dude, let it out!

I apologize in advance for the content of this post. 

This is yet another post about poop. We're continuing our efforts to potty train young Z-Dub. All of his little friends, many of which are younger than him, are now diaper free, so we're on a mission. He has no issue peeing in the potty. He's had a couple of accidents, primarily due to distraction, but for the most part he has peeing under control.

Our problem is his poop anxiety. He's afraid to do it on the toilet and we've yet to have success with dropping a load into the porcelain throne. In fact, yesterday he was so fearful of the notion, he sat on his little toilet for much of the day without success. Instead of just letting it slide on out, he actually held it in all day long. His poor belly was big and he complained that his "tummy and his butt" hurt. We encouraged him, held his hand and even explained how to relax and push it out. Nothing helped him overcome his fear.

Eventually he went to sleep...late. At 4 a.m., while getting ready to head off to work, HotMomma checked on him. He was asleep with the largest, stinkiest load of poop in his pants. I ended up changing him while he was asleep.

Today he's with his cousin who is six months younger and already potty trained. We're hoping she can encourage him to get over his poop fears.

Any advice?

red rocks and stuff

When HotMomma and I lived in the Phoenix area for a couple of years, we used to enjoy our road trips up to Sedona. It was absolutely beautiful up there among the red buttes. We took off-road jeep tours on the rugged terrain, explored weird vortexes and enjoyed the great restaurants. It was amazing.

Thinking of these past trips, I decided to write an Uptake post on vacationing in Sedona. Of course, now I'm feeling all nostalgic. The article has inspired me to look at booking a Sedona vacation. Although, I'm thinking more of a romantical vacation sans kiddos.

Check out my Sedona post here.

random post about weather and a contest

Like my uber-creative title? I know...it sucks. It's Wednesday and I'm already burnt out from my week, so don't make fun of it.

On to the post. Is it me or is the weather getting freaky? Just two days ago it was in the mid-80s here in Las Vegas. Then the winds came again (they've been a pain in the ass this year) and the weather chilled. Today is supposed to only reach 58. Even more shocking was the fact that when I stepped out the door this morning to head to work it was snowing. Seriously...frickin' snowing in Vegas in mid-April. There's something very wrong with that.

Even more surprising is the fact that the weather predictors are forecasting 90-degree temps by the end of the weekend. It's quite a roller coaster ride going from warm to cold to hot all in the span of a few days. Although I'm not a fan of the cold, I'm definitely not looking forward to the hot weather. I'd like a few weeks in the 70s, like in California. We're going to try to hit Disneyland again next weekend. Hopefully the weather will be perfect.

Speaking of California, the folks over at UpTake are having a contest. You can win a Napa Valley spa vacation for you and three friends. Check out the details here. It's actually really easy to enter, so you'd be a fool not to. I would, if I could. HotMomma would love some girl time in Napa Valley.

a touching tribute

Today is Maddie Spohr's day.  I invite you to visit Mike's touching tribute  to his beautiful daughter.

the weird dream

Ever have a really weird, vivid dream; the kind of dream that you remember every little detail of? I had such a dream last night and I'm still trying to analyze it.

HotMomma, Z-Dub, The Deuce and I were being chased by mobsters and the police simultaneously. We were in a strange city, which, based on the signs, turned out to be Jacksonville, Florida, even though it looked nothing like Jacksonville. There were big hills in the city, like in San Francisco.

At different points in the dream were at the beach, hiding among the throngs of sunbathers. Later we were hiding in a mall and a used car dealership lot. It was there that HotMomma surprised me with her car theft skills as she hot wired a beat up, old, orange VW Bus. Later we were involved in a high speed chase with the police and it did very well around the curves considering the kind of vehicle it was. Later we were on a cruise ship as it was exiting a bay. With the police on board, we jumped off into the water and magically ended up on jet skis. From there we were being chased by mobsters in speed boats. Throughout the dream, innocent folks were falling victim, but somehow we always eluded capture. It was very Jason Bourne.

The dream ended with a real yelp from The Deuce, indicating that he was awake and ready to eat. Just before that happened, in the dream we sought sanctuary in the home of a very nice and helpful lesbian woman who was in the middle of shampooing her carpet. Not that carpet, you perv!

a special birthday video

Obviously our friend Drew has mad skillz. He put together this video of Z-Dub's birthday party last weekend at Bounce U. It's amazing. It makes me smile.



Thanks Drew. You're the man!!!

extreme sadness

I'm speechless...

Goodbye beautiful Madeline Spohr.

Mike and Heather, you're in our thoughts and prayers.

Donations in Madeline's name are being accepted for March of Dimes, an organization dedicated to improving the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

a special thank you

can he be anymore excited?

I finally found time to download videos off the camcorder. Here's one of Z-Dub and his cousin Sukita as we were on the bus heading to the main gate of Disneyland.

happiness

As I was washing off some strawberries and blueberries for Z-Dub to eat for dessert last night...


Z-Dub: "Daddy, you happy?"

Me: "Huh, what did you say?"

Z-Dud: "Daddy, you happy?"

Me: "Yes, I'm happy."

Z-Dub: "You not mad?"

Me: "No, I'm not mad?"

Z-Dud: "I not mad either. I happy too."

of scalpels and fast food

Z-Dub had an appointment with his ENT yesterday. As many of you may know, he's suffered from chronic ear infections since his first infliction when he was eight weeks old. Although he's been doing better over the past few months, the doctor says it's time for new tubes to be placed in his eardrums and surgical removal of both his tonsils and adenoids. Not only will this help alleviate his ear problems, but will also drastically improve his severe snoring problem. Seriously, the boy wakes the neighbors.

His surgery, which will require an overnight stay in the hospital as well as a seven to 10 day recovery, will be scheduled within the next six weeks. We have an appointment to do that on Monday. In the meantime, the doctor wants us to "fatten him up." This is because he'll likely lose weight from his inability to eat following surgery. The doctor sees him as a skinny kid. I was a skinny kid, so he inherited it from me. Nothing wrong with that. And contrary to what the doctor thinks, the kid eats like a pig. But the doctor has recommended that we take him to eat a lot of fast food in the coming weeks, including Wendy's and McDonald's.

My reaction was..."WTF?"

The doctor wants us to feed him crap we've never exposed him to. I don't get it. I'm not about to introduce the kid to something we've worked so hard to avoid in his three years. Many parents can probably attest to the fact that once they get a taste of fast food, they become like crack addicts yearning for more.

It isn't going to happen. We'll try to fatten him up at home, thank you.

Disney Vacay Montage

We're back from our short Disneyland vacation to celebrate Z-Dub's third birthday. It was a fun and exhausting trip and Z-Dub had a blast. We took hundreds of photos, of course, but I thought I'd share just a few. I'm playing catch-up at work today and will be back to regular posting (and reading) tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy!!!

Ready for blast off!

Z-Dub's shirt says "Big Brother: Honor and Defend" and The Deuce's says "Little Brother: Search and Destroy."

Mom and son.

A Goofy encounter.

Excited for Autopia.

Sukita (cousin) and Z-Dub.

Still in line.

HotMomma and cousin DP.

HotMomma and her cousins from Sactown and little DP at Space Mountain.

HotMomma and me.

What's Z-Dub looking at? Perhaps the giant, talking Buzz Lightyear.

Goofing off.

The teacups at night. I couldn't catch a photo of Z-Dub riding. It was too fast for the camera at night.

The Deuce and his Auntie.

Enjoying the fireworks.

The fireworks.

Z-Dub shows off one of his Birthday presents.

Also, Z-Dub refers to Donald Duck as "Donald THE Duck." It's funny when he says it.

And, finally, we fly a lot, but the short 36-minute flight home from SNA to LAS was one of the scariest we've ever experienced on account of the wind. HotMomma was reciting Hail Mary's as I sat in my chair with   white knuckles. Luckily we all made it home in one piece.

the birthday boy!

Today our little man turns three! It's amazing how fast he's grown from a little baby into a bright and fun-loving boy. A "big boy," as he says. He's super smart, handsome and kind. We're so very proud.

Happy Birthday Z-Dub!!!

leavin' on a jet plane...

We're off to the airport this morning to catch a short flight (a hop really) to John Wayne Airport in Orange County. With the kids in tow, we're heading to nearby Anaheim for a very special Disneyland weekend. Z-Dud is excited to see his buddies Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Pluto and the rest of the Disney gang.

Fun times will be had by all and photos will be captured. I can't wait to share. Until then, "hot diggity dog" we're out of here.

tweetle dee...

Jamaipanese posted this YouTube video yesterday. It's so funny, I thought I'd share. Check it out:

 
Speaking of Twitter. You can follow me here.

wordless wednesday

broken bone(r)

I went into the bathroom to check on Z-Dub. He had been finishing up his shower and playing with his Little Einsteins figurines a couple of minutes earlier. I walked in, pulled back the curtain and found him carefully examining his errr...naughty bits. "what are you doing?" I inquired.

"My pee pee is broken," he proclaimed. "I need a new one."

With a bewildered tone I asked "Why is your pee pee broken?"

"It's not up anymore," he replied.

All I could think about was the fact that he's only two, almost three, and the "the talk" appears to be just around the corner.

pee pee and poo poo

Once again I'm writing about poop. When you have a toddler potty training it tends to be a hot topic. As many of you know, potty training Z-Dub has been a huge challenge for us.We've been trying for the past several of months with little to no success.

However, with a sticker chart hanging low on the refrigerator and the promise of toys as rewards for hitting certain milestones, we've had much success in the past couple of weeks. So much so, that yesterday, without any reminders or requests, he went into the bathroom by himself, took off his pants and diaper, sat on his potty chair and filled it up with golden goodness. He was quite proud of it and proceeded to do it two more times within the subsequent hour.

That's where the success ends, because later in the morning he crapped in his diaper three times. Each time I begged him to try the potty, but he absolutely refused. Apparently pooping is traumatic.

So, if anyone has any suggestions on how to get Z-Dub to make mud in the potty instead of his pants, lay it out there for us. Our family and our local landfill will greatly appreciate it.

just another video post

When something is new I tend to over indulge. When I get new music I listen to it until I can't stand it anymore. It's no different with my new camcorder. I'm a bit obsessed with capturing life in digital video and sharing it with the world. So, for the second day in a row, here's a video. This time it features both both Z-Dub and The Deuce. It's cute. It's funny. It's cinematic artistry. Okay, maybe not artistry. I promise, it will be the last one for a while.

i'm no spielberg

I finally purchased my Flip Mino HD camcorder. It's a small and handy little device. It's very basic, but considering the price, you get what you pay for. I made my first video with it last night. It's nothing to write home about...but I guess it's good enough to write a blog post about. It's a little shaky and isn't exactly award-winning cinematography, but I thought I'd share it anyways.

spring is in the air and wine is in the glass

It's that time of year again -- the air is warm and the sun is shining. It's spring, our favorite time of year here in the desert. It's time to enjoy outdoor eating and activities in the park.

It also means it's almost time for UNLVino. For those of you unfamiliar with this annual Las Vegas wine tasting event, it's a must attend if you're here in mid-April. Let's just say the wine is flowing and everybody lets loose and has a great time. I wrote an article about it for Uptake.com. Check it out. If you're from a land afar, you may want to book your flight and hotel reservations today and join us for a couple of days of drinkin'.

Money raised at the event supports my alma mater and they need all the money they can get these days.

R.I.P. Brian O'Neill

After a long, courageous and emotional battle with brain cancer, Brian O'Neill passed away early this morning. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loving wife Angie and their two beautiful boys, Gavin and Grant. We've been following Angie's blog, Keep Believing, for quite some time as she chronicled Brian and her family's heart wrenching journey. With all of the ups and downs with Brian's health and mental state, both Angie and Brian displayed remarkable fortitude.

We wish the family the best as they cope with their loss and begin a new chapter in their lives. If you have a few bucks to spare, donations are being accepted to help the family out during these undoubtedly tough times.

In the words of Angie, KEEP BELIEVING!

brotherly love

curious case of the half bald boy

Some of you may have noticed very few photos lately of The Deuce on this here site. It's not that I haven't overlooked the little fellow. He's the center of attention at our house.

The reason, I'm embarrassed to admit, is bad hair. You see, both Z-Dub and The Deuce were born with a full head of thick black hair. Unfortunately, it falls out shortly after birth, growing back later in a lighter brown hue. In Z-Dub's case, his hair fell out quickly leaving a nice, round and bald melon. For The Deuce, the hair loss has been less than kind. The hair has fallen out on the left side of his head, but the right side, most of the top and back of his head still has thick and long black hair. The remaining hair, particularly on the sides, seems to be coming off slowly.

It simply looks funny.

Want proof?

Here's Z-Dub at four months old.

Here's The Deuce this morning, just a week from four months.

It sort of resembles the hair style of Kim Jong-il. Am I right?

I have a solution...shave the kid's head with some clippers. HotMomma won't let me. What do you think, leave it be or shave it off?

Or, am I a complete ass for caring so much about it?

wordless wednesday: dressed to impress

Anchoring the news on a Saturday night in Las Vegas.

the camera loves him, and so do the girls

Much like Mr. Lady's beautiful daughter, 3of3, Z-Dub had an opportunity to model some threads for RedSparks.com, the Web site where you'll find clothing and accessories for the cool kids. Of course, the camera loving Z-Dub had a blast taking photos, and I think I had equal fun taking them. It was great, creative, father-son bonding time.

We explored gritty downtown Las Vegas on Saturday for an urban backdrop amongst the homeless, hookers and drug dealers. I know, a little too urban for kids clothing, but I thought it was a good environment. Please don't call CPS. On Sunday we went a little more wholesome with photos at the upscale District at Green Valley Ranch, a park and our neighborhood. We literally took more than 200 photos and I don't know which RedSparks.com will be using, but here are a few unedited shots for your viewing pleasure.

The urban collection:

The wholesome boy:

By the way, the shirt and pants provided to Z-Dub for the photos were really cool. He really, really liked them. In fact, on Sunday night he had a bit of a tantrum when we tried to remove them for shower time.

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.

where did my week go?

I can't frickin' believe it's Friday already. The week flew by so quickly. Probably because I was so busy, especially at work. I have so much to write about and I plan on catching up this weekend. I promise.

divine intervention?

Call it divine intervention or a random miracle, but either way we got some unexpected great news today. CK underwent a cath procedure this morning to determine the severity of his heart failure in preparation for either a mitral valve catheter balloon valvuloplasty or mitral valve replacement later this week. Amazingly, the doctors at Duke discovered that instead of the worsening mitral valve they detected last month after his open heart surgery to correct his Aorta, his condition had improved. Shock was an understatement. The doctors said they had never seen a case where the condition improved. Usually the opposite occurs. They conducted several diagnostic tests this afternoon that confirmed their findings.

I'm not a super religious person at all, but I'm confident in saying that CK was touched by the hand of God. Perhaps he heard all of your prayers and/or witnessed all of the acts of human kindness.

CK was discharged today and is heading home with my sister and the rest of the family. For now he's in great shape. Of course, this miraculous change of events doesn't mean he's out of the woods completely. He has multiple congenital heart defects that will require medical intervention in the future. He will be monitored regularly, but for now he gets to be an active, happy little boy.

Thanks again to all of you that have donated money to help my sister and her family. And, of course, thanks to all of you that offered hope, thoughts and prayers. 

mission incompletion

Z-Dub is obsessed with Little Einsteins these days. He watches it regularly and proudly yells "mission completion!" at the end of each episode. As I watched him excitedly watch his program this morning, I wondered, what if the mission isn't completed? What if they actually failed? It would teach a valuable lesson -- life doesn't always turn out perfect. Missions aren't always completed, just look at Iraq.

I can picture the episode now. Since they're so used to their perfect lives, those little characters wouldn't know how to handle the failure. Leo the conductor would probably hit the bottle to drink away his failure. His little sister Annie would probably end up knocked up after a night of seeking comfort with strangers. Little June, the dancer, would probably turn to pole dancing. Wanting more out of life, she'd end up turning tricks. Finally, Quincy would probably end up selling dope on a street corner.

Now that would make an interesting cartoon, wouldn't it?