tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59681840581931638962024-03-13T11:11:48.449-07:00Mich's adventuresMichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-7902568259694622712010-01-31T14:55:00.000-08:002010-01-31T15:23:33.781-08:00Party FoulYesterday afternoon I got a bit of a laugh when I spotted my neighbor's SUV trunk. Like us, they had a Graco infant stroller frame folded up in the truck. Difference was the objects on top of the stroller frame. They had a case of shiner and a case of paper towels on top of theirs. Ours had a bag of swim equipment and seat cover towels on top. The difference between the two cars does a pretty good job explaining why I feel a bit different from a lot of the other mothers out there.<br /><br />A minute later the neighbor and their 3 yr old were out to say hello. As the neighbor walked over, the toddler hopped into the trunk, he needed to get his towels out. "Careful" his dad said as we all spotted the accident waiting to happen.<br /><br />Sure enough, almost in slow motion, we saw the case of beer tumble out of the trunk onto the driveway. Within seconds foam was oozing from the box. It was quite comical.<br /><br />We opened the box to check the damage:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2YPYRWiWmI/AAAAAAAABEI/0BQpo6O_Wyg/s1600-h/photo%282%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2YPYRWiWmI/AAAAAAAABEI/0BQpo6O_Wyg/s200/photo%282%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433046910118287970" border="0" /></a>There were few survivors.<br /><br />"That's messy," replied the toddler. He did not seem to care at all about these useless beer bottles. They were merely in the way of his paper towels.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2YPUFa_V2I/AAAAAAAABEA/kczeVMi0ig4/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2YPUFa_V2I/AAAAAAAABEA/kczeVMi0ig4/s200/photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433046838196262754" border="0" /></a>Our other neighbor came over and joked, "That case of paper towels is now worth $30 instead of $10."<br /><br />Of course, the true value of something is what it means to the person who has it. To a little kid the fun factor is the most important thing to consider. That's pretty cool.<br /><br />... and a picture of Leah looking at her orange flower:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2YQxtQ_IwI/AAAAAAAABEQ/tHypmagVnaU/s1600-h/photo%283%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2YQxtQ_IwI/AAAAAAAABEQ/tHypmagVnaU/s200/photo%283%29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433048446619558658" border="0" /></a>Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-46376650432495578992010-01-27T14:03:00.000-08:002010-01-27T17:07:07.108-08:0010 Happy ThingsClea tagged me in her blog note about 10 things that make her happy. I had a disturbing revelation when I read this; I've been so worn out lately I haven't given much thought to things making me happy. Therefore, I had no choice. I sat myself down and wrote down the first 10 things that popped into my head.<br /><br />MICHAEL - I met Michael in the fall of '96 as a result of buggy (see a few posts ago). There is some debate about what our actual first date was. That does not matter much, we have been practically inseparable for the past thirteen years. It would take pages to write all the things about Michael that make me happy so I'll just keep it simple, I love Michael.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2DGrwcb10I/AAAAAAAABDo/7y3bOukVHWU/s1600-h/smile1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 138px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2DGrwcb10I/AAAAAAAABDo/7y3bOukVHWU/s200/smile1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431559605649659714" border="0" /></a>LEAH - The product of happiness is more happiness. Leah has not been with us too long yet but she easily made her way to the top of the happiness list. I think it has something to do with the unconditional love which you don't truly understand until you're a parent. Of course, I'm sure I'll learn a lot more about it in years to come.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2DF_AGcmZI/AAAAAAAABDY/EPas9zbJ2w8/s1600-h/leah_1115+021.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2DF_AGcmZI/AAAAAAAABDY/EPas9zbJ2w8/s200/leah_1115+021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431558836758288786" border="0" /></a><br />PHOTOGRAPHS / PICTURES - That old phrase, "A picture is worth a thousand words" is true. I like to see what people manage to catch on film. I like to look at old pictures that bring back good memories. I also enjoy to seeing the world through another person's eyes and learning about that person from their viewpoint. I really enjoy looking at the work of all my talented friends, I have a lot of them.<br /><br />DARK CHOCOLATE - What can I say, it's true. It's so true that we actually made a party around the idea of eating a sheet of dark chocolate bark.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2DHKwhwH6I/AAAAAAAABDw/kce4Ot4Adbo/s1600-h/darkchoc.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 114px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2DHKwhwH6I/AAAAAAAABDw/kce4Ot4Adbo/s200/darkchoc.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431560138247905186" border="0" /></a><br />CLOUDS - They have made me happy my entire life. One of the most enjoyable, relaxing, activities is looking into the sky and finding cloud shapes. I enjoy finding cloud shapes so much I've even found animal shapes among the clouds we painted on Leah's wall. I also like clouds because they protect my fair skin from the sun a bit. Clouds on race day make me happy.<br /><br />GOING OUTSIDE - I have always enjoyed being outside. I try to do something outside every day. I was that kid who tried to convince the teacher we should have class outside every time it was nice. Lucky for them, we grew up in Rochester NY and the weather is not always nice there.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2DFnTwp_AI/AAAAAAAABDQ/6DGXQJgzj28/s1600-h/leah_1227+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S2DFnTwp_AI/AAAAAAAABDQ/6DGXQJgzj28/s200/leah_1227+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431558429718739970" border="0" /></a>WINNING - This might not be the most humble one on the list but it's true. I like to win, I don't like to loose. I like to win so much I make up stupid competitions just for the opportunity to win. I need to make up stupid events because I'm not as smart or athletic as many of my friends. I'll never win a spelling bee and I certainly won't ever win an Ironman.<br /><br />FRIEND ENCOUNTERS - It makes me happy when I unexpectedly run into a friend. It always feels good when this happens because you have a chance to catch up with someone. Random encounters are almost always enjoyable. There's something special about realizing you can still run into a friend in such a big world. The stranger the place, the happier it is. It's great to run into someone when you're on a trip outside the country or on a bad day when you need a friendly face to make you smile.<br /><br />SMILES - Those things are contagious. How could you not feel happiness when someone smiles. A friend smiling at you during a 6 am workout, A random cashier at Whole Foods wishing you a good day, or your baby who does not in realize what a smile is - they are all good!<br /><br />LAUGHING - Even better than smiles is the ability to make someone laugh. There was a guy who worked at the Squirrel Hill Giant Eagle that used to tell jokes to all the customers. One day we were behind an old lady who told him, "You are so humorous." To this day, the scratchy old voice and the cashier still make us laugh, no matter what type of day we're having.<br /><br />So there it is... my list of 10 happy things. Apparently I'm supposed to tag 10 people to write their own list. I'm not convinced there are actually 10 people who read this blog, at least not 10 people who are willing to admit they read this blog.<br /><br />I have set the goal of getting 10 people to write back a comment about something that makes them happy. If that happens, I win, and therefore I would be happy :)Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-48180464955945593122010-01-26T17:45:00.000-08:002010-01-26T18:36:31.643-08:00Peak Physical Shape<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1-hTFU8qgI/AAAAAAAABC4/Yf11x6sVli8/s1600-h/gymbo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1-hTFU8qgI/AAAAAAAABC4/Yf11x6sVli8/s200/gymbo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431237024851732994" border="0" /></a><br />While I was pregnant I heard some <span style="font-style: italic;">nasty</span> rumor about achieving peak physical shape 4-6 months after giving birth.<br /><br />Seriously?... Who are these women that showed such remarkable physiological results? Were they human? Are we sure they were raising the children they gave birth too?<br /><br />If the conclusions were actually valid I'm pretty sure the experimental protocol has more holes than my overused trainer tire. I just can't believe these conclusions could be valid.<br /><br />After four months of sleep deprivation I doubt there are many people who would preform well in a physical test. Factor in the nursing (complete drain of your system every few hours) and you'll start to wonder how any new mom would contemplate any type of physical test. If you think about it longer, the bone and ligament movement will make you wonder how anyone could even hypothesize physiological benefits at this point.<br /><br />What good does higher blood volume give you when you can barely find the energy to swing your legs out of bed in the morning?<br /><br />But... I still believed this rumor when I heard it. I had it stuck in my head that I'd be back in full force by now. I actually assumed I'd be trying to hit a PR at 3M this past Sunday. Don't waste your time looking for results, I didn't even attempt to run it this year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1-mIVRlY4I/AAAAAAAABDA/t8yxKawS_Fg/s1600-h/leahtri.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 172px; height: 130px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1-mIVRlY4I/AAAAAAAABDA/t8yxKawS_Fg/s200/leahtri.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431242337712169858" border="0" /></a>Even after all the logic I still have some dilution of getting myself into good shape in the next two months. My last <span style="font-style: italic;">race</span> of 2009 was at Galveston, when I was 15 weeks pregnant. I reluctantly decided to do the quarter and the sprint instead of the half Ironman. This year I want to do the 70.3. I'm fully expecting this peak physical strength to get me to the finish line faster than when I raced there a couple of years ago. I have no clue how I'll pull it off but I'm ignorant enough to believe it could happen. After all, I keep hearing parenting gets easier after 4 months. ;)<br /><br />BTW, If I do pull off some super performance at Galveston I'll be sure to share my postpartum training routine with everyone. Who knows... maybe this sleep deprivation really does benefit triathlon training. Doubt it!Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-24769278652948866562010-01-22T09:49:00.000-08:002010-01-22T16:09:02.681-08:00What is a BUGGY?I feel the need to clear something up for everyone...<br /><br />This is not a buggy:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o5tQNsDgI/AAAAAAAABCw/Cmv6yStr0k8/s1600-h/stroller.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o5tQNsDgI/AAAAAAAABCw/Cmv6yStr0k8/s200/stroller.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429715750357831170" border="0" /></a><br />This is a buggy (Haraka):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1nnX65GX-I/AAAAAAAABBg/b7KZXHKHb80/s1600-h/Haraka.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 103px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1nnX65GX-I/AAAAAAAABBg/b7KZXHKHb80/s200/Haraka.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429625223903600610" border="0" /></a>For those of you who are asking, <span style="font-style: italic;">"What in the world is that?" </span>I will explain...<br /><br />Sweepstakes (a.k.a. Buggy racing) is a Spring Carnival tradition at Carnegie Mellon. Every year, short girls are shoved into these carbon fiber, torpedo shaped, buggies to practice for the races in April. On the weekends we wake up at 4 am to be ready for free roll practice the minute the sun comes up. During spring semester we head out to the hills at 2 am to practice pushing, in sub-freezing temperatures.<br /><br />It sounds pretty crazy, which it is, but that is only the beginning of the insanity of it.<br /><br />Seriously, I am inside of this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o4lvY5vUI/AAAAAAAABB4/V9aifFsRDEc/s1600-h/buggy+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o4lvY5vUI/AAAAAAAABB4/V9aifFsRDEc/s200/buggy+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429714521775783234" border="0" /></a>The race starts from a dead stop at the bottom of Hill 1. The first pusher gets the buggy going and pushes off to the Hill 2 pusher. Hill 2 is short and quick. The Hill 2 pusher uses a load of fast twitch muscle fibers to shove the buggy off for the free roll.<br /><br />(I'm inside the green buggy in the second picture of this group)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o4fV4mvaI/AAAAAAAABBw/PCD6MHTZi94/s1600-h/buggy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o4fV4mvaI/AAAAAAAABBw/PCD6MHTZi94/s200/buggy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429714411850218914" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o5HyaCsQI/AAAAAAAABCg/wMot1XY3o_Y/s1600-h/buggy+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o5HyaCsQI/AAAAAAAABCg/wMot1XY3o_Y/s200/buggy+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429715106701422850" border="0" /></a>At this point the driver (that's me) is racing down the road, past Phipps Conservatory, barreling towards the chute, mere inches off the ground.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o5Ary9zaI/AAAAAAAABCY/XIubA7jUmLI/s1600-h/buggy+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o5Ary9zaI/AAAAAAAABCY/XIubA7jUmLI/s200/buggy+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429714984667827618" border="0" /></a>The rush you feel while driving a buggy is a bit hard to explain. You fly down the road at 30 mph, on your belly, at eye level with the squirrels. Yes, I actually hit one once. It is better to hit the squirrel and turn to avoid it, that might kill the driver.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o444OIBvI/AAAAAAAABCQ/0pvAk1FArIM/s1600-h/buggy+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o444OIBvI/AAAAAAAABCQ/0pvAk1FArIM/s200/buggy+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429714850564015858" border="0" /></a>I'm only half joking when I write that. Buggy is not quite the safest thing. Drivers are required to wear a safety harness, a bike helmet, safety goggles, and gloves while they drive. The only day you drive against people is race day, it's too dangerous to do so all the time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o4q_NHYhI/AAAAAAAABCA/YEp6B4X58lE/s1600-h/buggy+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o4q_NHYhI/AAAAAAAABCA/YEp6B4X58lE/s200/buggy+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429714611920658962" border="0" /></a>After passing Phipps Conservatory, a flagger from the driver's organization signals her to turn into the chute. At the fastest part of the course, a sharp right turn is made to flick you into the chute, past the tunnel of hay bale lined sidewalk, past the Mech-E building, past the fire hydrant plug, up to Hill 3.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o5RfOR0lI/AAAAAAAABCo/1Tfrfo7IZ7I/s1600-h/buggy+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 135px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1o5RfOR0lI/AAAAAAAABCo/1Tfrfo7IZ7I/s200/buggy+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429715273350500946" border="0" /></a>The hay bales (see left side of picture above) are there to protect drivers who loose control in the chute. They are necessary! I was hit by another buggy my junior year and flew into the hay bales sideways. During my last race senior year, a few spokes broke in my rear wheel and I fish-tailed into the hay bales head first. I'm pretty sure the outcome would have been bleak had it not been for all the protection.<br /><br />As the buggy slows the race is completed with pushers for Hill 3, Hill 4 and Hill 5. At this point the driver just needs to keep the buggy straight (with the sun rising in her face) and avoid the pot holes that riddle the back side of the course.<br /><br />Ten years after graduating, I can still visualize the entire buggy course in my head. I know where the paint stripes begin and end, the slant of the road, and the location of the potholes. I know the angle I had to turn my steering system to make it through the chute. I can recognize the smell of the grease we used and remember how to make my buggy pass a drop test when it's breaks were acting up.<br /><br />For that reason, I can not call a baby <span>stroller</span> a <span style="font-style: italic;">buggy</span>. They are not the same. Almost all babies in developed nations will ride in a stroller, there are very few of us who have ever raced a buggy.<br /><br />Thankfully, Leah and her stroller do not weigh nearly as much as I did in a buggy. If that were the case it would be nearly impossible to run 5 miles with her. I guess I should remind myself of this every time I am frustrated about my aching hamstrings.Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-34442995964878477072010-01-20T17:21:00.000-08:002010-01-21T06:57:25.505-08:00Go Big BlueToday, one of the Farmers at the market commented, "Wow, she has such beautiful blue eyes. I bet her dad is going to be on the lookout."<br /><br />"Her dad has already told her she can't date until she's 30."<br /><br />The farmer started to laugh, as if to say, 'Yeah right. Good luck.'<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1etfetSRPI/AAAAAAAABBA/H6KSIjD-IGI/s1600-h/mich_iphone+016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1etfetSRPI/AAAAAAAABBA/H6KSIjD-IGI/s200/mich_iphone+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428998632148976882" border="0" /></a>As you can see, her dad is already on the lookout. This picture was taken when we were meeting some friends for breakfast, in Miami. Michael was quite careful to keep Leah away from the 2 year old boy.<br /><br />Two years older than her is no good. One year older earns opportunity to give her a kiss without any backlash from dad.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1fXJLRZ8zI/AAAAAAAABBQ/Pdg1gvlj16I/s1600-h/jogger.jpg"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyleCvcwSjLi3GJUfjznlpIqIXfBEm1fCMRgGJIyX9oLHcaGrqk7HxYBSYZIFCtyJU0YYi7hmqltyIjnp1tqg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br /><br />I haven't told him Jack gives her a kiss every time he sees her, I think 30 years older might be a huge problem.<br /><br />I read something about these steel blue eyes she has. Apparently they may change on us up to 3 years of age. They may turn light blue, green, or light brown (poop color). We're hoping for less poop, more water.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1fXOyJ1PPI/AAAAAAAABBY/niHG049qBwY/s1600-h/paul.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1fXOyJ1PPI/AAAAAAAABBY/niHG049qBwY/s200/paul.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429044524799573234" border="0" /></a>Apparently she's going through the stage of keeping a watchful eye on mom. Or maybe she just thinks I'm much better looking than dad:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyNt3sxlNY_oKj3VAKmRYuEOK-8JXJ9wiJBGC2KodLlVxkdgqi90s92hJ1ovyQ86DI6BgMDwe5TcEZtn5w-0g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />----<br /><br />We decided it was time to start running with Baby G. We'd heard a lot of mixed comments about this. Some people start running the baby jogger a couple weeks after birth and others wait long past 6 months.<br /><br />Our decision was based on our ignorant analysis of Leah's head stability and overall strength. When her head stopped moving from bumps at a walking speed we decided we could go faster.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1fXJLRZ8zI/AAAAAAAABBQ/Pdg1gvlj16I/s1600-h/jogger.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1fXJLRZ8zI/AAAAAAAABBQ/Pdg1gvlj16I/s200/jogger.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429044428463010610" border="0" /></a>"I have the Baby Jogger keys... Now why can't I make this thing turn on and go fast?!"<br /><br />The other day I told my mom we'd started to run with her and she told me what she'd done when I was a child:<br /><br />"I used to ride my bike with you on my back and Colin in the basket. Funny what you do when you're young."<br /><br />I didn't even ask, I suspect there were no helmets involved in these adventures. Seems like I turned out okay so riding a bicycle with a kid on your back might be safe. I'd question the basket, that might explain a few things. ;)<br /><br />---<br /><br />Overheard conversations of the Garel household:<br /><br />As Leah is crying Michael asks, "Is she H-U-N-G-R-Y?"<br /><br />"I don't think she understands that yet," I reply.<br /><br />[some time later] Michael comes into the room, "Seems like she's eating a lot. She must have been hungry."<br /><br />Leah gives me a strange look as I reply, "I don't know. My internal flow monitor is broken."<br /><br />---<br /><br />A couple other videos from earlier this week:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzHejyqENwuRsKKqw9bcZXM_IIK_aeOT9uBn9bwyu331PERQDmlPguJ6HC7M6gZOY4v2JFYGa59HNq2JBFuPA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzm3QC8XoJ4Eg37oY6x1jyYpwQFf5HsYUt040BuZnkUnC42kpSJFf2f-UEzi221fW7-KDZZyJ8J0MX8L427-A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-37406024890766094992010-01-18T08:50:00.000-08:002010-01-18T09:19:15.248-08:004 months"It gets easier after the first 4 months " seems to be one of the most common bits of unsolicited advice I've heard since Leah was born.<br /><br />Yesterday was 4 months, this morning we went to the pediatrician for some more growth charting and another set of shots.<br /><br />Leah now weighs 13 lb 10 oz. She's gained almost 7 lbs since she was born.<br /><br />Here's Leah's shock when she finds out how much weight she's gained in the past few months and hears she's about to get some shots:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1SVqywcKoI/AAAAAAAABA4/kZGfmaaO9sY/s1600-h/4monthpedi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1SVqywcKoI/AAAAAAAABA4/kZGfmaaO9sY/s200/4monthpedi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428128013300279938" border="0" /></a>She did pretty well with the shots. There were four of them. The look on her face when the first one hits is priceless. Her eyes bug out for a second and then she starts crying so hard that her tongue vibrates in her moth like crazy.<br /><br />Thankfully it's only a minute of pain before the shots are completed and she's back in my arms. Once that happens she calms down quickly and within 15 min she was asleep, probably hoping the pain would be gone when she woke up again.<br /><br />-----<br /><br />The big question of the next few months will be when to start feeding her solid food. Leah's doing fine either way so our pediatrician said we can start her with some solids whenever we decide it's time. He recommends starting some time within the next couple of months because it takes a while to get used to it.<br /><br />The positive aspect of starting the solid food is the decrease in amount of times I'll need to feed her. For someone who's not big on the idea of feeding in public (or can't seem to muster up the courage to do it ever) the idea of feeding food mid day sounds pretty appealing.<br /><br />There are drawbacks though; smelly poop, messy poop, messy food all over, food preparation time, flying food, etc.<br /><br />But I'm sure the blog posts will become much more interesting when we have all those new, <span style="font-style: italic;">fun</span>, things to tackle.Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-86691124859920210752010-01-16T18:52:00.000-08:002010-01-16T19:41:44.552-08:00Tinker RyleeMy brother and I have had a chance to hang out a bit before UT classes start up again. It's a little weird to think we were driving around in his minivan with our two little girls, in Austin TX. It's freakishly weird to think some of the people we saw thought we were the parents of the two girls. At a couple points I wanted to blurt out, "He's my brother!" but realized it was completely irrelevant what other people thought.<br /><br />We took the girls over to the Austin Children's Museum and got some good shots of Rylee making Colin proud. She may leave the house with a pink bow in her hair but she seems to have some tom-boy hidden within.<br /><br />Dad explaining proper operation:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1KC5ie7X9I/AAAAAAAABAQ/dLFAgQYJA84/s1600-h/mich_iphone+145.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1KC5ie7X9I/AAAAAAAABAQ/dLFAgQYJA84/s200/mich_iphone+145.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427544425955549138" border="0" /></a><br />Rylee learns quickly:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1KDmBFTaFI/AAAAAAAABAo/aH4YYiXmy7I/s1600-h/mich_iphone+149.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1KDmBFTaFI/AAAAAAAABAo/aH4YYiXmy7I/s200/mich_iphone+149.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427545190083815506" border="0" /></a><br />Playing with trucks:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1KDayo7-iI/AAAAAAAABAg/0hi-4n413bk/s1600-h/mich_iphone+041.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1KDayo7-iI/AAAAAAAABAg/0hi-4n413bk/s200/mich_iphone+041.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427544997228182050" border="0" /></a><br />Building structures:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1KDGouwfFI/AAAAAAAABAY/KozlKdZg0Mw/s1600-h/mich_iphone+157.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1KDGouwfFI/AAAAAAAABAY/KozlKdZg0Mw/s200/mich_iphone+157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427544650970856530" border="0" /></a>I learned many things about Tinker Bell that I did not know. Had no idea she was any different than the other fictional princesses and fairies. Wow, was I wrong. Tinker Bell is an engineer and happens to be one of the best ones. She also happens to be Rylee's idol at this point.<br /><br />I believe Rylee is trying to bring a present home for her mom. Bright orange is Marissa's favorite color and I think Rylee was convinced she was strong enough to break this off the wall so she can make her mom proud too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1KGp9GP0XI/AAAAAAAABAw/KB6jBHB_VZw/s1600-h/mich_iphone+114.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1KGp9GP0XI/AAAAAAAABAw/KB6jBHB_VZw/s200/mich_iphone+114.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427548556268392818" border="0" /></a>Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-17238029503025821282010-01-16T08:51:00.000-08:002010-01-16T09:52:08.105-08:00What's InsideMy phone has come back to life so I'll be able to tell me stories from the week. It might take a few posts...<br /><br />Leah and I made a trip to HEB for a food selection lesson.<br /><br />As always, we visited the produce section first to check out all the wonderful colors and load the cart with some necessities.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1H0lpXFFOI/AAAAAAAAA_w/vR2inVmF_kY/s1600-h/mich_iphone+122.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1H0lpXFFOI/AAAAAAAAA_w/vR2inVmF_kY/s200/mich_iphone+122.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427387953553151202" border="0" /></a>Next on the agenda: A lesson about Peanut Butter<br /><br />Per current recommendations, Leah probably won't taste her first peanut butter until she's about two years old. That does not mean she should be ignorant to this magical food.<br /><br />A few years ago, a friend of ours got frustrated when I told her I didn't like her Jiff Peanut Butter because it does not taste like Peanuts to me. She was completely shocked when I insisted her Peanut Butter had sugar listed as it's 2nd ingredient. She grew almost offended when I implied my Laura Scudders Peanut Butter was better and has no sugar.<br /><br />My accusations seemed so unrealistic that someone else made a bet with her on the topic. Upon reading the labels the accusations were confirmed; Sugar is the second ingredient listed on the Jiff jar and my PB only has Peanuts and Salt. My newly educated friend was sentenced to eating one jar of my peanut butter before buying another one of her own brand. Rumor is, she hasn't bought another jar of Jiff since.<br /><br />As we walk over the Peanut Butter isle I am shocked by what I see before me. "Oh no, the Jiff marketing team has come up with a way to target the unknowing people of the world. They now have Natural Jiff."<br /><br />We flipped the jar around to see what it said. No surprise here; sugar is the 2nd ingredient (my apologies for the blurry picture). In essence, this natural Jiff is merely a more expensive version of the sugar filled stuff down the isle.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1H1EumDQUI/AAAAAAAABAA/OHAxanlddJA/s1600-h/mich_iphone+111.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1H1EumDQUI/AAAAAAAABAA/OHAxanlddJA/s200/mich_iphone+111.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427388487534068034" border="0" /></a>Leah was not amused. She felt the need to spread her lesson to the small mass of blog readers...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1H0zXsNt5I/AAAAAAAAA_4/MeNE5prF28s/s1600-h/mich_iphone+100.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1H0zXsNt5I/AAAAAAAAA_4/MeNE5prF28s/s200/mich_iphone+100.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427388189328127890" border="0" /></a>She would like to advice you all to pay attention to what you're eating.<br /><br />If you choose to fill yourself with junk be well informed. [note: the conversation on high fructose corn syrup is too long for this post]<br /><br />For example: if you're going to eat a blooming onion at Outback (Michael, she's calling you out) be sure to inform everyone at the table that it's one of the 10 unhealthiest things you can order at a US restaurant.<br /><br />Yes, that really did happen. There were 8 of us (+ Leah) at Outback last night. When someone ordered a couple blooming onions Michael began to tell everyone how unhealthy they are. He even went so far as to pull up the information on his iPhone. At this point the waitress seemed a bit surprised and the guy ordering them asked if that meant Michael won't eat it.<br /><br />"No, I'll eat it, but she won't!" he stated while pointing to me.<br /><br />That was the first time I'd ever seen / smelled one of the glorified blooming onions. I did not see it after we left dinner but I could certainly smell it oozing from Michael's skin this morning. I think that might be why Leah was screaming hysterically when Michael went to check on her at 1am.<br /><br />A few pictures of Leah and I before the blooming onion incident.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1HwN_nuiJI/AAAAAAAAA_g/hoVAJBnNX5s/s1600-h/leah_0115+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1HwN_nuiJI/AAAAAAAAA_g/hoVAJBnNX5s/s200/leah_0115+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427383149165185170" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1HwjwvVhOI/AAAAAAAAA_o/AxPm13BwGgg/s1600-h/leah_0115+016.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S1HwjwvVhOI/AAAAAAAAA_o/AxPm13BwGgg/s200/leah_0115+016.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427383523127690466" border="0" /></a>Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-55014293879122235272010-01-15T06:56:00.000-08:002010-01-15T08:36:07.621-08:00Time for a playgroup?Funny comment of the week:<br /><br />Upon plotting Leah's current length on a growth chart Michael comments, "I think Leah might get tall."<br /><br />I give him a strange look as he explains himself, "By tall I mean 5'4" or 5'6"."<br /><br />Apparently, if you're not petite then you are tall ;)<br /><br />----<br /><br />This week Leah and I have enjoyed some fun adventures and have taken some pictures to tell everyone what we've learned. Unfortunately, my iPhone is feeling a bit under the weather after a run-in with Michael. He tried to update the software. My phone appears to have some human tendencies, it's scared of changes. Therefore, it has shut itself down temporarily and Michael needs to revive it back to life. Let's all cross our fingers for the MG iPhone.<br /><br />We're closing in on 4 months since Leah was born (Sunday for those of you tracking it). Thus far most of our socializing has been introducing Leah to people. In a couple of months she'll begin to crawl and she'll begin to thrive on playmates her own age.<br /><br />This is where my fears begin. Although I know a good number of people who have babies close to Leah's age, I'm starting to wonder if it's time to look into a playgroup...<br /><br />When we were in Miami a friend of ours compared this search to a sorority rush. What could this baby rush involve?!<br /><br />Are there weeks of parties where babies are encouraged to drink milk until they pass out?<br /><br />Is there popular mom group for all the beautiful super moms? If you and your child are not socially excepted will you get stuck in that other mommy group that nobody wants to be part of?<br /><br />Are there hazing rituals that involve strange activities with soiled diapers?<br /><br />Is there special baby babble or matching outfits to indicate your inclusion in the baby sorority?Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-5617521801990981672010-01-10T19:48:00.000-08:002010-01-11T10:14:02.618-08:00Curried LentilsLast week we watched <span style="font-style: italic;">The Girl Next Door</span>. Earlier this week we watched <span style="font-style: italic;">The Hangover</span>. On Friday morning Michael made a flight to Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show. For any guys out there planning a trip to Vegas without your wife, I'd recommend different movies leading up to your trip.<br /><br />Before leaving, Michael asked me if I was going to send him pictures of Leah while he was gone. Like any good mom with an iPhone, I took a bunch of pictures to document the weekend.<br /><br />So here's a quick commentary of our adventures while dad was away. For the sake of the readers I will drastically paraphrase the weekend by removing all descriptions of pooping, sleeping, and eating.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">FRIDAY -</span><br /><br />Mom returns home from the pool, to find Leah asleep in her spot:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tkeGGj6XI/AAAAAAAAA9o/k39PnoBaW-o/s1600-h/leah_0106+115.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tkeGGj6XI/AAAAAAAAA9o/k39PnoBaW-o/s200/leah_0106+115.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425540644294879602" border="0" /></a>Off to Performance Wellness where we had our science lesson of the day:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tmOSv7ZUI/AAAAAAAAA-g/8MJtcKcbuXc/s1600-h/leah_0106+137.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tmOSv7ZUI/AAAAAAAAA-g/8MJtcKcbuXc/s200/leah_0106+137.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425542571834959170" border="0" /></a>Stop by Jack and Adams to visit some friends and get out a good cry:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tnokaMqrI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/hUJPMB5yD9s/s1600-h/leah_0106+109.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tnokaMqrI/AAAAAAAAA_Y/hUJPMB5yD9s/s200/leah_0106+109.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425544122763881138" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tnOGj33_I/AAAAAAAAA_I/Tw9Oa-uIfG8/s1600-h/leah_0106+156.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tnOGj33_I/AAAAAAAAA_I/Tw9Oa-uIfG8/s200/leah_0106+156.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425543668074799090" border="0" /></a>Leah's response when I told her dad was not coming home tonight because he was at a nerd convention:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tk8ndRO_I/AAAAAAAAA94/x6yEk6Rpu5o/s1600-h/leah_0106+126.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tk8ndRO_I/AAAAAAAAA94/x6yEk6Rpu5o/s200/leah_0106+126.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425541168644570098" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SATURDAY -</span><br /><br />Early morning play time before taking a nap (aka mom gets to ride the trainer):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tmZHEmPkI/AAAAAAAAA-o/dt823V28V3U/s1600-h/leah_0106+142.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tmZHEmPkI/AAAAAAAAA-o/dt823V28V3U/s200/leah_0106+142.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425542757678988866" border="0" /></a>Trip to Whole Foods to scarf down an Acai bowl:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tmtsvWdZI/AAAAAAAAA-4/etAHM9UVwxU/s1600-h/leah_0106+149.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tmtsvWdZI/AAAAAAAAA-4/etAHM9UVwxU/s200/leah_0106+149.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425543111387805074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tm36664oI/AAAAAAAAA_A/OMIP9mOTYQE/s1600-h/leah_0106+153.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tm36664oI/AAAAAAAAA_A/OMIP9mOTYQE/s200/leah_0106+153.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425543286993117826" border="0" /></a><br />Only took Trish and I about 15 min to devour these things. Things in pictures are larger than they appear.<br /><br />Over to Book People to get some colorful books and back home for more play time:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SUNDAY -</span><br /><br />This isn't a lollipop?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tmhsYJlXI/AAAAAAAAA-w/izgWovEfI4w/s1600-h/leah_0106+143.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tmhsYJlXI/AAAAAAAAA-w/izgWovEfI4w/s200/leah_0106+143.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425542905132062066" border="0" /></a>I like my chair:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tlUKLHdsI/AAAAAAAAA-A/GdLfw39bapg/s1600-h/leah_0106+127.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tlUKLHdsI/AAAAAAAAA-A/GdLfw39bapg/s200/leah_0106+127.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425541573100664514" border="0" /></a><br />Just kidding, I hate my chair:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tltkMl3DI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/dblSoKula5g/s1600-h/leah_0106+132.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tltkMl3DI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/dblSoKula5g/s200/leah_0106+132.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425542009582902322" border="0" /></a><br />Mmmm.... a banana:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tknBSqs8I/AAAAAAAAA9w/2BZdn7xQjWE/s1600-h/leah_0106+122.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tknBSqs8I/AAAAAAAAA9w/2BZdn7xQjWE/s200/leah_0106+122.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425540797622301634" border="0" /></a>This isn't a real banana?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tnZobVOoI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/Vb1eOffwvqQ/s1600-h/leah_0106+157.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tnZobVOoI/AAAAAAAAA_Q/Vb1eOffwvqQ/s200/leah_0106+157.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425543866144340610" border="0" /></a><br />What's this toy?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tlcpg8QHI/AAAAAAAAA-I/-9pwbkMoTio/s1600-h/leah_0106+128.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tlcpg8QHI/AAAAAAAAA-I/-9pwbkMoTio/s200/leah_0106+128.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425541718952657010" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tj5QqVxxI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/Qh7MbUilr60/s1600-h/leah_0106+105.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tj5QqVxxI/AAAAAAAAA9Q/Qh7MbUilr60/s200/leah_0106+105.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425540011474142994" border="0" /></a>Look, my doll has striped pants, just like me!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tl6nn-h9I/AAAAAAAAA-Y/ghR4gdezMJc/s1600-h/leah_0106+134.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tl6nn-h9I/AAAAAAAAA-Y/ghR4gdezMJc/s200/leah_0106+134.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425542233841371090" border="0" /></a><br />In the ladybug dress for Stephanie's baby shower:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0qmP1ggqrI/AAAAAAAAA9I/6Qelgu16sd4/s1600-h/StephShower.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0qmP1ggqrI/AAAAAAAAA9I/6Qelgu16sd4/s200/StephShower.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425331492112870066" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tkJRzS3CI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/dRVFvETzzDI/s1600-h/leah_0106+110.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tkJRzS3CI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/dRVFvETzzDI/s200/leah_0106+110.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425540286658042914" border="0" /></a><br />Back home... Yippee, dad is back from Vegas :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tkRRro26I/AAAAAAAAA9g/hyK_xyi422U/s1600-h/leah_0106+114.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0tkRRro26I/AAAAAAAAA9g/hyK_xyi422U/s200/leah_0106+114.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425540424064883618" border="0" /></a><br />We gave Leah a bath tonight. Or, maybe I should say we gave her three baths tonight. Just after putting Leah into the water for her bath she decided to poop. The icky mess that contaminated the water looked quite a bit like the curried lentils I'd had for dinner. I'm pretty sure it takes more than 20 min of processing to get through me and through Leah but the color and texture were remarkably similar.<br /><br />[oops, I guess I should revise my early statement about not mentioning poop]<br /><br />Time to start over. Remove Leah, get another bath ready, put her back in. This time we made it through about half the bath before she decided to give us another gift. To add to the humor of it, we recently broke the nub on that bath tub and we're currently using vice grips to turn on and off the water. Each time we emptied Leah's little tub, we had to pull out the tools to get the next bath ready. Thankfully, we made it through the third try without any presents.Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-89077600002351679342010-01-07T07:06:00.001-08:002010-01-07T11:31:46.630-08:00Hunting for Colors<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YCKcEojRI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/FL_MmnIFNnA/s1600-h/leah_0106+082.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YCKcEojRI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/FL_MmnIFNnA/s200/leah_0106+082.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424025179571916050" border="0" /></a>We've noticed Lil' G has quite an interest for colors and patterns. Our first clue was her curiosity for her flowered burp cloth. I'll probably write a future post on her various burp clothes, they're a little different from what most people use.<br /><br />While we were in Miami, we thought it might be good to introduce Leah to some more colors. For example, Miami is green, Austin is burnt orange.<br /><br />On Monday we had a family adventure to visit Fairchild Botanical Gardens.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YCkkoW6nI/AAAAAAAAA8g/9PR1_3LQ2f0/s1600-h/leah_0106+088.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YCkkoW6nI/AAAAAAAAA8g/9PR1_3LQ2f0/s200/leah_0106+088.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424025628545837682" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YDTXRmLFI/AAAAAAAAA8w/ivNLPIURJic/s1600-h/leah_0106+090.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YDTXRmLFI/AAAAAAAAA8w/ivNLPIURJic/s200/leah_0106+090.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424026432414559314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YC9iTloMI/AAAAAAAAA8o/sWZ_5fgDt6U/s1600-h/leah_0106+089.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YC9iTloMI/AAAAAAAAA8o/sWZ_5fgDt6U/s200/leah_0106+089.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424026057418580162" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YEjqmgKQI/AAAAAAAAA9A/CzjvgLU7aR4/s1600-h/leah_0106+097.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YEjqmgKQI/AAAAAAAAA9A/CzjvgLU7aR4/s200/leah_0106+097.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424027811992054018" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YEO7oAQzI/AAAAAAAAA84/4o-JqB6rn9k/s1600-h/leah_0106+085.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YEO7oAQzI/AAAAAAAAA84/4o-JqB6rn9k/s200/leah_0106+085.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424027455784502066" border="0" /></a>Since I was there last (for a friend's wedding 8 yrs ago) they've added a lot of great sculptures to the grounds. The colors were vibrant and Leah really seemed to enjoy all the wonderful things to look at.<br /><br />Gnarly:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X863W5EuI/AAAAAAAAA7A/YpcaJgVoXiw/s1600-h/leah_0106+046.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X863W5EuI/AAAAAAAAA7A/YpcaJgVoXiw/s200/leah_0106+046.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424019414460207842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X_RnkF0yI/AAAAAAAAA7o/OgTDeEjidFM/s1600-h/leah_0106+051.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X_RnkF0yI/AAAAAAAAA7o/OgTDeEjidFM/s200/leah_0106+051.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424022004380848930" border="0" /></a><br />Gnarly sneeze<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X9WIRRJgI/AAAAAAAAA7I/iATmm11niF8/s1600-h/leah_0106+049.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X9WIRRJgI/AAAAAAAAA7I/iATmm11niF8/s200/leah_0106+049.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424019882856490498" border="0" /></a>Don't drink the water, I think there's something weird in there<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X-Q0T-y-I/AAAAAAAAA7Y/QLFHeEl2qN0/s1600-h/leah_0106+062.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X-Q0T-y-I/AAAAAAAAA7Y/QLFHeEl2qN0/s200/leah_0106+062.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424020891111443426" border="0" /></a>"Mom, I see some red things with white poka-dots in the water. They're interesting!"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X_wrOmRfI/AAAAAAAAA7w/7_D5OpSoZ5Q/s1600-h/leah_0106+064.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X_wrOmRfI/AAAAAAAAA7w/7_D5OpSoZ5Q/s200/leah_0106+064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424022537940387314" border="0" /></a>What are those?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X-1ic5FYI/AAAAAAAAA7g/jqGogInhA4c/s1600-h/leah_0106+063.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X-1ic5FYI/AAAAAAAAA7g/jqGogInhA4c/s200/leah_0106+063.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424021521972139394" border="0" /></a>We're pretty sure the flowers by Yayoi Kusama were her favorite. They are the newest pieces added to Fairchild and when we first spotted them we were quite excited, knowing Leah would love them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YATsitJPI/AAAAAAAAA74/TEeTn7Sbqx4/s1600-h/leah_0106+074.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YATsitJPI/AAAAAAAAA74/TEeTn7Sbqx4/s200/leah_0106+074.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424023139588580594" border="0" /></a>Here's my favorite depiction of her curiosity:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YBoAs7GgI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/L0HwVB6FeaI/s1600-h/leah_0106+080.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YBoAs7GgI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/L0HwVB6FeaI/s200/leah_0106+080.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424024588109158914" border="0" /></a>A couple more fun ones at the dancing flowers...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YAzJ3hUVI/AAAAAAAAA8A/V4X3TdzNJ5w/s1600-h/leah_0106+075.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YAzJ3hUVI/AAAAAAAAA8A/V4X3TdzNJ5w/s200/leah_0106+075.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424023680036458834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YBMzahTRI/AAAAAAAAA8I/4kHFxVNIIio/s1600-h/leah_0106+078.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0YBMzahTRI/AAAAAAAAA8I/4kHFxVNIIio/s200/leah_0106+078.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424024120685841682" border="0" /></a>While Leah was hunting for color I was reaching for something else:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X7zm-WReI/AAAAAAAAA6w/p4kV08OEW9Q/s1600-h/leah_0106+034.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X7zm-WReI/AAAAAAAAA6w/p4kV08OEW9Q/s200/leah_0106+034.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424018190291584482" border="0" /></a>mmm... chocolate<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X8kYhkCKI/AAAAAAAAA64/Vta2WU2aEvs/s1600-h/leah_0106+035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X8kYhkCKI/AAAAAAAAA64/Vta2WU2aEvs/s200/leah_0106+035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424019028226345122" border="0" /></a>For the benefit of Chuck I let LG watch a few minutes of the Redskin's game. I don't think she understands the rules yet but she does seem to know she's watching bright colors on a magical screen.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X7OO2N0VI/AAAAAAAAA6o/lYMZJjOKkGc/s1600-h/leah_0106+026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X7OO2N0VI/AAAAAAAAA6o/lYMZJjOKkGc/s200/leah_0106+026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424017548159865170" border="0" /></a>A few more glamor shots with dad and great-grandma Janette<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X61b2S5UI/AAAAAAAAA6g/Wc42rU-uwsM/s1600-h/leah_0106+028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X61b2S5UI/AAAAAAAAA6g/Wc42rU-uwsM/s200/leah_0106+028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424017122153129282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X6XmEJN-I/AAAAAAAAA6Y/vacVDElwvNU/s1600-h/leah_0106+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/S0X6XmEJN-I/AAAAAAAAA6Y/vacVDElwvNU/s200/leah_0106+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424016609499494370" border="0" /></a>That's all for now, hopefully you enjoyed the colors as much as Leah didMichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-68324163422040206592010-01-06T13:09:00.000-08:002010-01-06T13:49:02.673-08:00JudgmentYesterday afternoon we returned home from our adventure to Miami. It was LG's first time on an airplane. She did pretty well, maybe even a bit better than we thought she could do. There were a few rough times during the rapid altitude changes but she did okay and I had the opportunity to teach her a basic science lesson or two.<br /><br />Traveling with an infant is quite different than traveling alone. There is a lot more to carry and it takes a lot more time to get ready. Our entire day yesterday was spent getting LG ready to travel, traveling with LG, and getting her to unwind after the travel.<br /><br />As we were boarding the flight from DFW to AUS yesterday afternoon I heard a snide remark from someone waiting to get into line, "I guess they're letting everyone on." At that point the first class cabin had been told they could board and in usual fashion a mass of people were hovering within feet of the ticket counter, crowding the entrance, waiting for the first second they could jump onto the plane. Apparently these two young parents, dressed in race shirts and sneakers, did not look like they should be getting on the airplane yet. Maybe the guy thought we were trying to push our way on since we had an infant. He probably didn't realize the guy with the infant was using upgrades he'd managed to save up after 20+ overseas trips over the past decade.<br /><br />I thought to myself, I would have expected that type of comment on the flight out of Miami but not the one into Austin.<br /><br />I then realized something else; I had just stereotyped the people from Miami while criticizing someone for making a judgment about others. Point is, we are all gutty of passing judgement on others and could probably all benefit from paying a little more attention too it.<br /><br />--------------<br /><br />On the way over to Miami LG's luggage was lost. It was a little frustrating that she'd lost her bag on her first flight but I don't think she noticed. I suspect this was probably the best time in her life to have misplaced luggage. I can't imagine trying to console a two-year old if the airline lost the bag with their favorite blanket it it. (Note: I just returned home from a trip to Target to purchase a backup airplane blanket - it has airplanes on it, not for the airplane).<br /><br />Michael's description of the bag, "Teel duffel bag with "MICH" monogrammed on it."<br /><br />As if that wouldn't make it stand out like a sore thumb they asked him to list five things in the bag. Apparently "Baby Clothes" was enough to distinguish the bag from all the black luggage with adult clothes.<br /><br />Since we'd flown to Miami on New Year's Eve the airlines were probably a bit understaffed in their luggage retrieval department. Although the bag had been located at 9 am the next morning, it never went out for delivery. We did get it back the next night when Michael drove back to the airport to find it. This morning he got an automated call from the airlines to update him on the status of his lost luggage.<br /><br />As a side note, those upgrades we used to get ourselves to first class also meant we had bright orange "Priority" tags on all of our bags. Wonder if that helped them find the bag the next morning.<br /><br />------<br /><br />Nap time is probably about done so that's all for now. We have lots of pictures from the trip and I promise to write another post and add pictures very soon. Stay tuned.Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-41722412634679415282009-12-30T13:29:00.000-08:002009-12-30T14:12:46.020-08:00Baby 101It's been 100 days since we left the hospital with Leah. That corresponds to roughly:<br /><br />200 loads of laundry (and our highest water consumption ever)<br />400 mood swings (those are mine)<br />600 feedings (I'm a cow)<br />800 diaper changes (more than half with poop)<br />1000 bouts of crying (which Michael thinks are cute)<br /><br />Yes, things have changed but we knew that would happen. For years people have told us life changes more than you believe.<br /><br />But... what are those things they don't tell you?<br /><br />My vote: lack of warning about the true pain of the [insert pause for added dramatic effect]... THE CLUSTER FEED.<br /><br />I first heard about this mysterious thing a few weeks before Leah was born. I was informed that at some point during the first week the baby would have a growth spurt. This growth spurt coincides with cluster feeding, an increased rate of feedings resulting from increased hunger.<br /><br />I suppose this happened when I was in the hospital but everything is a bit of a blur the first week. The baby seems to be doing nothing more than eating, pooping, sleeping, and crying. Therefore, a slight increase in the frequency of feeding did not seem alarming.<br /><br />Trouble is, I was not really warned about the future cluster feeds. Had I been thinking logically, instead of thinking like a sleep deprived new mom, I may have realized this would happen. After all, I knew there would be future growth spurts.<br /><br />Here's a short recap of the last 24 hrs:<br /><br />Tuesday morning is Baby Day at the Alamo Draft House theater. I burst out in laughter when I saw the warning signs posted on the doors.<br /><br />I fed Leah before we left and brought a bottle, assuming she would not want it until the end of the movie. Shortly after the movie began, the crying began. Warning sign #1: an off schedule feeding. We fed Leah, changed a diaper, and walked around the back of the theater with her for another hour. Apparently she was in no mood to sit still (I still have no clue where that trait comes from).<br /><br />When we returned home we fed Leah again, changed her, and put her down for a nap. She slept for 1.5 hrs and managed to soak through her diaper so extensively that three large spots soaked her bed when she woke up. I'm pretty sure this is the first time she's managed to leak through all three diaper holes. Warning sign #2: massive amount of pee in a short period of time<br /><br />Since yesterday afternoon Leah has followed a stringent pattern of eating every 2.5 hours (it's normally every 4 during the day and 8 at night), sleeping a bit, and waking up for more.<br /><br />I'm sure you can guess how our night went! Not much sleep and a lot of frustration that I have to squeeze even more liquid life out in a short period of time. These type of nights make a mom want to rip out her hair. I thought twice about this as I remembered my hair is already falling out at a rapid rate due to nursing.<br /><br />We responded to this eating frenzy with logic. In a classic example of an over controlled process we pulled about 3 feedings worth of milk out of the freezer. Of course, once she starts eating more my body will also respond with an increase in the cow factor. It's impressive how quickly the body can respond to an increased demand but it's not much fun when the discomfort level rises.<br /><br />Biggest concern now is our flight tomorrow. It was already going to be a logistical challenge for us but the eating frenzy adds some increased fun factors. We'll see how it goes. For now, I'll just have to repack all of Leah's clothes. She's been wearing 0-3m stuff but after this last cluster feed I think we'll be exclusively in 3-6m before the weekend.<br /><br />Maybe Leah felt the need to grow enough to fit into the snow suit before it warms up in Austin:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzvOCCzFVQI/AAAAAAAAA6I/rkwZ40fflnI/s1600-h/16977_1330365819630_1245525096_989220_8046922_s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 123px; height: 164px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzvOCCzFVQI/AAAAAAAAA6I/rkwZ40fflnI/s200/16977_1330365819630_1245525096_989220_8046922_s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421153110976713986" border="0" /></a><br />Another picture, Leah with her favorite nerd toy:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzvOGYLvUmI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/hmTgRgytRHQ/s1600-h/19870_229416083889_566048889_3025539_6502955_s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 126px; height: 168px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzvOGYLvUmI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/hmTgRgytRHQ/s200/19870_229416083889_566048889_3025539_6502955_s.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421153185436750434" border="0" /></a>Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-24646665884634723682009-12-27T19:11:00.000-08:002009-12-27T19:49:23.109-08:00Busy Gear GarelsI just returned from a quick trip to Target to buy some red-topped bins for baby clothes (and pass along to the next J&A baby girl). While I was there I made a necessary trip over to the toy section.<br /><br />I continue to wonder what I will do when Leah gets older and insists on buying every toy she's interested in. How can I possibly say no when I can't resist the urge myself?! Tonight I just <span style="font-style: italic;">had to</span> get this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzgkUJI-4RI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/3q_hcb6DMsk/s1600-h/busy_gear.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzgkUJI-4RI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/3q_hcb6DMsk/s200/busy_gear.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420122080009969938" border="0" /></a>Seriously, the Playschool Busy Gears was a need! My curious engineer in training likes colors and moving objects. How could I pass up such a perfect toy, especially once I noticed it was on sale.<br /><br />I was reassured when I was in the checkout line. There were two young girls (and their mother) ahead of me in line who thought I'd picked some cool toys. They also had an eye for my blueberries so they must be smart girls.<br /><br />---<br /><br />We decided it was time to take a family adventure. For me, it felt like the past few months have involved a lot of "your turn to watch her" instead of doing things all together. That was our goal this weekend, to work on doing things together as a family. We had a great weekend together, I'm happy that we've been able to start introducing Leah to being a Garel.<br /><br />After living in Austin for a decade it was about time to make a trip to Enchanted Rock. I can't believe we waited so long to head out there, it was well worth it.<br /><br />As usual, Leah was the smarter one with logistics. Michael read mention of the parking lot filling up during peak season but we assumed this weekend would not be that popular. Leah knew better, she woke up at 3:30 and 7:30 to eat (1 hr earlier than usual). We arrived at the park at 10:30, too no line. We walked to the top of the summit and noticed a string of people heading up on our way down. Then we made another hike through the park. When we left at 2:15 there was a huge back-up of cars, waiting to get into the park. Almost seems Leah knew it was smarter to get out of the house and arrive early ;)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzgmLA5vFmI/AAAAAAAAA5g/0qD3m-l6WdI/s1600-h/leah_1227+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzgmLA5vFmI/AAAAAAAAA5g/0qD3m-l6WdI/s200/leah_1227+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420124122202969698" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzgqW6UMFwI/AAAAAAAAA6A/7c4MTAg01lg/s1600-h/leah_1227+011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzgqW6UMFwI/AAAAAAAAA6A/7c4MTAg01lg/s200/leah_1227+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420128724639815426" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Szgp0xFOrHI/AAAAAAAAA54/TQjc2HBTw20/s1600-h/leah_1227+020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Szgp0xFOrHI/AAAAAAAAA54/TQjc2HBTw20/s200/leah_1227+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420128138045598834" border="0" /></a>---<br /><br />Lesson of the weekend: Bench press is not a necessary exercise while nursing. I went to the gym yesterday for the second time since having Leah. I decided it might be time to test out my arms a bit since I was no longer concerned about the risk of dropping the bar on my belly. Let's just say the added soreness is not good when you already have tugging in that area.Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-23057834585443692372009-12-26T19:28:00.000-08:002009-12-26T20:01:48.066-08:00MG_morph<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzbZQxi5LbI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/xavYB1kj_GE/s1600-h/22570_222172823889_566048889_2988611_7417068_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzbZQxi5LbI/AAAAAAAAA5Q/xavYB1kj_GE/s200/22570_222172823889_566048889_2988611_7417068_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419758083787795890" border="0" /></a>Things happen a little differently on days with both parents at home. There's more time to get chores done around the house but some things in life don't change too much after kids. Instead of settling down to a productive day of finishing the fence project or purging out things we don't need we decided to introduce Leah to the Garel lifestyle.<br /><br />Here's a list of today's activities<br />- Feed Leah<br />- Change Leah<br />- Mom is "that person" waiting for the gym to open at 8am<br />- Dad runs at Town Lake<br />- Feed Leah<br />- Change Leah<br />- Farmer's Market trip<br />- Austin Children's Museum visit<br />- Feed Leah<br />- Change Leah<br />- Take care of brother's cat<br />- Mom runs at Town Lake while Dad & Leah play at Jack & Adams<br />- Feed Parents<br />- Feed Leah<br />- Change Leah<br />- Read story<br />- House chores and web surfing<br /><br />The parents out there may notice something was missing from this list... there was no mention of a nap. I suspect this type of weekend oversight may become a serious issue in the future. Or... Leah will quickly realize her parents are crazy and will begin to sleep through all the activities we drag her out too.<br /><br />When I returned back from my outing at Town Lake I asked Michael what they had done while I was gone. Michael happily showed me a phone full of pictures of Leah testing out a tri-bike.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzbYBFDC73I/AAAAAAAAA5A/GXwRUsL2u_U/s1600-h/16977_1329856686902_1245525096_987401_4174767_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzbYBFDC73I/AAAAAAAAA5A/GXwRUsL2u_U/s200/16977_1329856686902_1245525096_987401_4174767_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419756714633391986" border="0" /></a><br />As I carried a bucket of laundry upstairs I asked Michael what he was doing. "I'm morphing pictures of us to find out what Leah should look like." Apparently there's a website that allows you to morph pictures to determine what your baby would look like. This would probably be a great application for those who do not have a baby sleeping in the next room. With his lack of sleep Michael forgot that he already knows what our morphed baby looks like.<br /><br />But... this was fun and took less than 9 months of waiting before we got to see it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzbXzOCTeLI/AAAAAAAAA4w/4wTIjwYjD9A/s1600-h/morph.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzbXzOCTeLI/AAAAAAAAA4w/4wTIjwYjD9A/s200/morph.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419756476528031922" border="0" /></a><br />Thankfully, I think Leah lucked out and looks cuter than the morph prediction.<br /><br />Aside from morph_baby there's also a morph_old feature. I have to be honest, this one freaked me out a bit. I'm hoping this strange shadow looking morph is not the way Leah will look in 30 yrs.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzbYF9V5aRI/AAAAAAAAA5I/wzIvKsWaGM0/s1600-h/morph_older.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzbYF9V5aRI/AAAAAAAAA5I/wzIvKsWaGM0/s200/morph_older.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419756798464321810" border="0" /></a>Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-60975246852269364172009-12-25T07:47:00.000-08:002009-12-25T08:08:08.154-08:00Neighborhood Watch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzTelmtOVBI/AAAAAAAAA4o/cp4P9XFsdW4/s1600-h/download.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzTelmtOVBI/AAAAAAAAA4o/cp4P9XFsdW4/s200/download.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419200989260305426" border="0" /></a><br />Our neighborhood has a yahoo news group which seems to be used primary to make complaints (regarding neighbors with tall grass) and report on the wrongdoings of teenagers in the area.<br /><br />Lately, the neighborhood safety and break-ins have been a hot topic. Although it's a serious issue there is a bit of humor when I read all the reports of "suspicious vehicles" in the area. My favorite is when (1) neighbor A reports a suspicious vehicle in front of someones house and says they are about to call the police and (2) neighbor B writes back not to call the police because that car belongs to their visitor.<br /><br />There are signs posted for the neighborhood watch program and the local police are often called into the area when a problem comes up. As I was crossing the street at the beginning of my walk on Friday a Policeman called over from his car, "Excuse me, do you happen to recognize this dog?" As he said this he held a brown chihuahua out the window.<br /><br />"Of course, wasn't he in the Taco Bell commercials in the 90's?!"<br /><br />No, I didn't really say that. Instead I answered with a less sarcastic remark, "No, Don't know the dog. Are you really sitting here to see if someone knows the dog?"<br /><br />"Yes."<br /><br />Good to know the police are monitoring the important things, I thought they were just out to give people speeding tickets. Note, I saw four people pulled over on my drive home from the pool.<br /><br />Later on in our walk, Leah and I came across a suspicious vehicle. I was tempted to report it to the neighborhood news group but I wasn't sure if they'd see my humor. Maybe they would have been more understanding if I also reported on the suspicious men hopping out of the vehicle in camo clothing. Obviously, they were trying to sneak around the neighborhood unnoticed!<br /><br />Good thing the keen eyes of the 3 month old spotted them.Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-54736087857308424732009-12-24T20:43:00.000-08:002009-12-24T21:08:17.496-08:00Understanding<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzRDWoVKkLI/AAAAAAAAA4g/JiLjksYjEAw/s1600-h/tn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 128px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzRDWoVKkLI/AAAAAAAAA4g/JiLjksYjEAw/s200/tn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419030307695923378" border="0" /></a>Sometimes I wonder how much Leah understands. I'm sure every parent would love to think they are raising a little genius, a future Olympic medalist, or just a great person in general.<br /><br />Some parents seemed to be convinced they have a rock star at a young age and try to tell everyone about it. It's funny what things can lead parents to believe their child is exceptional. Last week some people showed my brother how well their 3 month old could <span style="font-style: italic;">stand</span>... they were holding onto the kid at the time. There's always the parents who brags about the size of their kid: my kid is in the 100 th percentile for head size or my kid has an abnormally large femur (some of you may know who that kid is but I'll keep him anonymous until he gets chicked by Leah in a few years).<br /><br />What makes me think Leah is so special? I think it's this remarkable ability to understand what I'm saying to her. Or... just my impression that she understands me and seems to listen to my requests.<br /><br />Here's how my day went today:<br /><br />Michael joined a friend to run at City Park and I slept in, a long time, due too a few months of cumulative sleep deprivation. I woke up at 9:30 and thought it would be real nice if Leah would stay asleep long enough for me to eat some breakfast. I checked on her and asked her to wait a few more minutes to wake up. Somehow she managed to wake up just after I finished the dishes.<br /><br />I fed her and played with her a bit. At that point I wanted her to take a nap for a while so I could hop on the trainer and get in a good ride. I was hoping for 2:45 ride which seemed a bit unreasonable since she would probably want to eat in 2 hrs. But why not try, "Hey Leah, can you take a long nap so I can get in a 2:45 trainer ride?" Almost like clockwork, she woke up minutes before my ride was ending and Michael held her while I took a quick shower.<br /><br />I fed Leah and got ready to burp her, "Okay Leah, mom just took a shower so let's try not to spit milk all over her."<br /><br />At this point Leah gave me a smile as she was laying on a pillow in my lap. She opened her mouth and spit out a huge stream of milk. I burst into laughter, <span style="font-style: italic;">"No problem mom, I didn't get it on you."</span><br /><br />We then laid on the floor to play a bit. When Michael came over I told him to take a picture of us, "Wave to the camera Leah" (see picture above).<br /><br />I know it's quite impossible that she could actually have the cognitive ability to understand me but she just keeps making me wonder. Maybe I do have a genius. Or maybe I'm still sleep deprived and have dilutions of a genius.Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-49692707060066451162009-12-22T19:09:00.000-08:002009-12-22T19:38:44.893-08:00MineLeah has seen her cousin a couple of times in the past few days. Rylee is turning two next month and is therefore quite a bit more interesting than full grown adults. Leah has been very curious about Rylee and seems to be quite content watching the little giant at play.<br /><br />Rylee's favorite words of the week appear to be "No" and "Mine." She's getting herself in good position for the <span style="font-style: italic;">terrible two's</span>.<br /><br />We've decided to disperse the negative characteristics of that year over a larger time frame. Therefore, we will be teaching Leah about the concept of possession (mine) at a young age. To help in our plans, Leah has been sent more personalized items.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzGOgqSU4WI/AAAAAAAAA34/tqkZbEuhd-w/s1600-h/leah_1219+056.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzGOgqSU4WI/AAAAAAAAA34/tqkZbEuhd-w/s200/leah_1219+056.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418268518461530466" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzGOrJ_CoUI/AAAAAAAAA4A/3bmFBIKhT48/s1600-h/leah_1219+057.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzGOrJ_CoUI/AAAAAAAAA4A/3bmFBIKhT48/s200/leah_1219+057.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418268698769269058" border="0" /></a>Hopefully the new towels will allow us to fully explain the concept of mine, yours, and ours.<br /><br />Only trouble is... how to we teach her about sharing? Do we get her a library card so she can learn about sharing books with other kids? This could be dangerous if she takes after me. When I was younger I defaced the library copy of <span style="font-style: italic;">Harold And The Purple </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Crayon</span> by drawing all over it with my own purple crayon. You may wonder how I recall this... my mother made me go apologize to all the librarians for what I'd done. It was probably a good call on her part because it ended my graffiti career at a young age.<br /><br />Here's a picture of me <span style="font-style: italic;">sharing</span> Leah's skoot with her. You may notice a couple of things about the bike: (1) there are no pedals - this allows us to teach Leah balance (2) there are disk wheels - this implies Leah is stronger than her mother since D.W. let her have disk wheels and told me I was too small<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzGOye0VZJI/AAAAAAAAA4I/qn8KuHQl-n4/s1600-h/leah_1219+060.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzGOye0VZJI/AAAAAAAAA4I/qn8KuHQl-n4/s200/leah_1219+060.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418268824620590226" border="0" /></a><br />A picture of Leah asleep in my arms at the Austin Children's Museam. After about an hour of watching shadows, lights, and the other kids she was passed out. I'm sure it had nothing to do with my attempt to get her on the bike that counted pedal strokes<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzGPCpdyJZI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/FDQX86S5W0E/s1600-h/leah_1219+059.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzGPCpdyJZI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/FDQX86S5W0E/s200/leah_1219+059.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418269102356702610" border="0" /></a><br />Lastly, another picture in a Hungry Catipillar outfit. I think these are guite fitting for our good eater<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzGO6nl0fwI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/83liLjRdqno/s1600-h/leah_1219+058.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzGO6nl0fwI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/83liLjRdqno/s200/leah_1219+058.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418268964414586626" border="0" /></a>Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-7854970457455711902009-12-21T18:37:00.000-08:002009-12-21T20:35:53.003-08:00Yawning is ContagiousI've heard many times that yawning is contagious. I've seen the effects before yet I just can't seem to make Leah yawn when I do. She has the power to make me yawn. She's so good at it that I even began to yawn when I looked at this picture again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzAzDk9d9aI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/gRdKqRDdI6U/s1600-h/leah_1219+013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzAzDk9d9aI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/gRdKqRDdI6U/s200/leah_1219+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417886488280823202" border="0" /></a>It's pretty interesting to observe Leah's personality evolve. I've begun to call her "Curious Leah." It might not be the most catchy nickname but it's a lot better than some of the other ones her father has tried; Porker, Bugger, Goober, etc.<br /><br />Here's a few pictures for those of you watching Leah grow from your computer...<br /><br />Curious Leah watching her airplane mobile:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzAyZxt5uSI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/vJo1rVYodv4/s1600-h/leah_1219+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzAyZxt5uSI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/vJo1rVYodv4/s200/leah_1219+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417885770150689058" border="0" /></a><br />Leah comparing herself to the measurement worm:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzAzVNeZSHI/AAAAAAAAA3g/ndwVaZa_qx0/s1600-h/leah_1219+020.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzAzVNeZSHI/AAAAAAAAA3g/ndwVaZa_qx0/s200/leah_1219+020.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417886791214123122" border="0" /></a><br />Blowing spit bubbles:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzA0VE9gqfI/AAAAAAAAA3w/nwac49ApBms/s1600-h/leah_1219+034.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzA0VE9gqfI/AAAAAAAAA3w/nwac49ApBms/s200/leah_1219+034.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417887888440338930" border="0" /></a><br />Getting ready for a birthday party:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzAzqPONHII/AAAAAAAAA3o/tsKYuDqqprU/s1600-h/leah_1219+045.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SzAzqPONHII/AAAAAAAAA3o/tsKYuDqqprU/s200/leah_1219+045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417887152460340354" border="0" /></a>A few people have asked me how the workouts are going lately...<br /><br />Last week went pretty well. There were some solid arm workouts with dumbbells (a.k.a. rattles) and we managed 3 sets of 10 baby crunches. Leah is learning her multiplication tables as well as developing her core.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzDzXIqf6blAnvOs1Gk8JRB83pLv3N5Psj-GB5P2SjfM307_MHDwlOI-_mNAvgHWS63VL7L3eCyciC4Px4NYg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /></div>Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-2818991538700556212009-12-11T06:57:00.001-08:002009-12-11T07:38:10.763-08:00Accomplishments<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SyJd83I7mSI/AAAAAAAAA3I/f8fnSsuHNmc/s1600-h/rattle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 113px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SyJd83I7mSI/AAAAAAAAA3I/f8fnSsuHNmc/s200/rattle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413993002227702050" border="0" /></a>Tuesday was our first 'bring your daughter to work day.' Michael watched Leah while I was at my eye appointment.<br /><br />He's been trying to teach her to shake her rattle for a while. Grasping it and shaking it was a difficult task. As he was driving along her heard the rattle shake, she'd accomplished her goal.<br /><br />This morning Whitney attached the pulley system for us to try swimming against resistance for part of practice. The first time I tried this, about 1 month ago, I made it about half way. After that practice I promised myself I'd get to the other side at my next attempt. A few weeks later I swam to the other end with a 8 lb weight attached to the pulley.<br /><br />Today, I had a new challenge: 10 lb. It might not sound like much but getting myself across that pool took a lot of energy. I managed to scrape my finger tips at the other wall 4 x this morning. I was toast for the rest of practice but I'd made progress.<br /><br />I should probably thank Leah for this. I suspect my arms are getting stronger as I continue to pick up my good eater.<br /><br />Keep working at those seemingly impossible tasks, every little accomplishment is a sweet reward for the effort put in.<br /><br />A good quote from Vince Lombardi for all those football fans out there (although I doubt any of them have ever read this blog) :<br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall."<br /><br /><br /></span></span>Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-2018212901366276592009-12-07T17:50:00.001-08:002009-12-07T19:37:41.000-08:00Everybody Poops<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx3A1PQiOKI/AAAAAAAAA3A/CPoT3Z8KR28/s1600-h/IMG_0104.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx3A1PQiOKI/AAAAAAAAA3A/CPoT3Z8KR28/s200/IMG_0104.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412694348030687394" border="0" /></a>The last time we went to the pediatrician's office he told us, "Don't be surprised if she only poops every couple of days."<br /><br />"What? Did you say every couple of days or every couple of diapers?"<br /><br />Apparently some babies go as long as a week without pooping. I want to find out what those moms are eating (or not eating) to cause this. We were excited when she was no longer pooping every couple of hours. It's pretty exciting when you get one of those surprise poop-free diapers; less cleanup is always good.<br /><br />Which brings us to the topic of the day, diapers.<br /><br />As some might know, we use a combination of cloth and landfill diapers. The landfill at night is a compromise to make things a bit easier for my wonderful husband, who is nice enough to change most of those diapers.<br /><br />Why did I want to use cloth?<br /><br />My initial reasoning was to reduce my carbon footprint a bit. Although I must admit, my brother and one of my old co-workers seemed to think I would give in after about of week of using them. Proving them wrong was enough incentive to use the cloth ones.<br /><br />Some people use cloth for the money savings. I haven't had the time to do a full cost / carbon footprint analysis on the topic. If so I'd have to consider the processing of the landfill diapers and their waste versus the processing of the cloth and the increased water consumption for all the laundry we now do. There are many other things to consider, but I've let my six sigma certification run out so I'm not going to bother with that. For now, I'll just share some observations...<br /><br />There are many types of cloth diapers and a lot of jargon to confuse the novice parent. The best thing I did was talk to people who use the cloth diapers and try to absorb some of their knowledge. Biggest thing I learned, every kid is a bit different and those varied body shapes seem to have an effect on what diapers you will prefer.<br /><br />The cheapest way to cloth diaper is to use prefolds and covers. Although pictures of Leah are appreciated she prefers not to be seen in only her diapers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx3AsUZYgFI/AAAAAAAAA24/hTGvEMcDbJo/s1600-h/IMG_0101.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx3AsUZYgFI/AAAAAAAAA24/hTGvEMcDbJo/s200/IMG_0101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412694194791153746" border="0" /></a>(Leah's reaction to the idea of pictures in her diaper)<br /><br />Therefore, Mr Blue Hippo has volunteered for the job of showing you some of the different ways to fold your prefolds.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx27DSPk5NI/AAAAAAAAA2I/63Oa_5nkj5Q/s1600-h/leah_madison+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx27DSPk5NI/AAAAAAAAA2I/63Oa_5nkj5Q/s200/leah_madison+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412687992280376530" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx27V2uMmKI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/TGLbtXwSwIg/s1600-h/leah_madison+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx27V2uMmKI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/TGLbtXwSwIg/s200/leah_madison+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412688311310129314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx28L8-5khI/AAAAAAAAA2g/OIHGpQVtP54/s1600-h/leah_madison+011.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx28L8-5khI/AAAAAAAAA2g/OIHGpQVtP54/s200/leah_madison+011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412689240703734290" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx28fzHyOnI/AAAAAAAAA2o/R0-HjXwlgPU/s1600-h/leah_madison+018.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx28fzHyOnI/AAAAAAAAA2o/R0-HjXwlgPU/s200/leah_madison+018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412689581654030962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx27qifMwNI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/J7ENcwm13Cc/s1600-h/leah_madison+010.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx27qifMwNI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/J7ENcwm13Cc/s200/leah_madison+010.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412688666655768786" border="0" /></a><br />The prefolds are what most people think of when they talk about cloth diapers. Thing is, people have been inventing a lot over the past 50 years. Not only do we have phones that take pictures, we have cloth diapers that go on just as easily as the trash diapers (easier if you ask me). My current personal favorite are the BumGenius one size and BumGenius 3.0 all-in-one diapers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx25SrEfFtI/AAAAAAAAA2A/7HuP2oMwHHo/s1600-h/BG3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx25SrEfFtI/AAAAAAAAA2A/7HuP2oMwHHo/s200/BG3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412686057619527378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx24-LMDZ_I/AAAAAAAAA14/HIhuyckO2J8/s1600-h/bumgenius-diagram.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 130px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx24-LMDZ_I/AAAAAAAAA14/HIhuyckO2J8/s200/bumgenius-diagram.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412685705463949298" border="0" /></a><br />As I said earlier, there's more laundry to be done with these diapers and a baby. For decades my laundry has consisted of a load of lights, followed by a load of darks, and maybe a load of towels or sheets. Sometimes we managed to create a non-dryer load during peak ironman training. Now we have something new: a load of diapers followed by a load of pinks. You don't even realize pink has it's own load until you have a baby girl.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx3AiTspOjI/AAAAAAAAA2w/YeJ6wupGXWo/s1600-h/IMG_0092.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sx3AiTspOjI/AAAAAAAAA2w/YeJ6wupGXWo/s200/IMG_0092.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412694022804814386" border="0" /></a>(the load of pink and white clothes)Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-10596700975869342122009-12-04T11:39:00.000-08:002009-12-04T12:23:25.052-08:00Snowing in AustinFor those of you living in Austin I'm sure you've heard about the potential snow all week. From the way people have been talking you'd think we were going to get some huge storm that would shut down the city for weeks.<br /><br />But all those people buying up the bananas and water were correct, it has been snowing in Austin today.<br /><br />Look at the neighborhood kids who got sent home early from school...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sxlqo-76q7I/AAAAAAAAA1w/fsmZ0oBpoms/s1600-h/dec14.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 159px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sxlqo-76q7I/AAAAAAAAA1w/fsmZ0oBpoms/s200/dec14.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411473679583980466" border="0" /></a>No, of course that's not Austin in 2009! Don't the moon boots give it away? That's western New York in December of 1984. Yes, the dorky one with the big glasses is me.<br /><br />Here's what it was like in Austin (complete with some commentary from Leah)<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxaelPYi1re1eFjXo6ra74Rh8gpRIos1jt8UOk-LV2z89wkeZNjU0Yp0FH0iiM-TZ2gnW6JDd_c2tIOsDkZtw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />If you watch again you might actually see the snow flakes. Seriously, they are there. We were lucky enough to have 3 min of snow while Michael was home for lunch. We almost missed it because it took almost that long to get Leah bundled up enough to venture out into the <span style="font-style: italic;">frigid</span> weather.Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-27915854429969004242009-12-03T17:12:00.000-08:002009-12-03T18:40:32.680-08:00Being in the right place<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sxhi0ZJZwSI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/do0Jgu54hbQ/s1600-h/mich_iphone+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sxhi0ZJZwSI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/do0Jgu54hbQ/s200/mich_iphone+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411183604528693538" border="0" /></a>While we were flying the other day Michael and I were having a conversation about relativity. It was a very interesting discussion about the velocity and acceleration of airplanes and bugs within the airplane. Lucky for you, that is not what this blog post is about.<br /><br />Instead, a brief recap of my lucky coincidence today...<br /><br />Text message from RY: " [my license plate ID] I think I'm parked next to you"<br /><br />We were both running some errands mid day and some how ended up parked next to each other on the almost_roof level of a parking garage.<br /><br />It sounds like a funny coincidence but I have somehow run into Rich in many random places; the airport, Barton Springs, races, etc. The first encounter (while he was a tour guide at Carnegie Mellon) has been a huge factor in shaping the past 15 yrs of my life. Had he split the tour group differently I might not have gone to CMU, might not have met Michael, and probably would not be living in Austin right now. Thank you Rich for inadvertently shaping my future.<br /><br />We, on the other hand, deliberately shaped his future by introducing him to Kelly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxhkKQoORaI/AAAAAAAAA1g/UIUYoPgx6I4/s1600-h/2009-12-03+12.47.47.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxhkKQoORaI/AAAAAAAAA1g/UIUYoPgx6I4/s200/2009-12-03+12.47.47.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411185079710795170" border="0" /></a><br />Back to the story... We both got done at the same time and decided it would be fun to head to lunch. RY had never been to EZ's so we made the short walk over there and enjoyed a good chat. Mid way through our meal the kids at the next table decided it would be fun to dump their glasses of water and ice. Crash, a huge spill all over and a water fall pouring off the table.<br /><br />"That's what you have to look forward too," Rich said with a laugh.<br /><br />I quickly reached over to cover Leah's eyes, "You don't see anything."<br /><br />When we were growing up my brother spilled his drink about 9 of 10 meals. I honestly think it became a game of 'try to wreck Michelle's dinner' instead of a mere accident. My brother seemed to love spilling milk and OJ onto my food too see how much liquid was required to keep me from clearing my plate.<br /><br />It should be fun to see what sorts of messes Leah gets into as she grows. I suspect there will be many of them. I also suspect a certain person (who will remain nameless) will burst out into laughter and therefore encourage this type of behavior.<br /><br />----<br /><br />A few more Leah pictures<br /><br />Wishing a happy B-day all the cool people born at this time of year:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxhigEIeKAI/AAAAAAAAA1I/WkO5Y22herA/s1600-h/mich_iphone+037.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxhigEIeKAI/AAAAAAAAA1I/WkO5Y22herA/s200/mich_iphone+037.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411183255290259458" border="0" /></a>Encouraging mom riding the trainer, after a stellar 20 min nap:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxhjCv7lDeI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/yYFFmlexYrU/s1600-h/mich_iphone+028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxhjCv7lDeI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/yYFFmlexYrU/s200/mich_iphone+028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411183851162897890" border="0" /></a><br />For those of you wondering about the picture at the top of this post, that was my failed attempt to take a self portrait with my iPhone. It didn't quite work as planned.<br /><br />Leah is much better at taking self portraits with the phone:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sxhq6vn9YlI/AAAAAAAAA1o/dKZxOjS7H3M/s1600-h/mich_iphone+026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/Sxhq6vn9YlI/AAAAAAAAA1o/dKZxOjS7H3M/s200/mich_iphone+026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411192509734675026" border="0" /></a>Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-51158423777080882882009-11-30T14:01:00.000-08:002009-11-30T15:17:05.874-08:00TelevisionWhenever family comes to visit it seems there is an inevitable conversation regarding our television and / or lack of television watching. Let's just say I don't know which remote control turns on the television and have no clue what numbers to punch in to bring up the stations we get.<br /><br />"Have you seen the preview for X?"<br />"Did you watch Y?"<br />"Are you going to watch Z game?"<br /><br />Simply put, "No, I have no clue what that is and most likely won't be blasting out of our 10 yr old television."<br /><br />Maybe it's a case of not knowing what I'm missing but that does not bother me much. Besides, how in the world would I find time to watch television? It's not like I'm going to skip my workouts to watch The Biggest Looser... I think that would be oddly hypocritical although I'm not sure since I've never actually seen the show.<br /><br />Funny thing... my mother told me the other day about reports of children getting injured from flat screen televisions. Apparently there's been a high rate of the top heavy screens toppling over onto kids. Next time I field a question about our old television I'll just say it's for Leah's safety.<br /><br />I'm actually wondering what the conversations might be when she returns home from a friends house in a few years...<br /><br />"Mom, they had this thing called a television and they had all this strange food."<br /><br />Correction: it won't be a friends house, that will be the conversation when she returns home from visiting my brother ;)<br /><br />----<br /><br />A couple weeks ago we stopped off at Einsteins for breakfast. I overheard a comment from someone near by, saying some people are too focused on their kids. I'm not sure if that was directed towards us or if it was merely a coincidence. Either way, I think I've become one of those people who focuses on their kid.<br /><br />Could be worse, I saw a lady walking at Town Lake, with her dog in a front carrier on her chest. I might offend someone by saying this but I think that was a bit odd. Is the dog stroller not strange enough?<br /><br />For the Leah fans out there, we've got a few videos from the past couple of weeks to share<br /><br />Yogi Leah turns into a WWF ref once she gets tired:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxm72HAlc5mjEIu9nJL6ZlD1KHIsTqMxyfazYfiSrjNGUlzq9JdqOJ1BpspS-jUqloaQEJ7P-GpK7YW6TMPdA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Leah's first time on her Dad's shoulders, including some great commentary about the experience:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwq8lmK4anGIkmHl34YHQPblNla9k11rvoTjf9IlCvMI1pMC2GEkrF3wNJpC35vCfmmR367zQtOTROl-y3gJg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Leah's reaction to every race we've gone to watch:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxjhAQJ8ITizjf46W7SyQb6Us6ulom2f_EvykesrQNXzcElYAOb8YcyGOiNbFMdDKk3exxgwhAFe_7Ta_UoEA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />(Apparently our hobbies are boring to her, can't wait for the teenage years)Michhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968184058193163896.post-57616210622334749642009-11-28T08:11:00.001-08:002009-11-28T08:33:56.576-08:00RechargeIt's been a while since a post, needed some time to recharge the batteries<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxFMD5xUG2I/AAAAAAAAA0w/V49ngDFDLFY/s1600/airportsleep.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxFMD5xUG2I/AAAAAAAAA0w/V49ngDFDLFY/s200/airportsleep.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409188257379654498" border="0" /></a><br />Leah is good at recharging, sometimes better than we are! She's a bit smarter about it, when she's tired she sleeps. Her parents are slow learners, when they're tired they ignore it. When she sleeps they start running around.<br /><br />Last weekend we did the Dirty Du as a relay. Leah slept the entire morning, she didn't seem to interested in the useless play of the adults. But the second we packed everything back into the truck she started to fuss. Apparently the sleeping that morning spurred a two month growth spurt. The next few days were filled with A LOT of eating.<br /><br />Good news, apparently turkey makes babies tired too. Leah has been slept 8 hrs straight for the past couple of nights. After a few months of getting less sleep, 8 hrs seems like a dream.<br /><br />---<br /><br />Here's a picture I sent to Michael last Friday at 5pm:<br /><br />"Dad, look how cute I am. Come home and play."<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxFMLE5lYqI/AAAAAAAAA04/pjst1zzsv0w/s1600/smile.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 194px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxFMLE5lYqI/AAAAAAAAA04/pjst1zzsv0w/s200/smile.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409188380626215586" border="0" /></a><br />It makes a huge difference when the smiling begins.<br /><br />And of course, a Thanksgiving day picture:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxFMPe1yX6I/AAAAAAAAA1A/bIux-w0hE60/s1600/turkeyday.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 195px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tgC-lqfhmdY/SxFMPe1yX6I/AAAAAAAAA1A/bIux-w0hE60/s200/turkeyday.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409188456309088162" border="0" /></a>Leah is thankful for her airplane mobile, clothes, milk, people to hold her, Pandora (on the iphone), and her pacifier. She is not thankful for baths, diaper changes, or bright lights.<br /><br />Memorable commentary of the weekend:<br /><br />"Leah looks so much like Michelle," says Michael's mom.<br /><br />"Yeah, for a while I thought she had my legs but they've gotten chubby," replies Michael.<br /><br />Thanks Michael, I appreciate the reminder that I have quadzilla legs ;)<br /><br />... more pictures and some better posts to followMichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550431149575662884noreply@blogger.com1