We’re Leaving, On A Jet Plane May 26, 2011

I guess I didn’t realize but it’s been over a year since Hayden has been on a plane and a year is a long long time for a three year old. He was so excited. He had been talking about going to England for a while, and when we got up in the morning the first thing he said to me was “yay, were going to England today!!”. He has been excited because of the trains, all the toys nanny has lined up for him and of course the airplanes!

We got to the airport with Layla and Mummy with us and had some lunch together but he couldn’t sit still. He was just jumping around, running around in circles and just eager to get on the plane. The whole time with his Thomas suitcase in tow. We said goodbye to Mummy and Layla and at airport security. He was really easy, even took his shoes off and didn’t go beep! We made our way down to the gate and we could see our plane so we watched all the bags get on and watching all the airport trucks and even a bird try and get on the plane (apparently according to Hayden). Hayden was getting a little impatient that we couldn’t get on the plane straight away. Eventually we started boarding and Hayden got more impatient because all the fancy gold card holders needed to get on the plane like life and death depended on it. He was worried there wouldn’t be any room for us. At one point on the jet bridge he shouted at the people in front of us to hurry up, luckily/unfortunately his little voice didn’t carry.

On the plane he was really good. Especially as 1) I kept all the toys in his suitcase to try and save them for the longer flight and 2) we had to sit on the runway for 30 minutes and I couldn’t figure out why weren’t moving. Eventually we got moving he loved it, and was very excited about take off and apple juice and seeing the little plane potty. I let him play on my phone which is good and bad. Kids turn into little monsters on those things, but it keeps them amused. So pick your poison I guess!

After the first flight we had a few hours to kill at Chicago. Now this is an interesting time to mention that Hayden really doesn’t like toilets that flush by themselves. We sat in a bar, I had a beer, Hayden had a huge lemonade. I should have realized what problems this was going to cause me!! I think over the next 90 minutes while we waited for the plane we must had gone to the toilet about 6 times. Each time I don’t think he ever really finished because he’s paranoid that the toilet is going to flush by itself and swallow him up!!! We had to keep going to different toilets so we didn’t look too weird! It must have worked though because he didn’t go at all in the next 7 hours on the plane over to England.

On that flight he was also a really good boy. He had one little melt down at dinner time because I had left it too late to feed him but besides that he was a superstar. He watched most of Nemo, had some food, I read him a book and then he took a nap on me. I felt for him because he couldn’t get in a comfortable position without his feet poking out in the walkway so every time someone walked by he would get knocked. Luckily he was too tired to care. Eventually he was able to curl up a little more and probably got three and a half hours. Got to England and Granddad was waiting for us for a cup of tea and fruit shoot for me and Hayden respectively!

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Songs for Layla

I’ve had the pleasure recently of having more time with Layla at night time and this has given her the pleasure of hearing lots of my singing. I thought just for the records, I guess her records, I would list some of the songs I sing to her right now. It will be interesting to see if she really likes these songs when she is older or hates them!

Married with children -oasis
Twinkle twinkle
She’s electric – oasis
Park life – blur
Common people-pulp
Wonder wall- oasis
Cast no shadow- oasis
Champagne supernova- oasis
Animals went in two by two
Yellow submarine – Beatles

Poop

Kara refused to write this post so I thought it was my duty as a father to do this. Ever since Hayden starting pooping on the big toilet he has been fascinated with the shapes of is poops. He always wants to take a look and comment on them. Typically they are snakes, sometimes mummy and daddy snakes, sometimes a grown up snake and little one. More recently they have become dragons! And often big dragons.

Another funny thing in this regard, the other day he knew the cleaners were coming and also Kara was trying to get him to poop. He told that he didn’t want to do it because he was worried the cleaners would smell it! He never extends me that curtsey!

I gather this week (and Nanny is here right now) that Hayden needed to poop, Nanny offered to take him and turned and told her “it’s going to stink!”

Layla is One – somehow!

There is no doubt in my mind that the things go quicker with the second child. My logic is that you only spend about half as much attention on the second one as you obviously have to share your affection. Particularly in this family where Hayden is a big daddy’s boy and Layla has been a mummy’s girl so I haven’t spent anywhere near as much time with Layla as I had  Hayden by this age.  I just can’t believe she is one already!!

So Layla as a one year old……

She is very laid back. Se rarely cries, and if she does its because it’s late or she is hungry or everyone left her alone! She doesn’t even cry if you take toys away from her which Hayden is prone to from time to time. She can entertain herself pretty well. Leave her with some toys and as long as she can still see Kara or I, she’s good. She is really like Hayden in many of her ways. She seems to like cars. Not sure if tha is just because they are Hayden’s toys or if she really prefers cars over dolls!   Her birthday brought many dolls so we will see how that works out.

She is a great eater. I don’t think I have ever seen a baby like her in terms of what and how much she eats. She eats quickly and in huge volumes. Since she realized that she could grab food and put it in her mouth on her own she has never looked back with “baby foods”. Often she uses both hands and that way you can get more food in! And sometimes the plate ends up on her head when she is all done! But she is One and related to Nanny Mad so what do you expect! Back to the point of hands, I am still not convinced if she is a lefty or a righty.

Overall she is just the nicest baby. She is so kind natured, she is funny (just watch her play her own game of peek-a-boo, and you’ll see what I mean), she is happy but also pretty serious about things too. She loves Hayden. She just adores him and watches everything he does and he can get her to laugh all the time. When you hold her sometimes she will lean into you and nuzzle. That is also adorable.

One of my other favorite Laylaisms is every time I enter the room she will do a little scream and her legs and arms kick and wiggle. She also seems to love dancing. I should probably say boogieing. If there is some music in the background she will often do this little up and down bogie dance. I am expecting her to be a dancer when she’s older!

My little girl is one already!

Selective Hearing May 21, 2011

Hayden has very selective hearing. Kara and I will often have to repeat something three or four times to get a reaction out of him. However if we mention one of the trigger words, even if it has nothing to do with the conversation then he is immediately heads up and questioning. The words you can guess: ice cream, candy, cake, chocolate. I haven’t tried money recently but I’m sure that would get the same response.

What is funny though is he hears us every time, he is just being a “threeager” and choosing to ignore us. Many times after we have asked him something five times and he has ignored us. We will go ask him what did mummy or daddy say, and everything e is prepared with an answer without us having to repeat the question. Little tyke!

Where’s My Belt?

Hayden has discovered a new game. When I come home from work he loves to grab my belt and run off and hide it. “give me you belt” he will shout at me and try and get it off before I’ve even started to change. Then he will run off and hide it somewhere and let me try and find it. I will inevitably look everywhere but where it is supposed to be and he will get more and more excited as I struggle to find it. In the end I think he feels sorry for me as he starts standing outside the room it’s in trying to drop big subtle hints. Funny little guy.

What Am I Going to Do Without My Hayden? May 12, 2011

John and Hayden have gone for a quick trip to England.  Hayden is going to stay with Nanny while John goes on to Barcelona for Steve Bulger’s bachelor party/stag do.  They left on Tuesday, and the reports I’ve heard are that Hayden was a really good boy on the trip over.  He was put off by the automatic flushing toilets (hey, who isn’t?) and so it sounds like they kept having to go to the bathroom because he couldn’t get the job done.  But he did get a little sleep on the main flight over and seemed to be generally a good boy.

He has been ever so excited about his trip to England.  He talked about it frequently before the time finally came to leave.  The day he left we were sitting reading books together.  I gave him a big hug while he was sitting on my lap and I said, “Oh, what am I going to do without my Hayden?”  His reply: “Well, sorry, once I get on the plane I’m going to be Daddy’s Hayden.”  He cracks me up!  Sorry Hayden, you’ll always be my Hayden, too!

It’s nice living in these modern times, where they can be an ocean away and I still have access to them at the touch of a button.  They got in about 7:30 am UK time, and by about 7 am my time I was on a video chat with them.  Nanny had pulled down all these old legos and toy cars of John’s from the loft, and Hayden was very busy playing with them all.  She had also bought him some new presents that he was excited to show me.  Check out the bed she has set up for him!  I hear he was very excited to see this – I can only imagine!  I have also been able to keep in touch with John and Michelle via text.  Even though I haven’t spoken with any of them today I have already been sent pictures of him playing with trains at the London Transport Museum.  If it’s in London then he would have taken a train to get there, and I bet he was about to burst with excitement about that!

It’s been very strange having the boys gone.  John I’m used to being away since he sometimes has to travel with work, but it’s really weird having Hayden gone.  Yesterday was a workday, so during the day it seemed pretty normal because Layla went to day care and he would have been in preschool anyway, but I find the hardest time is late afternoon/early evening.  Even with Layla here, it just seems so empty.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy for him that he gets to have this adventure and spend special time with Nanny and Auntie Mich, but I miss him, too.

It’s nice to have time with my sweet little Layla.  We have some neighborhood garage sales I think we’re going to hit up in the next couple of days.  I see some shopping on the horizon, and maybe we’ll lunch, too.  🙂