My sis, Julie, asked me to write a blog about what Frazier's typical day was like. She is so sad she lives too far away to spend some time with him....hopefully this will help, Aunt Julie.
Once upon a time in the Lone Star state lived a one year old boy named, Frazier. He lived with his above average Dad and Mom, and their above average (yet cantankerous) Yorkie-Poo, Gatsby.
Frazier, whose appearance was the perfect combination of his Mom and Dad, had a great life aside from the lava like temps which were fairly normal for summertime. He awoke each morning around 7 AM with a big smile and ready for another wonderful day with his Mom, Randi. Sometimes if he woke up really early he got to see Dad before he left for work.
Breakfast was not always the same but one of his favorites breakfasts was bananas, dry cereal and drinking a yogurt and fruit smoothy. He would sit and watch Mom unload the dishwasher or clean the floor or fold the clothes or a list of other chores. After he was finished he would chuck (in the north we don't say "chunk") his plastic smoothie cup on the floor just missing his fair weathered friend, Gatsby, by only inches. (Gatsby finds Frazier to be extremely unpredictable!) This would let Mom know he was ready to get decrusted and dressed. After donning his duds he would play with his toys a bit or talk to very tiny flat relatives in far away magical kingdoms on Skype. Then off for their morning walk with their friends, half being short like him who also rode in buggies. These Moms pushed their recently decrusted progeny who loved to rub bananas in their hair, too! Frazier rode and rarely slept like some of the other kids because he always listened closely to his Mom's sweet voice and he enjoyed the lovely park scenery and new sounds. After about two hours....they did not take their walking lightly, Mom would buckle Frazier back into his car seat and they would drive home in time for snack and maybe, just maybe a nap. Sometimes Frazier would decide to just wait and eat his lunch and take a nap after lunch.
Unlike his Dad, Frazier did not care much for naps. (Dad loved to grab a cat nap when he could.)Frazier would fight and fight to keep his eyes open, but after a little Mom time, he would fall fast asleep. The problem with this method was Mom was caught and if she ever slowly stood and ever so slowly tip toed to the crib to deposit her sleepy little man, he would always awaken and cry. Now don't get me wrong! Mom loved to hold Frazier, but she also had a lot of chores to do around the house and let's face it sometimes Moms need time to start dinner, wash their hair, do their nails or just read an article from Martha Stewart's magazine, Living. His Mom also was very crafty and had numerous projects going at all times and she also loved to write on her blog, Obladida. But Frazier was totally unaware of this and just thought that being with Mom was the best thing he knew and he knew Mom loved him. Sleeping on Mom's cuddly lap like a baby ....oh wait, he was a baby.....seemed like a great idea. He would sleep soundly and peacefully for up to two hours sometimes. This was a long time for Mom to stay put thinking of things she needed to be doing. So she started putting Frazier in his crib when it was nap time and sometime he would go to sleep, but sometimes he would cry before he did. That was painful for Mom as she was not happy about listening to this sweet boy get so upset and she knew he didn't know anything about Moms needing to have some time to do things on their own without baby help.
After nap time, Frazier was back to his cheerful self and was ready to GO GO GO again! He loved running around the house with his Fischer Price Popper or playing with his baskets of plastic veggie and fruits, driving his firetruck, running his sweeper (in the north we say we vacuum (v.)with the sweeper(n.) and mowing the imaginary lawn like Dad does every weekend as he stands and watches out the back door. He enjoyed having a few games of peek-a-boo and he also snacked on some goldfish or yogurt bits. He especially liked to get the little plastic goldfish open and dump the tiny yellow crackers all over the floor......then eat them.....so much better that way.
Sometimes Mom read a book to Frazier and he sat and listened or he took the book and tried to see if he could step on it to help him crawl onto something a bit higher. Books were fun to read but also seemed like great steps to Frazier and going UP was very intriguing. Getting to higher ground on his own was always great fun. This meant someone had to have both eyes trained on him at all times because one just never knew where he might try to go next and nobody wanted to see him get hurt.
Mom would begin working on dinner and Frazier would start watching the door for he knew it is that wonderful time of day when Dad came home. How he knew he wasn't sure, but he knew and when ever Dad was late Frazier was not very happy. He didn't cry, but you could tell he noticed and was very serious about watching that door to the garage to suddenly burst open. When it did he got SOOOO excited and Dad would scoop up his little buddy and kiss on him and toss him in the air. It really doesn't seem fair he was so ecstatic because Mom was the one who been tending to him all the day long, but Mom understood because she was very happy to see Dad, too.
Frazier would observe as Mom and Dad talked and shared all about their day while playing with him. Then they'd all gathered around their table for dinner and Dad would say the blessing. Frazier would listen intently while sitting in his beautiful red high chair eating his dinner all on his own. Sometimes he would also get into their conversations "talking" loudly and laughing along. He wanted to "talk" about his day too and they loved that he wanted to join the conversation.
When Frazier had his fill and he had pitched a few bits of food to his frienemy, Gatsby. Mom and Dad knew it was time to lift Frazier from his high chair, clean up the table, the floor, and the high chair, load the dishwasher, and take turns playing with Frazier. It would not be long and it would be bath time.
Because Frazier enjoyed his bath time so much, Mom and Dad loved it, too. They would use the baster to squirt water on his back and head and play with his rubber duckies and numerous other toys. Eventually he would swing that leg up on the side letting them know he had had enough time in the water and they'd lift him out and wrap him in his froggie towel or his doggie towel he would squirm and squiggle once again to get down. Mom and Dad would hurry to put on a clean diaper and some cute little jammies and would head to Frazier's room where they would play on the floor. Usually Dad read out loud, but sometimes Mom did, too. Frazier loved this time with his Mom and Dad. He couldn't imagine anything better than this. Then into his crib where his turtle (that projected stars on the ceiling!), his sheep (which played Jesus Loves Me) and his bear (that could simulate the sound of a heart beat) were waiting. Sleep was much more welcome at this juncture of the day and usually there was no crying as Frazier went off to dream land to recharge for another magical day in the land of lone stars.
Below are some recent pictures of my visit to see Frazier and his family. He is a little ball of energy and never stops going unless he is asleep. We had a lot of fun and it was fun observing this little critter in his natural habitat and seeing how well taken care of he is and also how much he is loved all the live long day!
