Home

Yeah, I got bronchitis.  "Souvenir" was the cleverest thing I could think of to say.

Other than that, it's great to be home again.  The drive up was very pleasant; our new car is very comfortable and the miles seemed to melt away.  (The XM radio sure didn't hurt either.)  Now I'm just trying to take it easy and recuperate, although "taking it easy" for Stay At Home Daddy still means changing and feeding the family, dishes, laundry, bills, etc.  Sigh.

Baby Einstein: Meh

Experts don't like Baby Einstein.  I know parents who swear by it, but the reason child development experts don't is because you're not supposed to be plugging your kid into the TV, no matter how sophisticated it is.  During his formative years, your kid needs to be doing things interactively.  No matter how awesome the Baby Einstein video is, it's not interactive and therefore takes time away from something better.  For these reasons, I never allowed Baby Einstein into the house.

Until now.

Ah, San Diego.  After the frigid north, I can't tell you how nice it was to be in a place where you could go outside with wet hair and not get a cold.  (I caught the cold in Edmonton and it's been following me halfway around the continent.  I'm mostly better but can't seem to shake this dry cough.  That's what happens when Daddy doesn't get a break.)

We went through US customs in Vancouver.  When we entered Canada, Sarah and I showed our Canadian birth certificates. When we re-entered the US, the whole family showed our American passports.  I got the guy to stamp Nathan's passport; he is now a very well-traveled Bean.

After Edmonton, our multi-city tour took on a whirlwind aspect and I haven't had a chance to update until today - more than a week later.  There is other news, but I'll try to do it in chronological order.