Year 4, Day 317

"I need to go potty," Miles announced this evening, prompting me to pause the episode of Paw Patrol he was watching and escort him to the bathroom. I've always found time spent in the bathroom to be some of the best "thinking time" I can get, given the solitude and white noise of the fan. … Continue reading Year 4, Day 317 →

Year 4, Day 307

As I was leaving for trivia, I tried to say goodbye to Miles as he was watching TV. I said, "Bye Miles," a few times, but he didn't break his unblinking gaze from the television or even acknowledge me. "Miles, the house is on fire," Jaclyn tried. "Yeah," I said, leaning in close to him. … Continue reading Year 4, Day 307 →

Year 4, Day 188

As is typical just past 5:30, Jaclyn called me on the phone while I was driving home from work yesterday. As we greeted each other, I immediately heard Miles laughing in the background. "Who is that??" I asked in an over-the-top, incredulous voice. "I'm Miles!" he called. "Miles?" I said, toning it down and sounding … Continue reading Year 4, Day 188 →

Year 4, Day 179

Miles went through most of his infancy without really developing a tendency to cram things into his mouth. As such, it's been surprising recently to find that Miles is suddenly very interested in sucking on all of his fingers. And even though I've been paying very close attention to this behavior and have been trying … Continue reading Year 4, Day 179 →

Year 4, Day 156

Jaclyn had to get some yard work done this morning, and in an effort to keep Miles from following her out the door, she gave him a special assignment... "Daddy!" he said, marching over to me. "I'm babysitting you!" "You're babysitting me?" I asked in shock. "Yeah!" Miles said. He looked around for a moment, … Continue reading Year 4, Day 156 →

Year 4, Day 99

Miles is getting increasingly good at playing mind games with us, learning our weaknesses and exploiting them in ways that are, frankly, horrifying considering he's only three. His primary tactic with me, which would surely get under my skin were it true, is exemplified by this recent exchange. I was introducing Miles to the Disney … Continue reading Year 4, Day 99 →

Year 4, Day 78

Part of my job at a learning center involved performing learning ability assessments for both prospective and current students. The battery can feel a bit intimidating, especially brand new clients whose previous experience with "testing" has been unsavory at best and a showcase of everything they're challenged with at worst. As a means to help … Continue reading Year 4, Day 78 →

Year 4, Day 48

We are doing our best to set the expectation for Family Dinner TimeTM in the new house, where we all sit down when dinner is served (it's a work in progress for Miles), eat when food is served (also a work in progress), and chat about our days (talking? NOT a problem for Miles). Miles … Continue reading Year 4, Day 48 →

Year 4, Day 46

As a part-time trivia host, I tend to delight in asking questions of people about minutiae. Lately, I've found that the apple has not fallen far from the tree in this respect. As he's learned more and more, whether at daycare or while watching TV, Miles has started to demonstrate a love for trivia of … Continue reading Year 4, Day 46 →

Year 3, Day 263

A new, oft-repeated phrase has entered Miles's repertoire. We've only started hearing it in the last couple days, but we've heard it a lot. For instance, today, as Miles and I were getting ready for a walk to the park, I was trying to maneuver his trike out of the house and onto the porch. … Continue reading Year 3, Day 263 →