August 1, 2007

Today started off as any normal day. Daddy was at work and Mommy was taking care of me. Grandma T was celebrating becoming one year older and one year closer to retirement. Nothing else too exciting was happening.


Then, this happened.

The 35 W bridge collapsed. A bridge Mommy and I drove on several times per week to visit cousins Jakie and Lily. A bridge we drove to get to Grandma and Grandpa's in Iowa. A bridge we took to get to church.

Seeing these photos and hearing the stories of the survivors makes us realize any of us could have been on that bridge, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Auntie Rasa is a pharmacist and was working at the University of Minnesota hospital during the accident. She said a code orange was called and the hospital went in lock-down. Luckily most of the victims were walk-ins (not coming via ambulance) and were treated for blunt-force injuries. The U of MN hospital is not yet a level one trauma center, it will be this fall. Auntie Rasa said it was a very scary and surreal event--something she does not ever hope to encounter again.

Today the names of some victims were released. Of particular sadness was a married man who died, leaving his wife and two month old daughter alone. His daughter will never know him, never be able to play with him or remember holding his hand.

Makes me, Mommy and Daddy appreciate all we have...our friends and family, our health, our lives and each other.

Chillin' With My Doggie

Did you know we have a pool? Yep. I know, you are jealous. Look at all the room I have to do laps. Daddy filled the pool in the morning so by evening the water temperature was just right for my daily exercise. I demand the water temperature be a balmy 94 degrees before I even THINK about jumping in. I am high maintenance, you know.

Oh, look, there's my friend, Cassius. You may wonder why he has a satellite on his head. No, he's not working for NASA, yet (although I have seen an Aeronautical Engineering: 101 course book in his kennel--heard of any job openings, uncle Steven?). Cashy, or Cosgrove as I like to call him, has allergies and tends to try to chew his tail off. Generally speaking, that is not a good thing.

He has a sore on his tail now and the vet says he has to wear the satellite until the sore is better. Poor doggy. See his tail? Daddy shaved off the hair so the sore can heal. He kinda looks like a lion now. Roar. The king of the back yard. He doesn't like the satellite and it makes him sad. How can I cheer him up? I know, I'll invite him to swim in the vast waters of my pool.


Come on in, Cashy, the water's fine.

Um, Daddy, Cassius doesn't seem to get this swimming thing. He keeps trying to drink the water. Wait a minute, no one told me we could drink the water!

I don't think I'll drink the water. I think I accidentally peed in the water. Sorry, Cassius.


Apparently, Cassius doesn't mind. Oh, that's right. He eats lots of weird things. Like baby rabbits and squirrels. Yuck. Maybe I don't want him in my pool afterall. I think he needs to brush his teeth...Tic Tac, Cassius?

Spiteful

What? You heard me. Spiteful. Babies can be spiteful, it's not against the law. Why am I spiteful? Let me tell you. The stupid pediatrician was concerned that I wasn't standing yet. I was just holding out, I decided I wasn't ready to stand yet. I make decisions, I AM the Decider, you know.


So what did I do? I waited until 2 days after my stupid pediatrician appointment to stand. Yeah, that's right. Take that. See me STANDING here? I did this all on my own. Mommy was watching Millionaire and the contestant was going to choose the wrong answer. I knew it and had to stand to make my point. That's all. I had no reason to stand before this.

After my strenuous standing, I had to stretch my legs on the laundry basket. Ahhh, my muscles are tight from all that standing.

Time to touch the toes. Good stretching. Trying to keep my balance--steady...

Dang it! I fell down. That hurt! Mommy, quit snapping photos of me and come to my assistance! I demand some hugs and kisses!


Hey, how did I end up in this crib jail? I am not tired! I am not tired! Let me out! Let me out! I will continue to scream until you come get me. Just because I am screaming does not mean I am tired. I will stand here until you come get me.

Apparently I am NOT the Decider of naptime. Mommy and Daddy are the Deciders of our house. I guess they have also decided to find a new pediatrician. I hope they find someone who doesn't freak out about me not following the developmental benchmarks to the T. I am the Decider of my own development and no chart will tell me what to do!

What a Difference a Year Makes

Hi, again everyone! So you all know I recently turned 01. Naturally this meant a trip to the doctor for a check up and some shots (yuck). This also meant a weigh-in and length measurement. I am ginormous! To help you gain perspective, I have included a short quiz consisting of a series of several old and new photos. Can you guess if this is new...

or, old? Correct, new! The first photo is from last week. Please note, I am facing forward in my seat (it's a big deal I am told). The second photo is from my first day home, 01 years ago.

Okay, next set of photos. Is this the most recent photo...

or is this? Nope, nice try. The SECOND photo is the recent one. See how I am so long, I can practically kick through the changing table? Oh, right...I kick it all the time. Hey, I get bored really, really fast nowadays and Mommy and Daddy won't let me crawl in the changing table. Bummer. A boy needs to crawl, you know what I mean? On with the quiz.

Last photo. Is this from last week, or...

is this? Alright, alright. This was a trick question. The cat throws it all off. I'll give you a hint--Miss Kitty really hasn't changed all that much in her weight or size (believe it or not). Yep, the first photo is from last week. The second photo is my first meeting with Miss Kitty, 01 years ago. She could have damaged me by sitting on me, she weighed more than me at the time. I only weighed 5 pounds 14.5 ounces back then (Miss Kitty weighed significantly more last year since Daddy fed her only cat treats when Mommy was in the hospital with me--he says he could not find the regular cat food).

My official stats are: weight 21 pounds 7.5 ounces (34th percentile, up four pounds in 3 months) and height 31 3/4 inches (93rd percentile). I have figured out how to eat and it shows, I am really growing and changing. This weekend I tried my hand at pasta, buttered bread, mandarin oranges and cheese. All are very good and I didn't even gag--a major accomplishment for me! More to come soon...lots of new stuff going on around here.