Stand By to Fire the Ejection Pod

Today was and exciting day here in Seattle as we were visited by none other than the famous R2D2 himself!

This is as close as I am comfortable getting...for now.

Lukas sat transfixed in the front row of the large auditorium at the Boeing Museum of Flight as Master Model Builder Bob Jacobsen explained how he spent 6 years designing and building this version of the ever popular and lovable Star Wars droid. 

And a fantastic job Jacobsen, who you can read more about at the blog Bob's R2 Droid Adventures, did too.  Both with the robot and with his presentation he held the audience rapt. With a helpful colleague working the controls behind the curtain, the Engineer had near perfect 'interaction' with Artoo as the droid beeped and chirped, flashed his lights, spun his head, and rolled across the floor in response to his cues.

Of course, Mrs. LIAYF and I were not sure how real Lukas thought R2 was, but he did understand that he had recently been built by Jacobsen.   As you can see from the picture though, Lukas came prepared by wearing his Star Wars shirt and also by bringing along his R2D2 stuffy (which he actually was hiding behind his back here so the real R2 wouldn't see it.)

Afterwords we toured the cool museum Space Wing which is all set to get the now retired Space Shuttle Trainer delivered right around Lukas' birthday, before being presented with a free model of the Shuttle Discovery to put together.

His mother took the time to do so with him right then and there, before we had to gather up our belongings and head out to a friend's 4th birthday party.

But, on the way out we were once again greeted by R2D2 who was now flanked by a couple of fully outfitted Jedi.  Again Lukas' excitement rose, and this time he decided to show the droid his mini R2 stuffy as he said his goodbye to the veteran co-pilot of countless X-Wing Fighter battles.

And, unlike his previous photo-op, this time R2 and Lukas struck up quite a conversation.

With Lukas excitedly talking about Star Wars, and R2D2 moving around beeping & chirping his responses, I glanced over at Mr. Jacobsen sitting inconspicuously a few feet away with the remote control in hand and a smile painted on his face.   I then thought about how scenarios just such as this must have been played out a thousand times in his mind during the 6 long years it took him to complete this model.  He had indeed created something magical.

"Thank you!"  I mouthed to him.  And then we were off with memories that won't soon be forgotten.

Parenting Advice from "Gunny" Highway

"Improvise, adapt, overcome" ~ Clint Eastwood as Marine Sgt. "Gunny" Highway in Heartbreak Ridge

As a parent, you learn to roll with the punches. To adapt.  It's a simple fact that you have to, or otherwise the pressure could break you into a million tiny pieces like the dried and brittle twig that you are. Then, waking to your surroundings, you would find your chin wet with drool and your attempts to speak resulting only in nonsensical mutterings as you stare at the unusually cushy walls to all sides of you.

And all because that last 'thin little wafer' that came in the form of yet another cup of milk flying off the table, was once again at odds with your EXPECTATIONS of how the meal would play itself out? Okay, maybe that's a wee bit over dramatic, but sadly, but I bet there are parents out there toeing that edge.

So yeah,  It's good to adapt.  To laugh it off.  To take stock of an unexpected situation and "Improvise" as needed. For your sanity.

The need to think quick was what I was faced with a few months ago.  We were at a restaurant.  Had just ordered our food when Lukas raced off to the restroom.   I followed, like the concerned parent that I am, wanting to make sure all was okay.  Unfortunately, it was not.  He's was usually very good, but he was still a little guy.  Plus, I don't think he was feeling very well. 

The problem was exacerbated because I wasn't carrying any spare clothes for him.  Worse yet, friends had just arrived unexpectedly and were chatting with Mrs. LIAYF at the table. So, she wasn't about to come to our rescue.   What to do?

"Improvise!" I muttered to myself, channeling Gunny Highway, as I tossed the affected garment in the trash. Then, to be sure, I carefully washed the mostly clean over-garment before ringing it out and drying it under the hand dryer for several moments.  It seemed like I was in there for hours, but maybe it was only 10 minutes.  I then helped him dress, had him wash his hands, and told him it was time to go back to our table.

"But dad...." he complained, before I told him it was okay.  That there was a name for it.  In retrospect I probably shouldn't have placed a label on our wardrobe necessity. That's because, as he exited the washroom and saw Mrs. LIAYF and our friends across the room at the table he proclaimed, in his 4-year-old outside yelling voice.....

"HEY EVERYBODY!  I'M GOING COMMANDO!"

I just looked around at all the other patrons and laughed a bit nervously, hoping that people would still find that cute coming from a little guy.  After all, like I said, sometimes you just have to roll with the punches when you're a parent.

He probably wouldn't show it on his hardened face, but had he witnessed me in action, I'm sure "Gunny" would have been proud.

Dealing With Parent Discrimination

I've mentioned this before, but I'm a fairly laid back guy.  I don't get my feathers ruffled very often, and on those rare occasion I do,  give me 10 minutes and I have forgotten about what ever it was.  I'm sure that over time this has served me fairly well, especially in the blood pressure department.

But something happened today that really irked me.  And the more I thought about it the more bothered by it I became.  Mrs. LIAYF had a weekend work project to finish, so I took Lukas out for some father/son bonding time.  We decided to go for a bike ride up and down a boardwalk near home.  It was a great morning with lots of sunshine and spectacular views. Then when we were finished, we stopped off to lunch at our favorite fast food coffee Shop 

Now, I've posted before about our affinity for this particular coffee chain, but It was at this location where the events that bothered me transpired.  The line there wasn't too long, but Lukas and I waited our turn patiently.   Then it was our turn to order, we made our selections.  Since we were having a full lunch we had to make more of a selection than just drinks.  I grabbed a fruit cup, a sandwich, a granola bar, a couple of treats, an Odwalla juice and a coffee.  I think I asked Lukas once if he would rather have a cocoa than the juice.  He declined.  We also took a brief moment to choose a the sandwich. 

All the while the cashier, a youngish guy avoided eye contact, gritted his teeth, and spoke in very short tones to me.  It became more pronounced when I asked him to put money on my card, then pay for it with the newly loaded card.  It was pretty obvious he was doing all he could to keep himself bottled up.  But, this whole transaction didn't take more than 2 minutes, tops.   Probably less.  Someone in the line ahead of us had also taken a bit of time placing their order as well.  I didn't care.

Oddly enough, for the first time since becoming a parent, I had the distinct feeling that I was the recipient of this guys ire because I had my kid with me.  It wasn't a good feeling.  Then, to top it all off, once I was done the cashier slid the next guy in line his drip coffee and loudly proclaimed "This one's on me!  I insist.  Thank you for your patience!"

Then I felt insulted.  It would have been different if I had actually taken an extraordinary amount of time, but like I mentioned this wasn't a long transaction.  Plus I had just bought $25 worth of their food.   But, I decided to try to forget about it and enjoy the lunch.  And Lukas and I did just that, having nice chat about our day and our bike ride.

But, as we were finishing up I noticed that that same cashier was having a problem.  Apparently he had entered something incorrectly while taking an order and he couldn't get it figured out.  He proceeded to call every other cashier over, including the manager while the line was held up and growing longer.  A couple of minutes later (literally), it was to the door, no one was being served, and the cashier was smiling widely as he tried to assure the customers in line that they would be served soon.

Finally, they resolved the issue and began serving the other customers.  That incident took at least 5 times as long as my transaction, probably more.  But I didn't see any free drinks being handed out.  This bothered me all over again.  Thankfully, I recognized the manager.  He had been transferred there from the coffee house near my work, where I was a long time customer.  As we were leaving, he saw me, smiled, and asked how I was doing.

"Not bad." I replied, taking a breath "But I want to tell you about the experience I just had...."

Tell me parents.  How often does this type of parent discrimination happen to you, and do you let it bother you?

Would you have said something to the manager?

Not Everyone Likes Bacon

Lukas loves listening to audio books in the car on our way to and from his Pre-K program. In fact, for his birthday last Summer we got him the audio recording 'Three Tales of My Father's Dragon' by Ruth Stiles Gannet.  He listened to that over and over again, until he had it memorized.

 In fact, he loved it so much that we then picked up an audio copy of 'The House at Pooh Corner', some of the original Pooh stories narrated by Dame Judi Dench. These were followed up at Christmas with a gift of the rest of the original 'Winnie the Pooh Stories' from his grandparents.  We listen to these all the time.

ALL. THE. TIME.  (small groan)

Thankfully they are extremely well done.  But yes, all the time.  Heck, I even have them mostly memorized, which is a minor miracle given my recent bout of early onset oldness.

Anyway, all that being said, when we happened to see a stuffed 'Piglet' animal in a store recently Lukas just HAD to have it.  We obliged, but also go him the other stuffy he wanted equally as much: A stuffed R2D2.  This seemed to bring a measure of balance to the Force.

As of late he has been carrying one of these new pals around most everywhere we go, talking to them, laughing with them, and often telling them rather animated stories.  Yep, It's real cute to watch.

Then, a couple of nights ago we had just enough time before his swimming class to stop and grab something to eat at a local restaurant.  We opted for the 24hr breakfast joint.  You know, the one that rhymes with My Slop.  Truthfully, I shouldn't be so harsh since it was actually pretty decent breakfast for dinner fare.   And it was here that Lukas made a discovery that is sure to be ingrained in his very essence for the remainder of his days on this planet.  It is a simple equation that we all know by heart.

Bacon = Good!!

He gobbled several strips of the stuff, until he declared that his new favorites foods were 1. Pancakes 2. Corn Muffins and 3. BACON. (it's first inclusion on the list.)  In fact, he liked it so much that on our way back to the car, he declared "I'm going to tell Piglet all about it!"   "That's not a real good idea buddy" I replied.

"Why not?" he quizzed. To which I responded "Do you know what bacon is made of? Pigs!" And with that Mrs. LIAYF and I could see his wheels turning for a couple of short moments, until.......

He burst out laughing.  The serious, uncontrolled kind of laughter that ends up being contagious.

It was hilarious.  And for the rest of the car trip, he would hold up Piglet and have differing conversations with him about this and that, all the while trying very hard NOT to mention what he had had for dinner.

Because, of course, not everyone likes bacon.

A Real Nail Biter

As you would expect with Christmas barely in the rear view mirror, Lukas still gets pretty excited on those days when we pull up to the house after school to find a package waiting for us on the porch.

It doesn't matter that absolutely nothing we have ordered in the past month, and truthfully there hasn't even been much, has been intended for him because he will still see it as a potential gift.  So on Tuesday, when we came home and he viewed the small package sitting by the door he was eager to see what it was.

But he shouldn't have been.

That's because, rather than it being a toy for him, it was the something he certainly would NOT like.  We unceremoniously removed his binky when Lukas was 6 months old.  Thankfully he never ended up sucking his thumb, but at some point in the past year and a half - or more - our little guy started to chew on his fingernails. 

And now he does it all the time.  Gnawing them down as far as he can, damaging his cuticles, and often leaving sharp bits of broken nails in the process.  Understandably, this has ended up being very painful for him, and by default for Mrs. LIAYF as well.

Realizing the problem early on, Mrs. LIAYF and I have tried many different tactics to get Lukas to stop chewing on his fingers.  Everything from rewards (promising to get him a Buzz Lightyear for his last birthday if he stopped) to constant reminders including pulling his fingers away from his mouth whenever we saw him with his fingers close. 

Unfortunately none of this worked.

Lukas wanted to stop too.  Especially since he often has painful fingers, like after he has gone to bed and "needs a band aid" to cover a stinging digit. (Though this has recently gotten a bit out of hand when he seems to be using that excuse to buy more time before sleep and to get a Star Wars or Phineas and Ferb bandage.)

So finally, when all else seemed to fail, Mrs. LIAYF found a product online (3 different ones actually) that professed to be a cure.  Just coat his fingers with it and he won't want to put them in his mouth anymore.  Sounds simple right?  We told Lukas it was coming and even he was on board.  After all, he did want to stop biting his nails.  So right before that nights dinner we coated his nails with the first product.

In retrospect we probably shouldn't have been serving finger foods with that meal.  That's because with the first apple slice he tossed in his mouth also went his fingers.  Immediately, his face went sideways and his mouth slowly opened leaving the partially chewed up food fully visible. 

"Ewwww!" he moaned as he spit the food out.  Then he cried.

I quickly handed my Lukas a fork as Mrs. LIAYF and I looked at each other, feeling more than a bit guilty.  It was obvious that he was completely unprepared for the terrible taste in his mouth.  In an attempt to make him feel better about it, Mrs. LIAYF then pulled one of his fingers closer and gave it a lick. 

"Vomitous" she said as she shook her head.

"Wash it off!" Lukas implored, but we had to sadly explain that it wouldn't wash off, but would only wear off in a couple of days.  It was at that point that my son held out his other hand to me "taste it daddy" he said.  I wanted to refuse, but as I looked up Mrs. LIAYF was also staring at me with expectant eyes.  So after a brief hesitation, I pulled his finger close and licked his nail. 

Immediately, I felt his pain.  To say it was pretty bad tasting stuff, would be an understatement.  I suppose that is why it's supposed to be so effective.  I again felt guilty for putting him through the experience, but that didn't compare to how we felt the next morning.  That's because apparently, Lukas also chews on his fingers in his sleep. Several times that night we could hear him wake up, wretch a few times, cry a bit, then go back to sleep.  In the morning he begged us not to use "that stuff" anymore.

Raise your hand if you feel like a bad parent (raising my hand gingerly).

The next morning we took Lukas to his Pre-K classroom and warned them of the nasty substance on his fingers.  "Make him eat with silverware" I warned them, but when we picked him up that evening he hadn't had any further problems.

And subsequently none since then either. Who knows.  As low as this experience made Mrs. LIAYF and I feel, it may be the one thing that does the trick for Lukas. 

I guess we'll keep our fingers crossed.  And coated too.

LIAYF Turns 4, Defies The Mayans

Happy Tuesday Readers.  I'm a day late, but I just realized that on Monday Luke I am Your Father turned 4 years old.

Merriment and Whatnot.

If anyone would have told me back in January of 2008 that I would still be doing this in 2012, I would have laughed.  After all, according to the Mayans my blog was supposed to be extinct in 2011. That will teach people to trust the predictions of a civilization who, let's be honest, couldn't even foresee their own demise.

Mayans!

Seriously though, I think that having a dad blog that turns 4 must qualify me as somewhat of a Elder statesman of the Dad Blogging community.  I am the quiet one in the corner who seems to be perpetually contemplating something, but who is really just nodding off.  And nodding off is what I have been doing a lot of recently with this blog.

Sorry about that.

The fact is, I have not been visiting/commenting on many blogs, spending much Social Media sites, or posting on any sort of regular schedule here at Luke, I am Your Father recently.  I can't pin it to one specific reason, but rather a combination of a lot of factors.  Life has just gotten busy.  With work, at home, and with Lukas.  Honestly, it's amazing that I kept up the kind of pace I did for as long as I did while also working full time. 

I still plan on blogging here.  But on my 4th Blogaversary, I am realizing that I can do this a bit less often and still take a lot away from the experience.

I know there seem to be an abundance of new dad blogs and sites popping up all the time.  Honestly, as much as I would love to, I can't really keep up with them given my current time commitments.  Though I encourage you to.  I did have one tell me in a recent comment that I had inspired a lot of bloggers. Really?

For a guy with no aspirations, who started an obscure blog 4 years ago to gush about his newborn son, this is a very nice place to find myself today.

Friday 5: Favorite Sports Nicknames

Show me The Glove

Happy Friday readers.  Today I am going to borrow an idea from my blogging buddy Tim over at Life of Riles called Friday 5.  Basically,  for a Friday post I list my 5 favorite things in a different and completely random category.

Today, I have chosen Sports Nicknames.  Here are my 5 favorites.

5. The Big Unit: Randy Johnson was left-handed, stood 6'10" tall, and was perhaps the most imposing pitcher to ever take the mound in The Show.  I know he went on to bigger things in his days with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but to me his performance in the 1995 divisional playoff series between the Seattle Mariners and the hated New York Yankees cemented him as a legend.  The nickname The Big Unit is both fitting and, depending on how you interpret it, hilarious.

4. Crime Dog: While a decent professional baseball player in his day, Fred Griff will always be known more for his nickname which was a take on the police cartoon crime fighting dog McGruff, who could "Take a bite outta crime". 

3. The Microwave: Vinnie Johnson won NBA world championships with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990, but was originally drafted in 1979 by my hometown Seattle Supersonics.  Back then we just knew him as VJ as he was teammate with another pair of famous J's, DJ (Dennis Johnson) and JJ (Johnny Johnson).  In Detroit he became known as The Microwave for his ability to heat things up in a hurry.  Classic.

2. The Glove: Gary Payton was perhaps the best defensive point guard who ever suited up in the NBA.  He would defend opposing guards so tightly it was like they were wearing a glove.  Thus the nickname.  Another Seattle sports icon, his nickname was made all the more awesome by the hand gesture that accompanied it.  Palms and fingers outstretched as if putting on a glove, with the opposite hand gripped around the wrist.

1. Shoeless Joe:  Legend has it Joe Jackson became Shoeless Joe, after he played a game in Left Field without his cleats because they were new and had given him blisters.  Despite his involvement in the infamous 1919 Black Sox World Series fixing scandal, which resulted in his being banned from baseball Shoeless Joe is still one of the best hitters to ever play the game, posting the third highest career batting average of all time.  To me, the name Shoeless Joe is synonymous with baseball history and the nostalgia that surrounds it.

So, there you go.  Tell me folks, what are your all time favorite Sports Nicknames?

Photo Credit: blog.supersonicsoul.com

Biting Sarcasm From My 4-Year-Old

We had just sat down for a nice evening dinner on New Year's Day when Lukas made the comment.   I completely missed his point at first.  You can't blame me though, because after all it was completely out of character for him.

We were having Mrs. LIAYF's delicious homemade Potato Leek soup, along with a loaf of pecan raisin bread.  I had lovingly toasted and buttered the bread for him.  But when I handed him a piece, he took me by surprise by making the following comment as he took his first bite.

"Thanks for burning the crust Daddy"

"But I thought you didn't like the crust burnt" I replied, genuinely puzzled.

" I don't" he quickly responded with a smile.

(By the way, in my defense the toast was merely a shade past golden brown. Not at all close to being burnt. Plus, as I mentioned, it was softened by the butter.)

"Why would you thank me for it then?"  I asked.  At this point I still thought I was being thanked.

And, then he gave me the kicker...

"Well, because that's the way you and Mommy say things a lot when you mean something else."

Mrs. LIAYF and I both let out a genuine laugh at that.  Then she let him know  "That's called sarcasm Lukas".

It was yet another reminder to us that your kids really do pick up on much more than you realize.

Yeah, thanks for pointing that out Buddy.

Dad Resolutions For 2012

Happy New Year 2012!

-
This will be my last post here at Luke, I am Your Father.

Of  2011 that is.   Ba Dum, Dum! Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Yes, It's still 2011 here in Seattle as I write this, but the New Year is currently steamrolling across to globe and headed our way like a bunch of crazed, vintage 1985, Seahawks fans leaping from their seats in a successive Wave, and throwing their arms wildly into the air. Only, it's timing is much better.

And, even though it's been quite a while since I partied like it was 1999 (our store of Poppers for tonight not withstanding - woo hoo!), I wanted to make sure to note the passing of the old year and welcome the new one with a final post containing some of my goals for my role as a father for the upcoming calendar year.

Yeah, resolutions can be a lame attempt by those lacking proper normal resolve to use the changing of the calendar as a metaphor for the changing of their habits to ones which might serve themselves better in the upcoming year. But hey - when you are generally sleep deprived and up to your eyeballs in daily 'tasks', it doesn't hurt once a year to give yourself a mental boost by using them to give yourself a bit of extra motivation.

All that being said, even though I think I am a pretty good father to Lukas, I believe I can do even better in the new year.

So here are the 5 Dad Resolutions I have made for myself for 2012. 

1. I resolve to get to bed by midnight every night - This sounds crazy when I read it, but in reality I am often not getting to bed until 1 or 2 in the morning.  Especially on weekends.  Obviously this makes me tired the next day and I am subsequently not as engaged with Lukas as I could be.  I should really be in bed by 11:00 but will start with midnight for now.  Baby steps.

2. I resolve to look first for an opportunity to teach - I  joke around a lot with Lukas.  I like to make him laugh, and we do a lot.  But I really need to take a cue from Mrs. LIAYF and more often look first to teach Lukas about why things are the way they are, rather than turn it into a joke.  He deserves that more than I currently give to him.

3. I resolve to reduce my random online time by 50% - Sure, this is hard to measure, but it is a goal.  I spend a lot of time online doing things that don't ultimately benefit Lukas.  Cough*Twitter*Cough.  Yes, I still give him quite a bit of attention but I can still do better. And will.  This doesn't mean I will stop blogging, but there are certainly other areas where I can certainly reduce my screen time.

4.  I resolve to exercise 3 times a week -  This one is huge.  I am forty four years old now, and although I am not in terrible shape, I am not in good shape either.  I often  feel guilty when I am too exhausted to engage Lukas in an activity he wants to participate in.  As I get older, for Lukas' sake I really need to ensure he has a healthy father around.

5. I resolve to discipline more consistently - This is not a big problem with us, but I am a pretty laid back guy and can tend to let things go when I should be providing a more consistent message with Mrs. LIAYF.  It will definitely serve Lukas well as he grows older to have a clear message from both his parents on where his boundaries lie. 

So, tell me readers.  Do you have any parenting resolutions for 2012?  Care to share?

2011 Top Post July - December

This is the 2nd half of my 2011 'Best Of' blog posts entry.  You can view the first installment, from earlier this month, here.  Taken together, they provide a primer on what 'Luke, I am Your Father' was about in 2011. 

This past year has been the 4th that I have published here, and honestly it has also been the most difficult.  I am finding it increasingly difficult to find the time or motivation to post regularly here.  I'm sure most bloggers experience this at some point.  Still, looking back I have published some good material this past year, and hope to continue doing so well into the future.

So, if you are new to the blog or just an occasional reader, check these following posts out and let me know what you think.  I'm looking forward to hearing from you in 2012, and beyond.

July: Transformers: The Dark Side of Pretending to go to the Moon: Strange things can happen when you combine walkie talkies, Transformers, and pretending to blast off for the moon.

August: The Dad Foodie: This father is a 'Foodie', but probably not the kind you're thinking of. 

September: Mermaid Spotting: I have NEVER taken my son to McDonald's, but we are from Seattle so.... 

October: 4 Year Old Mind Tricks: This is NOT the post you are looking for (waving hand back and forth). 

November: Taking a Deep Breath: When you feel yourself getting upset, sometimes it helps to sing a song. 

December: SeattleDad's 2011 Best Albums Post: My most thoroughly researched, non-parenting post! 

Honorable Mention: Where I am From: This started out as a Meme, but I went in my own direction.  With good results. 

Honorable Mention:  We're Adopting - You can Help We are still waiting for our second child to choose us. Read about our hopes for adopting him or her.

Thanks for reading.  Tell me readers, what were your favorite posts from 2011?