Forgive me, readers, for not updating this blog for a couple weeks, but as you know I am quite lazy and always half distracted by one of my children. I know I left you hanging about the Carlsbad triathlon, and I promise I will write about it. But today I am inspired to write about a different topic, so I will tell you about the fish.
I'll start off by saying that we used to have two fairly decent sized fish tanks before we had kids. Ahhh, yes, the golden years and we didn't even know it, but I digress. Anyhow, Max was very into these aquariums for a time, but eventually decided they were too much work and gave them away.
Fast forward to the present. I will admit, I started it. So technically this is all my fault. At the beginning of the summer, I took the boys to Walmart and let them each pick out a Beta fish. Mateo picked a red one which, surprise surprise, he named Mario after his video game hero. Nico picked a blue one who he named Luigi although Mateo argued that the fish was not green so it probably shouldn't be named Luigi, but Blue Mushroom. But by that point, Nico was no longer listening to Mateo, or myself for that matter, and was wholely absorbed by the fish.
"Mommy, fishy has eyes. Mommy, fishy has a tail. Mommy, fishy is blue." Nico said as he walked along jostling this poor fish.
"Yes, Nico. Now carry the fish gently. Don't shake him." Yeah...right. Nico had already dropped the fish 2 times on our our way to the check out. When I suggested that maybe I should carry the fish, he shrieked, "NO!" and violently slammed the plastic container with the fish inside it against his chest. Uh oh, maybe this was a mistake. But it was too late. I already said we could get the fish.
I let Nico hold his fishy the whole car ride home thinking that it may never live to see our house. But it did. And I put both fish in a small tank that had a divider so they wouldn't kill each other. Mario & Luigi, our new friends. No sooner had I turned my back on that fish tank than Nico had flipped the lid off and was reaching his hand inside. "Oh!" he yelled, "I touched fishy!" and he exploded into a fit of laughter. Telling Nico not to touch the fish and leave the tank alone is, of course, totally useless. I may as well tell my dog not to go outside and leave the door open.
So the fishies' new residence was on top of our refrigerator. I took them down a few times a day for supervised visits, of which Nico spent the entire time trying to touch them. It was during one of these visitations that Luigi met his unfortunate demise. Daniela woke up from her nap and I went to go get her, leaving Nico alone with the fish. I was delayed for much longer than I planned due to a messy diaper change that necesitated a quick bath and outfit change (yes, one of those.) Upon my return, Luigi was pronounced DOA. Nico had put him in a Pez dispenser. I will spare all you animal lover the gory details.
Meanwhile, all of this fish watching seemed to rekindle Max's love of aquariums.
"We should get an aquarium again." he told me.
"Really? I thought you said it was too much work to clean."
"It's not that much work."
"Actually I think you said you didn't have time to clean it. Do you have a lot more time now that we have three kids?" Ok, that was a low blow. I know. But REALLY?
"Yeah, you're right." But, obviously, that's not what he meant. He doesn't think I'm right. He's just done discussing it. The wheel had been set in motion and there is nothing I could do to stop it now.
Predictably, a few days later he returned from Walmart with the boys and a whole new set of fish and a mini aquarium. Not a simple tank like Mario's current home, but one with a filter and a light. A definate upgrade from his last pad.
"This cannot go on top of the refrigerator. Where will this go?" I ask.
"In their bedroom." OMG. Bad. Idea.
"I give these fish less than a week. Nico will kill them all."
"I don't think he'll be able to get up on top of the dresser and get the lid off." Ummm...ok. Denial. It's ok, that's how I deal with a lot of things too.
So Max set up the tank and Mario joined 4 new friends who he immediately started attacking and killing off one by one. Oh, yeah, and Nico immediately figured out how to stack up some storage bins in his room so he could reach the tank, take off the lid, and "play" with the fish.
"Mommy! Mario goes fast."
"Wow. Ok." I say as I surf the internet and ignore my 3 small children.
"Mommy! See! Mario drives a car." Nico exclaimed as he shoved a small toy car in my face. I glanced at it, then did a double take and gasped. Slumped over in the driver's seat was Mario the fish! And he didn't look fast. He looked dead. But I gave him the benefit of the doubt and threw him back into the tank. A few hours later, he was swimming around. A miracle.
When we left to visit my family in Buffalo 2 weeks ago, Mario was the sole survivor of the tank and looked worse than a Civil War vet.
"I can't believe he's not dead" Max marveled.
"Yeah... I know." I replied. I was beginning to like Mario. Mario and me surviving Nico together. He looks like I feel somedays.
So on our way home from the airport today, Max announces that he got more fish while we were gone. Bigger fish.
"But won't Mario and Nico kill them." I asked
"No, Cifi gave me his old aquarium." And so we walked in to find a 30 gallon aquarium set up in the living room. And there was Mario. Who did look very small swimming next to two massive goldfish.
"Nico won't be able to get into this tank." said Max knowingly as Nico busily started empying out storage bins and pushing them to the base of the fish tank.
I'll start off by saying that we used to have two fairly decent sized fish tanks before we had kids. Ahhh, yes, the golden years and we didn't even know it, but I digress. Anyhow, Max was very into these aquariums for a time, but eventually decided they were too much work and gave them away.
Fast forward to the present. I will admit, I started it. So technically this is all my fault. At the beginning of the summer, I took the boys to Walmart and let them each pick out a Beta fish. Mateo picked a red one which, surprise surprise, he named Mario after his video game hero. Nico picked a blue one who he named Luigi although Mateo argued that the fish was not green so it probably shouldn't be named Luigi, but Blue Mushroom. But by that point, Nico was no longer listening to Mateo, or myself for that matter, and was wholely absorbed by the fish.
"Mommy, fishy has eyes. Mommy, fishy has a tail. Mommy, fishy is blue." Nico said as he walked along jostling this poor fish.
"Yes, Nico. Now carry the fish gently. Don't shake him." Yeah...right. Nico had already dropped the fish 2 times on our our way to the check out. When I suggested that maybe I should carry the fish, he shrieked, "NO!" and violently slammed the plastic container with the fish inside it against his chest. Uh oh, maybe this was a mistake. But it was too late. I already said we could get the fish.
I let Nico hold his fishy the whole car ride home thinking that it may never live to see our house. But it did. And I put both fish in a small tank that had a divider so they wouldn't kill each other. Mario & Luigi, our new friends. No sooner had I turned my back on that fish tank than Nico had flipped the lid off and was reaching his hand inside. "Oh!" he yelled, "I touched fishy!" and he exploded into a fit of laughter. Telling Nico not to touch the fish and leave the tank alone is, of course, totally useless. I may as well tell my dog not to go outside and leave the door open.
So the fishies' new residence was on top of our refrigerator. I took them down a few times a day for supervised visits, of which Nico spent the entire time trying to touch them. It was during one of these visitations that Luigi met his unfortunate demise. Daniela woke up from her nap and I went to go get her, leaving Nico alone with the fish. I was delayed for much longer than I planned due to a messy diaper change that necesitated a quick bath and outfit change (yes, one of those.) Upon my return, Luigi was pronounced DOA. Nico had put him in a Pez dispenser. I will spare all you animal lover the gory details.
Meanwhile, all of this fish watching seemed to rekindle Max's love of aquariums.
"We should get an aquarium again." he told me.
"Really? I thought you said it was too much work to clean."
"It's not that much work."
"Actually I think you said you didn't have time to clean it. Do you have a lot more time now that we have three kids?" Ok, that was a low blow. I know. But REALLY?
"Yeah, you're right." But, obviously, that's not what he meant. He doesn't think I'm right. He's just done discussing it. The wheel had been set in motion and there is nothing I could do to stop it now.
Predictably, a few days later he returned from Walmart with the boys and a whole new set of fish and a mini aquarium. Not a simple tank like Mario's current home, but one with a filter and a light. A definate upgrade from his last pad.
"This cannot go on top of the refrigerator. Where will this go?" I ask.
"In their bedroom." OMG. Bad. Idea.
"I give these fish less than a week. Nico will kill them all."
"I don't think he'll be able to get up on top of the dresser and get the lid off." Ummm...ok. Denial. It's ok, that's how I deal with a lot of things too.
So Max set up the tank and Mario joined 4 new friends who he immediately started attacking and killing off one by one. Oh, yeah, and Nico immediately figured out how to stack up some storage bins in his room so he could reach the tank, take off the lid, and "play" with the fish.
"Mommy! Mario goes fast."
"Wow. Ok." I say as I surf the internet and ignore my 3 small children.
"Mommy! See! Mario drives a car." Nico exclaimed as he shoved a small toy car in my face. I glanced at it, then did a double take and gasped. Slumped over in the driver's seat was Mario the fish! And he didn't look fast. He looked dead. But I gave him the benefit of the doubt and threw him back into the tank. A few hours later, he was swimming around. A miracle.
When we left to visit my family in Buffalo 2 weeks ago, Mario was the sole survivor of the tank and looked worse than a Civil War vet.
"I can't believe he's not dead" Max marveled.
"Yeah... I know." I replied. I was beginning to like Mario. Mario and me surviving Nico together. He looks like I feel somedays.
So on our way home from the airport today, Max announces that he got more fish while we were gone. Bigger fish.
"But won't Mario and Nico kill them." I asked
"No, Cifi gave me his old aquarium." And so we walked in to find a 30 gallon aquarium set up in the living room. And there was Mario. Who did look very small swimming next to two massive goldfish.
"Nico won't be able to get into this tank." said Max knowingly as Nico busily started empying out storage bins and pushing them to the base of the fish tank.
No comments:
Post a Comment