Day 1 without Kara..

(she is visiting Reena in Vancouver)..

Thought I would blog the adventures while Kara is gone, as much for Kara so she doesn’t feel like she is missing much, but also because we’re bound to get up to some trouble….  apologies if the blog in longer than my usual quick bursts….

We started the day in a great way.  As I was waking Hayden up he gave me some of the clearest “Dad-das” that I’ve heard from him.  He was pointing at me, very excited and speaking really clearly!  He almost forgot about El-mo for a few seconds…  I obviously dressed him like any good father would, in his Everton kit.  Within seconds he was pointing to the Everton badge with great excitement.   Good Boy!!!

Breakfast was pretty non eventful other than he sneezed and I said “Bless You” and I could have swore he said something very similar in reply to me – I’ll have to watch that one..

He showed one piece of real intelligence that blew me away this morning.  He has this piece off one of his cars.  It was a the back of a dumper truck.  I asked him where was the rest of the truck (the main body, and I knew it had been under the ottoman for about a week or two) he walk off laid down next to the ottoman and stuck his arm under it trying to hook it out!! I kid you not – I didn’t say a word to him.  Those cars are so precious for him!!

Next up we headed over to Costco for some shopping only to find it closed until 11 – this kind of threw our plans somewhat so we just headed to Borders to get Sophie a present for tomorrow’s big party and kill some time before soccer training.  Hayden went around the whole of Borders picking up every single Elmo book and explaining to me that his life would basically be over if we didn’t buy it…he won and got some new sesame street books for the car and then on to Soccer…

Soccer (look I know it’s football but when i say that here people have no idea what i’m on about) was great.  The minute I let him loose he just ran around kicking every ball he could for about 10/15 minutes before class proper started.   I was so impressed.  A few weeks back he didn’t want to kick any, and Kara wasn’t impressed with my competitive dad approach to getting him kicking (:D – what can you expect from a Brit?).  This week he was a natural, and his left foot is killer.  He definitely favors it, you can tell from his balance when he kicks it.  Also everyone loved his Everton shirt.  I had two people who asked where I got it, and the teacher was also very impressed.  Hayden showed some great sharing attributes throughout which was good, he got roughed up by one kid but I just let them work it out, he didn’t seem flustered (that Kid had a real competitive dad!!).  At the end they do parachute – it loved shaking it, and then loved sliding on it – only problem was he loved it tooo much and wouldn’t get off it and we get the first tears of the day….  didn’t last long as Carlos (teacher) had smiley face stamps which Hayden didn’t want to miss despite having to leave the parachute…

Lunch was up next.  I had put some music on (Definitely Maybe – Oasis) in the background and while Hayden was eating I was playing around trying to make him laugh banging my head and making noises…after a few attempts at this he suddenly starting rocking out!!  He was totally banging his head and accompanying with the “der der der der der der”  – If he keeps this up he’ll want to come to the concerts we’ve got lined up in the summer…

He smashed up almost a 2 1/2 hour nap and then we headed out back to Costco, hoping it would be open this time!!  Costco was big and obnoxious but full of free samples.  Hayden absolutely loved the Oranges they were giving out (he hasn’t realized you don’t eat the skin yet..), but we got into a bit of an argument over that when I took it away from him, and the waterworks started.. I bribed him with some crackers (we always have them on hand as they’ll snap him out of almost anything we just have to watch it because he just eats and eats and eats them….Hayden 0 – Daddy 1  That was working well until I asked if I could have a cracker – I get a very simple no and violent shake of the head.  I tell him he has to share and try to take one, at which point he raises the volume on his “No” and snatches it from my hand.  So we argue, the crackers go flying and waterworks..  This goes around a few times until we eventually agree that I’ll just go without crackers and he’ll continue to eat them.  Hayden 1 – Daddy 1.  I was real brave after that and took him to another store, but I knew this store had carts/trolleys with the Cars on the front so he could sit in there and we got through that unscathed.

Home at last, and we played down the basement for a while for a change. Things going well and I thought I would put some music on so I could enjoy a beer and put my feet up while Hayden played with his cars.  Well this was obviously the first Hayden realised that the music center in the basement works.  And if you press different buttons different things happen.  This quickly ruined my plan of trying to listen to music… so Hayden and I had words.  He didn’t like being told that he could no longer press the buttons.  Waterworks and meltdown.  I had this feeling he was testing me, so I just stood my ground and held the cabinet in front of the music center closed.  He tried to open it, banged it, shouted at it, looked at me like I was the devil, and then eventually backed down and wanted me to pick him up for cuddles!  Hayden 1 – Daddy 2.  I was proud of myself for not backing down in the face of adversity (maybe that’s an overstatement.)   Then we just played with putting shapes in the box, and he was showing me how’s he getting so much better at games like that.

Dinner was going to be a mix of some roasted chicken i mixed up (have to make sure he gets some meat!!) and veg and fruit….  well i cut up the chicken and put it on his plate…but his plate was up on the counter.  I made sure the dogs couldn’t get to it and helped Hayden tidy up his toys before dinner and bed time.  Time I got Hayden into his chair there was a mysteriously empty looking plate and very plump looking kitty!! Hayden 1 – Daddy 2 – Abbey 1…

When I asked him if I could have one of his strawberries he shook his head and put his hand over the whole plate in a blocking move!!  It was funny, but also not good behavior.  I just stole a strawberry anyway and he groaned but was too busy seeing how many he could get in his mouth at once to really care.  I think we still have some work to do on the sharing!!

Anyway he loved his dinner so much that once he finished his plate he told me “more more”.  I gave him a complete second plate and he smashed that up as well (no Ketchup and he even ate his peas!!)  I think the  dogs liked his dinner as well because when I came down after putting him to bed his bib had moved about 30 yards from where I had left it and it was very very clean!

Bath and bed time all normal, except for the first time ever he laughed when I washed his face!!  He normally hates that!  He took like 40 minutes to go to sleep after I put him down, which is unlike him, but I think he was just missing his mummy! (and busy winding up Elmo).

Time for beer and relax time…hang on I’ve just realised I haven’t showered today!! Gross!!!

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