The Hunt Continues

Day 244:

We're back on the hunt for a house, Boy'O.  The house on First Street in Fairfax City wasn't meant to be.  The bungalow on Maple Road has no traction.  And so Mommy has found yet another house, albeit a few miles further West...  And this would be the behemoth on Eagle Chase...  And maybe on your 8 month birthday we'll have all the magic we need!!

Before heading out to the house though, Mommy and I decided to take in a little Mexican food at Anita's in Chantilly; not all that far from the Eagle Chase house.  It was here we would experience yet another Conor the Lion Heart first...  Sitting in a high chair all on your own!  Not only did you sit in the high chair, you LOVED the high chair!  Such freedom!  Such independence!!  And with an appetite to match, Son.  You went through your sweet potatoes, apricots, and rice before our food ever hit the table.  And Anita's is fast!

After some enchiladas and an ice tea, off we went to meet Uncle Justin and Aunt Marti and see the house in question...  And I believe it was worth the drive, Son.  This is a big house.  Like, really big.  Though surprisingly priced and with no irreparable flaws.  Some appliances here, coat of paint there, some new drawer pulls on the cabinets and "Wallah!", a home fit for a King!

This is a place which would take years of design work in terms of getting the yard right, the rooms configured correctly, etc.  But the location is great, the surrounding schools are fantastic, plenty of shopping, and plenty of friends.  Good times to be had, Son.  Provided we get it...

And so with that, Mommy and I are talking while Uncle Justin and Aunt Marti are doing their jobs in so far as getting all the comps, writing the contract, etc.  But most of all, we have a place picked out for for you, Son, and if it's meant to be, it will be.  As are all things...

I love you, Conor.  Fingers and toes, Boy'O!
-Dad

Cool and Clean

Day 243:

And just like that, it was like a different house, Conor.  Starting with your Uncle Doug getting here around 10:30am today to fix the air-conditioning - of which I had to drive home to let him in because I'd neglected to turn the furnace and forced air back on so there was no way for him to test the mechanism short of breaking a window and letting himself in!  But that was my fault and, for as much as I can I take responsibility for my mistakes...  Believe me, Son, not everybody does.  Never the less, no harm no foul!  When I'd arrived home Uncle Doug was already finished with the repairs and simply awaiting my key.  And low and behold, it worked!  A good thing too, because the thermostat in the house read "84 degrees"!

No sooner was I pulling away from the house, in came the cleaning ladies!  And not a minute to soon, Boy'O.  This house was beginning to feel as though it'd been overrun with shedding dogs... Because it has!  Let me tell you, Son...  The older you get, the more you appreciate the little things, and it's a pretty good feeling to come home to a fresh clean house...

So after a hard day at the office (and it was) coupled with a bit of running around, coming home to a cool and clean home felt great!  So much in fact, I decided to cook ribs, corn, and squash for dinner!  Why is that relevant?  Because ribs take some time, Boy'O.  But I came up with a plan and executed, as is my way (most of the time)...  I seared the ribs for 20 minutes a side on the grill under high heat all the while preheating the oven to 325 degrees.  When they came off the grill it was into the oven for an hour and time for a walk, Son!

Me and Mommy geared up with you again and off we went, cruising the neighborhood on our way to another round of tennis.  Admittedly it took a bit longer than I would have liked to stretch out but you know what they say, getting' old ain't for wimps...  After 5 games and a good sweat it was back to the house to shower, feed you, bathe you, pull the ribs, and sit down to a great and healthy dinner... And on a Monday night no doubt!  Yes Conor, it's true some days are better than others, but then others are just great.  Today was one of the great days, Boy'O.

And on that note, I'll retire to the sights and sounds of the pennant bound Nationals playing the dreaded San Francisco Giants... This day just keeps getting better.

I love you, Son.
-Dad

Sunday Funday

Day 242:

Well well well, Son...  Today was a day of sun, fun, and family time the likes of which we've not seen for weeks!  No thanks to whatever illnesses we've all been carrying around.  No sir, today we were all healthy and ready to get our errands run, get the house picked up ahead of the maids coming tomorrow, and spend he day having some fun.  And all despite the air conditioning having blown its start capacitor  yesterday!

To that end, your Uncle Doug came to the house this morning to diagnose the issue and determine a course of action.  Fortunately the needed part is really only about $12.00, though the trouble with that of course is the part is a "specialty" part; not something we can pick up at Home Depot or Sears.  Bottom line, the place to get that part isn't of course open on Sunday, and so Doug will get the part tomorrow and complete the repair.

All this in mind, if your A/C is gonna break in August, this would be the day for it to happen.  The weather was Summertime sublime and absolutely perfect.  Excellent weather to get out of the house.  Excellent weather to do things together!  I mentioned running a couple of errands, then it was off to the pool for a few hours.  We swam and played and had a ball and then walked home to get you fed,  change clothes, and then it was off to the tennis courts!

As a part of Mommy and my efforts to lose weight, get healthy, and have more fun together, we're once again taking to sport, Conor.  And really, you're all the example we'd need!  You eat well!  You're getting stronger!  Seems it's time we do the same after years of just, not.  The food you're eating is an example as to what we SHOULD be eating... Today's diet was pears, potatoes and spinach, blueberries and bananas, and of course, some good old fashioned rice cereal... So we're cooking better, drinking more water, and feeding our need to compete.  It's a great corner to turn, Conor.  And it's all thanks to you...

I love you, Conor.
-Dad

A Long Day Away

Day 241:

This could actually be a much longer post than it's going to be, Conor.  A lot happened today...  It was a celebration of your Uncle Justin getting married and welcoming my niece, your cousin, into the world.  What also happened was our air conditioner taking a dive and in fact, it's dead.

f course, I found out about this while I was on the river in the Potomac close to Maryland, so there was nothing I could do.  But when I finally arrived home I could feel it, alright...  The house was an inferno!

Still, we can get by for a day or two, not to worry.

Short post tonight, Son.  I'm beat.

I love you...
-Dad

Leaving the Bad Behind

Day 240:

Well Conor, we've all been fighting this thing.  It's been weeks and we're all still beating back the bug that's managed to stick with us in some form or fashion, Son.  Never the less, we're a strong and noble people!  We can beat it back, right?  Keeping up with your steroid sessions and nebulizers, you're breathing much easier and getting better day by day; as we all are.  Yes sir, things are looking up!  And health and happiness is only a matter of time...

It's a Friday and Aunt Jennifer was going out of town for the weekend so your Uncle Paul was naturally a bit trepidatious...  Part of that would be a fear of being left home with two very smart, very affable boys who still aren't able to hold a conversation!  Uncle Paul needed some adult interaction, and so we took the challenge and rolled to Falls Church.

The venue?  Clare and Dons.  The entertainment?  A great little band covering David Allen Coe, Johnny Cash, CCR, and more!  Not bad!  The company??  Uncle Paul, Adam, Amanda, Rob, Jess, Nathan, Andrew, and Ryan... Now THAT's a party!  Though needless to say, now I'm tucked out, Son.  Time to cash in on the night...  But I'll see ya in the morning, Boy'O.  Promise you that.

I love you, Conor.
-Dad

Welcome Back Football

Day 239:

It's late Summer now, Conor, and that means a number of things, at least where I'm concerned...  First, my very favorite season, Autumn, is just around the corner.  Next, the heat of the Summer subsides, the blue jeans come back out, and the air gets just a little drier and crisper.  And last, it's football season!!!

For me, Son, football season represents so much of my youth.  When I was a boy, as early as I can remember, I spent every Sunday in the Fall either playing pick-up football with my friends, or watching NFL football with my Dad.  So many of those moments, particularly watching the games along side your Pop-Pop while he'd scream and real at the television whenever a favorite player would break one loose for a big gain or lay a guy out with a big hit, are my fondest memories.  My first sip of beer, nachos at the ball park, you name it, it was my youth... And I loved it.

For so long I've wanted a child of my own, for so many reasons!  But this one...  Football Sunday.  It's way up there, Son.  A little guy (or gal - I wasn't particular) to sit and watch the games with.  To talk to about what's happening on the field.  To get excited with on game day.  To spend time with as I did with my Dad...  And so today, as the 2012 football pre-season kicked off, but more specifically as our very own Washington Redskins took the field, I was living in my own personal Shangri-La...

What's more, being a Redskins fan has been a painful endeavor in the last 20 or so years as they've not been very good at all...  But for the nearly 20 years prior, our Redskins were one of the most dominant teams in all of football, and I've never forgotten those days...  In fact, the year I was born, 1973, the Redskins played in the Superbowl against the undefeated Miami Dolphins!

If there's anything history teaches us, Son, it's that everything works in ebbs and flows.  What goes around, comes around...  20 years of epic football, 20 years of awful football.  Maybe, just maybe, we're on the upswing, Conor.  And if that's the case, we're gonna have some fun!

Hail to the Redskins, Conor.  Hail Victory!

I love you, Buddy.
-Dad

A Toothy Grin

Day 238:

A rough start today, Boy'O.  Not in the sense you were in any way unhappy, but certainly in the sense that, whatever you've been fighting off in terms of this precarious Summer bug, had finally made its way into your lungs.  Your breathing was labored, you were snotty, and just, yuck.

Again, this doesn't seem to affect you all that much as you're more than generally a really happy kid, but it's enough to raise an eyebrow and that meant a trip to the Pediatrician.  Turns out the concern was warranted because the doctor wanted to get aggressive on this thing and stay ahead of any possibility of developing asthma.  Fortunately, neither Mommy or I have any allergies to speak of and no history of asthma anywhere in either side of the family...  I've never been allergic to a thing in my life, nor has Mommy, and so all indications are that you'll also be a strong and healthy boy.  That said, it's more likely than not just a bad cold, but tamping it out any way possible is just fine with me.  The doc prescribed a steroid and ordered we continue with the nebulizer treatments.  No problem, Son.  We'll get you back to healthy living in no time!

Well, aside from the Yerkes-Three battling back the bugs, more interesting is that you finally cut your first tooth!  I got a very excited phone call from Mommy this evening on my ride home saying she couldn't believe it and in fact, all she'd been thinking about all day was when you would cut your first pearly white... And then, while feeding you, there it was!  A tiny shimmering white chopper breaking through the gums, and as sharp as a White Shark tooth, too!

It really is the little things, Conor.  I'm a very, very lucky man to have you and to celebrate those little things with you, Son.  Life has a really interesting way of giving you exactly what you need when you need it, and in my life, Mommy and me having you has put a great many things in focus... Right down to cutting teeth.

I love you, Conor.
-Dad