For The Cat Lovers

Check out Ninja Cat, able to sneak up on you seemingly without moving! Enjoy!



TGIF!

Keep On Truckin'

What a week!

We've been all over the map lately. In the last 7 days, we've flown in excess of 8000 miles and driven almost 700 miles in 2 different rental cars. I know that sounds terribly exciting. The problem is we've been doing this separately and, worse yet, for work purposes - ugh!

Hence the lack of an update here lately. Thanks to those loyal enough to come back every day.

I've was the one lucky enough to rent two very fine and well-used vehicles from the rental fleet. One with a rear view mirror that shook uncontrollably if I exceeded a certain speed (much lower than the speed limit, mind you) and another that smelled as though it were labeled as a "Non Smoking" car, but not until it had a good 22,000 miles on it.

Even though the last week has basically been a blur, the good news is we are still graced with plenty of God's goodness. Our Ellena is growing like a champion and is dangerously close to a new millstone in her life - rolling over. She hasn't quite done a non-assisted roll yet, but is very, very close. Laying on her back, she will bend in the middle and lift her legs up, then she'll clock to the left. But that's about it.

Up...and to the left. Up...and to the left. Sounds like the Zapruder Film, doesn't it?

She has figured out that by doing this she can see something to the left of her without moving her neck. I attribute the thinking aspect of this feat to the genes she acquired from her mother, while clearly the lazy portion comes from me (But, hey, at least I'm in there!)

Ellena's hair is also changing, again. This time it is not the color, it is the density. She loses a little bit in the bath every time we bathe her. She appears to have a little ring around her head from sleeping in the cribs at daycare and in her nursery. It remains thick and dark in the back though...at the bottom. Poor girl. I guess hat season may come early this fall!

This was also a banner week for General Motors, who turned the big 100 on Tuesday (a good day for birthday cake I may add). Congratulations to them, especially on a week when other large firms closed up their lemonade stands. The new Volt was unveiled at their big one-zero-zero birthday celebration. This is one particular vehicle I am eyeing, not only because it will be available conveniently when my current lease has expired, but also because my commute is 24 miles round trip and the Volt engineer's forecast a 40 mile range on a single charge. Can you imagine not buying gasoline for awhile? Or perhaps never again?

09/11/2001

Daddy Doody: Part II

Welcome back loyal friends & readers (& new readers, too), and no I have not forgotten about updating this site. Let's just say sometimes it is a challenge to find a usable plot of time for an update I am proud to post here. (I do not like feeling as though I'm rushing one out the door)

When we first started this site, amongst other things, the goal was to capture each and every new move, sound and facial expression that Ellena made. That proved to be easily addressed in the beginning. However, at this point, we're just trying to keep fresh food in the house and gas in the cars!

A lot has been happening in the last few weeks - more so than at any other point in Ellena's life, so far.

Some of the highlights include:

- Daycare: She started last week Tuesday and so far, from what we can tell, really likes it! We continue to struggle with who does the dropping off and/or picking up, but personally I have found both to be be enjoyable. When I drop her off we get to spend a little bit of time together as I wake and change her as well as supply bottle number 1. Then we're off. She has adjusted to the new faces at her daycare and really doesn't seem to mind being outnumbered by the boys at all (takes after he mom in this regard!)

- She grabs, kicks, tries to stand and talks, a lot: Night before last I was bathing Ellena and I note this as the first night she really played in her bath. Now, she typically enjoys it and I can tell by how she smiles and looks at us and the truth is she's probably just happy to be out of her diaper! But this was a really playful bath! She kicked up and down and splashed water about and pushed herself back into the water and I almost think I caught a giggle in there, too! Here is exhibit A: a photo showing her grabbing action.

We have witnessed her look at her hands and feet and, at times, we've even touched her hands to her feet and she's felt them up! It's a real joy to see her learning, especially about herself.

- Faith: Yes, even Ellena's faith is growing! She being dedicated at our church this Sunday and we're very excited for her, as is our church family. She will wear a beautiful outfit her Great Grandmother made by hand. More to come on the dedication after it happens.

Finally, a word on my duties as a father. Many people have commented to me, either in person or email, about my post labeled Daddy Doody. Mostly, the inquiries were in regard to the follow up to see if I survived. Some actually encouraged me to not be frightened. This was a good lesson in blogging actually as I didn't feel as though that was the message, but I can see how it might have read that way. The reality is that, similar to all other Ellena posts, I wrote about my time with her mainly to serve as a documentation practice. Simply stated, we don't ever want to forget our time with her and I especially didn't want to forget how I felt about staying home with her alone.

It actually turned out to be a very positive thing for both of us. I realized that it wasn't difficult at all to watch over her and it actually confirmed an earlier belief I had that I might want to stay home with the kid(s). I liked it and it was a blessing to be able to do so.

WebFound: Water Blog

For those of you that truly know me, you know that I am always sincere in my attempts to share new things with my friends and family. I have been known to burn CD compilations, send magazine articles through the mail, email pictures I have found on the web and, especially, send out links to websites I have stumbled upon.

That’s exactly what I intend to do with this post, and if popular, I may continue to do so on occasion.

The following links are from another blog called SeawayBlog. Here is their description, as found on the main page:

“SeawayBlog is everything about the sea and water; Photo, Video, Art, News, Humour, Sport, Travel, Web. In just three words: World Wide Water”

This is a very unique idea for a website. The following links are worth taking a peek at:

Click here for professional pictures taken from Beijing Olympic events (water events, of course!)

Here for Olympic sailing in Qingdao

Opening ceremony pics can be found here

Here for pics from the water cube, including some of Michael Phelps.

And my personal favorite:

This is what it looks like when thousands of sea rays are flying under your boat! This find was worth sharing!

Enjoy, and feel free to share your finds with me. I am always up for a new path to walk down and I might post them here.

Good On Ya, Mate!

Wow, where does an entire long weekend go? It feels like it was just Friday! For the most part, we flew under the radar this weekend. With gas prices soaring and a 12 week old to manage, it proves to be easier sometimes just to stay in!

An exception to this was our Sunday afternoon/evening visit to our favorite local Australian-flavored Pub; Coop's Bar. The event was an early Oktoberfest celebration. Now, I know what you're thinking and the answer is yes, we do celebrate a German festivity in an Australian bar and in the U.S. no doubt. But hey, this is our tradition!

The weather was perfect for a get together fueled by beer, brats and billiards. The three of us had an amazing time and we were able to catch up with several of our old friends. Now, before you report us to the officials, I have to clarify. We did not take our daughter to a real bar (not this time). But let's just say Coop's is about as close as you can get without a cover charge, coat check or any long-winded liquor license paperwork applications.

Later on in the evening "da bubs" (that's Aussie for child) decided to surprise us by exercising her legs a bit. She actually supported her weight for several seconds. It's her new thing actually. She will do squats and you can tell she really wants to stand up! Needless to say this has us a little bit concerned because she isn't even crawling yet! Since early-age walking runs in the family blood (her cousins were up and about straight away!), we are calling it right now. We think she'll be a handful before too much longer!

That was a treat, but the real surprise came later on in the night when she actually had a bit too much to drink (milk, that is) and had to call for a designated driver.

A big Aussie Thank You to the Cooper's for a hosting another great Oktoberfest celebration. Here's looking forward to next year!

Mid-Week Question: Television Programs

Needless to say, I've learned many things by staying home with Ellena recently. One of these things is I watch a lot of television! I think it's so easy to get sucked into shows these days! I found I kept mixing it up each day as to not form a habit, okay TOO MUCH of a habit. Here's what we want to know this week.

This week's question: What shows or networks do you watch most frequently? What time of day do you find yourself parked? Do you run the television in the background much?

Alternate question: What shows do you think have run past their prime? If you could cancel ANY program or network, which would you choose?

Feel free to answer both questions.