Year 4, Day 278

As Miles was rummaging through the Christmas stuff last night, digging out all sorts of decor we weren't exactly ready to display just yet, he ran across the stockings. He studied them for a moment, then pulled one out and held it high. "Look!" he said, pointing at the glittery letters at the top of … Continue reading Year 4, Day 278 →

Year 4, Day 237

Jaclyn had to go out of town for work today, leaving Miles and I free to have a highly-anticipated "Guys' Night." After finishing his swim class, I asked him what he wanted for dinner -- fried shrimp or Bojangles. And yes, I asked this question knowing full-well what his response would be.* "Bogangles," he replied. … Continue reading Year 4, Day 237 →

Year 4, Day 228

Miles was sitting next to me on the couch just before bedtime. "Can I have a drink?" he asked. "You want to finish your apple juice?" I said, referring to the juice box he got at dinner but never finished. "No," Miles said, "because I might spill it." I was pretty impressed by his self-assessment … Continue reading Year 4, Day 228 →

Year 4, Day 212

Today was Miles's third day of German school, and it's been going extraordinarily well so far. As reported previously, Miles has been over-the-moon enthusiastic about going to a "big kid school." His teachers have said that he understands everything they're saying and follows directions well.* And at pickup each day, Miles emerges from the classroom … Continue reading Year 4, Day 212 →

Year 4, Day 204

While Miles mercifully waited until around 5:00 this morning to start screaming for us and banging on his door, I once again found myself imploring him to stop doing that every night and just let his mother and I get one damned night of peaceful sleep. "I wasn't screaming," Miles corrected. "I was calling for … Continue reading Year 4, Day 204 →

Year 4, Day 198

Today, Miles started a weekend German program at the Deutsche Schule Charlotte. Every Saturday morning for the duration of the school year, Miles will attend a German language class (in the interest of achieving our ultimate goal -- sending him overseas so we can finally get a moment's peace). Miles's experience with new environments sans … Continue reading Year 4, Day 198 →

Year 4, Day 134

Miles's babysitter came over tonight so Jaclyn and I could go to the movies for the first time in a long, long while. As soon as they saw each other, Ms. Sharon started asking him questions about how daycare was going, including what teachers were still there and who was working with each age group. … Continue reading Year 4, Day 134 →

Year 4, Day 132

Everyone can relax, Miles has watched the PJ Masks shorts on Disney+ enough times now to have memorized all the dialogue. https://videopress.com/v/jsvzJ6Ir?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata

Year 4, Day 123

Despite the challenges that yesterday brought with it, this weekend wasn't all emotionally and physically taxing. On the way down to Myrtle Beach on Saturday, I glanced back at Miles, lounging in his car seat with his hat and sunglasses on, looking about as relaxed as humanly possible. "Wow, Miles," I said. "You're just chilling … Continue reading Year 4, Day 123 →

Year 3, Day 324

Miles barged into the home office this evening, which he always does with a smirk as he surveys the room and ponders what exactly he should attempt to get into. On this visit, he walked over to the media shelves and retrieved a bunch of Muppet movies. "I wanna watch all of them!" he said, … Continue reading Year 3, Day 324 →