Wolves and Haircuts

I recently received a new stuffed wolf. I am seriously into wolves. Indy will never be afraid of dogs, the way our home is decorated. Indiana has decided that this one is his. We often disagree on things, and on this we constantly argue. Indy will climb up and pull it off the sofa, and smile at me. He giggles when i take it away and tell him it is mine. As soon as I set the wolf back up on the davenport Indy climbs back up and begins his game again.

On an unrelated subject: I think Indiana needs a haircut. Duck didn't get a haircut until he was over three years old. How old was your child when he or she got their first haircut? Do you think a nine month old can sit still long enough to get a haircut?

Life Overwhelming

Sometimes I just get swamped with things going on in our lives and don't get everything accomplished in a day. We have been hosting gatherings for the holidays and for chris's birthday and we still have two gatherings coming up in the next week (Kathryn's going away party and my birthday). We have had so many guests, of both the adult and child varieties, that our home looks like it imploded. Indiana and his gang of "banditos" succeeded in dragging every toy out of both toy boxes (including the one pictured here) and hiding them strategically all over the house.

It rained during our barbecue on Saturday. The guys tracked it all over as they went in and out with beers and briquets. The amount of dirt in my carpets is evidenced by the color of Indy's socks as he wanders the carpeted areas.

I meant to get the shampooer run. I meant to hit the kitchen floor with the swiffer wet jet. I meant to dance around the place with our bright yellow feather duster. I meant to find Tinky Winky's head (it has gone missing). I meant to do a lot of things, and now that Indy is sleeping, I can do them. Does anyone actually believe i will do anything other than a nice hot bath and bed? Perhaps the Housework Fairies will come during the night!! If not, well, tomorrow is another day.

Modern Day Miracles

Does prayer work? Is there really such a thing as Karma?

Today, for us, the answer is YES. Cayson is well! His shunt is in and functioning properly. There is no more fluid build up. There is no more vomiting. There is no more swelling. There are no long term complications, no brain damage of any kind. The doctors figured out the problem. Cayson, during surgery, developed an allergy to the anesthetic; Because the sedatives were of the same family as the anesthetic, they continued to cause him problems while he was being monitored. The medication was changed and Cayson became the same active happy healthy little boy that he normally is.

Cayson's family asked me to relay to everyone their firm belief that the prayers coming from all of you, from all over the world, for this one little boy, their little boy, is what made him well again.

Back at it

Cayson is back in critical condition. His mother just called to let us know that he is back in the CAT scanner. He was copiously vomiting, and the doctors were unable to find his "soft spot" by feel. He will probably be heading back into surgery within the hour. Keep at those prayers.

In unrelated news: we just returned home from the dragonball z video game tourney. Sadly, we lost. He did get a neat DBZ 2 star dragon card as a door prize, though.

Happy Birthday Baby!

I married a pretty good guy. I can usually admit to that with a straight face. Today is his birthday. So, this is my public "Happy Birthday Baby" announcement. I am no Marilyn, so i wont even try to sing a few bars of it, but the sentiment is there.

I love you, Chris. Have a wonderful day. Good luck at the tourney, and enjoy the party tonight!

Thank You!

Marty, the neighbor is home. She arrived home late last night/early this morning. She said that the doctors have determined that as long as the blood does not clot Cayson will be allowed to go home on Tuesday. His condition is known as Hydrocephalus. In the mean time, Cayson is being monitored at Dornbeckers Children's Hospital for any further signs of trauma. He is mostly sedated but when he woke up he recognized his mom and grandma and had a headache. The doctors think there will be no permanent damage! His parents were given a book on future warning signs to be prepared for, and instructions for future care that may be needed up until he is eight years old. But, we are all hopeful for a rapid and complete recovery. His family thanks all of you for your many prayers and good thoughts.

In other news Indiana has new twin cousins, The boy is seven pounds born at 1:03 pm on Jan 20th Hayden Jay and the girl is Aubrey Rain she was born one minute later at 6 pounds three ounces by cesarean section. Their parents are Chris's cousin, Jessica and her partner, Brian. We will be posting pictures of the new babies as soon as they are sent to us.

No News

My neighbor has left and gone to Portland to the Dornbeckers Children's Hospital to be there for her daughter and granddaughter as Cayson continues to be ill. We have no updates until she returns, and she said she will not be returning until there is an outcome.

Please, CONTINUE to send prayers and happy thoughts his way!

Cayson's illness has brought home, like nothing else can, how very fortunate I have been with my sons. My children were and are fairly healthy creatures. Sure, we get bumps and bruises, and we catch ever cold that comes down the pike, but that's all pretty normal stuff.

As I remember Cayson in my daily thoughts, I almost feel guilt about how fortunate I feel that my son is not the one in the hospital; that my son is home, playing with his fishes, shredding the local papers, banging his toys together, and general being a loud messy little monster.

So, anyways, now we wait. The moment we know more about Cayson's health I will post it!

Do you Pray?

I often talk about my neighbors. We are tucked back in a corner with neighbors all around. The old woman who shares a wall with us on the left is a great, great lady named Marty. This handsome little boy pictured here is her great grandson. His name is Cayson (pronounced like Jason with a K). He is two weeks younger than our Indiana. His temperament is delightful, his smile radiant. His developmental skills are all either on par or ahead. He likes to sit on the floor in front of the refrigerator and shuffle the magnents around.

When Cayson was born there was some trauma resulting in a surgery to release some fluid that had built up around his brain. Another surgery was required a month later to install a shunt. Two further surgeries were done to ensure everything was working properly. Today Cayson returned to Dornbeckers for another surgery. It appeared on his CAT scan that his shunt had collapsed and there was yet another build up of fluid on his brain. Marty came over just now to inform me that after 4 hours of surgery, an unconscious Cayson began vomiting severely enough that a blood vessel has burst in his brain. This is all we know at this point. There are keeping him unconscious and are going to be doing another CAT scan within the hour to determine the damage and how best to repair it and he will be undergoing another surgery tonight.

This is a darling little boy. As i sit here writing this plea i have tears unashamedly running down my face. Please, we care not whom you pray to; Christian, Jew, Hindu, Islam, Buddhist, Muslim, Wiccan, it matters not. Please join us in praying for this little boy with the beautiful brown eyes. If you have no higher power to pray to, think happy thoughts for him. He is just a little guy, born on May Day, with what we all hope will be a whole full life ahead of him.

Can you say INCONVENIENT!?!

I want a bath. I want a two hour long two hundred degree bubble bath. I have not had a bath in THREE days. That's right, THREE. 3. Deodorant and body spray make keep me from smelling like i have poor personal hygiene, but i feel YUCKY. Why, you ask, would a conscientious person such as myself ever want to go so many days in my own ick? Well, this is what my bathtub has looked like for the last three days.
There was a "water" leak in my bathroom wall. Lets be honest... It's nasty, dirty, yucky, used shower water from the mexican family upstairs shower draining directly into the wall between my bathroom and Indian's bedroom. How is it being repaired? Well, half arsed. That's how. There is standing "sewage" in my wall. The manager ripped out the part of the wall where the leak was (up high) and left the remains of the wall in my bathtub. He dumped some industrial bleach into the wall, patched the leak and covered the hole. He has not come back to finish covering the hole, nor has he cleaned out my tub of the insulation and 50 year old moldy drywall that he left behind. Plus he left the standing filth in the bottom part of the wall (sure with liquid bleach in it now).
We discovered this leak because for the last three months i have been complaining about a "bubble" in my wall, and mold growing from inside the wall out. Nothing was done. Then, nothing was done. Then, nothing was done. Finally I demanded something be done. THIS is what i GOT. Should i call a lawyer? Should I call the health department? Should i MOVE?

Zachary!

One of my favorite bloggers, The Old Old Lady of the Hills was inquiring about Zac recently. He and his Mommy have an awful lot going on in their lives right now, so Jessica just hasn't been able to blog. She started a new job two weeks ago and is working full time now. If starting a new job wasn't stressful enough, Jessica was forced to change residences. She had been living with her father, but due to a serious unresolvable conflict, she is now staying at a friend's home until she can afford to move into an apartment in my complex (the rumor is she will be moving into the "soon to be empty" apartment next door to me). So, never fear, they are both doing well! Zac came to visit us this morning and i was able to get this nice shot of the two of them (Indiana was tormenting Zac). Hopefully Jessica and Zachary will be back to updating their blog again soon!

More Fun Stuff:

I love to find fun free websites that help you learn how to put interesting code into your blog. Cursor tails, flashing text, wiggling letters, image links, we like it all. I found THIS SITE recently and it is pretty good! I would love to hear about other places you may know about, too!

Pianist

Indiana is graduating from his toy plush piano to the real thing. We set him in the chair and he needed no encouragement to bang his hands on the keys and make a joyful racket. This piano once belonged to my maternal grandmother, so the neat thing here is that when i was Indy's age I was banging on this self same piano.

At just nine months of age, the music is already flowing!

***edit: Some of you may remember a post a few weeks ago about Wacky Bear in Australia?? Ring a bell? Well, Here is his story about how his trip went, including pictures! It is worth checking out!

Maybe we should get a dog:

I have pointed out this sleeping bag before (the day we got it) but he loves it so much and will voluntarily curl up in so I had to show another shot of it. You can actually put your hands in the paw areas and make it move, almost like a puppet. He loves the doggy, and I love anything that will help him nap.

other stuff:

Zac is doing great! His mom is moving, so between work and that she hasn't had time to catch up with her blogging.

Duck's head injury was nearly ten years ago and it still makes me sick to my stomach. There is actually a knot you can feel on his forehead from the calcium build up where the fracture in his skull mended itself. It is a "good" story, perhaps i will tell it sometime.

Rumor has it Aunt Moo will be leaving us and moving to Nebraska. Something about house sitting for a while for some friends.

Thank you to all of you who have expressed concern about my recent "loss" of a very close friend. No, he didn't die. Sometimes, you just have to cut a person loose. I do not have very many close friends and could ill afford to lose one, but it was time to say goodbye to him.

All Smiles!

If it isn't one thing it is another. Indy got to go to the emergency room last night. The doctor on duty recalled us fondly and greeted us as old friends. We explained that Indiana had taken a serious "header" into the neighbors oak entertainment center. He was sporting a nice sized bump and a colorful bruise to prove it. I went on to point out that the child had just taken ten years off of my life and at this rate, between Ducky and Indy, I should have expired in the fourth grade.

There were some routine tests, but the results were this: Indiana has passed his first head injury with no real damage. By the time this photograph was taken, just a few hours later, he had barely a dis-colored spot on the left side of his forehead to show for it all.

*notice Indy is showing BOTH of his teeth!

The Vacuum Sucks.

Things I have learned today: Our vacuum is capable of serious suckage. No, I wasn't sucking up bolts like a commercial on the telly. Much Much Worse, my friends. I sucked up fish sticks. Three days ago. I did NOT empty the little clear plastic vacuum collection bin thingy. Fish sticks smell bad in the best of circumstances. Three days in the dust bin are not the best of circumstances. So, I learned to either A: always empty the bin or B: stop vacuuming. I am leaning toward the stoppage of vacuuming, however that poses problems of its own, doesn't it!?!

Tub Thumping

Indy enjoys his tub time. He has several duckys to play with and he has a couple of cups and other things as well.
The white duck he is holding is actually a light. It changes red to purple to blue to green to yellow and back again.
The big yellow duck behind him in the picture, when standing next to him, is almost to his waist and came with the handy rain hat that we artfully used to cover up "unmentionables".

Dell DJ Ditty

My birthday is coming up and my husband is one of those guys who just can't wait. This is not a bad thing. He bought part of my birthday present and gave it to me already. We got a Dell DJ Ditty mp3 player. Its pretty slick. The whole contraption, earphones and all is smaller than the headphones off my first walk-man. The sound is awesome, and it is very easy to use. If you are considering an mp3 player, I heartily recommend this one.

The long road to recovery.

Why is it that mom's bed always makes a kid feel better?

Indy curled up on my bed and slept a few hours this morning. Later in the day as I was getting the housework done, he laid on the bed chattering away at me.

I can tell he just isn't feeling quite the thing yet because when he is feeling fine he loves to climb along the iron railings and the curly-ques. He pulls on the rope lights that are all intertwined and beats on the pillows and burrows under the covers like a gopher, never sitting still for a moment.

Company in the Sick Room:

Cheyenne came to visit Indy today. Happy babies get well faster then unhappy ones. Indy is so social. He loves a good visit. The two kids chase each other through the house and pull out every toy to examine and baby chatter over. They babble away to each other, passing toys back and forth, going into Indy's room to dig out new things.
Indy is nine months old; Cheyenne 17 months. It does wonders for him to have her to look up to.

Neither would sit still long enough for a good picture.

Indy Snores!

Evidently being a sick baby is a pretty exhausting job!!! Indy was sitting on the floor in his diaper watching the Madagascar music video when he suddenly grabs his stuffed cow, pops a thumb into his mouth and falls over. He slept there on the floor for about an hour; I was afraid to move him. He hasn't been sleeping well with this illness and I was afraid I would wake him, so I let him lay there, drooling on my carpet (he is a mouth breather right now because his nose is so stuffy... Poor baby!). I think it is time to steam clean!

Once more, into the breach dear friends.

We are again experiencing technical difficulties. Sigh. Indy has another cold. And of course another ear infection to go along with it. This explains what ear infections are, basically its fluid in the middle ear. Its painful and makes for a cranky kid.

We got permission from the pediatrician to give him an over the counter cold remedy. He hasn't been able to use them before due to age/weight concerns. So, his first dose has him ZOOMING off the walls, yelling at the top of his lungs, and having a grand time. It is finally starting to wear him out, and now I just await the inevitable crash. Blissful sleep tonight!

Bucket of Toys

Indiana spent some quality time with the inside of his toy box. I did it! I finally bought a big clear plastic tub for his living room toys. He appreciates it.

Actually, he appears to be getting another cold. He does not have a fever or a cough, but his nose is running! Hopefully that will be the extent of it.

Motivate someone today!

I ran across this Motivational Poster Generator somewhere, i cant recall now who deserves the credit. It is a lot of fun. Brother Duck found a really cool web site and blog tool site, he has a link to it Here! Also you can Vote for your favorite finalist in the current blog awards.

There are lots of fun things to do today!

(yeah, i know most of you who have been coming here a while have seen this picture of Dakota when he was a little guy, but i like it so much i use it a lot. I even have it framed on canvas on the wall.)

Back to regular pictures tomorrow.

Wal-Mart Photos

This top picture is the one i will be sending out in his first birthday party invitations. We purchased a digital photo package which gave us all seven poses from this sitting on a cd, some photo software, and five sheets of sticker paper to make fun picture stickers! We got a package of one 10x13, two 8x10s, two 5x7, four 3 1/2x5, and sixteen wallets for just $3.88.

Someone to Watch Over Me!

This isn't the best picture of Indy, but i liked the way his Dad's Army photograph showed up on the wall behind him, like his Dad is watching over him.

We were pretty busy this day. I had to babysit both the neighbors little girl and Zac for a couple hours while Zac's regular babysitter went on some errands. Later in the day we took Indy's aunt Moo shopping to all the local department stores while we searched for a video game called guitar hero. We had no luck finding it, but the hunt continues.

Mr. Innocent

Indiana has perfected the "I am SO innocent" look. He can be HOLDING the evidence in his grubby little hand and look up at me like "I didn't unplug the lamp". He has a thing about cords. He likes to unplug them from the wall. He also likes to hold the vacuum cleaner's cord while I use it. He is nothing if not helpful.

The thing he is sitting on here is another one of those serious deals I am so fond of. Our local Fred Meyer department store has a sale going on with an additional 40% off of the lowest clearance price. So, we got this 30 dollar plush sleeping bag (complete with dog head and feet attached) for just twelve dollars! The top cover is a side closure velcro deal so it is totally child safe! And as bonus... He loves it.

Double Cheese Burger and Fries, Please.

Perhaps I was hasty when I decided not to get Indiana into modeling. He could seriously be the new poster child for Wendy's restaurants, or McDonalds, or Burger King, or Dairy Queen... The list goes on.

His aunt Moo went out and got herself a burger and brought him some fries. He ate his fries, and her burger. Now we just have to teach him napkin etiquette to get that little bit of mustard in the corner of his mouth.

Wacky Bear

I was just over at one of my favorite blogs and she was telling about the Wacky Bear, and how it is traveling the world for a friends school project. Its a neat idea. Go check out Telfair's Blog to read more about this great educational bear!

I know it is ten days into the new year, but I would also recommend dropping by Dakota's Blog and saying Happy New Year to brother duck!

A-OK!

Indy went to the doctor today to get checked out to be sure he was all better. He got give Dr. Bartlett's seal of approval and is officially all healed!

The doc said Indy is looking great; energetic, healthy (20lbs 11 oz) and very happy!

10k

Thank you to everyone who visits us, we made 10, 000 + hits!

Sure, it isn't ten thousand different people. BUT...
I am just stunned by ten thousand clicks on Indy's page.

We are very proud!
We have made some wonderful new blog friends in the process, too.

Here is to ten thousand more!!

Wolf!

What Is Your Animal Personality?
brought to you by Quizilla

I got this quiz from over at Caroline's Thoughts. No one who knows me could be to surprised with these results!

Big Ole' Box-O-Toys!

Indy's big box that we keep in the living room was very tall. I chopped it down (badly) and now it is at a level where Indy can sit in front of it and pull everything out. He likes that.

I will get around to getting him a plastic tub for his living room toys one of these days. I have just been lazy about it. Now, however, the sheer ugliness of the box might force me back to wal-mart.

Play us a song, Mr. Piano-Man.

Buzz Bee Toys (hk) has created a wonderful "baby classics piano" which Indy really enjoys. We picked it up at wal-mart yesterday. It has 8 keys which play a full octave with just his touch. If he presses the piano symbol it will play a nice Mozart Melody.

I love it because I think it makes him look Shroeder from the old Peanuts cartoon strip.

Official Cookie Taster

Our local grocery (Albertson's) is a wonderful place. I have no idea why we went today. Okay I do know, we needed eggs. We came home with cool whip, vanilla ice cream, root-beer, and a bunch of bananas. I digress.
The bakery at Albertson's will hand out free cookies to children, if they are cute. I admit it, they give cookies to the homely ones, too. Indiana went to the store in his official capacity (He wears the shirt like a uniform; like a badge of honor!)

Honestly, he loves cookies. He eats them. He crumbles them. He throws them like frisbees. Had anyone so desired, they could have followed his trail of cookie pieces thru the store from the bakery, through produce, around the dairy case, past the wine section, and up to register two, where our favorite check out guy awaited us. Is it sad that even the grocery clerk thinks Indiana is growing much to big much to fast!?!

Best Blond Joke Ever!

Moo Alex turned me on to this, the Best Blond Joke Ever

we laughed so hard!

Brush My Hair, Please!?!

I just love this expression. We had gotten out of the bath and into our pajamas, but had yet to brush our hair. He decided to roam around a bit before he came up and inquired of me, not whether he could get his hair brushed or not, but how much of my cookie he could weasel out of me. However, we eventually got all of his silky blond hair dried and brushed and he was free to go .

Once we finished, he crawled around in search of cookie crumbs in the carpet. Not french frys from lunch nor cookie crumbs from desert nor Cherrios from breakfast that have fallen upon the floor are safe from the roaming, nibbling bandit! I will admit, my housekeeping prowess is proven by the fact that at least what he finds on the carpet to munch on is (usually) from today.

Refrigeration:

The Lobster Messiah, affectionately known in these parts as "tlm", recommended this on his blog. I played it. I LOVE this. I will never ever again get anything accomplished. Click Here to waste the next half hour of your life in delightful "fridge letter" bliss.

(I have had a few questions about this. I will tell ya what I know... Chose your language, then when it loads you will see a bunch of letters moving around... The idea is this: the screen is a giant fridge with letters on it for you to form words and phrases; other people are attempting to do the same thing. Stealing letters from one another is preferred. Generally being goofy is required. I am easy to entertain.)

Indy's Toy Recommendation!

Indiana is NOT a "sitting still" kind of child. He is loud and active; busy all of the time. Getting this child to sit still long enough to cut his nails doesn't always happen. Unfortunately his little nails get SHARP when they get long and he will inadvertently scratch himself. So, for now we have a little "ouch" on the side of his face, under his eye.

I await his next nap with the nail clippers at the ready.

Anyways, this is a great toy he is playing with. It is a big plastic wagon filled with brightly colored oversized blocks. I LOVE this toy and so does Indy! It has no flashing lights, no computerized sounds, and no batteries. He will crawl around dragging it behind him, or stand up holding on to the back and walk behind it as it rolls across the carpet, yelling out his joy to get my attention. He will haul out every block and merrily toss them all over the room, or he will pull out just one block and chew it happily for several minutes, taking time out only to chatter delightedly at me!

I am not a toy reviewer nor am I a toy salesperson. I do, however, know what we like, and we like this toy a lot!

I'm Batman!

I have always had faith in my favorite actor's ability to make a really bad film. Last night, on a cable channel numbered higher than I can count (with my shoes on) was Val Kilmer, playing the worst "Batman", ever. I love Val, but 5 minutes of that movie was 20 minutes too much.

Our Indy, as a defender of Gotham, is ever bit as cute as Val, but his lines ("da da da" and "ma ma ma") are more inspiring than any ever written for the Batman movies, most especially "Batman 3, the curse of the atrociously bad sequel"!

Indy is currently stretching his language skills. We often hear him chattering "da da da da da". He will call his dad "da da" but then turn around and call his stuffed gator "da da", too. He has started "mama" recently, as well.

His newest word?

"duck duck"

Melody

Every now and then the spirit of my best friend enters me.

I get the irresistible urge to curl up with a plate full of pizza rolls.

YUMMY!

Thanks, Melody!

The 26 footed centipede

Caution... If cursing offends you, just enjoy the picture.

There are some toys that appeal to boys of all ages. Unbelievably, this bug is one. Leap Frog puts out this cute little bug with 26 feet brightly colored in yellows, greens, reds, and blues. Each foot is labeled with a different letter. There are several settings. One setting plays a different song for every foot (this is the setting that Indiana prefers); Another setting names the colors, another the letter.

Then there is the FUN setting.

Brother Duck and also friend Daniel enjoy this OTHER setting. And I am just low brow enough to admit that I, too, laughed quite a bit over the antics! This setting makes the letter sound. So when you press the F then the U then the K you should get .... Yeah, you don't. The little bug will giggle and say "that tickles" before pronouncing the K. How, you wonder, do I know this? Because 13 year old brother spent 30 minutes trying to get this bug to cuss. Later that same evening, 23 year old friend (and bosses son) spent 45 more minutes also attempting to shake a curse word loose from the smiling orange caterpillar. Eventually they had to settle for the one curse word they could get out of it (which was Shit). You also can not make it say ass; not even jackass. I should not KNOW this kind of thing. Now, I do wonder, how many of you are going to be in the local department store making the bug say" shit"!?!?!

So, I learned something this week.
What is that you ask!?!
I learned that Boys really are the same at 23 as they are at 13, just bigger.

Alcoholism is not something to joke about

My first rant of the new year...

Christmas was barely a week ago, why then, am I already ready to remove batteries from more than half of Indy's new toys?

he will, yet, drive me to drink!

A More Refined Palate

Teeth are a wonderful thing. Indiana has two now, which is two more than his grandma donkey.

One of the really fun things is that Indy can eat lots more kinds of food. Sure, he gets applesauce and pin wheels and things like that, but now he gets chicken nuggets/tenders and fish sticks and French fries and pizza rolls and all manner of pastry and ice cream and cookies! It is so fun to watch him eat and experience new flavors and textures. He likes everything, including pickles and bread and spaghetti (not the baby spaghetti, but the real kind I make)!

Happy New Year

A little bit of alcohol, a few friends, and some wonderful illegal fireworks.... That's our holiday.

Happy New Year, everyone!