Elektra has been teething for months now. She got her first two teeth just after turning 6 months old. Five (5) months later, those were still the only teeth she had.
Yesterday, she finally broke through the top right incisor and top right front tooth. Today, she broke through the top left incisor and the top left front tooth is right behind it. Seriously, this child is teething 4 teeth at the same time. It's a small miracle she's in such a good mood all of the time despite dealing with such mouth drama!!!!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
$1M for Italian Greyhound Rescue
Italian Greyhound Rescue is entirely a volunteer organization that holds fundraisers and actively solicits donations to help defray the vet costs of iggies coming into rescue. As with every breed rescue organization out there, Iggy Rescue is always hurting for operating funds to care for the hundreds of dogs they save every year.
Our beloved Italian Greyhounds (fondly known as Iggies), IO and Napoleon, came to us via Italian Greyhound Rescue. Clearly, we have a interest in wishing Iggy Rescue success in what it does else we wouldn't have our two lovebug dogs today!
All American Pet Brands is hosting a cutest dog competition in which the grand prize is $1 MILLION. One of owners of a rescue iggy, Luther, has submitted Luther's picture into this contest. Luther's owner has pledged that every penny of the winnings, after taxes, will be donated to Iggy Rescue.
HOW TO VOTE:
Go to: http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/gallery.cfm
SEARCH for Luther
2 pictures of Luther - in an sherlock holmes outfit - will be displayed along with a few other dogs named Luther.
VOTE FOR BOTH of the pictures of Luther, the Italian Greyhound!
Please vote every day!
A little bit from Luther's owner about Luther and why she wants to donate her earnings to Iggy Rescue:
Our beloved Italian Greyhounds (fondly known as Iggies), IO and Napoleon, came to us via Italian Greyhound Rescue. Clearly, we have a interest in wishing Iggy Rescue success in what it does else we wouldn't have our two lovebug dogs today!
All American Pet Brands is hosting a cutest dog competition in which the grand prize is $1 MILLION. One of owners of a rescue iggy, Luther, has submitted Luther's picture into this contest. Luther's owner has pledged that every penny of the winnings, after taxes, will be donated to Iggy Rescue.
HOW TO VOTE:
Go to: http://www.cutestdogcompetition.com/gallery.cfm
SEARCH for Luther
2 pictures of Luther - in an sherlock holmes outfit - will be displayed along with a few other dogs named Luther.
VOTE FOR BOTH of the pictures of Luther, the Italian Greyhound!
Please vote every day!
A little bit from Luther's owner about Luther and why she wants to donate her earnings to Iggy Rescue:
Luther was found, wandering along a highway outside Minneapolis by a Minnesota Shelter when he was a weanling pup 8 years ago. My daughter adopted him and then gave him to me when he was 4 mos. old. I was recovering from major spinal surgery. and have spent literally years in bed then and since. Little Luther was just a delight! I've always felt Luther adopted and rescued me, and not the other way around.
The shelter tried to find his owner by placing newspaper and TV ads featuring him, but no one came forward. All we know is that this wee boy was alone, nowhere near a neighborhood where his family might have been. His nose was all covered with cheese.
We have 3 Cairn Terriers, Possum, Tiger and Woody. Possum took baby Luther totally to heart, and even nursed him, kept him loved and cuddled and licked clean, and to this day, has daily played gently with him, she on her back, waving her short little legs in the air, and showing him great alligator jaws. She is now nearly 15, and their relationship remains very close.
So he is a foundling, raised by a paralyzed lady in bed much of the time, taught the dog rules by his loving adopted mama, Possum. My husband Phil is here with us most of the time, caring for me and the dogs.
Yes, Luther's a rescue. He is now adopted.
All the money we may win goes immediately to the Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation. Except...
I will have to hold back enough money to pay taxes as the money would legally come to me and would be reported by the contest to the IRS. I can't afford to pay taxes on a big chunk of money like that. IGRF would get ALL the rest. Every penny.
So he is a representative of all Rescue IGs, and all I'm doing is trying to bring as many IG lovers together as I can, to make a large enough voting mass to win this contest. I figured if people wanted to join in, we might just do it. If not, little lost - time is mostly all. I do have lots of that.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Hi Axel!
I'm so behind on my blogging, but here is a picture taken by Dave or Nancy's iPhone of Baby Axel on his birthday.
Axel William
We think he looks like a really good blend of both Dave and Nancy! And we think he looks a teeny bit like DJ.
All in all, he is a beautiful baby! He looks *awesome* for just having been born a few hours before!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Oh baby!!
The East Coast Steaks are thrilled to hear that the West Coast Steaks welcomed Axel William into the world at 12:43 PM PDT today!!! He is 8 pounds even and 22 inches long.
Happy day!! We can't wait to meet you, Axel!! XOXO to Mommy Nancy and Daddy Dave!
Happy day!! We can't wait to meet you, Axel!! XOXO to Mommy Nancy and Daddy Dave!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Elektra's Baptism and Reception
Sunday was a busy day! Unfortunately, our little girl was still running at 102 degree fever, so she wasn't feeling so hot. She took a long nap in the morning, and seemed to have broken the fever by lunchtime, but I didn't take any chances. She got another dose of Tylenol to keep any fever at bay for the baptism.
My dad dropped by with the most awesomely awesome Strawberry Shortcake from Graul's Market (did I mention it was awesome??), and I got the shrimp hors devours ready. Because the weather looked a little too flakey, I decided to setup the tables and chairs in the garage even though everyone would totally roast in there, but I didn't want to take the chance of it raining on the party. DJ helped me pull the cars out into the driveway and set up the tables and chairs. He was such a good helper... by just sitting in the front seat of Daddy's car and watching me with interest. When we got back inside, DJ helped Daddy clean the basement while I got a shower and baked the spanakopita. By then, my sister, Sophia and Spiro had arrived.
With an hour to go before we needed to leave, I fed the kids lunch while Spiro and Sophia entertained them, and my sister decorated the tables and brought in her monster cooler full of yummy food... fruit salad (yummy yummy), spanakopita, and desserts. Meanwhile, Steve got his shower, I got DJ dressed, my sister got Elektra dressed, and the spanakopita came out of the oven to cool. I finished getting dressed, and we hopped in the car after grabbing a couple of Red Bulls to go to church.
The service started in the back of the church. Elektra's godparents - Steve Schramm, Alexandra, and Sophia - did great. Sophia was beaming the whole time. Elektra was awesome, checking out the world, fish-flopping herself between Steve and me, and trying to chew on Father Dean's cross. DJ, meanwhile, had planted himself on Sonny's lap, and my brother was taking pictures.
When we got to the front of the church, it was time for the dunking. Elektra was NOT happy about this... between the holy oil on her and being dunked (only up to her chest!), she wailed. Once she was dressed (she looked so cute!!), had found her thumb and had Bunny in her hands, she stopped crying. Spiro, Eleni, Desi and Christian were our candle holders for the procession around the font, and then it was time for communion. We had to pop Elektra's thumb out of her mouth, but she didn't fuss at all when it came time to have communion. She did great with that. Finally, we were finished, and I held Elektra in the reception line. She got lots of kisses and love from everyone, and the comment, "You're no longer a heathen!" from Basil. Nice. lol But Elektra was so beat that she fell asleep in my arms while we were standing in the reception line. I passed her to Steve, and he sat down with her so she could nap. It's not often she sleeps on one of us now so he took advantage of that opportunity!
On the car ride home, the kids were wide awake... not even one thought of a nap from either of them. There went the nap-when-they-get-home plan. Thankfully, the kids were entertained by my mother-in-law and others so that I could get out the hors devours. My cousin Elena and her kids (Desi and Christian) helped out tremendously. With hors devours and drinks on the table, the party could finally get started.
Andy Nelson's BBQ arrived shortly thereafter, and I had them set up in the garage as well. They were setup in no time at all, and dinner was served! Turkey Q, Beef Brisket, corn bread, potatoes, and slaw. Yummy! Unfortunately, the potatoes weren't cooked all the way through, so we tried to finish them in our oven and microwave.
Meanwhile, the kids FINALLY allowed themselves to nap, and we let them sleep for about half an hour to 45 minutes.
Around 6pm, my sister, who was working way too hard in my kitchen, set out desserts. The awesomely awesome Strawberry Shortcake from Graul's and some other treats were out alongside a metric ton of Greek sweets that Miss Karas - bless her heart - made from my father's mother's recipes ("so that she could be here in spirit").
Dessert was in fully swing when... KABOOM. Here comes the rain, and not just any rain... this had potential for hail. DJ was stressed out from the thunder, but couldn't tear himself away from the window because he wanted to watch the storm. I was gleeful that I had made the right call to set up the tables in the garage... until the power went out.
Oh no.
But wait!! The power came back!! YEESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
But wait.... it's out again, and this time for good.
Oooooh ****.
The lack of lights was no problem. All the food had been served, we had plenty of ice in the cooler and plenty of drinks. I had a fluorescent bulb flashlight going so we had plenty of light in the kitchen. No, the problem was the lack of water. Well water + no electricity = no water. No washing hands, no flushing, no nothing. I'd had a contingency plan for everything but that. It would figure.
Oh well, nothing I can do about it but open the windows....and hope that no one has to pee (yeah right). We got word that trees were down everywhere and that a barn down the road was on fire. Yep, our power was going to be out awhile. Wondered if I'd get a shower Monday morning....
We put both kids to bed at this point, knowing they were totally exhausted. Eleanor and Sonny knew they'd have their hands full the next day with 2 sets of overtired children, especially since baby Evan was baptized the same day.
People started trickling out and by 8:15, most everyone had left. We started to put down the garage doors manually and then on came the electricity. Well check that out! Of course, this also meant that the overhead lights turned on in the kids rooms, so DJ was awake and wanted to go play. Sorry, DJ, it's ni-ta-ta time. Elektra, thankfully, slept through it.
I cleaned the house, opened gifts, and the day ended peacefully, with both kids out like the lights were earlier in the evening.
I'll post pics when I get them off of my brother's camera....
My dad dropped by with the most awesomely awesome Strawberry Shortcake from Graul's Market (did I mention it was awesome??), and I got the shrimp hors devours ready. Because the weather looked a little too flakey, I decided to setup the tables and chairs in the garage even though everyone would totally roast in there, but I didn't want to take the chance of it raining on the party. DJ helped me pull the cars out into the driveway and set up the tables and chairs. He was such a good helper... by just sitting in the front seat of Daddy's car and watching me with interest. When we got back inside, DJ helped Daddy clean the basement while I got a shower and baked the spanakopita. By then, my sister, Sophia and Spiro had arrived.
With an hour to go before we needed to leave, I fed the kids lunch while Spiro and Sophia entertained them, and my sister decorated the tables and brought in her monster cooler full of yummy food... fruit salad (yummy yummy), spanakopita, and desserts. Meanwhile, Steve got his shower, I got DJ dressed, my sister got Elektra dressed, and the spanakopita came out of the oven to cool. I finished getting dressed, and we hopped in the car after grabbing a couple of Red Bulls to go to church.
The service started in the back of the church. Elektra's godparents - Steve Schramm, Alexandra, and Sophia - did great. Sophia was beaming the whole time. Elektra was awesome, checking out the world, fish-flopping herself between Steve and me, and trying to chew on Father Dean's cross. DJ, meanwhile, had planted himself on Sonny's lap, and my brother was taking pictures.
When we got to the front of the church, it was time for the dunking. Elektra was NOT happy about this... between the holy oil on her and being dunked (only up to her chest!), she wailed. Once she was dressed (she looked so cute!!), had found her thumb and had Bunny in her hands, she stopped crying. Spiro, Eleni, Desi and Christian were our candle holders for the procession around the font, and then it was time for communion. We had to pop Elektra's thumb out of her mouth, but she didn't fuss at all when it came time to have communion. She did great with that. Finally, we were finished, and I held Elektra in the reception line. She got lots of kisses and love from everyone, and the comment, "You're no longer a heathen!" from Basil. Nice. lol But Elektra was so beat that she fell asleep in my arms while we were standing in the reception line. I passed her to Steve, and he sat down with her so she could nap. It's not often she sleeps on one of us now so he took advantage of that opportunity!
On the car ride home, the kids were wide awake... not even one thought of a nap from either of them. There went the nap-when-they-get-home plan. Thankfully, the kids were entertained by my mother-in-law and others so that I could get out the hors devours. My cousin Elena and her kids (Desi and Christian) helped out tremendously. With hors devours and drinks on the table, the party could finally get started.
Andy Nelson's BBQ arrived shortly thereafter, and I had them set up in the garage as well. They were setup in no time at all, and dinner was served! Turkey Q, Beef Brisket, corn bread, potatoes, and slaw. Yummy! Unfortunately, the potatoes weren't cooked all the way through, so we tried to finish them in our oven and microwave.
Meanwhile, the kids FINALLY allowed themselves to nap, and we let them sleep for about half an hour to 45 minutes.
Around 6pm, my sister, who was working way too hard in my kitchen, set out desserts. The awesomely awesome Strawberry Shortcake from Graul's and some other treats were out alongside a metric ton of Greek sweets that Miss Karas - bless her heart - made from my father's mother's recipes ("so that she could be here in spirit").
Dessert was in fully swing when... KABOOM. Here comes the rain, and not just any rain... this had potential for hail. DJ was stressed out from the thunder, but couldn't tear himself away from the window because he wanted to watch the storm. I was gleeful that I had made the right call to set up the tables in the garage... until the power went out.
Oh no.
But wait!! The power came back!! YEESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!
But wait.... it's out again, and this time for good.
Oooooh ****.
The lack of lights was no problem. All the food had been served, we had plenty of ice in the cooler and plenty of drinks. I had a fluorescent bulb flashlight going so we had plenty of light in the kitchen. No, the problem was the lack of water. Well water + no electricity = no water. No washing hands, no flushing, no nothing. I'd had a contingency plan for everything but that. It would figure.
Oh well, nothing I can do about it but open the windows....and hope that no one has to pee (yeah right). We got word that trees were down everywhere and that a barn down the road was on fire. Yep, our power was going to be out awhile. Wondered if I'd get a shower Monday morning....
We put both kids to bed at this point, knowing they were totally exhausted. Eleanor and Sonny knew they'd have their hands full the next day with 2 sets of overtired children, especially since baby Evan was baptized the same day.
People started trickling out and by 8:15, most everyone had left. We started to put down the garage doors manually and then on came the electricity. Well check that out! Of course, this also meant that the overhead lights turned on in the kids rooms, so DJ was awake and wanted to go play. Sorry, DJ, it's ni-ta-ta time. Elektra, thankfully, slept through it.
I cleaned the house, opened gifts, and the day ended peacefully, with both kids out like the lights were earlier in the evening.
I'll post pics when I get them off of my brother's camera....
Monday, July 20, 2009
Peek-a-boo...!
... I see you!
Elektra is starting to play her form of peek-a-boo by "hiding" her eyes (but not really, just putting her hands to her face near her eyes), and so I said to her, "Peek-a-boo! I see you!" DJ picked up on that immediately, and now we all play "Peek-a-boo! I see you!" DJ actually plays it right and opens his hands from covering his eyes at the appropriate time!
Elektra also loves to play peek-a-boo with DJ when she's in her crib, and he's standing outside it. She bursts into giggles and shrieks with glee. Peek-a-boo with DJ is probably her favorite game to play right now!
Elektra is starting to play her form of peek-a-boo by "hiding" her eyes (but not really, just putting her hands to her face near her eyes), and so I said to her, "Peek-a-boo! I see you!" DJ picked up on that immediately, and now we all play "Peek-a-boo! I see you!" DJ actually plays it right and opens his hands from covering his eyes at the appropriate time!
Elektra also loves to play peek-a-boo with DJ when she's in her crib, and he's standing outside it. She bursts into giggles and shrieks with glee. Peek-a-boo with DJ is probably her favorite game to play right now!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
SOOOO Big!
Elektra is learning "How big is Elektra?" "Soooo big!!" She doesn't do it consistently but when she does do it, she holds her hands together and raises them up together in front of her. Cute! Then she gets all excited when we all clap for her!
Elektra cruises
As reported on July 4, Elektra started pulling up consistently. Over this last weekend - a week later - she also started cruising. To boot, this is one brave little girl who has not only started cruising but also lets go... a lot. Talk about needing to be vigilant!! To her credit, she's actually pretty good at standing for being so new to it, but we definitely need to keep a sharp eye on her as she doesn't always manage to sit down safely.
DJ started pulling up and cruising in October 2007, but didn't walk until February 2008 when we went to Charleston, where he got to watch Leo walking/running. I'm thinking that Elektra will have her big brother to inspire her and will be walking in about the same time frame, especially since she seems to have no fear!!
DJ started pulling up and cruising in October 2007, but didn't walk until February 2008 when we went to Charleston, where he got to watch Leo walking/running. I'm thinking that Elektra will have her big brother to inspire her and will be walking in about the same time frame, especially since she seems to have no fear!!
Monday, July 06, 2009
DJ gardening
In my other blog post from today, I described the yard work (read: weeding) I did yesterday. While I was weeding the back bed furthest from the house, DJ was outside with me while Steve watched Elektra.
DJ wanted to help. "DD help Mama!" and "Here, Mama!" were heard often as he picked "weeds" and handed them to me. He also wanted to spray RoundUp... so there will be some dead "spots" where he managed to spray some before I could stop him. LOL
The best part, though, was when DJ decided to run back into the house. I watched him run to the deck, carefully walk up the deck stairs, and run into the house. The next thing I knew, he had come back outside with his toy pliers, saying "DD help Mama!" Steve said he'd come inside the house, ran right to his tool box, picked the pliers out out immediately, and ran back outside to me, saying "DD help Mama!" the whole time. Clearly, he'd seen me using the pruning shears, and wanted do it, too!
DJ also helped me carry sticks to the fence line so that I could throw them over, and was VERY good about staying away from the wild strawberry debris I had laying on the ground. He was such a good little helper yesterday!!
DJ wanted to help. "DD help Mama!" and "Here, Mama!" were heard often as he picked "weeds" and handed them to me. He also wanted to spray RoundUp... so there will be some dead "spots" where he managed to spray some before I could stop him. LOL
The best part, though, was when DJ decided to run back into the house. I watched him run to the deck, carefully walk up the deck stairs, and run into the house. The next thing I knew, he had come back outside with his toy pliers, saying "DD help Mama!" Steve said he'd come inside the house, ran right to his tool box, picked the pliers out out immediately, and ran back outside to me, saying "DD help Mama!" the whole time. Clearly, he'd seen me using the pruning shears, and wanted do it, too!
DJ also helped me carry sticks to the fence line so that I could throw them over, and was VERY good about staying away from the wild strawberry debris I had laying on the ground. He was such a good little helper yesterday!!
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Elektra's new toy - pulling up!
I was home with the kids yesterday (Friday) since Eleanor and Sonny were off for the 4th of July holiday, and I spent time with Elektra trying to teach her how to get her feet under her to start pulling herself up on things. Yesterday, she was still trying to get me to pull her up onto her feet so she can stand. She would get up on her knees, and then I would pull her foot out and put it under her. Then I'd pull her up the rest of the way so that she could see that already being on feet helps her pull up to standing.
Today, she crawled over to the gate between the living room and the kitchen, and pulled herself up!!
The pull-up gate!
She has pulled up on Eleanor's kitchen table (the table supports under the table) once before, and Eleanor had to get under the table to help her get back down. But this time, she not only got up, but she also got herself back down! Two developments in one day!
There is no doubt that pulling up is now her favorite toy, and is trying to pull up on everyone and everything. She has, of course, scared herself, too, and she's fallen, too. It's been quite the day for her!
Today, she crawled over to the gate between the living room and the kitchen, and pulled herself up!!
The pull-up gate!
There is no doubt that pulling up is now her favorite toy, and is trying to pull up on everyone and everything. She has, of course, scared herself, too, and she's fallen, too. It's been quite the day for her!
Crawling to Daddy (and posing!)
Stage 1 of pulling up... grab onto Daddy's shirt!
Stage 2 of pulling up - get her feet under her!
Stage 3 of pulling up - I'm up!!!
Stage 2 of pulling up - get her feet under her!
Stage 3 of pulling up - I'm up!!!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Elektra's 9 month appointment
Elektra had her 9 month pediatrician appointment today. Her vitals are:
19 pounds, 3 ounces
28.5 inches
44.5 centimeters head circumference
Her height/weight places her in the 60-70th percentile. As compared to 3 months ago, she:
grew 2 inches
gained 1 pound 7 ounces
grew 3 centimeters head circumference
She grew long, but she didn't gain a ton of weight which explains why she still fits in some 6 month clothes! DJ, at this point, was a full 3 pounds heavier for the same length, and was pushing the envelope on 12 month clothes!
While we waited for the doctor to come see her, Elektra stood in my lap and bounced, and tried to eat my necklace, and tried to reach the pictures behind us... all in all, very busy. The second the doctor walked in, all wiggliness stopped dead. Until the doctor left the room, Elektra didn't break a smile or anything. She just studied that doctor, watching him like a hawk, very serious business!! Only once did she break eye contact to feel the stethoscope while he was listening to her heart. And then she was very happy to gnaw on the tongue depressor he gave her. "A souvenir from Charles Street Pediatrics!"
He asked me the standard questions (sleep pattern, formula vs. breastmilk, mobility and other milestones, etc), and seemed surprised to hear that she's full on crawling. She's got Big Brother to catch now! She has been cleared to eat 3 solid meals a day, just no nuts, wheat, fish, chocolate, honey or eggs.
Elektra is "perfect" he said, but we already knew that. :-)
The nurse came in to administer the one shot she got today (the last dose of Hep C), and Elektra smiled at her. Then quick as a wink, the nurse administered the shot, and was about to put the band aid on by the time Elektra decided that the shot had hurt! She busted out her best boo-boo face + tears, and was over it 15 seconds later.
Elektra napped in the car back to Eleanor's, and then got in the swing on the playset. With her hat on to keep the sun out of her eyes and chewing on the strap, swinging away, she was one happy little camper.
19 pounds, 3 ounces
28.5 inches
44.5 centimeters head circumference
Her height/weight places her in the 60-70th percentile. As compared to 3 months ago, she:
grew 2 inches
gained 1 pound 7 ounces
grew 3 centimeters head circumference
She grew long, but she didn't gain a ton of weight which explains why she still fits in some 6 month clothes! DJ, at this point, was a full 3 pounds heavier for the same length, and was pushing the envelope on 12 month clothes!
While we waited for the doctor to come see her, Elektra stood in my lap and bounced, and tried to eat my necklace, and tried to reach the pictures behind us... all in all, very busy. The second the doctor walked in, all wiggliness stopped dead. Until the doctor left the room, Elektra didn't break a smile or anything. She just studied that doctor, watching him like a hawk, very serious business!! Only once did she break eye contact to feel the stethoscope while he was listening to her heart. And then she was very happy to gnaw on the tongue depressor he gave her. "A souvenir from Charles Street Pediatrics!"
He asked me the standard questions (sleep pattern, formula vs. breastmilk, mobility and other milestones, etc), and seemed surprised to hear that she's full on crawling. She's got Big Brother to catch now! She has been cleared to eat 3 solid meals a day, just no nuts, wheat, fish, chocolate, honey or eggs.
Elektra is "perfect" he said, but we already knew that. :-)
The nurse came in to administer the one shot she got today (the last dose of Hep C), and Elektra smiled at her. Then quick as a wink, the nurse administered the shot, and was about to put the band aid on by the time Elektra decided that the shot had hurt! She busted out her best boo-boo face + tears, and was over it 15 seconds later.
Elektra napped in the car back to Eleanor's, and then got in the swing on the playset. With her hat on to keep the sun out of her eyes and chewing on the strap, swinging away, she was one happy little camper.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
IO is not slow
Not that we didn't know that IO isn't slow, but I have never seen him hit hyperdrive.
This morning, he was all the way on the side of the yard, by the shed when he spotted a squirrel on the far side of the yard. He started to run - at the usual speed at which I see him run, which, to be fair, is by no means considered slow - and then, when the squirrel didn't move, kicked it into hyperdrive. He visibly doubled his speed and covered the yard in 2 seconds flat.
The squirrel, realizing he was now in immediate danger, turned 90 degrees and booked it to the fence. IO managed to make the turn and missed the squirrel by about a snout and a half.
The two of them were in a foot race to the fence first and the squirrel managed to leap and scramble up the fence just before IO ran face first into it. IO did slow down before hitting the fence, but he definitely didn't stop in time. LOL
The squirrel then ran the fence top, with IO in hot pursuit, jumping and barking the whole time until the squirrel launched itself - literally - to a low hanging tree branch. Lucky for the squirrel that the tree branch was on the OTHER side of the fence because when that squirrel caught the branch, its weight made the branch droop all the way down to dog level before it came back up. Had that branch been on the wrong side of the fence, that squirrel was dog food.
It's nice to see that our senior dog is kicking butt and taking names!!
This morning, he was all the way on the side of the yard, by the shed when he spotted a squirrel on the far side of the yard. He started to run - at the usual speed at which I see him run, which, to be fair, is by no means considered slow - and then, when the squirrel didn't move, kicked it into hyperdrive. He visibly doubled his speed and covered the yard in 2 seconds flat.
The squirrel, realizing he was now in immediate danger, turned 90 degrees and booked it to the fence. IO managed to make the turn and missed the squirrel by about a snout and a half.
The two of them were in a foot race to the fence first and the squirrel managed to leap and scramble up the fence just before IO ran face first into it. IO did slow down before hitting the fence, but he definitely didn't stop in time. LOL
The squirrel then ran the fence top, with IO in hot pursuit, jumping and barking the whole time until the squirrel launched itself - literally - to a low hanging tree branch. Lucky for the squirrel that the tree branch was on the OTHER side of the fence because when that squirrel caught the branch, its weight made the branch droop all the way down to dog level before it came back up. Had that branch been on the wrong side of the fence, that squirrel was dog food.
It's nice to see that our senior dog is kicking butt and taking names!!
Playing together
Yesterday, at daycare, DJ and Elektra happened to be near the sliding glass door. DJ was playing with the long curtain, and would pull it out and then let it go to watch it "fall" back into place. Elektra was in the curtain's path, and it would "cover" her on its path back to its resting place. Elektra belly laughed at the peekaboo play, and DJ caught on. He started playing peekaboo with her, and they would both belly laugh!
DJ would pull the curtain out, let it go to cover Elektra, and then jump up and down laughing and squealing with delight. Then she would belly laugh and try to pull it off of herself. DJ would then go to her, pull it off of her, laugh some more, and then she would laugh some more. Rinse, repeat.
I had been getting ready to take them home, but that made me stop and sit on the floor to watch them interact with each other, completely unprovoked by any adult in the room. It was AWESOME.
Jeff, Grace's dad, then said, "You can only hope that in 5 years, they play like that!" He is so right!
DJ would pull the curtain out, let it go to cover Elektra, and then jump up and down laughing and squealing with delight. Then she would belly laugh and try to pull it off of herself. DJ would then go to her, pull it off of her, laugh some more, and then she would laugh some more. Rinse, repeat.
I had been getting ready to take them home, but that made me stop and sit on the floor to watch them interact with each other, completely unprovoked by any adult in the room. It was AWESOME.
Jeff, Grace's dad, then said, "You can only hope that in 5 years, they play like that!" He is so right!
DJ fix!
DJ fix!
Finger foods
Elektra has now started to eat various finger foods. Her favorites include the all-time leader, Cheerios, as well as a few Gerber products: the puffed stars and the wagon wheels. She's also eaten some of the cheese puffs, too.
She hasn't mastered the pincer grasp, so she's still raking the finger foods and tries to stuff her whole hand into her mouth. Therefore, most of what she tries to eat ends up under her chin, but that's ok! It keeps her busy while we get to eat.
Unlike DJ, though, she's much less inclined to just hang out in the high chair for long periods of time. Lately, she's been quite fussy after dinner, leading me to believe she's tired and doesn't really want to play, but go to bed instead. Bedtime has been earlier than usual!!
She hasn't mastered the pincer grasp, so she's still raking the finger foods and tries to stuff her whole hand into her mouth. Therefore, most of what she tries to eat ends up under her chin, but that's ok! It keeps her busy while we get to eat.
Unlike DJ, though, she's much less inclined to just hang out in the high chair for long periods of time. Lately, she's been quite fussy after dinner, leading me to believe she's tired and doesn't really want to play, but go to bed instead. Bedtime has been earlier than usual!!
Clap! Clap! Clap!
On Monday morning, Steve and I were getting Elektra dressed to go to daycare when, while on the changing table, she clapped her hands together! Good girl!! She did it three or four times, and now she does it regularly! Way to go Elektra!!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Elektra wants DJ's toy; DJ vs. the showerhead
We had a couple of interesting kid stories happen over the weekend.
Elektra wants DJ's toy.
DJ was playing with a plastic toy screwdriver. "DJ fix car" and would take the screwdriver to the toy car that he wanted to "fix". He was very diligent, and "fixed" nearly every car in his arsenal.
However, Elektra wanted that screwdriver, too. I don't know if she wanted it because he had it or because she had chewed on it before and knew that it felt good on her gums. Either way, she wanted it, and actively went after it. She would crawl to wherever DJ was, reach for the screwdriver and if she could get a hand on it, take it from him.
In most cases, DJ was so stunned that she took it, that he would simply look at me and say, "DJ tool?" There were a few times when he would gently take it back from here, saying, "No no Ta-ta!", but he usually didn't know what to do about that.
After a few incidents of this, I sat down on the floor with both of them, and although Elektra doesn't know how to share, DJ is learning, so I figured I'd use this as a teaching opportunity. I would take the toy back from Elektra to give it to DJ. The first few times, there was no problem. But there were other times, like when it was getting near lunchtime (so I'm guessing Elektra was hungry and not as even keeled as usual) that Elektra would fuss that I'd taken it from her or that she couldn't reach it to get it from DJ. The first fuss of "I want that!" over one of DJ's toys... and it will certainly not be the last!
DJ vs. the showerhead
A couple of months ago, we had a weekend's worth of incidents where DJ melted down when it came to bath time. This was so odd because he loves baths!! But we can't ignore the phase he's in, so deal with it we do. We've worked through most of those issues, but we had to take it one step at a time. First we had to show DJ how the tub fills with water. Then we had to put him in the tub, and then rinse his hair. Getting water in his face initiated meltdown mode again, so we had to be more careful the next few times.
Steve had installed a removable showerhead (with hose, of course), and DJ wanted NO parts of that, whatsoever. He was very concerned about it. One time, I asked him if I could turn on the shower. He said, "No! No! No! Shower off!" Ok then, shower off. And he repeated "shower off!" multiple times, proving to me just how flipped out he was about it. The showerhead has been installed for months now, and we hadn't used it, except to wash the dogs (so much easier!).
Last night, I had taken Elektra into the bathroom to give her a bath, and DJ said, "See Baby!" Steve brought him in just in time to see me use the showerhead on Elektra. DJ watched everything I did, and eventually said, "DJ turn?" Yessir, your wish is our command! I quickly got Elektra out of the tub so that Steve could take advantage of this opportunity.
Not only did DJ not fuss about the tub, he let Steve use the showerhead on him. Way to go DJ!
Elektra wants DJ's toy.
DJ was playing with a plastic toy screwdriver. "DJ fix car" and would take the screwdriver to the toy car that he wanted to "fix". He was very diligent, and "fixed" nearly every car in his arsenal.
However, Elektra wanted that screwdriver, too. I don't know if she wanted it because he had it or because she had chewed on it before and knew that it felt good on her gums. Either way, she wanted it, and actively went after it. She would crawl to wherever DJ was, reach for the screwdriver and if she could get a hand on it, take it from him.
In most cases, DJ was so stunned that she took it, that he would simply look at me and say, "DJ tool?" There were a few times when he would gently take it back from here, saying, "No no Ta-ta!", but he usually didn't know what to do about that.
After a few incidents of this, I sat down on the floor with both of them, and although Elektra doesn't know how to share, DJ is learning, so I figured I'd use this as a teaching opportunity. I would take the toy back from Elektra to give it to DJ. The first few times, there was no problem. But there were other times, like when it was getting near lunchtime (so I'm guessing Elektra was hungry and not as even keeled as usual) that Elektra would fuss that I'd taken it from her or that she couldn't reach it to get it from DJ. The first fuss of "I want that!" over one of DJ's toys... and it will certainly not be the last!
DJ vs. the showerhead
A couple of months ago, we had a weekend's worth of incidents where DJ melted down when it came to bath time. This was so odd because he loves baths!! But we can't ignore the phase he's in, so deal with it we do. We've worked through most of those issues, but we had to take it one step at a time. First we had to show DJ how the tub fills with water. Then we had to put him in the tub, and then rinse his hair. Getting water in his face initiated meltdown mode again, so we had to be more careful the next few times.
Steve had installed a removable showerhead (with hose, of course), and DJ wanted NO parts of that, whatsoever. He was very concerned about it. One time, I asked him if I could turn on the shower. He said, "No! No! No! Shower off!" Ok then, shower off. And he repeated "shower off!" multiple times, proving to me just how flipped out he was about it. The showerhead has been installed for months now, and we hadn't used it, except to wash the dogs (so much easier!).
Last night, I had taken Elektra into the bathroom to give her a bath, and DJ said, "See Baby!" Steve brought him in just in time to see me use the showerhead on Elektra. DJ watched everything I did, and eventually said, "DJ turn?" Yessir, your wish is our command! I quickly got Elektra out of the tub so that Steve could take advantage of this opportunity.
Not only did DJ not fuss about the tub, he let Steve use the showerhead on him. Way to go DJ!
Monday, June 08, 2009
Personal Blog
Welp, I've decided to dedicate this blogsite to the kids and general family stuff. When I decide to post stuff for me, whether as an update to my personal well being, a rant, or a need to be creative, I will be posting it to verve94.blogspot.com. I haven't deleted the posts from this site that I will copy to the new site just yet - tomorrow's task. But posts like refereeing and my braces and things I've already posted here will move there. I'll also post a link to this site to my personal blog and vice versa.
The Toddler Bed
Thanks to the generosity of friends of ours we met through autocrossing (and our willingness to help them empty their basement - ha ha), we have acquired a toddler bed in the shape of a VW bug, with sunroof!. The link I've posted is to a review site that has a picture because the bed is no longer sold by Step 2, so I can't get an original picture. To gauge its size, the best thing I can tell you is that it's designed to fit a crib mattress.
It's been in DJ's room since early March, and DJ has been very interested in it. "DJ car?" He likes to sit in it to read books and climbs in and out of it regularly. But since we only have one mattress, he can't lay down in it without our taking the mattress out of his crib.
However, we've noticed that DJ has been thinking about climbing out of his crib, though he hasn't done it yet. Thus, we decided to try having DJ nap in it on Saturday.
First, we re-toddler-proofed his room. Second, we let him play in his room and get used to being able to lay down in the car, stick his head out the "sunroof" which led to an incident of bumping his chin on the sunroof while "jumping on the bed, and generally crawl around and get the novelty of it out. Then we made sure he was tired. At that point, I took him into his room, laid him down on the bed, gave him his blanket, Binky, Tiger, and a book. I laid down on the floor next to him, and hoped he'd follow my lead.
Yeah, no. Who was I kidding?
After 10 minutes of DJ trying to play hide and seek with me, I had to lay down on him, for all intents and purposes. He was laying on his belly, so I put my arms across the backs of his thighs and my head on his back. He settled down, and soon enough, he was asleep. He had a really good nap - 3 hours!
That night, we tried putting him to sleep in the toddler bed again. After reading books with Daddy, he laid down in the bed, blanket over him, with Tiger, a book, and Binky. As we shut the door, he was still laying there. We turned to each other, and crossed our fingers...
It wasn't 5 minutes later that we heard, "Daddy? Nat-na?" (Daddy open?) just inside his door. Yeah, it would figure. Upon investigation, Daddy found that DJ had not only gotten out of the bed, but had also tossed Binky into the storage box on his dresser, and was ready to play. So we let him come back into the living room to play for 5 minutes with Yiayia and Papou (they had come over for dinner) while we switched the crib and the toddler bed, say ni-ta-ta again to everyone again, and we put him in his crib. From what we can tell, he fell right to sleep.
Although his nap on Saturday proved that he could sleep in the toddler bed without falling out, we're thinking he still likes the security of his crib. And that buys us more time with him in the crib. Everyone who has had kids has told us to keep them in the crib as long as possible, and the experience on Saturday proved how sage that advice is!!!
It's been in DJ's room since early March, and DJ has been very interested in it. "DJ car?" He likes to sit in it to read books and climbs in and out of it regularly. But since we only have one mattress, he can't lay down in it without our taking the mattress out of his crib.
However, we've noticed that DJ has been thinking about climbing out of his crib, though he hasn't done it yet. Thus, we decided to try having DJ nap in it on Saturday.
First, we re-toddler-proofed his room. Second, we let him play in his room and get used to being able to lay down in the car, stick his head out the "sunroof" which led to an incident of bumping his chin on the sunroof while "jumping on the bed, and generally crawl around and get the novelty of it out. Then we made sure he was tired. At that point, I took him into his room, laid him down on the bed, gave him his blanket, Binky, Tiger, and a book. I laid down on the floor next to him, and hoped he'd follow my lead.
Yeah, no. Who was I kidding?
After 10 minutes of DJ trying to play hide and seek with me, I had to lay down on him, for all intents and purposes. He was laying on his belly, so I put my arms across the backs of his thighs and my head on his back. He settled down, and soon enough, he was asleep. He had a really good nap - 3 hours!
That night, we tried putting him to sleep in the toddler bed again. After reading books with Daddy, he laid down in the bed, blanket over him, with Tiger, a book, and Binky. As we shut the door, he was still laying there. We turned to each other, and crossed our fingers...
It wasn't 5 minutes later that we heard, "Daddy? Nat-na?" (Daddy open?) just inside his door. Yeah, it would figure. Upon investigation, Daddy found that DJ had not only gotten out of the bed, but had also tossed Binky into the storage box on his dresser, and was ready to play. So we let him come back into the living room to play for 5 minutes with Yiayia and Papou (they had come over for dinner) while we switched the crib and the toddler bed, say ni-ta-ta again to everyone again, and we put him in his crib. From what we can tell, he fell right to sleep.
Although his nap on Saturday proved that he could sleep in the toddler bed without falling out, we're thinking he still likes the security of his crib. And that buys us more time with him in the crib. Everyone who has had kids has told us to keep them in the crib as long as possible, and the experience on Saturday proved how sage that advice is!!!
Thursday, June 04, 2009
A Fuss with syllables
As I was getting ready to leave daycare with the kids, Elektra started to fuss. I had already strapped her in the carseat and usually she calms down in it once she's moving. Today, she wanted no parts of it. As she started to wail she also started to say "ba ba ba" DURING the fussy wail. It sounded more like "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH ba ba AAAAAAAAAAHHHH" It was hilarious!
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