Countdown...

Dear Nicky,

Today was a tense and tiring day. Yiayia refuses to get out of bed, and Papou's always underfoot. It really is like having two other infants around. Tomorrow I'm driving them all the way back to New Hampshire, can you believe it? Boy, that's gonna be a lot of fun.

Love,
Dad

Good news, bad news...

Dear Nicky,

So you and June had a pretty nice day. Granny came in the afternoon and brought some stew for us all to have, which was nice, since there really hasn't been much time to cook. Papou was very loving to you all day, and Yiayia kept going on about how beautiful both you and your sister are. Later, I took them to the nearby urgent care clinic because Yiayia's still in a lot of pain, is nauseous, and hasn't eaten or drank hardly anything. I was especially worried because she had black spit-up for a while, and that could indicate internal bleeding. Well, they took some more X-rays, ran some blood tests, looked her over, and the good news is she didn't have internal bleeding. The bad news is she has a compression fracture of one of her backbone disks. The doctor said she couldn't tell if it was old or recent. She gave her some prescriptions and we'll see how those go. We were there five hours, while you were here with Mom and Granny. It was a long day, and I think there's a few more ahead of us, I'm afraid.

Love,
Dad

Somewhat better...

Dear Nicky,

Today was a lot of work. Basically it was like taking care of four infants. My mom kept saying she was worse than before. My father and I kept trying to get her to stand up and move around a little to loosen up her muscles. It was like pulling teeth. She ate and drank nothing. It's been quite worrisome. And I've been going all day. We skipped Stones today, canceled OT, and gave the nanny the day off. Nothing productive would have come from any of those, so why bother? You and Junie were much better rested today and in much better moods. To their credit, despite their difficult natures, Yiayia and Papou were very loving toward you and your sister. Today was very tiring, but somehow I feel better.

Love,
Dad

Worse than expected...

Dear Nicky,

Today was worse than I could have imagined regarding Papou's and Yiayia's arrival. They didn't tell me the bus line, number, gate, or arrival time. I was just supposed to magically discern what time they would get to the bus station, so I figured around noon or one, so once I picked you guys up from daycare, off we went into the city. You tried to sleep, but Junie basically cried the whole way in, because she was tired and couldn't go to sleep. So the traffic in the city was bad. I must've circled Port Authority ten times looking for my parents, but they were nowhere to be seen, so I parked and took you guys on patrol. We looked everywhere but there was no sign, so after a couple hours I decided you guys had had enough. I figured my dad would take a cab just to spite me, and that they would end up getting to our house before us. I kept checking my cell phone and the home machine, but no message. Finally, we got home. You guys were asleep and I carried you up and put you in your cribs and then saw there was a message. It was my father. Yiayia fell down getting off the bus and had to go to the emergency room. I called Mom at work and she went and stayed with them while they were in the hospital and brought them home after. Yiayia wasn't badly hurt, but she has no tolerance for pain, so any pain to her is unbearable. Thanks to Mom's heroic efforts, they all made it here. Papou's mad at me because I told him if he'd listened to me, this wouldn't have happened. And it's true. I'm very mad myself about it. So here they are, they didn't even get to see you guys, because you poor kids were wiped out with tiredness and hunger and went to bed early. Frankly, they're a lot of trouble, and that's a fact.

Love,
Dad

Batten down the hatches...

Dear Nicky,

Well, Papou and Yiayia are actually coming down to visit tomorrow. They're coming by bus. I begged them to take a plane into Newark, because it would be so easy to collect them, but no, they refused. The reason? My father doesn't want to take his shoes off in order to pass through airport security. I'm actually quite angry about this. My father seems to think it's an easy cab ride from New York's Port Authority to New Providence, New Jersey. I should just leave them to take a cab. Good luck. Maybe that would teach them a lesson. But no, I have to play the role of a dutiful son and schlep myself and you guys all the way into the city, into the filth and congestion, just because your grandfather is the stubbornest man on the planet. It'll be nice once we get home, but what a pain in the butt it's going to be to collect them, take my word. Well, it'll be an adventure.

Love,
Dad

The Patch...

Dear Nicky,

So I've been smoking since my trip to LA in July. Not too much and never around you kids. I'd quit seven years ago or so, and I hadn't had any till recently. But with the stress of the contractors and the painters and Junie, I was reluctant to give it up. But I finally did. This morning I put a nicotine patch on my arm, which helps me resist any physical cravings I might have for cigarettes. I had a headache for most of the day, but it's always better not to smoke. Today with Rob your PT you practiced standing and it looks like you're making some progress. I can't wait for you to walk, little dude.

Love,
Dad

Street fair...

Dear Nicky,

Today was beautiful weather and they had a street fair downtown, so we went. You didn't nap this morning, so naturally you fell asleep in the stroller on the way. It was a nice, humble little fair, not too big and not too crowded. At one end of it they had pony rides and a little petting zoo. When we came home, we went to BJs to get more diapers, wipes, and waters, then we came home and made dinner: spaghetti and meatballs. Yum! Granny made a surprise appearance, still looking frazzled from hosting Aunt Za and Cousin Noah. She wanted to borrow one of your older feeding chairs. I gave her some scotch with ice and she left less frazzled.

Love,
Dad

Aunties and cousins...

Dear Nicky,

Today was a rainy day, so I couldn't do any of the yardwork I had planned, so I went with Mom and you guys out to Granny's to see Aunt Za and your cousin Noah. You two seem to like each other a lot, so it was nice. Also present was Miles the dog, who fascinates you. Soon Aunt Dutchy showed up with your uncle John and all your girl cousins, whom you adore. Aunt Dutchy was in a fould mood, however, but she lightened up a little as the day wore on. Then Uncle Matt showed up, then Uncle Jon, who was holding you inattentively so that you knocked over a lamp and a glass of wine. Granddaddy was upset at the idea of Granny's anger. But the day ended okay and it was fun overall.

Love,
Dad

Sciatica...

Dear Nicky,

Sciatica is when a nerve in your hip that runs to your leg is pinched or squeezed and it makes you uncomfortable. That's what I've got going on now. This morning you didn't eat much breakfast, but you had a big lunch. The door guys came and gave us a new door, and the painter came to finish everything up. We're finally done with contractors for a while I think. Mom took you guys to Granny's where Aunt Za is visiting with Miles the dog, whom you adored. She'll probably take you there again tomorrow. Tomorrow's supposed to be hot, and that means...pool!

Love,
Dad

Done painting...?

Dear Nicky,

I think we might be fairly done with the painters. The door guys are coming tomorrow, so we'll hopefully have a new door--again. Your speech therapist came early while you were sleeping, so I sent her on her way. For dinner tonight you had pizza. That's about it. Busy, yet nothing exciting. Except for your passport which came today!

Love,
Dad

Daddy's beat...

Dear Nicky,

Took you and Junie to daycare for a couple hours. You really seemed to enjoy it. Later I finally fixed the kitchen faucet. I hope it stays fixed. You didn't eat so great for dinner. Junie freaked out a lot this evening. That's about it.

Love,
Dad

Some steps...?

Dear Nicky,

We went to Stones today. You must work hard because you fell asleep as soon as we got into the car afterward. The painters are almost done with the house. Your PT was quite excited this afternoon because you took some steps. I think that's great, but I hope I didn't hurt his feelings by not being excited enough. I was very happy to see it, but maybe I didn't show it enough. For dinner you had some veggie bites. A first you refused, then you ate a fair amount. You had some ice cream for dessert. You love ice cream.

Love,
Dad

Storytime...

Dear Nicky,

So today a little after your PT session with Rob, we three went down to the public library for a little storytime thing. It's only 20 minutes long. We sang some songs and did some counting. You really seemed to like it, and Junie was all over the place. Afterward, we came home and took naps. You did your usual wake-up thing halfway into your nap, so I picked you up and stuck you in our bed and made you all warm and cozy. You whimpered gratefully and took a long nap. Then when you woke up I tried to give you lunch but you still seemed sleepy, so I put you back into your crib where you slept for another hour or so, then were fine.

Love,
Dad

Some advice...

Dear Nicky,

When you're older, always try to be a good person who works hard and doesn't let the everyday hardships of life get you down. It won't always be easy; life's full of challenges and surprises. But if you keep your head, if you keep cool, you'll do well. Try to be nice to people as often as you can, which is not to say let people walk all over you. Stand up for yourself and be a good person and a good man.

Love,
Dad

Rumblings...

Dear Nicky,

Mom and I went out to dinner tonight and we had a nice girl named Laura come over and be your sitter. You guys were asleep of course, and luckily for her you guys stayed asleep. Dinner was nice. But I must've eaten something that didn't agree with me, because now my stomach is rumbling and churning. I was still a little stressed over the contractors working on our house. I just wish they'd hurry up and be done. I find it very tiring dealing with these guys, hence I've been tired all the time. This afternoon we got you and June some new shoes. She took to 'em just fine, happily toddling about. But you? Not so much. It'll cone eventually.

Love,
Dad

Apologies again...

Dear Nicky,

Sorry, pal, I'm just spent again.

Love,
Dad

Sorry, pal...

Dear Nicky,

I like to post at the end of the day when the whole day is done, but sometimes at the end of the day I'm really tired and I can barely see the screen. A nice post is coming tomorrow, I promise.

Love,
Dad

IOU I don't know the number...

Dear Nicky,

Just wanted to say I love you and that I'm so proud of you.

Love,
Dad

Goldurn kids...

Dear Nicky,

Gosh, your sister was fussy today. Hysterical, even. I think she tires you out too with her shrieking. I'm exhausted.

Love,
Dad

Some catching up...

Dear Nicky,

So yesterday I did some good chores and we went to the pool at Granny's and you kids had a great time. You love the pool! Afterward, you ate really well. Today was more of the same, except Mom took you guys while I did more chores, but you still had a great time and ate a ton of food, including vegetables. Hallelujah!

Love,
Dad

IOU # ?

Dear Nicky,

Little pal, I'm just too sleepy right now.

Love,
Dad

Nervous...

Dear Nicky,

So this week we've had contractors all over the house. We got a new door installed that took two days, and we've had painters scraping and sanding the house in preparation for painting. Today the painter guy came over to powerwash the house and his machine broke down before he could even start. Fortunately I have one of my own that he used, so we didn't lose the day while he went to get his fixed. I asked him to put the rain gutters they took off earlier back because we might get some rain this weekend, and he did, but not very securely, so I have to check them all tomorrow. I'll be glad when all is done with these guys. Having strangers working on your house is nervewracking for me because they're doing things that are foreign to me and I'm not sure I can judge their quality. I can only hope for the best, that they know what they're doing and not trying to take advantage of me. In more cheerful news, you and I had some fun rocking out to some music on my computer this evening, which is always a lot of fun.

Love,
Dad

Sand and scrape...

Dear Nicky,

The painter guys came today and scraped and sanded the house in preparation for painting. I'm just beat, don't know why.

Love,
Dad

New door...

Dear Nicky,

Well, we finally got the new door for the front of the house. It's beautiful, but they didn't finish it yet. They have to come back tomorrow. Once it's done, we'll paint the house and it'll be like a brand-new house. It'll be nice!

Love,
Dad

Labor Day 2007, and a safari...

Dear Nicky,

Today was Labor Day, an unofficial end to the summer. It was a beautiful day and we decided to do something interesting and go on an adventure. So we all went to Great Adventure, a theme park in South Jersey about an hour and half away. On the way down, you ate a bunch of Burger King hash browns and softly asked for more. We wanted to go to the drive-through safari they have at Great Adventure. It's more like a drive-through zoo, since a safari is when you go into the wild where the animals live for real and are totally free to move around. Some animals today were indeed free to move around, but they were mostly ostriches and gazelles. They were kind of boring. It would've been nice to see some tigers and lions moving around freely, but they were all fenced in, as were most of the animals. And as it was a warm day and the noon sun was strong, they were all taking naps for the most part. It was more fun to watch your reactions. The whole ride down, neither you nor Junie took a nap, which Mom and I were counting on you to do. Five minutes from the park, you guys went to sleep, then woke up fussing shortly thereafter. We didn't know what to do till one of the ticket salespeople said we should park in this little rest area, see if you could calm down, then perhaps carry on. That's exactly what we did. The rest area was near a big rollercoaster, which totally fascinated you guys into peacefullness and allowed us to do the safari, which took about an hour. Afterward, we thought about checking out the theme park, especially the Wiggles show, but you guys were too tired so we came home and grilled some hot dogs and hamburgers, which were really good, but which you ate none of. And just like that the day was done.

Terribly sorry...

Dear Nicky,

For maybe the second time in the history of this little journal I didn't make a post last night. Mom and I had a terrible, terrible fight. I went out for a while and when I came home I just wanted to go to bed. I didn't want to write to you with such anger and sadness in my heart. People can really lose their tempers when they're tired and stressed and say things they don't mean. It doesn't make them bad people; it just means they're human. Occasionally it's good to blow off steam because it's healthier in the long term instead of keeping it bottled up inside. But just know that I love your Mom and she loves me and we love our little family.

Love,
Dad