Look Ma! No training wheels!

Okay, so yesterday Eric and I were constantly talking about trying to find something that Nathan can be really good at. Something to get his confidence up. We finally agreed that we just needed to buy him another bike.

Now, the in-laws bought a 20-inch bike for him at Christmas time, which was just a smidge too big. Had to get training wheels (and FYI, supposedly TW are okay for 20 inch wheels, but not really). But with us living on Greble road, there was really too much traffic for him to get really comfortable with it. He fell over a few times, cried, and we didn't really make him try again.

But now we live on a cul-de-sac with 20 other kids. He's tried riding his bike, but since the TW weren't really fitting on well, he's still falling over. Still pouts and tears. I didn't want to buy a smaller one, because, let's face it, he'll outgrow it before the end of the summer.

But after track yesterday, we decided to go ahead and get the bike. So I took him down to WallyWorld to get one. Found one that was 18 inches, already had the TW on them. Went to check out through the car department. Big burly guy behind that counter told me that I was making a mistake. It was too small for him, and all his friends would just laugh at him. I really just needed to take him to a big field and let him fall a couple of times. I have never come so close to calling out a clerk in my life! Nathan was standing there listening to him. I'm thinking to myself, thanks, dude. I'm trying to give my child some confidence and you won't shut up. He finally seemed to register the glare I was throwing his way.

Anywoo. Got the kid home with the bike. He spends about two hours zipping up and down the street, then comes in to ask Eric to take the TW off. So the vids are his first attempts. I was taking another vid when he came full-speed ahead and crashed into me and Eric while we were standing next to the car. Luckily we were there to break his fall... You really can't see Nathan in the first vid until the 17 second mark. But the smile at the end was worth it.

Our kid can ride a bike! Eric now feels validated as a parent. Now, we just need to conquer the swimming thing this summer.

Track & Field

Okay, so this was our first track and field day. It was blue vs. orange. Nathan is on the orange team (please, no OSU jokes). We. were. not. prepared.

Practices last for 1-1/2 hours. I assumed that the meet would last about the same. Wrong! Warm up was at 8:30, meet started at 9:00. We didn't leave until 3:30!!!! They started out with 1600 meter races (4 laps). Well, Nathan wasn't going to run the 1600. No sense waiting around in the stands. So Eric and he came back home for an hour. I went with them back and we just hung around for another hour before any of his events started.

(Sorry, no audio) So the first video is his attempt at the standing longjump. We missed practice on Wednesday because he got braces on that day. So the vid is his very first attempt. Ironically, the technician that put the braces on him was at the event, smoothing out the sand. The 2nd vid is him running the 100 meter. Crappy visual (will be looking for new camera before Eric deploys). Anyway, Nathan is in the 1st lane, which is farthest from where I'm standing. But he'll be the last one, so you can't miss 'im.

Poor guy came in last in all three races, the 50, 100 and 200 meters. He might not have been dead last in the softball throw or the longjump, but he certainly didn't place. Eric and I can both see improvement in his stride, but he's definitely not in his element. We're thrilled that he's active, but we've got to find something that he can be good at. He was pretty accepting of the fact that he was last, but if he spends the next 2 months at the back of the pack, it's gonna be hard to keep him motivated.

Braces

With a strawberry smoothie 'stache.

Raingutter Regatta

So instead of having green beer at O'Connells, our St. Patty's Day centered around the Raingutter Regatta. Nathan won 2, lost 2 - no medal, just a participation ribbon.

Poor kid today gets braces put on.

Screw the Irish!

Excuse the vulgarity, but Eric is not feeling the irish love today. They had a parade last night in Savannah, in which he got rained on (in a wool uniform). Then crammed into a room with 2 marching bands, to stand at parade rest, listening to speechs for an hour and a half. I got to hear about the steamy, stinking condition of said hour long into the night last night. It was hot and miserable enough that a few of the Citadel band members fell out of formation. Apparently Eric thinks that should have been a clear signal to the folks with the microphone that the evening needed to end.

So he's being the St. Patty's day Grinch this morning. He doesn't like Christmas, doesn't like St. Patty's day, or - come to think of it - any organized holiday. Good thing he didn't get tagged to march in the 5 mile long St. Patty's day parade in Savannah today. But, in honor of his Irish heritage, just a shout out to his 3rd great-grandfather, Patrick Behan. Which makes Eric 1/32 Irish. Sorry, no picture.

We're celebrating St. Patty's day tonight by going to cub scouts, for the Raingutter Regatta. No green beer at O'Connells for us.

Well, the bloom is off the rose when it comes to track. It was fun the first day last week, when there were tons of kids running around in the gym. Practice on Monday, however, was an eye-opening experience. Two full laps around the track as a warm-up. Then a group stretch for 10 minutes. Then two 300 meter races. Then two 200 meter races. Then two 100 races. And finally, one 50 meter race. Now, that's A LOT of running for a little kid, particularly one who's not used to it. There were tears shed. At one point, a female coach had to take him by the hand and led him to his start off point. And he didn't go willingly. And of course, he was the last in every single race. He was 100% miserable by the end of practice on Monday. On Wednesday, I'd say he was only 95% miserable. Supposedly, they'll eventually do the 'field' part of 'track and field.' I keep trying to encourage him that he'll do better on the softball throw, but it's hard keeping him enthused about it. (Getting the official track club t-shirt does help, however.)

Eric is currently listening to soft-70s rock in the kitchen while he makes a low-country boil, AKA a 'frogmore stew'. He actually has the day off tomorrow. He has spent the past few days inventorying weapons, getting his anthrax shots updated, and preparing for parades, concerts and change of command ceremonies. Saturday he gets to do a parade in Evans County, GA for a Rattlesnake Roundup. Yee-haw!

Maybe I short start tweeting instead of blogging. I'm becoming intimidated by the blinking cursor while I think of what to say. At least with twitter, I can easily keep to the 140 character limit...

Eric's birthday has come and went. Poor guy had to play a troop arrival ceremony at 1:30 am on Saturday morning, so he was in bed early. We didn't do anything special - Eric doesn't get into celebrating birthdays. (Me, on the other hand, it's a different story. I don't need presents, but gosh darn it, you better remember it and fuss over me a little!) Anyway, Eric was looking at his facebook page and said, 'when did my friends get so old?' Welllllllllll. It's tough when you feel like 23 on the inside, but time marches on. I found my first grey hair not too long ago. I got Eric two hanging ferns for the back patio and 2 lawn chairs. Nothing special, but he's been wanting hanging plants out there since we moved in. (I'm pretty much devoid of inspiration when it comes to gift-giving. I get you what you tell me you want. No surprises.)

So Eric had maybe 4 hours of sleep Friday night, then we had the district pinewood derby race on Saturday morning. Double-elimination, Nathan came in 2nd, then 1st, then 3rd. So with 12 little boys, he didn't place in the finals. Which led to some sulking on his part - the participation patch and certificate do not compare to a trophy. But after a trip to the shoppette for a super big icee, he decided he needed to wear his scout uniform for the rest of the day.

Nathan is turning into mr. social butterfly. He drops his backpack off after school, gets a snack, then hits the door. Other than food, bandaids or potty breaks, he's pretty much outside until dark. Certainly not how I was as a kid!

Chariots of Fire

Here's the first real day of track and field practice. He's the one in the red shorts.

"Charley 1" Cryer is back home - enjoying a few days off before getting into the swing of things at work. (Charley 1 means that he is qualified to play in any of the specialized bands in the army - Heidelburg, Belgium, one of the bands in the DC area, etc.) That's all well and good, but in about 6 months his unit is deploying, so he'll be hitting the ground running when he gets to the office tomorrow.

Which may be a culture shock to both him and his unit. He's spent as much time at school as he has spent here with the unit.

Yesterday was the first day of track and field. Nathan decided that he wanted to try it rather than soccer. Eric and I had our doubts, but he was a lot better than we expected him to be. He's always had a pretty stiff gait, but he's really loosened up since his last organized sports attempts. They spent just as much time stretching as actually running, so hopefully we'll make some headway on those pesky hamstrings. I think he'll do better in the softball throw and shot put than the running.

Today was picture day. He decided that his long-sleeve black Pirates of the Caribbean t-shirt with shiny red designs on it was the fashion statement to make.