Day 1,115 - Screaming child...dentist office...What?

Four days in to Ellie's kindergarten career and things are going pretty well (unless you count the fact that Ethan just accidentally spilled his bowl of animal crackers on the couch). Ellie seems to be thriving. She even got awarded three good citizenship points by her teacher yesterday! If she makes it to 100, she can wear her pajamas to school. By the time 4:00 pm rolls around each day, Ethan and I are super excited to get to hear everything about her day. Of course, there's the mild inconvenience of having to wait in the car line for about 30 minutes before Ellie can finally climb inside the Traverse. That can't really be helped though.

In between Ellie going to school and Ethan and me picking her up, there's plenty of excitement to be had. While the past several days have included park trips and the ever-exciting trip to a thrift store, today reached a new level of excitement. That's right, today we went to the dentist's office! I'm willing to concede that a dentist visit isn't exactly the thing to help someone break out of the doldrums. However, this was definitely an out of the ordinary visit for several reason.

 

The first reason this was a different visit to the dentist was that this would be my first time having a check-up with Ethan in tow. Ellie was near Ethan's age the first time she accompanied me to a dentist appointment and it went fantastic. She patiently waited in a kid-sized camping chair while my teeth were cleaned. She even rubbed my hand to make sure I wasn't scared before finally hopping up in the chair to get her very own "check-up".

For Ethan's first visit, things went very, very differently. While the visit started simply enough with Ethan excitedly staring at the giant fish tank in the waiting room, it was a different story once we retreated back to the exam room. The first thing my hygienist did was bring Ethan a kid-sized camping chair. While that seems like an innocent gesture, it was anything but to Ethan. To him, it was a declaration of war and an indictment upon his independence. The first thing he did was start screaming. Then, he angrily threw the camping chair on the floor. Then, for his coup de grace, he flung himself down onto the floor and began kicking and screaming.

At this point, I had pretty much resigned myself to finding a new dentist because I doubted we would ever be allowed back in Zone Rosa, let alone the dentist's office. However, before leaving in shame, I first attempted to calm Ethan. I figured out pretty quickly that the reason for his anger was that he wasn't allowed to get the camping chair he was meant to sit in on his own. Once the egregious camping chair left the room, Ethan began to calm slightly. Then, when I offered him my phone to watch "Cocomelon" on during my exam, he calmed even more. Finally, he was willing to climb onto a spare stool in the corner of the exam room for the duration of my appointment. There he sat, watching "Cocomelon" while my teeth were cleaned.

One thing that did help. As we were leaving, rather than shame me for being an abject failure as a parent, my hygienist instead complimented me on being able to figure out what was going on with Ethan and for getting him calmed down. While it hardly fixed the embarrassment of what had occurred, it definitely did make me feel as if I'll be welcomed back. However, we'll have to see once March gets here if I am indeed allowed to return to Zona Rosa Dental or if I'll be in the market for a new dentist. Time will ultimately tell.

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,112 - "Bye, Ellie."

Hi, I'm Jesse.

1,112 days ago (according to the infallible #DaddyWrite timekeeping rules), I began my new career in earnest as a stay-at-home parent. At the time, I had no idea what I was in for. Early on, it was evident there would be plenty of screaming (from both dad and daughter) and lots of poop (mostly from daughter). As time went on though, I definitely got into more of a groove and actually became pretty decent as this whole stay-at-home parent thing. 

It seems appropriate that the picture on the left is from the first-ever #DaddyWrite post.

 

Today though, I definitely reached the clear end of a chapter in the #DaddyWrite book. Hmm, think anyone would pay me to publish that book? Where was I? Oh yes, today marked the end of a chapter as Ellie officially started Kindergarten. I'd be lying if I said I don't have feelings about it. It's actually a really weird set of emotions. I'm unbelievably proud of the person my little girl has turned out to be. She's loving, kind, and wise. She's also got an adventurous side to her, is stubborn as a mule, and has a mischievous streak a mile wide. Overall though, she is one of the most determined people I have ever met and I know she can do anything she sets her mind to. Look out, world; Ellie's coming through! 

As I look back on this morning, it's undeniable that tears were spilled by yours truly on multiple occasions. The first time was when I was packing Ellie's water bottle and snack into her backpack. The second came when I pulled her onto my lap in the brown rocking chair in the kids' room and held her tight while she put her socks on. The third came in the drop-off line as we prayed together, something we did before every single day of preschool and K2K this summer. The fourth and final was as I pulled away from the school knowing that Ellie was just fine without me.

As I write this, it's 2:30 in the afternoon and the next hour and a half cannot go fast enough. I miss my buddy and can't wait to talk to her and hear about her day. I hope she's already made new friends and has bravely flown her own flag. This morning, I reminded her that she is special and I don't want her to ever feel like she has to change who she is for anyone. Most of all though, I told her that I love her and I am proud of her. Just watching her face light up at those simple words was enough to bring me unspeakable joy AND start the tears all over again. Crazy how that works, right?

My job isn't changing anytime soon as Ethan's not quite ready to stay by himself yet. However, it's obvious that things are going to be different in the short-term and the long-term. For one thing, I know now that my time with Ellie is going  to be a lot more precious than before as there's going to be a lot less of it. For another, today was a reminder that I need to enjoy the next couple of years that I have with Ethan before he starts preschool as it will undoubtedly go fast.

Picking up right where his sister left off...

Five years ago, I ended a blog post with the following comment.

"BTW, I really wanted to call this blog #MissingMommy.  Apparently that's the name of a bereavement book for helping kids deal with the loss of their mother.  Not applicable in this case even if young Ellie is indeed #MissingMommy."

Today, I think it's appropriate for me to end this blog post by saying that yes, I am indeed #MissingEllie.

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,107 - It's "WORLDS OF FUN!"

With summer coming to an end and with it, Ellie's tenure as a full-time stay-at-home child, I've been trying to make the remainder of our time together count. Part of the way I've been doing that is to try and come up with special things for Ellie, Ethan, and me to do together each day. Thus far, we've done some cool things like going to Union Station to see the model trains or splash pad/park visits or even going to Cabela's to see some quality taxidermy. Our biggest event though was on Friday as Ellie and I headed to Worlds of Fun to spend some quality time together.

You may be wondering, "Isn't Ethan a little small for Worlds of Fun?". He is indeed. That's why I had my parents come down and spend the afternoon at the house with him so that Ellie and I could enjoy Worlds of Fun on our own. Once they arrived around 12:30, Ellie and I headed out the door almost immediately to head on our little date.

For nearly as long as I can remember, Ellie has been enthralled by the sight of the massive roller coasters out the car window whenever we've driven by Worlds of Fun. It was not uncommon to hear her muse about going there someday. Therefore, with a pair of free passes in my possession, I decided now was the perfect time to let her experience Worlds of Fun.

Upon our arrival, the first thing she wanted to do was get her picture taken in front of the massive air balloon statue at the front of the park. After that, we headed to our very first ride, the "Nordic Chaser." Situated near the front of the park, I thought the ride seemed tame enough. It looked as if we would just sit in a car shaped like a Viking ship and travel in a circle. I did not take into account how quickly said vessel would travel and was treated to the loud screams of panic from my seatmate riding next to me. After that, I decided that maybe our time was better spent in the "Planet Snoopy" section of the park.

After a short detour at "Le Taxitour" and the "Autobahn" bumper cars, we finally arrived at "Planet Snoopy". We first headed to "Snoopy's Cosmic Coaster" where I painfully squeezed myself into a car right next to Ellie. Ellie was slightly nervous as the ride began but her nerves quickly subsided. She even was willing to raise her arms momentarily into the sky in an expression of glee. After that, we spent some time wandering around "Planet Snoopy" riding anything that Ellie deemed to be not "too spinny or scary." 

Those taxicabs can be terrifying!

After a couple of hours, I decided that we had exhausted all that "Planet Snoopy" had to offer and tempted Ellie out of that section of the park with the promise of ice cream. After a nice treat of Dippin' Dots, Ellie and I set out in search of the Ferris Wheel. After riding one at the Beatrice County Fair with her grandma, Ellie was enthralled with riding yet another one. We finally found the Ferris Wheel and settled in for our first ride. When the wheel stopped at the top, Ellie took in all of the sights of the park and provided a running commentary on each. Once our ride ended, Ellie suspended her rule of only riding each ride once in favor of immediately riding the Ferris Wheel again.

Once we finished up our ride(s) on the Ferris Wheel, I knew our time at Worlds of Fun was growing short as it was already after 4:00. That being said though, I couldn't resist trying to convince Ellie that we needed to try my favorite ride, the "Viking Voyager". The ride consisting of an increasingly bumpier journey down a river before finally making one final climb up a large hill and splashing down below is one of my all-time favorites. Despite the initial line, we hopped in line and eventually took our place in a blue and orange Viking ship. While I was initially disgusted at the thought of riding in a Denver Broncos-colored ship, I decided to think of it as being Florida Gators-colored instead and that seemed to help. With that, we were off down the river with Ellie smiling gleefully all the way.

After our final splashdown, Ellie turned around and looked at me, declaring that the "Viking Voyager" was her new favorite ride! She also began lamenting how she wanted to ride again but it was time to go home. It didn't take much convincing for me to agree to one more ride on the "Viking Voyager" even if somewhat ironically, it was in the same Broncos/Gators-colored ship.  Despite her best efforts to obtain one more ride, I had to sadly say no as it was nearing 5:00 and we needed to get home.

 Overall, I'd say Ellie's first trip to Worlds of Fun was a success. Despite her fearfulness of certain rides, she was willing to step out of her comfort zone on others. While we likely won't make this a yearly occurrence at this time, I definitely see many more trips in our future!

#DaddyWrite

 P.S.: The Saturday Night Live skit from last year doesn't lie. I did actually see full grown adults riding the "Viking Voyager" with life-sized stuffed animals. If only it would have actually been the guy from "Soul".

Day 1,105 - Something, Something Change...Something, Something Same...

Wow, as I sat down to write this post, I came to the realization that I have now been a stay-at-home dad for over 1,100 days! At this point, allow me to reiterate that the official #DaddyWrite countdown only reflects days in which I am alone with the kids. Weekends, holidays, and maternity leaves DO NOT count!

MINIONS!!!

 It really is kind of an accomplishment if you ask me and I'm actually pretty proud of that number. It's crazy to think back at how much things have changed over the past five years and how much things will continue to change. I mean, Ellie starts kindergarten in a mere six days if you're going by the official #DaddyWrite countdown. However, I'm constantly reminded that even though things may change, there will always be ways in which they stay the same.

One of those big changes I'm talking about was on display yesterday as Ellie and I headed to Fox Hill Elementary for Kindergarten Roundup. I wanted that experience to be all about Ellie so I even found a sitter to hang out with Ethan for the duration of our time at Fox Hill!

Even though we arrived at Fox Hill right at 4:30, we still found ourselves having to wait outside the building for a little bit. Finally though, our time came to head inside. Once we made it through the doors, we were immediately introduced to Ellie's new principal, Dr. Bradley. Nice guy if you're wondering although I do kind of miss the folding knee walker he was sporting over the summer due to injury.

After meeting Dr. Bradley, we were guided down a hallway to the library where pre-Kindergarten screening was taking place. After a short wait, Ellie was accompanied into the room by a teacher while I took up residence sitting on a little wall near a window on the side of the library. There I watched, not creepily, as Ellie went through a variety of little tests. Per Ellie, the tests included counting to 100, naming shapes and colors, writing her name, identifying letters, and reading a few words. When Bethany asked her later how she did on her screening, Ellie replied, "Good, except the teacher said I missed number 39." I'm sure it was a soul-crushing disappointment to her...not really. After Ellie finished the screening phase, we headed down to the classrooms for a quick meet-and-greet with the Kindergarten teachers before heading home.

True story: moments after this shot was taken, Ellie pointed at me and she and the teacher waved in unison.

While Ellie starting Kindergarten is certainly going to change things in our household, today was a reminder that some things likely will never change. I'm not going to go into much detail but today was likely one of the worst days of Bethany's entire career due to some unfortunate office tragedies. Needless to say, she was upset and really sad about. When I mentioned the situation to the kids at lunch time, Ellie immediately knew something had to be done. Therefore, during her quiet time, Ellie got right to work.

When she later emerged from our guest bedroom, she had a piece of paper in tow. On it, she had drawn a giant rainbow and a self-portrait of herself which inexplicably included pig ears. However, the real prize on the drawing was a note she had written to Bethany. The note said, and I quote Ellie, "Mom I am soree yor sad." While the spelling left a little to be desired, the sentiment was indisputable. Even though Ellie makes little love drawings daily for Bethany, I would bet this one will go into the keeper pile.

For the record, don't talk about Ellie's "cute, little mouse".

Overall, the last two days just served to remind that things will undoubtedly change around our home into the not-too-distant future. However, no matter how much things change, it currently looks like our little girl is going to stay the same sweet girl that she's always been...95% percent of the time. That's still an 'A' if we're talking in school terms!

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,094 - Ellie the Gardener

Bethany and I are big advocates of giving our kids responsibilities. There are multiple reasons why we do so. One is that they honestly love having something that is their job alone to get done. 

For example, one of Ellie's main jobs is to keep our guest room straight and organized since that is where she has her daily quiet times or naps. It's not farfetched for us to find that she has made the bed after a nap in there. Even if it's not perfectly done, it's still awesome that she is taking that kind of initiative. For Ethan, his main job is to take his diapers to the diaper pail in the garage. That's a bonus for me since I don't really want to mess with them.

We don't actively pay our kids to do their jobs around the house either if for no other reason that they're both still a little young to grasp the concept. However, this week has marked a first for Ellie as she is actively earning a paycheck for doing a job for the very first time!

Ellie's job is simple enough. We are making daily pilgrimages over to a friend's house so that Ellie can water their outdoor plants while they are on vacation. In case anyone is curious as to the type of plants, there's cucumbers, tomatoes, raspberries, and various flowers that need water. It's really the perfect job for Ellie as due to the current heat and the type of plant, she can't really "kill them with kindness" as she is wont to do at times.

 

When we first took on this job, I honestly assumed that I would be the one watering while Ellie just played on the trampoline in the backyard. While it's true that she's enjoying said trampoline, that's not stopping her from being responsible for her job first. The only thing I'm really having to do is help her fill the watering can and carry it across the yard to the garden bed for her. After all, carrying a heavy watering can without spilling can be a difficult task for a five-year-old. Once we get it over to the garden beds, she can do most of the work by herself.

I'm happy to say that after four days or so of watering, Ellie has managed to keep our friends' garden thriving thus far. We'll see if she keeps up that trend for the rest of their vacation. I'm optimistic that she'll do great and when it's all said and done, she'll have a nice little paycheck to boot. Hmm, I wonder if she will expect us to start paying her for jobs?

Also, if anyone wonders what Ethan is doing while Ellie is watering plants, he's wandering around their backyard, slinging a football (left-handed, of course), and singing "Pat Mahomes, Take Me Home" loudly for all to hear. In other words, basically the same thing he does 95% of the time he's at home. I think he might be ready for football season.

#DaddyWrite

Day 1,087 - Let's Get Wet

Some days it's hard to find a theme for a day. Other days, it just falls onto one's head like a raindrop from the sky. In other words, today is a day that's all about getting wet.

I knew very early on that Ellie, Ethan, and I were destined to get wet at swim lessons today. We wouldn't only be getting wet due to the obvious factor of a swimming pool but also due to the rain storms forecasted for today. While swim lessons in the rain didn't really sound like much fun, the fact that today is the kids' last swim lesson meant that we weren't going to miss it for anything. While Ellie and I were fine with waiting until swim lessons in the rain to get wet, it just so happened that Ethan couldn't wait that long.

It happened innocently enough. I was in our master bathroom getting ready for the day when I suddenly heard someone turn on the bathtub in the other bathroom. Then, who should appear at the door but Ellie to relay the message of "Ethan's in the bathtub!" With that, I quickly finished up what I was doing and ran out of our bedroom only to find a drenched Ethan standing in the hallway waiting for me. It just so happened that Ellie neglected to mention one little thing about Ethan being in the bath: he was still in his pajamas! Lucky for him though, it was time to get ready for swim lessons. That meant "Goodbye, wet pajamas" and "Hello, dry swimsuit".

While I knew the weather was going to be a little rough for swim lessons today, I didn't anticipate just how quickly it would change. While we were all getting on our swimsuits to leave the house, I would have referred to the rain as 'sprinkling' or 'drizzling'. By the time I opened the garage door, it was completely pouring!

Upon our arrival at Gorman Pool, we found ourselves with about ten minutes to kill before we could realistically go poolside for lessons. While the gates were open, it seemed a little foolish to spend that amount of time getting rained on when it wasn't absolutely necessary. When it was time to head in, I was happy to see that the rain didn't dampen the kids' spirits at all. Instead, they became even more stoked to get in the water.

For Ellie, lessons involved nothing out of the ordinary for her final day. Ethan only had the slight difference of being the only kid in his class. The big change was due to the steady rain pouring down all through the lesson. Also, another change was that the lesson was cut short. It wasn't due to Ethan getting cold and wanting to wrap up in a towel though. Instead, it was due to a burst of ominous-sounding thunder which prompted the lifeguards to order us out of the pool.

In case you're wondering, Ethan passed his "mommy and me" swim class with flying colors. Unfortunately, he did not pass the "Seahorse" level class he was taking at the same time (which I had no idea he was taking). For her part, Ellie did pretty well in her "Starfish" class but not well enough to pass. She just needs more extension with her arms while swimming to pass though.

Oh yes, there was one more aspect of getting wet today that I almost forgot to mention. Did you know that if you forget to put a child in a swim diaper and instead leave them in a regular diaper, that regular diaper gets insanely large and heavy? Ethan knows and can attest after this morning. Good work me! #DaddyWrite

Day 1,085 - Sink Like a Stone? Not Anymore!

I have a little science lesson to share with everyone. First, I need to change the name and branding of #DaddyWrite to that of "Jesse Nye the Science Guy." 

Just try seeing this picture without hearing the theme song in your head.

 

Have you ever thrown a stone into a pond before? What does it do? That's right it sinks. I'll ask another question. What happens when you throw a small child into a pool without a life jacket. That's right; they sink, too! How do you stop the child from sinking? Well, the best option is to enroll them in swim lessons.

That little science lesson was my way of sharing that Ellie and Ethan are currently in the midst of their second week of swim lessons. Great way to start a blog, right? The great thing about Ellie's and Ethan's swim lessons are that they are 100% free courtesy of Clay County. Both kids are enrolled in classes that are tailored to their current level of comfort in the water. Obviously, Ellie's class skews a little older than Ethan's. Also, due to Ethan's age, I'm required to be in the water with him at all times. Hardly a sacrifice for me except for the random cold morning we had yesterday.

It's been really fun to see the comfort levels of both Ellie and Ethan grow over the last week, Ethan especially. Since I'm in the water with Ethan, the amount of time I can spend actually paying attention to Ellie's class is limited. Luckily, one of Ellie's best friends is in the class with her so his mom takes plenty of pictures and videos for Bethany and me.

Ellie's class only has three students, most days, so she gets plenty of time to practice. At first, her lessons mostly consisted of standing on an elevated platform in the water and taking turns blowing bubbles in the water and dipping her head under the water. Now, in week 2, she's actually floating across the pool on her back unaided by her instructor. Don't worry, the instructor is right there in case she sinks. Ellie is also jumping into the water and being allowed to practice swimming back to the ladder. While the water is only four foot deep, it's still a cool experience for her.

 

 

Ethan's class moves a little slower but that seems appropriate for his age. Each day though, he seems to get a little more comfortable. Today, he practiced jumping into my arms in the pool and was willing to let the water go above his nose on multiple occasions. It's pretty cute to watch him pinch his nose shut and count to three before springing off the side of the pool into my arms. 

Ethan's also grown in his desire to be challenged during his swim lessons. While he initially wanted to be in control of what was happening at all times, he's learned to trust in both me and his teacher to keep him safe in the water. The last two days, he has been willing to float on his back across the pool while being lightly supported by me. He's also been willing to practice kicking while supporting himself on a lifeguard's floatation device.

The thing I love most about watching my kids in the water is just how unafraid they are of the water. While I certainly want them to respect the water and be safe, I'd rather have to teach them something like that instead of having to teach them that the water is nothing to fear. Hopefully their love of the water doesn't go away anytime soon.

As long as they don't sink like the aforementioned stone, then all should be fine, right? #DaddyWrite