like running and swimming.
-The Girls both say "Limpics" though. I blame their mother.
-How would you like to be a high schooler competing against Missy Franklin? Chick wins gold medals. Seems unfair.
-I wanted to post parts of this Twitter Machine on tape delay, but NBC wouldn't release their superior technology to let this happen
-I'd comment on the Opening Ceremony, but I refused to watch.
-Is there any event more self-congratulatory than the Olympic Opening Ceremony? Maybe the Oscars.
-I don't agree with Chick-Fil-A's politics. They just make a damn delicious chicken sandwich.
-How come you always want Chick-Fil-A on a Sunday when they're closed? #hangoverfood #murphyslaw
-We cancelled our Netflix streaming some time back, but I think we're going to need to reinstate to finally watch Breaking Bad
-Had someone tell me that I provided them with the best car-buying experience in 30 years. #winning
-I love me some Tolkien, but did we really need to make The Hobbit into three movies? #overkill #moneygrab
-Snoop Dogg is now Snoop Lion after travelling to Jamaica. This is actually a thing.
-What took Snoop so long to travel to the pot capital of the universe? I'm thinking they may not have had enough pot until now.
-No I will not confirm you as my family or allow you to post my info on your MyCalendar app #facebooksucks
-I really don't care who you're voting for nor does anyone else on Facebook. I'm here to see clever status updates and comedy videos #justsayin

That's all for this week.  See you next Tuesday!

Daddy Daughter Days

I won't complain about work because I could obviously have it so much worse than I do right now.  I have plenty of time to spend with my family.  I have an okay schedule that allows for down time in the middle of the week to spend a day with my daughters.  I'm not nearly as stressed as I was in my previous job.  All in all it's great.

There are times however where it can lead to a little extra stress.

This Daddy Daughter Day was interrupted about halfway through, so I could go into work because a customer needed me to come in.  I'm all for being available to help.  Instead of spending the morning playing and enjoying time with the girls, I had to get the house cleaned up, so I wouldn't be embarrassed if someone had to come over.  Instead of going to the park, I had to get ready to go into work.  And instead of relaxing during their nap time, I was in doing work.

Again I can't complain because I actually have a job that I enjoy.  I just hate when my day with my daughters doesn't go according to schedule.

With all that being said there are still some pictures of our day.

The day started the night before when we went on a walk with the girls and Molly the dog.  Grace went potty right when we were about to leave, so Ana and I had some fun outside with the dog while we were waiting.  Ana kept saying "Bye" and walking away with Molly.

Every morning the girls come to me and say "Elmo."  They have conditioned me to do a call from Elmo on my phone first thing in the morning.  By the way, the Elmo Calls app is pretty cool if you have a kid that is obsessed with Elmo.

Morning Giants Game + Morning Snuggle = Morning Giant Snuggle

Normally you can't pry this necklace away from Grace.  You can kind of see her in the background.  Most likely about to grab it away from Ana.

What's the deal with women having to go to the bathroom with all their friends?

There is a frog on the water table.  We name him Frederick.  At one point Frederick jumped onto Grace's hand, and she didn't react at all.  Then he jumped onto Ana's shoulder who totally freaked for a half-second.  Then he hopped away.

Ana has learned the importance of accessorizing.  Dada's belt probably doesn't work with that outfit, kiddo.

We went to a park with a lot of great slides.  Ana was having fun.  Grace was too until she hurt her leg going down a slide with me and Ana.  She twisted her leg on the way down and hasn't wanted to stand on it since.  We iced it and gave her infant Ibuprofen.  This morning she still didnt want to stand on it and kept saying "Hurt" in her little voice.  We took her to the doctor, and he didn't see a major break or fracture.  Thank God for that.  But I feel terrible about it.  I didn't want her to get hurt.  I just want my angel to get better.

And a video.  Yeah maybe I should be teaching my girls to say things that will be more useful in real life.  But we're Giants fans damnit.

Every one have a wonderful and safe weekend.  We'll see you next week after our mini-vacation.

Ana vs The Fireplace

We've been very lucky when it comes to our kids.

They didn't get sick (i.e. colds or flus) until after their first birthday.

And we haven't really dealt with injuries to either of them in the 18 months since they were born.

This changed the other night when Ana decided to get in a fight with the fireplace.

Our girls are surprisingly careful.  They crawl up the stairs one step at a time making sure both knees are on each step.  They go down the stairs or any step/ledge backwards.  They actually get on their hands and knees and crawl down each step.  Now that they're walking, they make sure they are holding onto something secure to balance themselves as they climb things.

Basically they're a parent's dream when it comes to safety.  Which obviously can't last forever, so I'm savoring it while I can.

So when my wife texted me this picture I was quite surprised:

Yes that is blood on her cheek.  Yes she is eating a popsicle to calm her down.

I asked what happened.  Apparently she ran into the house when they got home from a walk.  She ran right into our living room because that is where all the toys are, and she tripped into the fireplace.

They may be careful, but they're still toddlers and have the coordination to match.

Before you ask why we don't have the padded corner guards on our fireplace, we actually do.  We put them on there the moment they started standing.  The problem is they also like to pull those guards off and carry them around, so they no longer stick very well.  Ana just pulls them off at will.  She also climbs onto the fireplace, sits down and kicks the guards off.  So she did it to herself if you really think about it.

There was much crying.  I'm glad I wasn't there because I don't do too well with my girls being in pain.  But I'm also sad that I wasn't there to comfort her.

Besides the scrape on her face, you wouldn't have been able to tell that anything happened.  When I got home she was still standing in her crib having a grand old time and talking to her sister from across the room.

This happened two days before their 18-month doctor appointment, so Erin was freaking out about what the doctor and nurses will think about us as parents.  The doctor didn't judge (at least to our faces) and said that her scrapes and bruises were normal for her age.

The good that comes out of it: new nicknames.  Scarface or Tony Mont-Ana are both totally acceptable as far as I'm concerned.