So we had another kid

Lyla. She's great. Only nine days old, and she's already got us wrapped around her finger. I'm nervous and excited all at once at the prospect of having a daughter. I used to jokingly refer to Edwin as a prima donna when he would whine over nothing--now I have a feeling that if Lyla could talk, she'd tell us we ain't seen nothing yet.

But back to Edwin, I feel bad for the little guy. He's chasing our attention like a cop after a Cincinnati Bengal. So since Lyla is currently playing the starring role in the real world, I've decided to give Edwin a little coverage in the blogosphere...

Tools, Tools, Tools. That's pretty much all Edwin cares about. Sure, he's able to yell out whatever sport is on TV, and even throw, kick or hit the ball around a little. And yes, he likes to belt out tunes from his ABCs to pop punk songs intended for teenage girls. And every now and again a car, dinosaur, robot or pirate will keep his interest for 2-8 minutes. But it's really all about the tools.

It's hard to think of a moment in time when the kid does not have tools in his possession. Here's the conversation we had tonight after dinner:

Dave: You want to go outside while Mama feeds Lyla, buddy?
Edwin: Ye-eh-eh-es.
D: Wanna bring a toy?
E: Uh huh-ah-uh.
D: Wanna bring a soccer ball and play soccer?
E: No. Tools.
D: Which tools?
E: Two ones.
D: Which two ones?
E: Two screwdrivers. Orange one. Yellow one.

So tonight we walked up and down the street fixing things with screwdrivers. Maybe tomorrow night he'll dig up the tape measure and measure things around the neighborhood (so far everything is "18 inches", as that's how long his tape measure is). When we brought him to the hospital to meet his little sister the day after she was born, Edwin was more interested in hammering away on every piece of medical equipment he could find than acknowledging Lyla's existence.

And when it's finally time for bed, he needs to take "two ones" with him, usually one screw and one drill bit. (FYI- If you're ever babysitting, don't let him talk you into a power tool as one of his allotted "two ones", unless you want to hear the soothing sounds of a drill intermittently over the baby monitor.)

Thankfully, Grandpa Randy (the supplier of most of these tools and teacher of the difference between an open and closed wrench) gave him his most prized possession: his tool bench, which provides a home for his copious tool collection. Here's a photo Mindy took (a quick 2 megapixel one on her phone) of Edwin at his tool bench wearing his brand new work goggles: