The director and the doctor

This morning Greta declared that she wanted to play doctor. Before I could respond, she ran to retrieve her doctor's kit, returned, and delivered the following monologue to set the scene: "Lincoln is the doctor. You are the patient. You are going to have a baby, and I am the baby."

Much to her brother's delight, she placed the stethoscope around his neck and said, "You're the doctor, Linc. Check mom out." Then she curled up on my lap in a ball, since I was supposed to be pregnant.


Lincoln listened to my heart, poked me repeatedly in the eyes, and slapped around the blood pressure cuff. I spared Greta the reality of my pregnancies (admission to the hospital for both of them at 28 weeks) and instead translated his babbling to mean that I was healthy, and that it was time for the baby to be born and get checked out by the doctor. Greta rolled off my lap on the rug and let Lincoln examine her, too. Amid giggles and pokes, she said she was fine, too.
Then Greta declared it was time to play chase, and we (Lincoln and I) were "it." What wonderful playmates they are...fingers crossed they continue to be!

A berry special treat

When Grandma Vickie visited last month, she and Greta planted strawberries in our backyard. We have checked the plants every few days since then, patiently waiting for Greta's favorite fruit to appear. I wish I had the camera handy to capture the joyous expression on her face when she discovered a ripened berry today. Fortunately, she was willing to wait to pick it because I told her that Daddy would want to see pictures. So, Daddy in D.C., I hope you enjoy these as much as she enjoyed her first strawberry of the season!

"Uck"

Add another word to Lincoln's list. This morning we watched the birds at the feeder and he yammered "uck, uck, uck, uck" while pointing. This afternoon Carey was strolling with the kids down at the local pond and he pointed again, adding the "d." Carey pressed him for confirmation -- "duck?" -- and he pointed again, nodded, and said, "duck." Of course, it all happened so fast we don't have a picture.

I'm off to D.C. on business for a few days, leaving this blog in Carey's capable hands. Back Friday for a long weekend with cousins Kate and Lauren.

A memorable Memorial Day celebration

Greta and Lincoln had a fabulous time in Syracuse with Grandma Vickie and Grandpa Larry. We arrived at 1:30 on Sunday afternoon, just in time to help Grandma plant tomatoes in her garden.

Then the cousins arrived, first Ryan, with Aunt Chris, and then Matthew, Allison, and Emily with Uncle Abel and Aunt Colleen. It was the first time we'd all been together since Christmas 2005 (according to mom, it was the best birthday present ever)! Ten-year-old Ryan entertained everyone with his magic tricks: making a coin float, performing various card tricks, and tearing up a piece of paper and making it whole again.

Grandma's backyard provided hours of fun, running obstacle races, playing "What time is it, Mr. Shark?" and rolling races down the hill. I hadn't laughed so hard in a long time... especially when I rolled right over Greta! (She was fine and giggled as loud as me!)



The BBQ was scrumptious, with four yummy homemade birthday pies to choose from: coconut cream, strawberry vanilla cream, chocolate pudding, and lemon meringue! It seemed very wrong that Grandma Vickie made her own birthday desserts, but she wouldn't have it any other way. Lucky us! Greta enjoyed two pieces of strawberry vanilla cream. After dessert, we hurried to the the Watchfire
at the Fairgrounds, to honor our veterans and participate in the ceremonial retirement of hundreds of Old Glories. Despite the late hour (it didn't end until 9:30!), Greta and Lincoln both stayed awake and were awestruck by the site as well as the heat and Grandpa Larry's moustache.

On Monday, Greta enjoyed going to a local parade with Grandma and Grandpa while Linc joined me and his two aunts to spruce up Grandpa Bob's grave in Ellisburg, N.Y.. Now sporting a new yellow rose bush, two silver mounds, a hollyhock, and oodles of purple pansies, it looks great. When we got back to Syracuse in the early afternoon, Greta and Grandma were sound asleep... exhausted from a day of fun in the sun: gardening, feeding fish, making flower bouquets. Greta even enjoyed a dip in the hot tub!

Tuesday and Wednesday brought lots of time with cousins Allison and Emily. It is a little scary to think of how much trouble the three of them are going to get into together in five years or so...

All in all, an awesome time... only thing missing was Daddy! We promised Grandma it won't be another 2 1/2 years before we do it again.

Reunited

It was a little anti-climactic, since I got in last night around 8 p.m. and both kids were soundly asleep. But I spent a minute staring at them both in their beds, and a wonderful feeling of peace came over me. They truly are my life. To borrow a phrase from one of my celluloid heroes, Jerry Maguire, they complete me.

Carey's working up the courage to share a few stories and lots of photos, but I'll give you this one, which I think we all agree pretty much sums up the excitement we're feeling heading into the weekend as a family.

Bachelorhood, what, again?

Yes, my family loves me. Yes, my marriage has never been better. But yes, we live four hours from family now and Carey is a fulltime Mom. So Carey and the kids just left for a few days in Syracuse. On their agenda -- Grandma Vickie's birthday and Grandpa Larry's annual family cookout.

Which leaves me here, working even on Memorial Day. My agenda remains the same, with a couple tweaks -- "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," a mountain bike ride (my first in, we think, two years!), and a thorough household cleansing.

Everybody will be back Thursday, and we'll post plenty of photos. Until then, here's a quick video of Lincoln discovering bipedalism. Nobody, by the way, correctly predicted when he would crawl. He's just starting to lift his belly off the floor for a few feet, but it looks like he's primed to go directly from commando crawling to walking.

Hef, eat your heart out

Our bunny modeling plastic heels too mature for a 3-year-old. Also, Dad, your first look at the cedar on the back porch.

A family that eats together...

Carey snapped this pic of the kids sharing a moment -- and a biter biscuit -- after dinner tonight.

She thought it was so good she held the camera around the doorway and recorded a video, too.

Just a funny photo

Carey snapped this on the drive back from D.C. last week. Does this look comfortable?

Maternal love

I posted a variation of this on Sunday, but this one is better cropped and lit. I have no idea why every member of my family is better looking than me, but I'm not complaining.

Celtic pride

It's more than a little strange for this Yankees fan to cheer for the BOSTON Celtics, but since my devotion to the team goes back nearly 30 years, I found myself on the edge of my seat yesterday during Game 7 against Cleveland. And I wasn't alone, as you can see.

Weekend update

Sure is nice to be a family unit again. We had a splendid Saturday filled with sunshine, errands and yard work. Carey even found time to get her haircut. You like?

Later in the afternoon, the kids mobbed me while I tried to will the Yankees to beat the Mets. Didn't work.

Also Saturday, I snapped this pic of Greta posing proudly in front of her spinning lawn ornament and some of the flowers she planted with Grandma Vickie.

Hope yours was as lovely.

Sweet, Sweet Virginia always keeps an open door

We had a great trip to Virginia last week (click for slideshow). The kids were first-rate travelers, sleepers, playmates and eaters. The only thing that would have made it better would be having daddy with us! We enjoyed staying with Aunt Kathy in Ballston, with the convenience of the metro, library, playground, and restaurants literally at our fingertips. While I got to relax and enjoy her wonderful hospitality, the kids especially loved playing with her kitties and watching the traffic 15 stories below her Alta Vista sun room.
We spent Wednesday at the National Zoo with my cousin, Becki, who was in town from Denver with her husband, Jay, and adorable two-year-old son, Ethan.
Greta's favorite animals this trip were the flamingos...not really surprising in light of her recent love of all things pink. After a long day at the zoo, we went back to Becki and Jay's for dinner and some serious playtime with Ethan's Thomas the Train paraphernalia. While she was sad to say goodbye, Greta is very excited to have a new penpal!
On Thursday, Lincoln enjoyed his first metro ride, while Greta charmed all the men in blue suits by showing off her new butterfly bracelet from the zoo and telling them all about pink flamingos. Of course, her verbosity immediately ceased when we arrived at my old office to say hi to everyone...she chose to hide under the stroller canopy. Lincoln impressed everyone with his toothy grin and upward finger-pointing declaration of "LIGHT!" as we walked down the halls. Unfortunately he didn't get to have the much anticipated afternoon playdate with Kay Taylor, but her daddy assured me we'd reschedule soon. Thursday evening brought Jay Leonard Humphreys to Ballston for a romp in the park, stomp in the puddles, and chomp at Cosi. It was a great way to finish up our visit. We can hardly wait to see everyone again!

Bachelorhood (again)

Just a note to tell readers we won't post again until Saturday. Carey and the kids are driving down to D.C. and spending a few days with family and friends. They'll be home Friday with photos and stories that we'll try to share on Saturday.

On my agenda? Clean the house, ride my bike, and watch Iron Man. Not necessarily in that order.

To tide you over until we post again, here's the best family photo from Mother's Day.

Mommy & Me

We had a lovely Mother's Day brunch at Raymond's in nearby Montclair, N.J. and then a low-key afternoon finished off with a pork roast. I gave the girls their present in the morning and they modeled them last night. Mommy & Me PJs from PajamaGram! A huge hit with Greta, who I predict will not wear anything else for at least the rest of May. Which, of course, means I can forget about any lingerie on Mommy!

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

Thanks, Greta and Lincoln, for making this day mean so much to me. At times I can't believe I am actually a mom, and at other times, I can't imagine being anything else. You are my world, and I love you both immensely.

Grandma & Grandpa, again!

It's a family visit record -- Grandma Vickie left on Wednesday, Grandma Pat & Grandpa Jerry arrived on Friday! Greta & Lincoln are pretty much in heaven. Not to mention Rob & Carey. Had a pretty low-key Saturday. A little yardwork, a little shopping, lots of snuggling. I'll post some photos of Greta and the grandparents later, but for now here's a study of Linc's facial expressions. He really does smile, but it takes some effort, or tickling. His default expression borders on brooding, sometimes with a touch of whimsy. I told him when he was just 1-week-old that the world is a deadly serious place and he had better stay focused if he's going to be the one to solve its problems.

Remember him?

Not enough Linc stories of late. This post will rectify that. Little dude is a crawling fool, still commando style, but much faster. He'll follow you all the way across the room, around the corner, into another room. I put him on the farthest corner of our living room rug (a 5x7 oriental) with a few toys the other morning, walked into the hallway between our LR and kitchen to use the bathroom, and he was tugging on my pant leg before I had my hands washed.

He's just starting to love assisted walking, that odd hunchback shuffle parents are forced to do when their child's coordination is running way behind their imagination. This is why the Real Estate God created Center Hall Colonials -- to do laps.

We think his first word will probably be "kitty." When he sees Jinx he gets very animated and lets out a high-pitch, "hi-kee." Jinx tolerates him for now, but once Lincoln is more mobile, I have a feeling we'll be seeing much less of our preferred feline. Or maybe Greta will balance that out. She's old enough now to really pet Jinx and give him the attention he craves.

And finally, it looks like we've raised another very good eater. Grandma Vickie was impressed by his appetite. Now that he's eating almost everything we do, you can almost see the wonder on his face when we sit down for a meal. In the last week alone he's sampled buttermilk biscuits, a strawberry/cheese danish and spaghetti and meatballs.

A very busy visit!

Grandma Vickie left on Wednesday. The dishes are already piling up, bath time was very boring last night, and for the first time in five days, I ate the same dinner as Greta.

Steppin' out II

New high heels for her birthday. Because at the age of 3, you should have at least two pair.

Three's the charm

Happy birthday, my little princess! In the last year you have grown into a talkative, imaginative, humorous little girl. Despite your stubborn streak, your control issues, or your insistence on only wearing pink clothing, you remain my beautiful, sweet cuddle bunny. You love flowers and animals, books and princess paraphernalia. Your daddy and I are so blessed to have you in our lives. You are a precious daughter, a wonderful big sister and a very caring friend. I can hardly wait to see how you continue to grow in the coming year. I love, Love, LOVE you!!!

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl

At this exact minute three years ago, Greta Corleen Merrill changed our lives forever. Here's how I summarized it in the journal I kept during our 20-day hospital stay:

How you entered the world: Scarlet, wet, tiny, crying. When they pushed on your skin, it looked like sunburn. You peed on the pediatric nurse, all over her blouse. You emptied your bowels about three minutes into your life, too. These are the things that make fathers proud. As for vitals, you were 4 lbs., 3 oz., and 17.6" long. Your feet were up by your ears when they tugged you out. It's 3:11 p.m. now - you're five hours old.

It all seems so far away now, as I watch you planting flowers with Grandma or herding your friends on the playground. You're an amazing little girl and I'm the luckiest father in the world.

Par-tay!

The birthday bash was a huge success. Greta requested a flower theme, and Mommy and Grandma Vickie went all out.

The kids (8 of 'em ranging from 9 mos. to 9 years) started with a flower crown craft. Greta refused to use the foam stickers to spell her name, but she made a beautiful ladybug crown.

Next up was cake, a spectacular Betty Crocker Super Moist yellow with a splash of green food coloring and pink and green frosting.

We capped things off with a round of pin the butterfly on the flower. Nobody but Grandma Vickie would wear the blindfold, resulting in a nice orderly row of flowers.

Greta opened a few gifts, but we have half a dozen more to tear into later this afternoon. I'll give a full report on our friends' largesse later.

Signs of spring

Grandma Vickie arrived this afternoon. The purpose of her visit is three-fold: 1) Plant enough flowers to qualify our house for the Philadelphia Flower Show; 2) Cultivate our garden so when she leaves we can nurture carrots, squash and green beans to death; and 3) Celebrate the 3rd birthday of Greta Corleen Merrill (observed on Saturday, official on Monday).

I just got home about an hour ago, but can so far report that the kitchen dishes are done, the house smells like birthday cake and there are about 45 varieties of flowers in the soil below our front bushes.

Steppin' out

Sorry for the two-day break. I think Carey exhausted herself with her recent fit of blogging and I was just feeling kind of blase about life. Just found this photo in our archives. Note the high heels. My little baby is growing up way too fast.