time to break out the barriers

It amazes me each day how fast our babies grow up before our eyes. It's kind of weird that things didn't seem to go as fast with Z-Dub. But with The Deuce, I feel like it's happening way, way too fast. On Monday, he turned nine months old. It seems like only yesterday we found out we were expecting him. I find it hard to swallow that he's approaching his first birthday.

There are also things that he's doing that almost give me a coronary. Like, for example, what he suddenly decided to do today. He's a brave, adventurous child:

get tugged for a $1000

No, I'm not offering any services. It's actually an offer on a billboard off I-215 in Las Vegas. I've mentioned before in written descriptions of my blog about balancing family life in the land of sexy billboards. It seems lately that the balancing act is becoming more difficult as new and very explicit billboards have popped up all over town. One porn company in particular has several billboards along the freeway offering cash to "get tugged," "co-star," "show us your package," etc. You get the picture.

I'm so not looking forward to the day when Z-Dub and The Deuce learn to read. I can already imagine the conversations in the car...

"Daddy, that girl on the sign has her hands in that guy's pants. What does it mean to 'get tugged'?"

"Oh, I think they're going to have a tug-war-competition. That girl is just making sure the guy's pants are buttoned, so they don't fall off during the competition."

"I want to get paid $1,000 to pay tug-of-war. I'm good at that game."

"Not today son."

or

"Look daddy, they'll pay you $1,000 to show them your packages. I have a package in the back of the car. We should show them and make some money."

"I don't think think your package is big enough...yet."

Here are some of the many signs.

I'll also have to explain what a gentleman's club is.

Raising a family in Vegas is interesting.

P.S. - I didn't doctor the photos to remove the phone number, so I guess feel free to call and make arrangements to "get tugged," if that's your thing or if you need the money. These are tough times, yo.

of bad medicine, bad words and bad habits

Z-Dub has his first ear  infection in nearly eight months. After his chronic infections last year we were quite happy he went so long without one. His doctor prescribed him Clarithromycin for the first time and let me tell you, that crap tastes horrific. Tonight he was gagging after I gave him his teaspoon. I thought he was over-reacting, so I tried a little drop. I literally almost puked. It's NASTY. Unfortunately, he's got to take it two times a day for the next nine days. Poor guy. He's allergic to penicillin, and after last year's various antibiotic regimens, we have few options. I doubt the doctor will change his prescription.

Speaking of Z-Dub, for some reason he keeps calling the parrot character on The Deuce's bouncy a cock. Today he ran to tell me that The Deuce is "playing with his cock!" I keep yelling back, "it's a parrot, not a cock. Quit saying that."

And, speaking of The Deuce, he found his thumb. And now it's always in his mouth. Here's the photographic evidence:

Also, The Deuce is now stable enough for the Bumbo chair. As an extra precaution, notice the US Weekly Magazine used as back support. I finally found a use for HotMomma's celebrity gossip rags.

pissin' all over the place

After pissing on the floor six times this morning, Z-Dub finally peed in the toilet for the first time at home. This accomplishment was greeted with loud, roaring cheers, high-fives and a reward of a sticker and an M&M candy. There were promises of more such gifts if this feat is accomplished again. Shortly afterwards he proceeded to pee on the floor again and laugh about it. I think he was just f%#king with us earlier when he actually peed where he was supposed to pee.

Oh well. It was worth a try.

As for Z-Jay, he's six weeks old today and has reached a new level of infant development. He now wants to be held ALL THE TIME. He's not happy in the swing or the bouncy chair. He's only happy in Mommy or Daddy's arms or in the baby carrier. It's hard to do anything when you have an infant attached to you at all times, so we're not going to crack. It doesn't hurt him to cry a little. It's good for lung development. Perhaps he'll foster a great singing voice or something.

And finally, the Z-Dub and Z-Jay thing is a little confusing for me, so I think it's safe to assume it is for our readers as well. Therefore, for the third time, Z-Jay's blog name is hereby changed. From this point forward he will be referred to as Deuce. This is defined as "the second" of our children and not "shit" as the word is commonly used in slang.

Now I know I've been absent from reading the other great blogs in my reader for the past week or so, but we've been busy with the holidays. So I plan to catch up real soon.

christmas recap

Christmas came and went with all of the festivities befitting such a holiday. There was enormous amounts of food, gifts, kids at play, gingerbread decorating, family conflicts, rounds of Uno Attack, off-key competitions of American Idol Encore 2 on the Wii, coughs and sniffles and togetherness. Who can ask for anything more? Except for better weather, of course. It rained off and on. We spent the day pretty much inside, which is unusual for us. Normally we'll head out to the Bellagio Conservatory to see the sights or go ice skating at Lake Las Vegas. Those will have to wait a couple of days.

Here are some pictures from our Christmas celebration.

Z-Dub and his cousins open their one Christmas Eve gift.

Santa pays Z-Dub and Z-Jay a visit.

Z-Jay just slept during the gift opening extravaganza.

Off to Grandma and Grandpa's house to see the family and open more gifts.

Christmas is over, but I'm sure next year will be here before we know it.

wordless wednesday: bathtime

chronicles of regression and a milestone

We knew it would happen. You know what we're talking about. The inevitable regression of a two-year-old when his world is suddenly turned upside down by the arrival of a new sibling. In Z-Dub's case, the regressive behavior was a little slow to emerge. But it's here now and it's annoying as hell.

The most notable is the bedtime battle we've experienced over the past few nights. It's rather frustrating because he's been great at going to bed in his own bed, in his own room and on his own for the past few months. Now all of a sudden it's a long, drawn out process filled with defiance and, eventually, tears. He's tried everything to get out of going to bed, from hurting body parts to being scared of monsters. These were never issues before. Last night he was tucked in at 9 p.m. and was out of bed pleading, whining and crying more times than I can count. He didn't actually fall asleep until about 11 p.m. And he was so tired the entire time.

After witnessing Z-Jay's feedings, Z-Dub is now insistent that we hold his sippy cup in his mouth while he drinks so as to copy his little brothers feeding style. We're steadfast in our refusal to play along with this game. We're not even going to go there.

During the day, Z-Dub is disobedient, whiny, clingy and the master of "back talk." It's all expected and we're trying to work through these behaviors by giving him as much attention as humanly possible. We're also giving him an active role in helping take care of his brother, which we think is helping. Now if he'd quit trying to pick up and carry his little bro or head butt him that would ease some of our stress.

Now, all of this, along with HotMomma's mastitis , is the reason I haven't been able to update everyday like I normally do. It's also why I've neglected my feed reader once again. I promise to catch up soon. I also really, really need to write another article for UpTake . Where will I find the time? As I write this, Z-Dub is trying to climb up on my lap. He's always pushing buttons. He put our computer into hibernate twice earlier when we were on Skype with my parents in North Carolina.

But it's hard to get angry at a beautiful kid like this:

And, providing equal opportunity for "show off," here's Z-Jay today:

Also, yesterday I gave Z-Dub our camera and let him have some fun. It sure kept him busy for quite a while. Here's some of the pics he took. Let's just say he needs to master his craft a little bit more before declaring his professional status as a photographer.

Z-Dub's cars and a sock.

Z-Dub's foot.

Bathroom cabinets.

Chi-Lo hiding from him under the bed.

The upstairs television.

Daddy.

On a final note, six years ago today HotMomma and I walked down the aisle in holy matrimony. While we can't celebrate this milestone at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas this year as we have the past two years, a day with our growing family is rewarding enough.

Happy Anniversary to my beautiful and caring wife. I can't imagine life without you!!!!

sick day

Poor HotMomma was literally hit with a severe case of Mastitis in the early morning hours. Those you that are familiar with the ailment know how painful it is. I had to call in sick to work today and I'm caring for the kids while she recovers. She's taking a heavy dose of antibiotics, so hopefully she'll be over it soon. I feel sorry for her.

So here I am, getting ready to feed Z-Jay while Z-Dub watches Wall-E on the television. Not that exciting, but it's all I can muster up at this point. I'm tired.

superman!!!

HotMomma visited her parents with the kids yesterday and this was the highlight.

Z-Dub, while holding up his fist in the air: "I'm Superman!!!!"

HotMomma: "Wow, you're Superman. What's your brother?"

Z-Dub: "SuperZ-Jay!!!"

HotMomma: "And what about Sukita (cousin)? Is she Supergirl?"

Z-Dub: "No. She a princess."

HotMomma: "Oh. What about Grandma? Is she Supergrandma?"

Z-Dub: "No. She a witch."

Grandma: "Aye. I'm not a witch!!!"

Just remember Grandma - he said it, not us.

the lost mommy

Z-Dub hasn't quite grasped the concept of being a brother.

Z-Dub: "Daddy, where's Z-Jay's mommy?"

Me: "She's right here." (pointing at HotMomma)

Confused look on his face.

Z-Dub: "Mommy, Z-Jay lost his mommy."

HotMomma: "He did? Where did his mommy go?"

Z-Dub: "She's in the desert." (pointing out the car window) "Z-Jay's mommy is missing."

Many versions of this conversation have been repeated several times over the weekend and Z-Dub still doesn't get it. He refers to Z-Jay as his "baby brother" and cares for him deeply. He always wants to play with him (a little too much) and is concerned if he hears him cry. Despite that, he seems to think Z-Jay was delivered to us by some lost mommy.

sunday morning

It's Sunday morning. It's cold outside and finally starting to feel like the season. HotMomma is off helping host a brunch baby shower with her girlfriends, so it's just me and my two boys...and the dog.

The Christmas tree lights are flickering, the coffee is brewed, breakfast is made and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is on the television, capturing Z-Dub's undivided attention. Z-Jay is sleeping peacefully in his swing. It's my kind of Sunday morning.

Now if I can find time to write the Uptake post I've been trying to get to all week, life would be perfect.

it's done

Thank you to everyone that provided input as we decided whether to circumcise Z-Jay or leave him as nature intended. We considered all of the facts, debated them laboriously and came to our decision to proceed.

It happened this afternoon and it was without obvious complications.

Since we put him through this, I did the honorable thing and was with him in the room during the process. However, I did not watch. Instead, I held his little hand, gently caressed his head and kept eye contact with him during the entire procedure. He cried during the procedural preparations and the administering of local anesthesia, but was calm during the actually cutting. He paid back the doctor with a stream of pee, not once, but twice.

In the end, it looked good. Hopefully, the healing will be as painless as possible.

It's done. He now looks like his brother. Now gone with the anxiety.

heading back to work

My time off for the birth of Z-Jay is coming to an end. I can't believe I go back to work on Monday after nearly two weeks of absence. I'm not looking forward to the overflowing e-mail inbox and the voicemails awaiting my return. It'll probably take me the entire day to play catch up.

I've enjoyed my two weeks off, although they've been exhausting. I forgot about the sleep deprivation that comes with having a newborn. Beginning Monday, it's going to be especially hard to get up for work and also help out in the early morning hours.. Luckily this period of frequent late night feedings and diaper changes won't last too long.

To help out, Z-Dub is off to San Diego with his cousins. He'll be gone all week. He left at around 2 p.m. today and we miss him already. I'm sure he misses us and his brother too.

*******************

Gratuitous Picture Interruption

*******************

Now Back to My Post

HotMomma went Christmas gift shopping for the kids at midnight on Friday and again at 5 a.m. Luckily, now we're pretty much done with all the gift buying for the holiday season. We just have one more gift to buy. We're doing a Secret Santa type gift exchange with her family this year. It takes a lot of stress off of everyone. If we hadn't set it up, we'd have a lot of people to buy for. 

to cut, or not to cut?

We've introduced a second son into the world and now we struggle with decision of whether to circumcise or not circumcise him. I know the practice of circumcision can stir contentious debate, so I expect a lot of passionate comments from both sides. Luckily, we're open to examining all of the "facts" before moving forward.

For the record, Z-Dub was circumcised in an Arizona hospital just a day after birth. It was performed by an experienced pediatrician and it was done before we took him home. It was great because the nurses and doctors were able to keep an eye on his naughty bit to make sure there was no infection and healing was progressing well. And thankfully, he had no adverse results from the ritual, or at least none that we know of.

Here in Nevada the insurance companies don't allow circumcisions to be performed in the hospital. Instead you have to take the baby to the doctor's office after being discharged. It's because of the greed of insurance companies. Performing the procedure in a doctor's office is far less expensive than doing it in a hospital. At least, that's what the folks at the hospital told me. Interestingly, there are a lot of insurance companies now not covering circumcisions as they are now classifying them as cosmetic and, therefore, not a medical necessity.

If we decide to move forward with circumcising Z-Jay we have to take him to his doctor in the next couple of weeks. Now that he's more than a week old we're having reservations about having it done. Will it be more traumatic at this later age? Is a doctor's office the right place for such a procedure? Does having the procedure at a doctor's office increase risks of infection or complications? And, is circumcision necessary? These are just a few questions we've struggled with. Unfortunately, we have to make a decision soon. We only have a month. If we wait longer, it's no longer a procedure the pediatrician can perform. Instead, it becomes a general surgery situation. It's sickening to think of it that way.

If we decide not to do it, will it be weird to have one son circumcised and the other not? Will the difference in appearance create body image issues later in life? We obviously can't answer these questions now, but they are issues we're concerned about.

HotMomma's sister was telling us about an acquaintance that got married to a guy that was not circumcised. She apparently was okay with his uncut tool until after the wedding. She was grossed out by it and demanded that he get a circumcision. And at the age of 28 he did just that. Of course, I think this guy's wife is incredibly selfish. She knew what she was getting. I can't believe the guy went through with it. I've heard of other people going through similar issues. We don't want Z-Jay to be subjected to the same thing. 

We have a lot of deliberating to do this holiday.

adjusting

I feel refreshed. Really, I do. Z-Jay slept an astonishing six hours straight last night. It was awesome, especially after a couple of rough nights when we brought him home. Z-Dub is home from visiting his grandma, auntie and cousins too. Like a typical two-year-old, he hasn't quite grasped the need to be gentle when touching his little brother. He's always shoving toys into Z-Jay's face. "Here Z-Jay, here's a car for you," he says. Yesterday I took Z-Jay out of his bouncy chair for a feeding and found several Matchbox cars tucked under his arms. I love the fact that Z-Dub is so giving, but that was a little much. But, overall, he's adjusting very well in his new role as a big brother. We only had a couple of "time out" moments yesterday. He's also was recently educated about Santa and his gift giving criteria, so the threat of no Christmas presents seems to be a great motivator for good behavior as well.

Z-Jay's jaundice has had us a little worried. On Friday he seemed to turn more yellow. Luckily we had an appointment with the doc that day. They drew blood, which by the way is excruciating painful to watch, and sent it off to the lab to check his bilirubin levels. The number had risen since his phototherapy, but the doctor said it was still in the safe area. Z-Jay is going to be checked again on Monday, but this morning I think he looks a little less yellow. Perhaps the bilirubin level finally peaked and his jaundice is on the retreat. We're crossing our fingers.

Now we're working on getting a routine down. Yesterday it literally took us six hours to get ourselves ready for the day and out of the house. Of course, we all woke up after 9 a.m., including Z-Dub, so we had a late start. We didn't have breakfast until about 11 a.m., so I guess you would consider that brunch. It also seemed like every time we were close to ready Z-Jay would either need to eat or he'd poop. It wasn't that big of a deal as we really didn't have anything pressing to do, but we need to learn to get things moving a little better. I think part of it is HotMomma's adjustment to breastfeeding again. I feel sorry for her. Like she did with Z-Dub, she's having challenges. But she's committed to providing Z-Jay with the same important nutrients that Z-Dub got, so she's keeping it up.Hopefully it will get easier.

That's my update for now. Now we're going to enjoy Z-Jay's first Sunday.

practically twins

I was able to capture a photo of Z-Jay in a similar pose as Z-Dub when he was just days old as well. Check out the remarkable likeness between the two. On the left is Z-Dub in April 2006 and on the right is Z-Jay today.

In additional to their nearly identical appearance, our first night home with Z-Jay was just as rough as our first night home with Z-Dub, except this time we knew what we were doing. I guess 24 hours of sleeping under a phototherapy light was more than enough rest for the little guy. He was wide awake last night and didn't fall to sleep until about 5 a.m. this morning. Needless to say, it was an all night eat and poop fest for him. We didn't get much sleep. Despite that, we're enjoying every moment.

I did take a break from Z-Jay care to accompany Z-Dub and his Auntie and cousins at Chuck E. Cheese's today. He had a blast. 

Now...for all my fellow bloggers, I plan to catch up on the back log of posts in my feed reader as soon as possible. 

the pics you all have been waiting for

We're home from the hospital this evening, but without or little Z-Jay. He developed a serious case of jaundice today and is being treated overnight. We get to pick him up at the hospital tomorrow morning. We can't wait. However, with Z-Dub at his Grandma's house tonight, we're home alone. It will be the last night of uninterrupted sleep for a long, long time.

Now, without further delay, here are some photos of Z-Jay's Birthday.

HotMomma waiting patiently.

HotMomma poses for pics with her mom and sister before the pushing action begins.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Z-Jay didn't wait for the doctor to arrive, so HotMomma's amazing nurses delivered him. He had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, so his tone was a little white at first.

Grandma checks out her new grandson.

The proud parents.

VegasDad and Z-Jay.

Z-Jay takes a nap.

HotMomma's sister with her new nephew.

Cousins.

Z-Dub meets his little bro. 

There will be many, many more photos to come, of course. I can't wait to get a good shot to show side by side with one of Z-Dub's baby photos. I kid you not when I say Z-Jay is a clone of his older bro.