Scott Nagele's Blog, page 39

There’s a storm brewing: the baby is mobile

I wrote recently about the baby’s achievements in learning the art of crawling. Since then, he has improved by leaps and bounds, such as those jumping acts apply to one who cannot yet stand upright. The little fellow has become increasingly mobile in his desire to see the world, as defined by the first floor [...]

Why can’t you appreciate art, Daddy?

After two months of preschool, my son came home with an armload of artwork he had created. Our refrigerator was wholly unprepared for a collection of this magnitude. I dare say, even a completely naked fridge would have become weak in the coils at the prospect of supporting such a volume of work. Leave it [...]

Don’t start a crawl you can’t finish

The baby has been working on his crawling for the past few weeks and has finally honed the single skill that will give him the confidence to become a proficient crawler. I call this skill the exit strategy. For the first couple weeks of crawling practice, the baby did the natural thing by rolling himself [...]

Happy Thanksgiving, now let’s talk about Christmas

One Saturday in the middle of October, the four-year-old came downstairs as I was making breakfast. He still wore his pajamas and had a groggy look about him. He stepped into the kitchen and, without troubling himself with the exchange of any top-of-the-morning niceties, asked. “Is it Thanksgiving?” He was disappointed to learn that it [...]

Quit clobbering me with happiness!

The other day, we went to a festival with exhibits from countries all around the world. We went, not because we are a particularly cosmopolitan family, but for the same reason we go to the apple butter festival: it was free. Being the most provincial family member, I’d probably skip all such festivals in favor [...]

Dessert: a good eater’s just deserts

Our four-year-old has recently made a subtle but useful discovery. The revelation he has come to is that the word dessert is far more handy to a boy than are the words ice cream, cookie, or candy. Ice cream and cookies are unearned treats, things parents are uneasy about handing out freely. Dessert, on the [...]

Conversations with my wife: Interpreting motherhood

Our baby saves his crying almost exclusively for when he is tired. But when he does cry, he really belts it out. He’ll play and play, then suddenly start to wail. This means it’s time to help him drift off to sleep. One night, when my wife was out, the baby turned on his tired [...]

Are there any Godzillas in the audience tonight?

Our four-year-old has to be the hardest working preschooler in the baby-entertaining business. He is forever putting on shows designed to make his baby brother giggle. It is demanding work, as his baby brother has a definite preference for physical comedy. Big Brother throws himself around the room in a fit of slapstick, always seeking [...]

“Trick-or-Character Development” – Halloween makes us better men

Another Halloween has come and gone, and my son and I are both better men for it. It was not the best weather we’ve ever had, but it could have been worse. There was a light mist in the air and it was pretty chilly. Considering what others were going through this Halloween, we felt [...]

Skunk Boy meets the Owl Woman

The  Skunk Boy has been busy building up to Halloween.  On Thursday, we went trick-or-treating among the businesses in town. On Friday, we went to a Halloween science exhibit. Our little pole cat was involved in a three-way tie in the cutest costume contest. Way to go, Skunk Boy! On Saturday afternoon, we enjoyed an event [...]