March births bring February showers

Hi my baby boy, 

This past Saturday Nana threw a "fun size" shower for your mother and I at Great Grandma's house. In attendance were the Sherry aunts and the Dempsey aunts (sans Laura) as well as my cousin Kevin's wife, Terry, my cousins Emma and Malikkah, and Malikkah's beautiful daughter, Alanna. Great Grandpa was there as well but he was hiding in his bedroom while watching golf. Nana, Aunt Dree, Aunt Janice and Great Grandma made some delicious treats and wonderful decorations for the party. A good time was had by all!

The centerpiece and pacifier decorations created by your crafty Nana

Your mom and I received many nice outfits, books, toys and baby supplies on your behalf and we now have almost everything we need for your arrival. A particular favorite of mine were the Batman and Joker toys we received from both Aunt Dree and the Dempsey Aunts & Malikkah. We returned one set and got a set of Batgirl and Wonder Woman toys; it is never too early to learn about gender equality. Great Grandma and Great Great Grandma made some lovely knitted/crotchet outfits in which Mom and I are fairly certain you will look adorable plus some cozy blankets for you as well. We got lots of baby supplies to keep you clean and happy each day and some fun books & toys as well. 

Me, Mom and Malikkah

After everyone was full of food and the gifts had been opened, Mom, Nana, Emma and I went to Babies 'R' Us to return some duplicate items that we had received over recent weeks. We were then able to pick up some remaining items from your baby registry like bathing supplies and some outfits and, most importantly, the Batmobile toy for your little Batman figures. It's never to early to learn about fighting crime and stylish rides. At this point your poor mother was fading but she had enough energy for the four of us to go to Wegman's. Wegman's is the world's coolest supermarket and the place is huge. There really isn't much the place doesn't have so we all got treats and we even got you a book!

Next stop: ADVENTURE! I mean Wegman's and then ADVENTURE!

Perhaps one of the nicest surprises was a gift we received in absentia from one of Nana's childhood friends, Paula: a book titled "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel". This book was a favorite of mine when I was little and it was also a favorite of Papa's when he was little. Papa had been searching his and Nana's house for a copy of the book but had no luck (he did find about a million other great books that currently call your bookshelf home). It was one of the random things in life that suggest an interconnected universe and made both your Papa and I smile. I'm sure it will be a favorite of yours as well. 

Spoiler alert: Mike Mulligan has a steam shovel

As you've been reading repeatedly through the Scooter blog, everyone that your mother and I know and love is so excited about your arrival and can't wait to meet you. We can't wait to see you in your little outfits, watch you play with your toys and read you stories. There is a Scooter Baby sized hole in Mom's and my lives and we can't wait for you to fill it!

Love, 

Bat-Dad

A winter shower

Hey buddy boy, 

This past Sunday was your mom's "big" shower (with the fun size shower to follow this Saturday at Great Grandma's) and, despite the postponement due to weather, was a great success. Your mother had a wonderful time and received many beautiful things on your behalf from our lovely friends and family. Aurora was in rare form as she showed off each gift Mom unwrapped but did not let anyone really see or hold anything. It was not show and tell after all. Or at least that's what she told Grandma. 
 

Your beautiful mother and grandmother. Both bursting with joy, one nearly bursting with baby

 The venue was Johnny's Tap Room at the Village Commons in South Hadley and the food was excellent (at least that's my guess judging by the fifty meatballs I have eaten as leftovers over the last three days). After the food and general merriment, Mom opened many gifts given generously by our loved ones. I was scheduled to arrive after the gifts were reviewed and displayed so that I could pack up the car with your plunder but ended arriving far too early so I can testify that your mother looked like a kid on Christmas as she opened gifts. Everything ranging from toys to books to clothes to furniture to pacifiers. Our friends and family are most generous and both your mother and I feel extremely grateful. 

Your mother's right hand woman, Uncle Aunt Toddy

After a visit to see Amo, Mom and I headed home, unloaded the car and promptly fell asleep for the night. The next morning was President's Day (a Monday off from work!) so we were able to unpack your new stuff and enjoy it all over again. Some stuff was setup in your room, some stuff washed and folded, and some stuff stored in the attic until you are old enough to enjoy it. Your mother cannot stop snickering when she looks at your 0-3 months clothes since they are so little. Hard to imagine our little baby will soon be wearing those little clothes. 

Your solar system mobile was hung o'er the bed with care, in hopes that the print that goes in the frame behind it would soon be there

There's still work to do but the house is almost ready for you. And there's still mental preparing to do but we're almost ready for you too! You will be well clothed, well read and well loved in your comfortable little room.

Showering you with love,

Dad

Toys in the Attic

Dear Scooter Baby,

Your mother's delayed baby shower will occur this weekend with the end result that we will inevitably (and gratefully!) be deluged with baby products for every aspect of baby rearing. Of particular note will be the toys and playthings that we will receive on your behalf. This got me thinking about the toys with which I played as I grew up and how different or similar they were in comparison with the toys of today. 

So, let's take a walk down memory lane with my old toys playing the unlikely role of biographer. 

It seems that all babies opt for the wooden spoon or plastic bowl from the kitchen in lieu of the more expensive toys at times and I am sure that I was much the same. However, here are those marketable toys I remember loving at a very young age:

-Weebles: I don't know if Weebles are still in existence these days but their claim to fame was that they "wobble but never fall down". I proved this on countless occasions as well as the unadvertised claim that their plastic shell would not break no matter how hard or how far you threw them. From an adult perspective, these would appear to provide only minutes of fun but I am fairly certain that they keep a child entertained for a much longer period of time.

Trapped inside plastic shells, these tiny people exist only for your amusement

-Duplo: Duplo is like Lego's older brother with a glandular problem. The big Duplo pieces are conducive to easier play for young ones with the added bonus of not fitting in the mouth particularly well (unlike those delicious Legos!). Duplo was a particular favorite of mine and later a favorite of your Uncle Pat's because what you can create is limited only by your imagination (and motor dexterity when you are very young).

Despite their bright colors, these Duplo blocks are not lemon, cherry and blueberry flavored. They are dirty plastic flavored.

 -Wood blocks: Much like Duplo, playing with wooden blocks can lead from the simplest of structures to the grandest castles. It is also a lot of fun to destroy your architectural creations once you tire of the design. 

The architect of this mess was careless. Be more careful in your builds, Scooter

 -Fisher Price Little People: While little people today is one of the politically correct terms for those with dwarfism, back in my childhood it referred to small, plastic persons with no arms or legs. These Little People had many adventures in Nana's and Papa's house especially when the Little People barnyard set was thrown in. When opening the barn, a cow would "moooooooo" even when there wasn't a cow anywhere near the barn. This led the Little People to assume that the spirit of a deceased cow haunted the barn. Relocating the barn to a build site NOT on an ancient Indian burial ground did not resolve the issue. Child's play can be pretty serious sometimes. 

Not pictured: the angry souls of animals from days gone by

Once I got a little older, I transitioned many of the above play items to Uncle Pat so that he could begin his own adventures. More "manly" toys became my toys of choice and dictated all my great adventures:

-He-Man: He-Man was a mythical warrior born from a collaboration between a television company and a toy company with the sole goal of selling toys. It appears it worked as I alone had dozens of figures not to mention the countless children across the country collecting figures and play sets left, right and center. Many of the body parts of these figures are strewn under years of soil build up around Nana's and Papa's house indicating the ferocity of the battles in which they engaged. While many of the licensed figures and play sets were great fun, nothing matched the Castle Grayskull (He-Man's house) that Papa built from scratch for me one Christmas. The castle still stands against the winds of time and will be passed to you once you are old enough.

Using steroids and looking constipated is no way to go through life, He-Man

 -Star Wars: Star Wars action figures are something that I not only enjoyed as a child but something that evolved (or devolved depending on how you look at it) into a hobby as a young teenager. These action figures were the action figures that launched a new era of toys and there were hundreds of them. Every once in awhile, your Papa would hide a new figure in the attic or basement and pretend he found it for me when we'd be doing chores around the house. This led to my mistaken belief that I could find new toys around the house if I looked hard enough. Childhood can be both exciting and disappointing.

There is an action figure equivalent of literally every living (and some non-living) object that was featured in a Star Wars movie.

 -M.A.S.K.: M.A.S.K. or Mobile Armored Strike Kommand were a series of action figures and vehicles that transformed from an everyday vehicle to a death machine. My favorites were the sports car that transformed into a boat and the tractor trailer truck that transformed into a missile silo. These toys taught the important life lesson that nothing is what it seems...and it can kill you. Just kidding. It can only maim you.

This pickup truck features hydraulics, headlight machine guns, a projectile spare tire and it is AWESOME!

 -Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a toy that remained relevant from my childhood through Uncle Pat's childhood and have now been re-released for kids Aurora's age. As their name would suggest, the characters were mutated turtles of a teenage disposition trained in the ancient art of the Ninja. The Turtles were named for the great Renaissance painters Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo so as to make parents feel as if their children were becoming cultured as they forked over dollar after dollar to Toys 'R' Us. 

Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo and --having forgotten his belt-- an embarrassed Leonardo

It would warm my heart if these toys continue in various incarnations throughout your childhood or if you pull out my old toys (but let's go ahead and disinfect them first) to make them your own but if you've got an imagination like mine then you'll have great adventures with whatever toys you choose. If you have an imagination like your mother then you'll play office or library. I'm not saying one's better than the other but don't forget that awesome pickup truck with guns! 

Your ability to play and imagine seems to disappear as time goes by but both your mother and I are looking forward to turning back our clocks to play with you, your toys and your imagination.

Love,

He-Dad

Room and board

My Dearest Scooter Baby, 

As noted in many other posts, your mother and I have been diligently working to prepare your room for your arrival (sometimes, when we're feeling fancy, we call it the "nursery"). I give nearly all of the credit for design of your room to your beautiful mother; I take up the role of an unkempt day laborer who moves the furniture around and puts up framed art. It's a match made in heaven. 

Plenty of room to add more books to your collection provided you don't collect as many as me and certainly not as many as Papa

 Your room is not large but we think it will suit you from now until whenever you get sick of us and move out (note: this process can begin at anytime but cannot take place in earnest until you are of legal age). There is plenty of room in the house and outside the house for you to play and store what I'm sure will be an abundant amount of play things. Your room currently consists of a lovely crib, an elegant dresser, a dapper, little bookshelf, a few sporty light fixtures and some fun wall hangings. Soon a chair, a rug and some more wall hangings will be added and the final product will be a cozy, warm space that your mother, you and I will fill to the brim with love. We also expect you to regularly fill it with screams of hunger, wetness or tiredness. But mostly love. 

The spotlight will be on your dirty diapers

 Per the class that taught us about newborn safety, we've removed the collection of antique swords and battle axes previously adorning the walls and rerouted the open trough of raw sewage that previously ran through your room. Your mom's "50 Shades of Grey" interpretative art exhibit collection has been put in boxes in the attic and the abandoned wolverine we've been raising in your room will now sleep in the basement. All in all, we hope you find your space comfortable. We really cannot wait for you to take your first nap at home, have your first diaper changed at home, pee on your mom while she's changing you for the first time at home or spit up on the carpet for the first time. In short, we can't wait for you to make it yours!

Have no fear: this alligator has been de-toothed and can be quite friendly

 Mom and I feel we are reasonable landlords and will expect little in your first months at home. However, we expect you to take the trash out once you have learned to crawl and mow the lawn when you have learned to walk. We hope you find these terms agreeable. But, in seriousness, we can't wait to lift you from your crib on a lazy Sunday morning, change you and then snuggle you in our bed for awhile before we all get up for breakfast. We can't wait to play with you on the rug in your room. And we can't wait to rock you to sleep in the corner while reading you our favorite stories. We can't wait, we can't wait, we can't wait!

Love always,

Your male roommate

The Blizzard of Twenty Thirteen

Dear Scooter Storm, 

On Friday, February the 8th, 2013, a storm hit New England and caused a panic across the general populace, the local and state governments and the media. The likes of the storm had never been seen before...except for the numerous times in the past in which the likes of this storm had been seen before. Be that as it may, it was all anyone could talk about in the days before, during and since the storm and it did make quite a mark on New England. Between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, Jefferson received around 28 inches of snow.

This picture is black & white to imply a historical event of life shattering importance. In reality, it is a snow bank and a shed.

This storm was the third largest snowstorm on record for our area and was noteworthy because it dumped so much snow in so little time. It also included thunder, lightning and hurricane force winds at times. Our little house held up admirably and your mother and I were prepared. We had plenty of food and water on hand, flashlights and extra batteries, and even a bed setup in the basement near the propane stove in the event that we lost power. Your mother and I being such hearty New Englanders were up for the challenges of the storm. The only thing that was missing was a little Scooter Baby to snuggle!
 

Contrary to the claims of Fox News, the sun did come up the day after the storm

 Your wonderful mother took the trouble to find a local snow plow service so that we wouldn't have to spend our life savings on a replacement back for me after what would have been seven plus hours of shoveling. As it was, I still needed to do almost two hours of shoveling but it was playing in the snow compared to what it could have been. In a few years we won't need my back or the plow as you will be trained to be an expert snow shovelsman. You will be payed in candy.
 

Clearing this section of the driveway is worth three Snickers and two Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Also payable as two Cadbury Creme Eggs when in season.

On the whole, the storm was beautiful to watch as we never lost power or heat and, with the storm being over the weekend, your mother and I just enjoyed ourselves in the house for two days. We cleaned, we cooked, watched a terrible James Bond movie and then we put up pictures in your bedroom and prepared it for your arrival. We kept ourselves busy and warm. A thought constantly on our minds was that if we get another storm like this next year then our little boy will be able to play outside in the snow! We can't wait (for the little boy playing, not the snow).

Love, 

Dad (and his back)

A letter from Nana and Papa!

Dear Wonderful Scooter Baby!

Your Dad has let us grandparents get into the act and so I would love to tell you about your Dad as a little boy.  If you can believe it, he was a serious little guy and studiously watched everything around him with incredible intent and REMEMBERED EVERYTHING.  He has a photographic memory which is incredibly and annoyingly dependable.  He was a peach of a baby, who became a very determined and planful child.  Unfortunately, flexible was not his middle name.  I used to call him, "Hope springs eternal" as in, "Is today the day I get to do whatever I want when I want??" Mostly the answer was no, so life was a little disappointing for him.  I think it had something to do with the fact he was very sure at a young age, that he was smarter than his parents.  This may well have been true, but we did teach him to laugh and have a good time and to forgive us for not allowing him to watch tv all the time, stay up late or eat whatever he wanted.  I must say, he turned out to be the most wonderful man and we are so lucky to have him in our lives.  (Note to parents-to-be:  Consistency, although tiring, pays off in the end!)
 

Pictured: a very determined, planful and SUPER child 

In like fashion, he found the most perfect woman to love and marry and we feel incredibly blessed. Your mom comes with an awesome family whom we love and count as incredible blessings in our lives.

The Dempsey-Sherry family, then and now

Your extended family on your Nana's side is…… well, extensive.  I have 2 brothers and 3 sisters.  My two brothers are MUCH older than your Nana and so we are not as close as The Sisters.   The sisters were named by your Dad, "The Crazy Aunts" and they are the most fun people you will meet.  Each of them will sign cards and letters with “YFA” indicating “Your Favorite Aunt”.  As you can see, my side of the family, although there were a lot of us, all felt we were raised as only children.  We all think we are the favorites. So play this information as you see it….Already they love you and can't wait to meet you!  Your Papa has 3 sisters who are also psyched to meet you and your Dad’s cousin has a beautiful little girl 3 years older than you are, Alanna.  We hope you will be good buds, as her Mom and your Dad were growing up.

The Crazy Aunts

You can probably tell that all of your relatives love you and you aren’t even here yet!  What a lucky kid you are, and how lucky we feel to have you “moving into” our lives.  It makes us all smile to think of you, and I know this will hold true for the rest of your life and ours!

At Disney World, apparently pretending we are from Chicago

Much love and many hugs to come,
Nana and Papa