I'm a daddy again!

Mrs. Lime and I have added another girl to the family! For those keeping score at home, that makes it 4 girls in the home (3 human and 1 dog) and one boy (me).

Giselle Gianna

Date: November 25th, 2009
Time: 12:13 PM
Weight: 7 lbs., 10 oz.

Here's some photos just after her birth.......













Grandparents have a handful now with three grandkids..........





Kali 2.9 gets to hold Giselle 0.0 for the first time.........

The Goblin King.......

Kali 2.9 has been watching a Scooby Doo movie of late entitled The Goblin King. Last night, I tried to convince her that the Goblin King was at our front door. She steadfastly stuck with the assertion that there was no Goblin King at our door.

Tonight, while she was watching 'The Goblin King', she suddenly walked over to me.

Kali: Daddy, the Goblin King is being very bad.

Me: Really?

Kali: Did you know he's at our front door right now?

Me: No, I didn't. Why don't you let him in?

Kali: (lecturing Daddy) We can't, Daddy. He's a very scary person. We can't let him in. He's got teeth that could hurt someone.

Me: Well, that's a good reason to keep him outside.

Kali: I'm going to leave him outside the front door.

Perfectly good logic where I stand. Kali knows how to handle a Goblin King.

There's a baby coming soon.............

It's supposed to come this week. It's a very secretive arrangement known only to the baby and Mrs. Lime. I'd like to say more, but I risk being shot by the Fetus Secret Service if I do, and that would leave Baby G and Kali 2.9 without a father. So I've been sworn to silence until then.

Nesting.......

We must be getting close to having a baby. Mrs. Lime is moving around cleaning in the house. Everyone else is assisting because if we didn't assist, she'd try to do it all (which wouldn't be a good situation). The hospital bag is packed and ready. The baby car seat is cleaned up and ready to go. Kali 2.9 even asked if the baby was here yet, probably due to seeing so much baby 'action' around the house.

Tinkerbell 1.1 has not noticed any change, outside of the occasional late feeding due to cleaning activities. I have informed her that she can't step on the baby. She didn't confirm that she understood what I was saying, so we may still have work to do in that regard.

One week to G-Day.............

Yes, only a week or so (barring an earlier delivery) until Mrs. Lime gives birth to Baby G. Mrs. Lime's doctor says the baby's coming sooner rather than later (original due date was early December). The baby is called that because nearly everyone knows that the baby's name will start with a 'G', but very few know the full name.

I got some advice from people who previous had a 2nd baby and what might be different. I've been given the following advice.

1. The second one is much easier just because you know what to expect and how to deal with it the second time around.

2. Be sure to emphasize to the first child the excitement of being a big sister and what all she'll be able to do now that she hs a sibling.

3. Purchase a small gift from the new baby, wrap it, and give it to your child the day after the birth with a card saying how excited the new baby is to have a big sister.

I think all of these are pretty good advice. I'll let you know how well it all works after a few weeks with the new baby.

The return of the Dance King.......

Kali 2.9 will be pretty excited that her Papa is finally returning from his 2 week dancing tour of South America. He'll likely return with faster feet than when he left. Kali's been guessing that Papa was coming in when the garage entry door opens, only to find out it's someone else. She'll be excited to find out her guess is finally right when he does come back home.

Kali 2.9 picture blowout!

Haven't had a picture blowout in awhile. Thought the Halloween season would be a good topic. Here's Tinkerbell and Minnie Mouse hanging out.

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Heading down the sidewalk with Grandma to get some treats...........

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Tinkerbell 1.1 checking out the rose..........

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This is what happens when you fall asleep while eating Frosted Flakes..........

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What is she looking at?

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Kali 2.9 shows off her bracelets that she made........

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Princess Ariel wearing her necklace and earrings.......

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Never leave a child alone with a sticker book............

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I am SO ready for a new president.........

I have little doubt that on a personal level, Barack Obama and I would probably get along pretty well. We both have a craving for BBQ. We both love to play and watch basketball. We both have daughters and that requires you be in touch with your pink and fuzzy side.

With that said, I don't think I ever imagined just how badly his policies could screw up this country in such a short period of time. The deficit has skyrocketed on bailouts, handouts, and loans that will never be repaid. I didn't like the fact that George Bush had a $400 billion deficit for a year. Then I found out the other day that the federal deficit for October 2009 was $176 billion. For just ONE MONTH!

The Democrats in power want to lump all conservatives into radical groups that cause havoc and make no sense. This just in........most of us aren't radicals, but we're still pissed off. I'm technically an independent since I haven't registered for either party. The 2010 elections should be very interesting because I don't think the Democrats have any idea how frustrated many people have become at this point. The only thing more frustrating than the inept leadership of the Democrats is that we have to elect equally inept leaders on the Republican side.

Where's Ross Perot when we need him?

Baby premiere draws closer..........

We're down to the wire in regards to Baby Girl -0.1. She should be arriving very soon, as Mrs. Lime is into her 8th month of pregnancy. Mrs. Lime has been painting the nursery with flowers, butterflies, etc. I've been cleaning carpets in anticipation of the new rugrat's arrival. Kali 2.9 was asked if she was ready for her new sister. She said, "No, not yet!".

I watched Kali and a couple of the neighbor kids for a few hours yesterday. The youngest one was a 15 month old boy. I forgot how quickly a kid that age can disappear. One minute, he's right next to me. I turn away from him for 20 seconds and then spin around only to see him turning a corner at the far end of the house. Kids are like Houdini at that age. But I've got a few months of 'baby that doesn't go anywhere' time before I start chasing one again. And Kali should do an excellent job of ratting out her little sister if she tries to get into trouble.

Outdoor cooking.........

My grandfather was in town the other day. While we were out, I decided to take him along to help me pick out a new barbecue grill. Nice little toy with 4 main burners and a side burner. It's just nice to have something that allows for quick cooking and relatively easy clean-up.

Kali 2.9 thought it was great that we had our own hamburger cooker in the backyard. She used it as an excuse to drag me over to the swing set for a few minutes on the swing before the burgers needed to be flipped again. Tinkerbell 1.1 thought it was great because everyone was hanging out in the backyard where she loves to lay around for hours and chew on sticks/bones/etc.

Burgers were pretty good. I made turkey burgers. They're tough to keep moist, but they cook pretty easily otherwise. Kali proceeded to eat everything on her plate EXCEPT the burger. She didn't eat any of it until she finally decided that she'd eat it with some ranch dressing. Whatever floats her boat, I suppose.

Still keeping busy.........

Another fun-filled weekend for me around the homestead. Cleaned up around the house and shampooed a few carpets on Saturday. Full day on Sunday as well. Went over to Kali's great-grandma's house to clean up for several hours and try to get her ready for her move tomorrow. Followed that up with an evening with Kali's great-grandpa.

Oh, and we're likely to have a new child in the house later this month. I'm guessing all this work is just to get me acclimated to being busy.

Curious George.......

Kali 2.8 and I didn't have anything important to do last night. Mrs. Lime was working. I noticed that they were offering $12 tickets to the Curious George show at the Sprint Center. So Kali and I headed out for a daddy/daughter outing.

We went over to a big pub in the Power and Light District to grab some food. They had an attendant in the bathroom, which Kali thought was fantastic. He put soap on her hands, turned on the water for her, and gave her a paper towel. She tipped him for all his help. Kali had some Mac & Cheese and rice to eat. She managed to stay relatively clean. I managed to dump over a glass of pop. That's called role reversal.

I decided to buy the tickets at the arena. I looked online, but they were going to charge several 'convinience' charges that basically amounted to an extra $10 over the ticket price. Interestingly enough, the tickets I bought at the arena were actually 7 rows closer to the stage than the ones that were offered to me online 2 hours earlier. I'll file that knowledge away for safe keeping. When Elmo comes to town in January, I'll be buying my tickets at the arena.

Kali had a great time. She got a star wand to light up and swing around when the lights were off during the show. She spotted Curious George right away. It was somewhat like a mini-musical. Probably had 12-15 songs in a show that was no more than 80-90 minutes. Tons of color, lights, fog machines, and confetti. Everything a kid would want in a show.

We got into the car and Kali was asleep within 5 minutes. That's usually a clear sign that Daddy did his job well.

Learning the English language........

Kali 2.8 is doing a great job of working on her various verbal and learning skills, but the nuances of the English language are still eluding her at this point. Last night, Kali and I got into a tickle fight (which she always loses). After receiving a good tickle and crying uncle, Kali said, "You're doing funny things to me, Daddy!". Of course, she meant that I was doing something that made her laugh, but the context to most of us would be something totally different depending on the situation.

When we were finished with our tickle fight, we had the following exchange.......

Me: OK, tickle fight's all done.

Kali: OK!

Me: Time to make up with each other.

Kali: No, I no make up! Mommy is the only one that puts on my make-up. Not you Daddy!

Can't disagree with that.

Learning by example.........

We went out and ate last night with some family friends. They have a 6 year old girl named Grace and a 1 year old boy named Christian. Kali 2.8 got to sit next to Grace. Both the girls got coloring pages with puzzle, pictures, etc. Kali initially did her own thing.

But then, she started watching everything that Grace did and would mimic it on her coloring sheet. If Grace colored in certain letters, Kali would do the same. If Grace flipped over her sheet to draw something on the blank side, Kali would do the same. She was soaking it all in and doing a great job of learning from Grace.

Now, on the other side, she refused to share something earlier in the evening and threw a tantrum when she was told that she needed to share. So, we'll just call Kali an intelligent child who is a work in progress.

A tale of two services............

The retail industry is a funny thing. You think you have it all figured out about who is providing the best service until that all gets dumped on its head.

Last night, I had to call a company (Martinek Baby Co.) to get a replacement part on our baby crib. When I disassembled the crib after Kali got old enough to get out of it, I accidentally broke one of the slide assemblies on the sliding gate. So I called the company last night to order a replacement part. Imagine my surprise when I was able to talk with a person in their parts department right away. He took down my information and the part I needed. I asked him how much it would cost and he said it likely would be no charge. Really nice guy and it was really easy to get it done.

Contrast that with my experience with Bernini Platinum, a suit retailer in Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas where I ordered a suit. I wanted a specific kind of suit, but they didn't have my size. Not a problem, they said. They'd order the same suit in my size from the corporate warehouse in California. 10 days to ship it. I paid for the suit and we left the store.

After 20 days with no suit, I started to get worried. I called the store and informed them that I was supposed to have my suit by now. They told me it wasn't a problem and they'd get it straightened out. I called back a couple days later after I still hadn't heard anything. They said they'd get right on it and call me back. I STILL didn't hear back from them. Long story short, after calling them at least 15 times (none of which were initiated by the store), I disputed the charge on my credit card, called the store, and informed them that I had removed the charge from my card. Only then did they start to worry. Too late. They mentioned that the suit may have been shipped. I told them I'd refuse to accept the delivery and have it returned.

In summary, two different companies with two vastly different customer service responses. One will get references from me if they're looking for that product. The other one won't get a sniff of my money going forward.