April 27th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
(Damien, Damien Walk, New, Sal)
When we had our new fireplace put in the workers damaged out tile floor by adding a divot, it is about an inch across and half an inch deep.
Damien likes to try to excavate any loose pieces of grout that he can, or at least encourage other pieces to become loose. The rule is not playing with the hole. Then a few minuets later the “no putting your fingers in the hole” rule was added.
Recently Damien has made an effort to ALWAYS step on the hole as he walks through the kitchen. Sometimes this means he has to take an extra long step, which looks more like a lunge. Other times he will take a micro step, but he is persistent. There are times when I am sure he is traveling back and forth from the living room to the great room, just to step on the hole a few more times.
This morning stepping on the hole was not enough. Since poking the hole was against the rules, Damien needed an accomplice. What better buddy could you have other than Sal. Sal is a 4 foot long salamander (stuffed animal) that grumbles when he moves or is shaken. Sal is longer than Damien is tall, and weighs half as much. Damien comes in the kitchen dragging Sal by his tail, and flumps (Sal is soft so he flumps rather than thumps) him down next to the hole. Damien then proceeds to jam Sals’ (hmm lets check the inter net on this possessive case thing http://www.prose-n-poetry.com/display_work/14225 ah I see) Sal’s stubby claws into the hole in the floor one after the other. Once Damien realized that Mommy and Daddy did not approve, Damien quickly fled the scene, abandoning poor Sal to take the rap.
Comments
April 26th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
(Damien, Food, Punishment)
Damien has a new annoying habit.
When eating at the table, if he sees something on my plate that he wants. He stands up in his booster chair, and half crawls half leans across the table and tries to snatch it off my plate.
At first when I realized that Damien would take things from my plate, and actually *gasp* eat them without a fuss**double gasp**; I used this to get him to try new foods. Well it was easier than trying to force feed him. Now he thinks it is some kind of game and that is my fault I am sure. but this habit has to be broken, because it is too dangerous for him to be standing up in his booster chair, sooner or later the chair will slid out from under him then down will come Damien, booster chair and all, not to mention that I am tired of playing “defend the food” every time I want to eat. He could at least ask, he has words he should start using them.
I am going to try threats followed by swift action.
Example of how things may play out below.
1. Damien makes his move.
2. Daddy (that’s me) says “Sit down unless you are all done.” All done in our house also means you are no longer at the table. Threat
3. Damien goes back to sitting down feigning a sulking look while tying to conceal a mischievous look.
4. Damien waiting until I am distracted but not waiting longer than 60 seconds, because time is food, he makes his move again.
5. Daddy “I see you are out of your chair again, I guess you ARE all doneâ€, then I whisk Damien out of the chair and set him down on the floor
6. Damien will likely protest, with a vigorous use of the word “Moreâ€.
7. Daddy OK if you are going to eat nice then you can go back in the chair.
8. Damien, calming himself down and putting on his best angelic look says “niceâ€.
9. Daddy puts Damien back in the chair.
10. Repeat from step #1 until Damien is no longer hungry, or goes on a self imposed starvation protest.
See look NO RAGE
5 Comments
April 25th, 2007 at 9:35 am
(Damien, New, Punishment, Sergey)
Sorry for the delay.
So where were we, ah yes?
Damien smacked Sergey to the floor, Daddy leaps into action and pins Damien to the floor (loving but firm), and I am filled with RAGE.
So Damien starts crying because he doesn’t like being pinned to the floor (not because he is hurt, he really hates not being allowed to move) well he should of thought of that before he smacked Sergey. So want to get the point across that hitting Sergey or anyone else is NOT acceptable. I am not going to HIT Damien, NOT because I don’t want to (because I certainly did want to), and NOT because he doesn’t deserve it (because he certainly deserves it), but because it would send the wrong message. Damien is in trouble because he hit Sergey, so hitting Damien would confuse the issue. So instead like any good parent I elect to have a nice discussion with Damien about what he did wrong and why he should not do it again. Well that was the intent but it did not come out that way, it was more like me getting two inches from his face and yelling at him, did I mention I was filled with RAGE? Damien kept crying and closed his eyes, so I pried one of them open so he could see me yelling at him. After about 5 seconds of this (it seemed longer but how long does it take to say “Don’t hit Sergey, don’t hit anyone, hitting is wrong, nobody likes to be hit.”) I let Damien up. He is still sniffling and red faced, when I ask him if he is going to be nice to Sergey, to which he replies “OK”, then I ask if he wants a hug. Damien says “yes” and gives me a hug, and I tell him I love him (non full of RAGE voice), it is important for me to let Damien know that I always love him, even when I don’t love some of the things he does. After that Damien gives Sergey a hug and a kiss on the head and goes back top playing with his cars.
1 Comment
April 24th, 2007 at 9:54 am
(Humor, New, Quote)
“Think of how stupid the average person is and realize half are even stupider!†– Carlin
Comments
April 13th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
(Damien, New, Punishment, Sergey)
One day Damien got mad at something, So he threw what ever it was in his hand (which may or may not have had anything to do with why he ws mad) across the room. This did not slake Damiens thirst for vengence against the universe, so he walked of to his little brother Sergey, who was sitting up and busy gnawing on a mirror (it’s a plastic mirror, so don’t freak out, there was no chance of him getting seven years of bad luck from breaking it). Sergey looked up and smiled his cute little smile at Damien. Then Damien smacked Sergey in the head hard enough to knock him to the floor (thank God for carpeting, there is no telling how many brain cells it saves on a daliy basis in the Finnegan house.)
So Sergey is on the floor crying and Damien is winding up for phase two of the Sergey smack down. This is where I leap into action vaulting the play set and pull Damien to the floor is a ver loving yet very firm way, not so “firm” that anything would show on X-ray but close. And I am filled with RAGE.
Hey look at the time, I got to go, I’ll finish this up latter.
Comments
April 12th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
(Uncategorized)
Dan has passed his patent bar exam for the state of New York.
He is now more Legal than ever before.
Way to go Dan. 
2 Comments
April 11th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
(Damien, New, Punishment, Sergey)
When Damien gets mad he tires to hit someone in the head.
I am lead to believe that this is due to several factors.
1. Damien is a Boy.
2. Damien is Two years old.
3. Damien is a Boy who is Two.
Like I stated above, when Damien gets mad, he would like to hit someone in the head.
Probably you if you are near by, if you are say taller than four feet in height, and upright at the time of Damiens Tantrum, then Damien will make do by smacking your leg if your head is out of reach.
Alternately he will find his little brother Sergey, and hit him in the head.
If Sergey is not present, at the time of Damien’s Tantrum then he will go looking for him.
One time I had set Sergey on a play mat in a seated position, where he began to gnaw on small farm animals (plastic toys). I had steped into the kitchen but could still clearly see Sergey playing all smiles and drool. Then there was a wail from Damien as some fraction of reality refused to work the way he wanted it to. Next a toy came sailing across the room and flew well over Sergeys head, harmlessly bouncing off the far wall. Damien then ran up to Sergey and was greeted by a big smile because Sergey like his big brother. Damien drew back his arm to deliver a powerful smack to Sergeys head. At this time I realized that I was too far away to stop Damien from smacking Sergey silly, sure I could punish Damien after the fact but that wouldn’t help Sergey. Instead I decided to invoke a higher power. I used the voice of god.
DAMIEN, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!
Damien’s arm stoped in mid swing.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO COME OVER THERE AND SMACK YOU IN THE HEAD?
I BET YOU WOULDN’T LIKE IT!
NOW PICK UP THAT TOY!
Well guess what, Damien put his hand down and turned to face me.
Then he said “No!” and ran out of the room.
Damien didn’t pick up the toy, but Sergey was OK that was the important thing.
2 Comments
April 10th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
(Damien, Damien Walk, New)
19. Frankenstien Walk
I noticed Damien using this new one a lot this Easter at Great Grandma’s house.
Damien stretches out his leg forward at about a 45 degree angle and only touches the floor with the heal of his foot, then keeping the forward leg locked straight, and the ankle locked at a 90 degree angle he will step forward. So once the front leg is in a locked position, it stays locked until Damien is perched upon it, at the apex of his stride, at that point it is apparently OK for him to bend both legs to get the alternate leg into the locked position.
I have made a “The Damien Walk” page to better track his various walks.
Next I shall have to start tracking the various was Damien descends the stairs.
Comments
April 10th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
(New, Sergey)
When Damien is eating at the table I like to load Sergey into the high chair next to him.
Sergey will gum some toys as Damien eats. The hope is that they will get the idea of eating together family style.
When Damien is done, he says “All done”, and take off his bib.
Then I take him out of his chair (if I am fast enough) to the bathroom to wash him up.
As I came back to the kitchen to get Sergey he squeaked “Aw dun” at me with a pleading look in his eyes.
1 Comment
April 9th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
(Uncategorized)
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3 Comments