Alistair

We were at the park today, and there were quite a few other kids of varying ages there too. While we were chasing Troy around the implements, a little boy came up to Troy and asked if he could play with us. Troy thought about it for a second and then said, “Sure. Okay.” So, we expanded our “Monster Chase” game to include Alistair and his father too.

Even though he was two years older, Alistair was pretty much the same height and weight as Troy. A fact noted by his father. Alistair also had the same energy level. The two of them had a blast keeping away from Alistair’s father, my mother-in-law, and me.

At some point, Alistair and his father had to go, so Troy and I ran off to the other playground to mingle with the other kids. Troy saw a kid climb this really slick slide, so of course he had to do it too. After showing him how to brace his feet against the sides to get more traction, he finally struggled to the top. He slid down and climbed up again. This time, another younger boy saw Troy do it and decided he wanted to do it too. So, Troy waited patiently at the bottom of the slide, giving the kid a boost when he’d start slipping. When the little boy made it to the top, Troy exclaimed excitedly, “You did it! You did it all by yourself!” The mother of the little boy, standing to the side and watching told me, “Wow, he’s very encouraging! That’s awesome.” Needless to say, I was beaming with pride.

The Cave

Troy and my mother-in-law have developed a new game that they play upstairs. Whereas Troy used to ask her to turn the lights on in the media room, so he could play in his castle, ball pit, and tunnels; now he asks her to leave them off. He pretends that the dark room is actually a cave with a vicious wolf inside. He fearlessly rushes inside and shuts the door behind him. I guess he feels the complete and utter darkness gives the wolf the same disadvantage as he has not being able to see anything.

The best part is when they let me play along too. When Troy turns to close the doors, I will hide in some dark corner or behind some implement so he can’t see me. He then worriedly staggers around the room, calling for me to make sure that the wolf hasn’t eaten me.

Dinosaur Live!

Today, we took Troy to Dinosaur Live!, which is a seasonal exhibit at the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary in nearby McKinney, TX. The exhibit features a walking trail circling the grounds with 11 animatronic dinosaurs hidden in the bushes and trees along the way. Each one is life size, and they roar and move to provide a realistic encounter. Troy loved calling out the dinosaurs he recognized, racing from one to the next. He wanted to see the T-Rex, which of course was the last dinosaur on the trail.

When we got done, Troy wanted to go around again. So, we did the encounter a second time, this time a little more slowly. His overall favorite was the dilophosaurus, which hissed at him while he was spitting at it.

When he was fully satisfied with the dinosaurs, we let him play in the prairie town with the other kids. We also walked through the small animal sanctuary, although most of the animals were inside because of the cold.

After that, it was time for Troy’s nap, so we took a tour through the gift shop, bought a giant snake and a dinosaur egg, and headed home.

Sweetheart

This afternoon, when my wife picked up Troy from the daycare, his friend Mischa was being picked up by her mother too. When she saw Troy walking along the sidewalk, she called out, “Wait, wait, Troy! I’m coming!” She began running toward him, and he stopped to wait for her. When she got close, he opened his arms and swallowed her in a huge hug.

Mischa is such a sweetheart, and the two of them are so cute together. I know they’re only two, but I wouldn’t mind having her as a daughter-in-law.

Mortal Kombat

Troy: “Dada, I want to fight you!”

Me: “I don’t want to fight you. I just want to eat dinner.”

Troy: “I want to fight you, dada!”

Me: “Why?! Do you want leadership of the herd, because you can have it?! You can go to work every day and earn money to pay the bills. You can be stressed out and anxious about the responsibilities you have around the house and for this family! Take the leadership. I don’t want it.”

Troy: “I don’t want to fight you, dada.”

The Takeover

This morning after Troy got up, Troy went to find my mother-in-law, because she hadn’t come out of her room yet. Her door was still closed, so I told him not to barge in on her. He walked up and politely knocked on the door. “Giagia! Giagia! Are you awake?!”

She opened the door, and he walked in and gave her a big hug. She picked him up and put him on the bed, so he could look at the computer with her. She found some gorillas to watch, and he was completely enthralled. When my mother-in-law asked him if he liked the gorillas, Troy held up his hand. “Stop, just stop. Go and talk to dada.” “But I want to watch the gorillas with you.” “Go and talk to dada, Giagia. Go and talk to dada.”

So, she came into the kitchen where I was preparing his breakfast. “You got kicked out of your room, eh?” “Yes, I’m supposed to come in here and talk to you. I guess he doesn’t need me anymore, since he has the computer.”

You'll Be in My Heart...Always

Tonight, we introduced Troy to Tarzan on Disney+. He loved the movie, mostly because of the gorillas. He especially loved Kerchak, the chief gorilla. I think it was because he was beating his chest and roaring a lot, which Troy did right along with him.

When it got to the scene where Kala, Tarzan’s adopted mother, holds out her hand and holds it up to Tarzan’s to show that they’re exactly the same, my wife did the same with Troy. Then, he snuggled up to her chest to hear her heartbeat. It was so cute and endearing.

Canadian Border Patrol

We stopped at a stoplight today, and a flock of geese flew over the car in a V formation. I turned around and told Troy, “Those were Canadian geese. They flew south for the winter last year, but then they couldn’t go home because Canada closed its borders to American flights.” My mother-in-law started laughing and added, “Yeah, they couldn’t produce the correct documentation to prove a negative Covid test!”

Ice

Me: “Mama’s not feeling very well. Maybe you can make her feel better.”

Troy: “Yeah. I’m going to put ice on her.”

Me: “That’s very sweet of you.”

Troy: “I’m not feeling very well either.”

Me: “Do you want some soup?”

Troy: “Yeah.”

Me: “Okay, do you feel better now?”

Troy: “No.”

Me: “Well maybe you need more soup.”

Troy: “Yeah.”

Me: “Here’s some more soup.”

Troy: “I still don’t feel very well.”

Me: “Do you need some ice?”

Troy: “I need some ice cream!”

Hide-and-Seek

Troy, my mother-in-law, and I were playing Hide-and-Seek today upstairs. Troy wanted to hide with me, so my mother-in-law was “it.” While she was counting, we hid in his cardboard castle. But Troy was concerned that he was visible, so he kept shifting and moving, trying to get more behind the wall. My mother-in-law was nice enough to act like she didn’t see his head bob up and down through the castle window.

When she left the room, we made a run for it and headed to his ball pit tunnels. I stretched out inside. When Troy saw me inside, he scrambled inside too. But it wasn’t enough to be out of sight, he had to be where I was. So, he climbed on top of me. But of course, I’m not flat, so he kept shifting trying to get stable. The tunnel was moving all over the place, his feet were rubbing on the sides making noise, and he was breathing heavily with the effort. I kept shushing him and telling him to be still. But it fell on deaf ears. Maybe he thought he was being quiet. Maybe he thought we were playing Tag instead...as long as she couldn't get him...or maybe if she got me instead...he was safe.

No matter where we hid, Troy did the same thing. In the closet; behind the recliner, under the covers in the guest room, under the pillows in the couch. He was antsy, mobile, and loud. A couple of times, I hid separately from him, but as soon as he got “caught,” he immediately ran to where I was hiding to get me caught as well! I’m not quite sure he understands the concept of Hide-and-Seek. But with a compassionate seeker, like my mother-in-law, we can still have fun with it.

Forever My Son

My Son,

From the moment you were born, you have made me want to be a better man. To be strong enough to protect you from this world. To remove the bad things both inside me and surrounding me, so I can be an example of what to do and what not to do. You can learn as much from my mistakes as my triumphs.

But most of all, I wanted to be the kind of father that I never had but always wanted. I want to be there for you, to tell you I love you every day, to take interest in the things you care about, and to live my life no longer selfishly for myself but to give yours more happiness and enrichment. I wanted to keep you from the hurt that I have felt for so many years and have kept bottled up inside me.

Unfortunately, I can’t keep you from being hurt. But I can try every day to make sure that I’m not the one that hurts you. And when you do get hurt, I can make sure that I’m the first one by your side to pick you back up and comfort you.

You are one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I want you to know how important you are to me. I love you more than I love myself. And nobody will ever take your place in my heart. You are forever my son, and I could not ask for nor want for more.

Love, Dada

Not Going!

After having Troy home for nearly two weeks, today was finally his first day back at daycare. We took him through his typical routine to get him ready, and then we ate breakfast. Troy was sitting in the den playing with his new Spinosaurus and watching cartoons. When my wife finished eating, she said, “Okay.” And Troy immediately yelled out, “I’m not going!” Before she could even say the contentious phrase, “Okay, bucko, it’s time to go to school,” Troy threw it out there that he wasn’t going. My mother-in-law couldn’t stop laughing at that.

Smart-aleck

My mother-in-law was trying to engage Troy this morning by expressing an interest in the things he enjoys. He was playing with his dinosaur action figures, so she picked up the packaging for his latest dinosaur, and she asked, “What do we call this one?” Troy looked right at her and said, “A box.”

After we all stopped our hysterical laughter, I said to my mother-in-law, “Well, he’s not wrong!”

My wife said, “That sounded exactly like the kind of smart-aleck answer you’d give to someone. He’s definitely your son.” Well, she’s not wrong!