May 2006

When I was four, my father had me pick weeds in his yard and paid me two cents for each one (this rate decreased over time as I became faster at it). I was reminded of this when Kyla and I were picking weeds in our own backyard. I'm not compensating her for it yet, as she has yet to grasp the concept of money.

On the 9th Kyla received her first haircut, though it was just to create some bangs in the front and trim the rest. She looked a little nervous getting it done, but she didn't put up a fight.

Becky was really excited to find a store called the Lakeshore Learning Center, which sells educational toys. Thanks to her shapes game Kyla now knows what a circle, square, star, and triangle are. She has also begun learning to identify letters; so far she knows T and O.

Unlike most kids her age (or just about any age), she really likes vegetables, even more than fruit. In order to balance her out, Becky makes us a lot of fruit smoothies, which she and I both love. Kyla's favorite food is Copper River salmon, which she never seems to get full of.

One of the prerequisites for potty training is a toddler's ability to dress and undress herself. Kyla managed to get her pants on all by herself... backwards. I guess it's not time to take those diapers out of the budget yet.

Changing her diaper has become a major struggle, often to the point where I am holding her down. In contrast, her cousin Rylee will just lie down in front of me when it is time to change. Fortunately Becky bought us a timer and Kyla is much more amiable after we give her a three minute warning and she hears the timer go off. Of course her strong will is not limited to diaper changing, when she and Becky go shopping, Kyla now wants to pick out her own shoes.

Even before she was born, I knew Kyla would not have a laid-back personality. Becky and I have no easygoing genes between us to pass to our offspring. I suppose that overall we should be proud that she takes after us, but sometimes it can be a real nuisance.

The Big Three-Oh

What does it mean to turn 30?

Several people have asked me if I feel old now. It seems to me that the definitive first moment of maturity is the birth of your first child. From that point on your needs take a back seat to the needs of someone else and the freedoms afforded to a young adult are no more. I have several friends who are older than I am who still carry-on a younger lifestyle, mainly because they are childless. For the record I do not envy them... most of the time.

Becky will often remind me that even before we had Kyla, or even got married for that matter, I never really acted all that young. My mother even used to refer to me as an "old soul." Perhaps that is why I looked forward to parenthood for so long, I had less to lose than most.

For my birthday Becky threw me a surprise party at our place attended by many of our family and friends. Our house was decorated with pictures and memorabilia from when I really was young. It was a lot of fun to hang out and drink more than my usual paltry limit (normally I have to drive home).

Now it is time to begin my journey into middle age...