Tuesday 14th July 2009

A wise man once said "With great power comes great responsibility". Although wise is probably stretching it. It was actually Spiderman's uncle who came up with the immortal line. I'm not entirely sure of his IQ, but he may have been wise. Or perhaps just having an inspired moment. Or, to contemplate and over complicate the matter, was it rather the comic writer who was wise? Or inspired?

I'm drifting. I was simply trying to make the point that with close family based such a distance from here I need to take greater care of the responsibility I have to update this blog with many a new picture of Luca. I admit my entries have been sporadic of late, a fact which Carole has "subtly" reminded me of over the past few days.

I'm afraid there's not the usual chronological order to the photo's today. Ashamedly, I've simply randomly uploaded a hotch-potch of pictures I took today and stuck them in with as much care as Luca with a permanent marker pen atop laminate flooring.

Yes, I'm afraid he did, across the floor of our spare bedroom. Thankfully Carole caught him soon enough to scrub the markings from the floor before they dried in. Parenting = Daily heart attack

His cheeky grin doth forgive most sins nonetheless. He's been a bundle of fun regardless, and I'd love to regale you with many amusing incidents that have occurred since the last blog, but my memory forbids. Marbles? What are they?

He's actually been terrific of late, and has a surprisingly profound understanding of what occurs around him. As you'll notice in the picture above, Sima is being forced to wear a "lampshade" on her head. This is due to an operation she underwent yesterday to have her fixed. She's fine, but we need to be very gentle with her for the next couple in weeks in order to ensure her stitches don't split. As you'd guess our main concern was with Luca who, being a typically rambunctious 31 month old, can be a little (unintentionally) rough with the dogs on occasions. However, when we brought Sima home yesterday we sat him down and explained that he had to be gentle with her as she has an "owey". We showed him the stitching and dried blood that adorns Sima's stomach, and he immediately understood. Despite perennially spending great swathes of time hugging and rolling around the floor with the Jack Russell, he's showing her great respect and only lightly strokes her head now. We're much impressed, mostly as he hasn't yet forgotten the need to be gentle with her. Sima though? She seems to have already forgotten about it and is bouncing around like Tigger on acid. I have visions of the stitching breaking and her insides dropping onto the kitchen floor "a la" the taun-taun scene in "The Empire Strikes Back"

My car search has shifted up a gear (pun not intended), and I now have my eye on a number of motor's. Despite Carole compelling me to extend my budget I'm desperate to keep my spend as low as possible. I've been out to see a few cars now, and am now a (little) better educated as to what's suitable. I've always been distinctly disinterested in the nuances of cars and am surely the most archetypal and cliched tyre-kicker when it comes to purchasing. Descriptive elements such as "horse-power" fly so far above my head as to breach earths atmosphere. That said, final purchase will be made within days, hopefully locally but possibly forcing me to travel as far South as Nottinghamshire.

Luca's potty training will at last be concluded this week. As of tomorrow, Carole is taking a few days off just to spend time at home with the Brown Eyed Boy. This is to finalise his already impressive potty training regime. Despite his initial enthusiasm for the training - he viewed it as a game - he now treats each incident, gratifyingly, as commonplace, showing how close to the cessation of the need for nappies he really is. His Mum's done a great job with the continual psychological and physiological aspects to the training while I've assisted by, errm, clapping a bit.

I was off work today - attending to the post-op and expectedly tender yet in reality bouncy Sima - which consequently allowed me time to get other things done (car search, shopping, etc). It also gratifyingly gave me the opportunity to attempt to replicate what Carole does daily - feed Luca his tea. I'm aware in writing the task sounds simple enough, yet of late he has become as fussy as a Koala Bear.

Before I continue, and to explain, Koala's eat only eucalyptus leaves, but perversely only eat 6 of the 500 varieties available.

Thankfully tonight was one of his better nights, and he attacked his macaroni like a lion would a gazelle. Why was tonight different? Because he's a contrary little s*d when he wants to be! He'd also perhaps worked up a bit of an appetite earlier in the day when conducting his "school bully" schtick. It transpires that whilst at nursery he'd beaten an older boy with a stick in the garden, and scared the child - who towered above him - to such an extent that he was too scared to even accept Luca's apology! Obviously I had the fatherly chat with him when informed, which went as follows:-

"Did you hit the big boy with a stick?"

"Yes Daddy" (grin)

"Do you know that's naughty?"

"Yes Daddy" (big grin)

"Would you like Daddy to hit you?"

"No Daddy"(laugh)

"Will you do it again"

"No Daddy" (belly laughs)

So I'm certain he understands that what he did was wrong, and he knows not to do it again - but does the laughing indicate disdain, lack of understanding or naughtiness?

Kelly, please don't move to Oz, I need you up here to figure out Luca's evil intentions! I have nightmares of he, in later years, creating his own laser and nuclear weaponry and blackmailing the worlds Governments whilst cackling "Why no Mr Bond, I expect you to die"

**Useless fact of the day - The Bowhead Whale is known to live to 211 years of age**