huck blog

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the sweetest sweet talker

January 30, 2008, 9:26 pm

Several times a day Huck stops whatever he's doing, approaches me as if I'm a fragile and lovely little butterfly, holds onto my face and lovingly tells me, "I like you." Then he will give me all the reasons why he likes me, and the two main ones are "because you're so sweet" and "because of the red dot by your belly button." He also sometimes secretly whispers to me, "You're more fun than Daddy," which is the biggest lie ever told.

But I don't mind ...

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friday in the park with mom and dad

January 26, 2008, 11:16 am

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some doozies

January 24, 2008, 9:00 am

The following doozies are written in honor of Aunt Jeni's 22nd birthday ...

The other day we were playing something or other and Huck called me a “little tuke” in the very same voice I use to call him a “little dickens” when he’s being ornery in a delightful kind of way. He later explained that a little tuke is a grown-up little dickens.

Recently he told me that some babies are born with their clothes on. When asked how they get that way he answered simply, “The grandmas.”

Huck is crazy for Shrek, Fiona and Donkey, but more than actually sitting down and watching the movies he prefers to watch the “computer mistakes” (animation bloopers) in the Special Features. He has them all memorized and talks about them throughout the day, and lately he’s been finding computer mistakes in food, nature and my hair.

One of Huck’s favorite games to play with everyone but Mommy (I’m against it) is “you’re a dead bug.” If you’re the dead bug he kicks you or pretends to step on you. Unfortunately he once used this as a defense against hitting Kadin (“I was pretending he was a dead bug.”) A few days ago he was playing with ten year old Jakara at church (with Daddy in charge), taking turns playing dead and then bringing each other back to life. One of Huck’s resurrection tactics was to kiss his lovely friend on the lips. (Daddy will not be in charge of Huck and Jakara ever again.)

And finally, the other day Huck was sitting a little too close to the old dog and said, “Max’s breath smells like he needs to go poop outside.” Never has anything been articulated quite so eloquently.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, POOPSIE!!!

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we're sleepy

January 14, 2008, 5:09 pm

It’s been a week now since Huck became a kid with his own bedroom, and last night the finality of sleeping with his parents seemed to hit him hard. Around midnight he sobbed and screamed, “I don’t want to sleep by myself! I need to sleep with someone!” while we tried to comfort him and point out all the great things about being a big boy who sleeps alone. Our hearts were breaking while he articulated what all of us lonely human beings really want out of life. The sleep deprivation has caught up with me, as it feels like having an infant in the house who hollers out several times a night and requires a parent to go in and get him back to sleep (which was why we became a co-sleeping family two years and four months ago). But like everything in parenthood, I know this will pass and get better and get worse and better again ...

Kind of like the songs Huck chooses to sing over and over. Here are the lyrics to his second favorite Christmas carol: “Huckle herald angel sings glory to the New York sink.” His number one is “Joy to the World” and he sings it very loudly with an aggressive back and forth step-clap dance. Nowadays he sings it about five times a day, down from his average of 40 or so. If I never have to hear that song again, I think I’ll be okay. That and a nice long night's sleep.

Finding the right words can be tricky when you're a drowsy almost three year old. The other day Troy tried to teach Huck the phrase “cut the cheese.” So when the moment was right Huck said, "Daddy, I just cut the fart.” After some editing and practice, his routine now goes like this: "Hey, Daddio, I just cut the cheesio." (We should work for the Writers Guild of America.)

Lastly, Huck has found a way to enjoy my errands. He stares admiringly at the ads of attractive women, which seem to be everywhere. While he looks at Cover Girl lips or long underwear packages with warm and beautiful models on them, he smiles and lets out happy sighs. If I’m in a section with nothing nice to look at he will say, “Let’s go look at the girls.” Sadly, anything that keeps him happy and quiet while going from store to store is good news for me.

Kind of like sleeping 12 hours straight.

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there will be blood

January 11, 2008, 2:14 pm

This picture of Huck, Jacob, Jaydon and Kadin was taken shortly before the Bloody Nose Incident of '08. It was a time of innocence, soon to be replaced by the grim reality of what happens when a fun game of running-around-in-circles ends because a kid falls flat on his face and blood comes pouring out of his nostrils. Huck's day ended with soap in his eyes during bathtime followed almost immediately by his stomach being zipped up while I put on his pajamas.

Some days feel better than others.

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ta-da!

January 7, 2008, 8:34 pm

After several days of extremely exhausting labor, we are proud to present the latest addition to our family ... Huck's Bedroom!

And we are pleased to announce that last night Huck slept in his brand new bed in his brand new bedroom all by himself for the first time ever! Oh, sure, he woke up ready to begin the day at 5AM, but we are blaming that on a very powerful night-light that must be replaced immediately.

Mommy and Daddy are going to sleep now in our big bed all by ourselves. At 8:34. Because painting a big room and moving heavy furniture and hanging curtains and shades and blinds and things on walls and completely rearranging every single closet and then playing with an almost three year old has made us sleepy.

Nighty-night.

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better than pretzels

January 5, 2008, 9:50 am

Yesterday we continued our winter adventures with a very fun trip to the New York Botanical Gardens with our friends Jennifer and CJ. We were the very first people in line (quite an accomplishment) for the amazing Holiday Train Show, and after that we walked through the beautiful rain forest (which cleared up my sinuses temporarily), the cactus filled desert and eventually an outdoor children's area that included a gingerbread house big enough to play in. We had such a good time that Huck broke into song and dance twice and never once asked for a snack (also quite an accomplishment).

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tough love

January 3, 2008, 7:43 pm

To escape the freezing cold weather outside we went to the Museum of Natural History with Mimi and Kadin today. Huck is very physical with Kadin, and though they're close to the same height, Huck is about 75 pounds heavier. Over the past few months I've watched in horror as Huck grabs Kadin for an aggressive hug and causes him to topple onto the ground helplessly. I'm sure one of these days Kadin will be a very tall, strong man and Huck had better watch out.

While at the museum Huck asked Kadin, "Can I take care of you today?" and Kadin sweetly said he could. So everywhere we went, Huck held Kadin's hand and led the way. Only once did Kadin crash to the ground because of his loving friend’s overpowering strength.

I think Huck needs a puppy. Or a football.

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