So my daughter turned 2 last Thursday.
Her birthday happened to coincide with the Leafs' (Toronto's NHL hockey team) visit to Washington to take on the Caps, so I took it as a sign from G-d that she should go to the game. My wife thought I was nuts for wanting to take her (the game was an hour away and started at 7 pm) but she doesn't really get what it means to be a Leafs fan (get them while they're young, because if they're too old they'll be smart enough to cheer for a team that has some hope in hell at winning the Stanley Cup - and then they're lost forever).
"My guy" who works for the Caps hooked me up with four tickets (eight rows from the ice) and a VIP parking pass, and we invited the Bierers and their almost-2 year-old and headed south. And even though the Leafs lost, it was a positive overall experience. There's so much that goes on at a hockey game (loud music, flashing lights, videos and - yes - hockey) that it was the perfect stimulus for keeping a tired kid awake for two or more hours past bedtime.
The next morning my mom came in to town. This was her first visit since my sister went to Israel for the year, so it was a big deal. She wanted to come in especially for my daughter's birthday and she was able to get a lift to and from Buffalo so that she could get a cheap SWA flight here. I got her from the airport and dropped her at the house to chill (my mom can spend hours on the phone/internet) and headed to work to complete some midterm reports.
[Side story: When I picked up my mom from the airport I parked and went inside to meet here. As we were waiting for the bags to come, I noticed what looked to be something ipod-related on the top of the baggage-claim belt and I picked it up. It turned out to be a wall charger for an ipod and, since no one else was around (really, this definitely was something lost for good) I pocketed it and took it home. My wife, of course, was critical of my actions. She felt that I should have given it to the Lost and Found. Sometimes I'm amazed that we get along at all.]
Shabbat with 'Ma' was a nice experience.
On Friday night we headed to my father-in-law's house for dinner and celebrated his birthday with my sister-in-law (my wife's younger sister) and her family (they were staying over there from Silver Spring) and the Zions. The downside was that my stomach was acting up (again) and I was so nauseas the whole time and didn't really socialize all that much. Fortunately my mom picked up my slack, sharing family memories (mostly made up) and personal stories (ibid) with the whole table (needless to say, this did not help in staving off the nausea).
For Shabbat lunch we went to Barbara's house. We work together and, although we are a generation apart (I'm good friends with her younger son and his family), we have a lot in common and have become good friends. Her son from Israel (the older one) was in for a visit so she had a Kiddush at her house and then we were invited to stay for the meal. We really had an enjoyable time getting to know each other's families and I even managed to keep down some food (I had to chance the cholent because it smelled so good).
We came back to the house around 4:30 pm, so it was too late to put my daughter in for a nap. Amazingly, though, she felt comfortable enough to play with my mom and she was willing to stay with her so my wife and I got the rare sleep-until-Shabbat-is-over nap in (thanks mom!).
When Shabbat was over we immediately went to work preparing for the 2 year-old party that I had pushed so hard to have (vicarious living and all). I ran out to get the balloons (I accidentally bought one that said "Happy 16th Birthday") and last-minute party materials while my wife and mom prepared the food and the decorations. We were pretty much done by midnight.
The next morning I made a successful run to Sions to get the cupcakes and we were all set for the party. Lauren, a friend of ours, prepared a program for the kids and we had coloring and toys and food (healthy and noshy) and the party was a great success... although my daughter didn't really enjoy it as much as some of the other kids because she doesn't really do well with crowds and prefers the comfort of a small, recognizable group (but that's not so important because the party wasn't really for her anyway!).
And now she's a full-blown two year-old. Like yesterday, when it was time to clean up, she proceeded to make a mess. And when it was time to eat, she proceeded to throw her food on the floor, making a hugemess. And when it was time for her bath... well, you get the picture.
On the plus side, though, my daughter is getting very good at saying "Time Out".
Her birthday happened to coincide with the Leafs' (Toronto's NHL hockey team) visit to Washington to take on the Caps, so I took it as a sign from G-d that she should go to the game. My wife thought I was nuts for wanting to take her (the game was an hour away and started at 7 pm) but she doesn't really get what it means to be a Leafs fan (get them while they're young, because if they're too old they'll be smart enough to cheer for a team that has some hope in hell at winning the Stanley Cup - and then they're lost forever).
"My guy" who works for the Caps hooked me up with four tickets (eight rows from the ice) and a VIP parking pass, and we invited the Bierers and their almost-2 year-old and headed south. And even though the Leafs lost, it was a positive overall experience. There's so much that goes on at a hockey game (loud music, flashing lights, videos and - yes - hockey) that it was the perfect stimulus for keeping a tired kid awake for two or more hours past bedtime.
The next morning my mom came in to town. This was her first visit since my sister went to Israel for the year, so it was a big deal. She wanted to come in especially for my daughter's birthday and she was able to get a lift to and from Buffalo so that she could get a cheap SWA flight here. I got her from the airport and dropped her at the house to chill (my mom can spend hours on the phone/internet) and headed to work to complete some midterm reports.
[Side story: When I picked up my mom from the airport I parked and went inside to meet here. As we were waiting for the bags to come, I noticed what looked to be something ipod-related on the top of the baggage-claim belt and I picked it up. It turned out to be a wall charger for an ipod and, since no one else was around (really, this definitely was something lost for good) I pocketed it and took it home. My wife, of course, was critical of my actions. She felt that I should have given it to the Lost and Found. Sometimes I'm amazed that we get along at all.]
Shabbat with 'Ma' was a nice experience.
On Friday night we headed to my father-in-law's house for dinner and celebrated his birthday with my sister-in-law (my wife's younger sister) and her family (they were staying over there from Silver Spring) and the Zions. The downside was that my stomach was acting up (again) and I was so nauseas the whole time and didn't really socialize all that much. Fortunately my mom picked up my slack, sharing family memories (mostly made up) and personal stories (ibid) with the whole table (needless to say, this did not help in staving off the nausea).
For Shabbat lunch we went to Barbara's house. We work together and, although we are a generation apart (I'm good friends with her younger son and his family), we have a lot in common and have become good friends. Her son from Israel (the older one) was in for a visit so she had a Kiddush at her house and then we were invited to stay for the meal. We really had an enjoyable time getting to know each other's families and I even managed to keep down some food (I had to chance the cholent because it smelled so good).
We came back to the house around 4:30 pm, so it was too late to put my daughter in for a nap. Amazingly, though, she felt comfortable enough to play with my mom and she was willing to stay with her so my wife and I got the rare sleep-until-Shabbat-is-over nap in (thanks mom!).
When Shabbat was over we immediately went to work preparing for the 2 year-old party that I had pushed so hard to have (vicarious living and all). I ran out to get the balloons (I accidentally bought one that said "Happy 16th Birthday") and last-minute party materials while my wife and mom prepared the food and the decorations. We were pretty much done by midnight.
The next morning I made a successful run to Sions to get the cupcakes and we were all set for the party. Lauren, a friend of ours, prepared a program for the kids and we had coloring and toys and food (healthy and noshy) and the party was a great success... although my daughter didn't really enjoy it as much as some of the other kids because she doesn't really do well with crowds and prefers the comfort of a small, recognizable group (but that's not so important because the party wasn't really for her anyway!).
And now she's a full-blown two year-old. Like yesterday, when it was time to clean up, she proceeded to make a mess. And when it was time to eat, she proceeded to throw her food on the floor, making a hugemess. And when it was time for her bath... well, you get the picture.
On the plus side, though, my daughter is getting very good at saying "Time Out".
Comments
Many simchas in the future.
Love ya'.
NB. Those stories were not made up. So there!