Off to the Big Apple

Yesterday I sent C and Kiddo off to the Big Apple. It was an interesting experience. They have gone places before (most notably twice to see C's parents in California), but this time was different for me.

Maybe Kiddo and I are more alike than I realized: I think I had a bit of separation anxiety.

C needed to go to New York for job training. She got a new job where she will be rating English oral proficiency for ESL learners. It's a great opportunity for her: it is in her field (recently she got her MA in second language acquisition), it pays well, and she will be able to work from home. The work is computer-based, so she can do it whenever she has time; she's not tied to a clock. It really is a great opportunity for her.

So yesterday they left. They flew to Minneapolis where they met C's mom (who had flown in from California), then together the three of them continued on to New York. On the second flight, C took this picture. Grandma is the woman in the picture.

The flight wasn't very full, so Kiddo got to sit in his own seat. Doesn't he look so big? Can you believe he is only just over seven months old?

Man time is flying by.

So I'm a lone man in the wilderness. I'm driving down to St. George this weekend for a relative's baby blessing. I really would love to have gone with them, but somebody has to stay home and earn the Big Bucks.

Plus, in two weeks we get to leave for a two week trip to Palmyra, Toronto, Niagra Falls, Kirkland, and Nauvoo. I've only been at my job for less than a year, so I can't really take the whole month of July off.

On an interesting side note, it is funny how when you read the blogs of people online you start to think of them as your friends, yet these bloggers practically don't even know you exist. I realized this when I told C that she should look up Kage from Tales from the Crib and Glass Posse. Then I realized that might be really weird. What would you do? Leave a comment on her blog... "Hey we're going to be in NYC and wanted to know if you wanted visitors"? That's kind of creepy.

So I guess C and Kiddo and Grandma will have to brave the NY scene on their own. I hear they are having a great time. Time for me to get back to the business of the Big Bucks.

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A new era begins

A new era begins in Kiddo's life today. Okay, that's maybe a bit melodramatic, but I've been saving up <grin>.

Today we discovered that Kiddo's first tooth has broken through the gums.

C noticed it after the barbecue we had at my mom's house. We were standing around getting ready to leave when Kiddo grabbed C's finger and shoved it in his mouth, then bit it.

I tried to take some pictures, but Kiddo wasn't about to have any of that.

After the magic of the moment had passed, I found myself wondering just how much this tooth was going to cost somebody over the coming years.

The tooth will require semi-annual checkups over the course of his life. Then there is the toothpaste and toothbrushes needed to keep it healthy. Occasionally there may be a cavity to fill and braces required to keep it looking pretty. Sometime in about five years he'll probably lose it and the Tooth Fairy will have to fork overt the then-going-rate.

Then I realized that these are just the baby teeth. This particular tooth won't be all that expensive after all.

Well, I guess we'll hold out on judgment until we get the bill from the Tooth Fairy.

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