Day 1,364 - Ethan and Cat: Board Game Buddies

Calvin and Hobbes.

R2-D2 and C-3PO.

Snoopy and Woodstock.

No one is going to dispute that these are some of the most iconic duos of all time. However, I think any list of iconic duos would be incomplete without including Ethan and Cat.

You're right, Han. I'm sorry I didn't include you and Chewie.

Ethan and Cat have been nigh inseparable since Ellie gifted it to him back in the day when Ethan first learned to say "Cat".  They have been constant companions and do practically everything together. At least that was the case until a few weeks ago when Cat mysteriously vanished. Try though we might, we couldn't find Cat. Therefore, there was a stretch of nights when Ethan was forced to go to sleep without his best friend laying beside him. Despite the presence of Spidey, Uncle Ryan Bear, and Leon the lion, there was still a void in his heart that could only be filled by Cat. Therefore, you can imagine his joy when the day came that we finally found Cat stuffed underneath our bed. No idea how or why he got there but it doesn't really matter. Ethan finally had his best friend back.

One of our earliest pictures of Ethan and Cat. He's so white and fluffy!

Like all best friends, Ethan and Cat love to do everything together. They eat snacks, go on car rides, play board games. What, you want me to rewind for a minute? That's right, Ethan and his stuffed cat play board games together. I realize now that probably does sound a little confusing. After all, in what world could a stuffed animal play board games with a human child? Apparently this one.

It started simply enough. Ethan absolutely loves playing board games. However, there are definitely those times when no one can play one with him at that exact moment. For the most part he takes that in stride. One day last week, after I finished the project I was working on, I went looking for Ethan so that I could play Yahtzee Jr. with him just like I promised. When I wandered closer to his room, I heard the unmistakable sound of dice rattling. With that, I quietly peered around the door frame to see what was happening.

The first thing I saw was the Yahtzee Jr. board game spread out on the floor with two sets of player tokens set out. My initial thought was that Ethan had gone ahead and set up the game board and was waiting patiently for me. Then I noticed that the board looked to be in mid-game. The next thing really gave away what was happening though. Ethan put the five dice in the cup and then carefully situated the cup between Cat's paws. Then he "helped" Cat shake the dice and play through Cat's turn. The two actually played through the entire game of Yahtzee Jr. before I joined them for another round. Yes, you read that right; I played a three-person game of Yahtzee Jr. with Ethan and Cat.

Since that day, it's become quite common for Cat to join us when playing board games. Bethany has even gotten the opportunity to play both Candy Land and Yahtzee with Cat. The one bad thing about playing with Cat is that sometimes Ethan and Cat get confused about who's turn it is. Also, and this is just dumb luck, I haven't actually won a board game since Cat joined in the fun. Although, for the record, Ethan hasn't either.

I guess what I'm saying is that Cat is really, really good at board games. Who knew? #DaddyWrite

Day 1,357 - Ethan's First (Real) Visit to the Dentist

I'm the type of person who likes to find one specific doctor, dentist, ophthalmologist or podiatrist and then stick with them until their inevitable retirement date. To me, I don't think that's asking too much. I've come to learn that insurance companies often times feel differently necessitating that change occurs. For adults who have become set in their ways, this can definitely be a little hard. For children, like Ethan, it's barely even a blip on the radar.

BLIP, not Blippi

I'm guessing that open makes it pretty obvious but yesterday marked our first visit to a new dentist which was necessitated by our previous dentist dropping our insurance. It's ok though. Change isn't always a bad thing. Plus, it allowed us to do a college style hat dance where we sat behind a table with caps featuring the logos of each dental office on it while we made our choice. There were brief fake outs and everything leading up to the moment when we finally plopped a hat with the words "Garrison Family Dental" on top of our heads. Ok, so that last part never actually happened but it would have been pretty fun.

After dropping Ellie off at school yesterday, Ethan and I drove up to Smithville for our biannual dentist exam. Actually, this wasn't just a biannual exam for Ethan; it was his very first REAL appointment at the dentist. Sure, he's sat in the chair before and allowed the dental hygienist to count his teeth, but he's never actually had a full cleaning and exam before yesterday.

As Ethan's never had a REAL appointment before, we decided that it would be best for him to watch me sit through my exam first and then he would go second. To help the time go more quickly for the little man, my new hygienist turned on Nickelodeon where Ethan was elated to see the Paw Patrol saving Adventure Bay. As my cleaning went along though, Ethan found himself less drawn to the TV and more drawn to what was happening to his dad in the big chair. He proceeded to wander over right next to my arm and affectionately patted it while my teeth were being cleaned. Finally, after a quick consult with the dentist, it was time for Ethan to hop up in the big chair for his exam.

The first thing that the hygienist did was show Ethan each of the tools she would be working with and let him touch and feel anything he was curious about. From there, the chair was reclined, and Ethan's dentist visit commenced. There were a couple of times that I saw his eyes darting around a bit nervously during the cleaning but ultimately everything went swimmingly. I'm sure if you were to ask Ethan his opinions on the dentist, he would regale you with epic tales of how his teeth were brushed with strawberry toothpaste and how the lady painted something (fluoride) that tasted like bubble gum on his mouth. He might even tell you of how he got two prizes for being such a great patient.

However, there is one thing I'm absolutely certain he would share; that being the story of how he got to choose his very own Spider-Man toothbrush from the big drawer of toothbrushes hidden in the cabinet next to the big chair. I've honestly never seen him so excited to brush his teeth in his entire life. Let's hope that keeps up. After all, he doesn't want cavities that he has to get fixed like me. I won't even have Ethan with me to give me emotional support.

 #DaddyWrite