Strange dreams...

Dear Nicky,

I've been having some strange dreams lately, scary ones. I thinks it's because I haven't done enough cardio work, so I went to the gym this morning when you went to church. It was just what I needed. Later Mom took you out to Granny's, which always seems to result in her coming home in a bad mood. Tonight I think I'll sleep well.

Love,
Dad

Dark yesterday...

Dear Nicky,

Yesterday was a tough, tricky day for me, and I was feeling bad like I haven't felt in a while. Today I feel better.

Love,
Dad

I think I try...

Dear Nicky,

I think most of the time I'm a pretty good parent. I think I try to do my best for you.

Love,
Dad

Too much coffee...

Dear Nicky,

I had three cups of coffee today, which is too much for me. I ate reasonably well and took my vitamins, but so much coffee made me tense and jittery yet sleepy at the same time. Now I also seem to be having some niacin flush as well, and I feel hot and sweaty.

Love,
Dad

Lie down with Daddy...

Dear Nicky,

This afternoon you came home and you seemed a little tired. I hope you're not coming down with something again. After I took off your shoes and socks, you seemed groggy, so I asked you if you wanted to go lie down with Daddy. You replied, "Yeah." So we lay down together for a little while. You must've just needed a catnap, for shortly thereafter you sprung up and said, "Wake up now." You had pizza bagels and a banana for dinner, then I gave you a bath and put you to bed.

Love,
Dad

Back to business...

Dear Nicky,

It was back to school again this morning. Initially you were a little cranky, but I made you laugh it off. You had some difficulty sleeping last night and I thought you might sleep better in our room, but you didn't and you kept me up all night as well. I was very tired this morning; my tail was really dragging. But I managed to make it down to the gym anyway. Junie was pretty good all day. I made you guys some tenderloin for dinner, and you ate a lot of it, your sister not so much.

Love,
Dad

Memorial Day, 2009...

Dear Nicky,

What a great weekend we had. Mom and I are quite proud of ourselves for providing you kids with an enjoyable time for a number of consecutive days. Thursday afternoon you had the playdate. Friday you saw your cousins. Saturday was Granddaddy's birthday party. Sunday we hosted the relatives for bagels and juice and had dinner out just the four of us. And today we enjoyed the Memorial Day parade, then a picnic with a clown at Junie's school. You kids interacted brilliantly with the clown and the other kids. There were rabbits, ferrets, chickens, mice, and chinchillas. Initially we were a little concerned that this party was going to be a dud, but it proved to be a lot of fun. Later we went out to Granny's for a spell, then home for a bath and straight to bed. A hugely successful Memorial Day!

Love,
Dad

A birthday...

Dear Nicky,

Sorry I was so brief yesterday, but it was a long and tiring day. It was Granddaddy's 70th birthday and we went all the way out to Pennsylvania to Aunt Duchy's house. You and June had a great time with all your cousins. At the end of the day we were all exhausted. This morning a bunch of relatives came over here for bagels and juice. Mom and I were rushing around under a lot of stress trying to get all things ready. Everything turned out well, and one of the Irish relatives absolutely adored you, as does everyone else. Later we went out to dinner, then watched Toy Story on DVD. I gave you a snoot of Motrin before bed because your arm still looks red and swollen from your shots the other day. Your spirits have been great, however.

Love,
Dad

Wiped the heck out...

Dear Nicky,

Slept poorly last night. On the go all day. Super tired. Will catch you up tomorrow.

Love,
Dad

Star Trek...

Dear Nicky,

This afternoon you came home early, and we put you down for a nap. Then Mom woke you shortly thereafter to take you for your four-year checkup. Everything's as fine as can be expected. Then she took you and June out to Granny's for a spell, and I went to see the new Star Trek movie, which was really good. Then I got some picture hanging materials and went to Barnes and Noble.

Love,
Dad

Just this...

Dear Nicky,

All I want to say is this: you are a love sponge. Not only can you soak up love without limit, but you also draw out endless rivers of love from me, which makes me feel good about myself.

Love,
Dad

It puzzles me...

Dear Nicky,

I know you're just a little boy, but you can sure hurt my feeling sometimes. Nothing major, I don't want to get into it. I just don't get it. Don't worry; no hard feelings.

Love,
Dad

Sleepless...

Dear Nicky,

No, not you--me; I can't sleep, and I'm gonna pay for it tomorrow. You were kind of fussy this morning when I sent you off, but you apparently had a nice day, and you came home sunny as always. You peed on the potty, which was nice. You drank plenty and ate okay, so that's something.

Love,
Dad

So-called "event"...

Dear Nicky,

You're such a good sport and a naturally buoyant spirit that you can find joy in almost any surrounding (except Anguilla). You proved it this afternoon, when I took you and your sister to West Orange for this fundraiser Mom was in charge of for your school. The place was a dump, a dingy, smelly, rundown old Elks hall. Why they had it there I can't imagine. It was hot and crowded inside, cold and windy outside. The food was wet and mediocre; no wonder you didn't eat any. A whole mess of disabled adults from group homes showed up and hogged all the space at the tables and convulsed on the dance floor, oblivious to the little kids who were dancing there, too--like you and June. Despite all this genuine suckiness, you really seemed to have a nice time. You loved dancing, and you followed the uninspired DJ's instructions perfectly. We three stayed a goodly time, then we left Mom there to do her thing for the rest of the afternoon. You passed out in the car not five minutes later.

Love,
Dad

My bad...

Dear Nicky,

I thought today would be an exercize class at Stones, but I wrong. So you went to Music Together with Mom and June and had a great time. Later we had a babysitter come over and watch you guys; Mom and I went to dinner, then to the books store. Some thrills, eh, Nicky?

Excuse me...

Dear Nicky,

Excuse me for not writing last night. It had felt like a long and tiring day and not much was going on anyway. Much like today. There's not a whole lot to report most of the time, not anything new I mean. And I'm so liquid-brained most of the time I don't think I can say much else other than recapping the days events. Tomorrow we go to Stones for their Special Olympic stuff.

Love,
Dad

IOU a post, Thursday, May 14, 2009...

Dear Nicky,

Sorry buddy, my tail's really been dragging today.

Love,
Dad

Back to the grind...

Dear Nicky,

This morning off you went, back to Stones. I was half expecting to get a call from them today, telling me to come and get you, but apparently you had a good day. You were in a fine mood when you came home, and your nose was dry as a bone the whole afternoon. We all played outside for a while, then you ate some dinner. Then it was time for you meds. and then bed.

Love,
Dad

Morning at Wegman's...

Dear Nicky,

This morning we kept you home another day in order for your antibiotics to kick in fully. Your nose ran all day long. Your mood and energy were pretty good all day, though, so we went to Wegman's this morning. You and Junie seemed to enjoy it a lot, but you were both handfuls. We killed some time there and you fell asleep in the car on the way home. You napped only briefly; I could've used the rest myself. You ate some veggie nuggets, banana, and yogurt for dinner, then I gave you a bath and Mom put you to bed.

Love,
Dad

Augmentin...

Dear Nicky,

Well, old boy, you're on an antibiotic again, a thoroughly nasty one that I'm sure will give you the runs. Hopefully it will clear up your nose and your skin and that'll be that. Today Mom was here to help us all out. Tomorrow it's just me against the two of you. Heaven help me.

Love,
Dad

Mothers Day 2009...

Dear Nicky,

I think we gave Mom a pretty nice day. We gave her some nice presents and the weather was good. Nobody had any major meltdowns. And I hung some pictures for her and straightened out the utility closet and did a bunch of yardwork. Then we went and met the grandparents at Chimney Rock and had a good meal, and after that we went for a little walk down on the Watchung Reservation. When we came home, we hung out then went to bed. Mellow, pleasant...nice.

Love,
Dad

More olympics...

Dear Nicky,

This morning we went to the Stones gym where you, June, and some other kids ran obstacle courses and stuff like that. It seemed very fun for you. During snacktime, you spilled a bunch of apple juice all over yourself. After dismissal, we went to get you some new pants. Then we went to this carnival for special needs people in Livingston. It was pretty depressing on many levels. We came home and had some lunch, then a nap, after your nap, went down to Target, then a park, then out to the diner fo some food. Your behavior was kind of iffy, and of course there was a lot of snottier

Love,
Dad

Nice report...

Dear Nicky,

Last night was not a good night. You had a croupy cough for a while. You had a half day at Stones today, after which Mom took you to the ENT, where there was a long delay. Finally you saw the doc, who says your ear tubes look good and your nose seems good. This is good news, as we've been a touch worried lately. When you finally came home, you were wiped out and you slept for three hours. Meanwhile I did some yard work. Tomorrow we go to Stones for some fun and games.

Love,
Dad

It never ends...

Dear Nicky,

You're sick yet again. Junie's whining and crying in her crib. I go from comforting you to comforting her to back to you again. Is it selfish of me to say that I'm tired of this?

Love,
Dad

Dinosaur eggs...

Dear Nicky,

Talk about anticlimactic! I got these bath fizzballs for you guys the other day at Wegmans, and I though they were sponge-type things that expanded into foam dinosaurs after fizzing in the bath. Turns out they just had these tiny 2-dimensional cutout little dinky dinosaurs in them. What a letdown, although you both seemed to enjoy them.

Love,
Dad

Daddy's always right...

Dear Nicky,

It was my idea to put you in your old bedclothes the other night, and it's totally paid off. Who could sleep in tight all-cotton clothes that trap body moisture? No one. That's why you were so uncomfortable. But now it seems you're okay again. Also, your nose is doing great, so hurray! Tomorrow night you get another bath and we'll see if anything comes out then.

Love,
Dad

IOU, Monday May 4, 2009...

Dear Nicky...

Kinda tired right now, need to go to bed. I'll catch up with you tomorrow.

Love,
Dad

Doing okay...

Dear Nicky,

This morning we were thinking of taking you into the docs because you had so much snot yesterday and had a hard time sleeping last night. I called the docs and explained recent events and they said it wasn't uncommon, and if you weren't running a fever there was no cause for major concern, so we didn't go. But that was okay since you've been great all day. Maybe you were a little mercurial today, but there was no snot at all to be seen, and you've been sleeping all night like a baby. Before your bedtime tonight I gave you a snoot of Motrin and Mom put you in your old familiar nightclothes.

Love,
Dad

Dinner at Friendly's...

Dear Nicky,

Well, I guess you're not feeling well yet again. You've been whiney and snotty all day, which is worrisome considering you just had your adenoids removed on Tuesday. We went to Friendly's for a bite of dinner this evening. You behaved poorly, I'm afraid. You usually display this kind of regressive behavior when you're sick, so I think we'll take you to the doc's tomorrow.

Love,
Dad

Mellow day, and a haircut...

Dear Nicky,

This morning you were sleeping so soundly, we let you sleep as late as you could, then later this morning I drove you into Stones. When you came home, Mom took you for a haircut, and it looks good. It was pretty gray and rainy all day. Not much else going on.

Love,
Dad