Sunday, December 7, 2008

Philly


Mom and I traveled to Philly about a month ago to meet Dad who was there for a conference. We were so busy over the last month to find the time to post any pictures from our trip. We only had a few days to see the city and 2 of Mom and Dad's friends who live in the area. Enjoy the pictures.


"Your Move" is located near Love Park in downtown Philly. The plaza of oversized game pieces including dominoes, Sorry, Monopoly, Parcheesi, checkers, chessman and bingo chips are scattered around the plaza. The whimsical artwork installation is intended to function as a catalyst for memory between childhood memory and adult responsibility.



Love Park. The fountain is pink for breast cancer awareness week.



The Magic Garden. It was closed when we showed up but just seeing the outside was quite impressive.

The Please Touch Museum

I love motorcycles!



Taking care of a little baby boy who was in the infirmary at the Museum.



Ordering some sausages from the meat monger in the supermarket.

The checkout line was a little backed up.


A big bicycle contraption that powered the flower pedals above.



My feet didn't reach the pedals.



Our friends Joe and Meg and their little baby boy, Luca.



My new boyfriend, Luca.



My other friends Logan and Sharron.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

A Croatan Thanksgiving



This year we packed up the car and decided to get out of Raleigh and head to the woods for a peaceful Thanksgiving in the Croatan National Forest. We enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal cooked over an open flame just as the Indians would have done with the pilgrims back in the early 1600's.

We spent most of our time relaxing, cooking, hiking and enjoying a warm fire. Our hikes took us through some of the most beautiful Pocosin swamps and longleaf pine ecosystems in the Carolinas. We gazed out over the Bogue Sound witnessing beautiful sunsets and listening to the chorus of migrating waterfowl. Occasionally we would be reminded that we were not the only people in the woods. We made sure we had orange on at all times as the sounds of gunshots were ever so close. The overnight temperatures dipped into the upper 20's but our days were sunny and beautiful with highs in the 60's. We awoke on Saturday to the pitter-patter of rain and packed up our belongings and headed home.

Movie Notes:
When Mom and Dad arrived at the Nannies on Wednesday to pick me up they found me sporting a bloody lip. I had taken a fall from a bike and the result was a puffy lip that looked a lot worse than it was. Every time Mom and Dad laughed about my lip I cried. I knew they were making fun of my undeveloped coordination. When Dad carved the pumpkin he didn't realize that he unintentionally carved a pumpkin with an upper lip similar to mine.

Thanksgiving dinner included fresh cranberries, wild rice, October beans, turkey legs, pumpkin seeds, a pumpkin dump cake and hot peach cider to wash it all down.

The centerpiece for Thanksgiving dinner was a collection of items from around the campsite. We used driftwood, leaves, fruit (ours), fresh cranberries, acorns and pine cones.

Happy Holidays

Monday, November 24, 2008

Like Mother Like Daughter

Lately I have become very attached to my baby doll. I have named her baby and constantly ask for her if she is not in my sight. The baby used to be Mom's and it is an original Cabbage Patch kid that Grandma Mary stood in a painstakingly long line one Christmas in NYC to purchase from the Cabbage Patch baby hospital. I have become so attached to this baby that Mom and Dad are getting worried if the baby ever gets lost b/c there really would be no way to replace her!

Today I decided that it was time to start trying my hand at babywearing like Mom does with me. I sat on the kitchen floor with the Ergo backpack and the Mei Tie Baby all strewn around me and I just could not figure out how to get baby on my back. I kept saying to Mom, "Baby? Bakpak?" but she was not getting it. I grew more and more frustrated until Mom finally figured out what I was trying to do. With Mom's help we got her loaded up on my back and once she was on there was no turning back! I love having baby attached to me! Mom lifted me up to the mirror so that I could see and all I could do was grin from ear to ear and laugh with delight.


OK baby, I don't think she sees us, let's go!



Eating and signing for chicken (one finger pecking on my other hand)


Here baby, try this it tastes like chicken! Yum yum!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Southern Living Worm Farmer


I am now officially a worm farmer! On Monday we went to see Susan Quinby (the worm lady) to pick up the worms we purchased a couple weeks ago. Susan runs a vermicomposting business out of her house and we bought 2 pounds of worms and an apartment for them to live in. I am so excited to finally have some friends to play with. I longingly stand outside the pantry door and knock every now and then hoping they will come out and play. Mom and Dad tell me that they don't like the light very much so I only get to play with them when we feed them.

Southern Living is writing a story on Susan's business and Susan invited us to be a part of the feature article. While at her house we were photographed over 200 times as Susan walked us through the process of vermicomposting. Check back in the next few months as I may be the youngest worm farmer ever featured in Southern Living!


Playing with my worms.

They are living in our pantry and we feed them all of our kitchen scraps and even our junk mail. The tomatoes and cucumbers in the picture above were fed to them on 4 days ago. Look at the first picture to see just how much they have eaten. If you are quiet enough you can even hear them munching.

Mom in front of their apartment


Kissing them goodnight until we feed them again!

Rash/Eczema Update


We went to see Dr. Ramsdell today about the rash and eczema that I have. Since Monday my rash has gone down significantly. It is now dry and resembles eczema more than a rash. We decided against allergy testing and instead voted on the elimination diet.

Mom and I are going back to the pool on Monday and if the rash returns like it did on Monday of this week then we will eliminate the pool. Mom and I will also be going gluten free for the next six weeks. If that does not solve the eczema then we will go off diary for another 6 weeks. And finally, if that doesn't work we will go back in for allergy testing.


Pretending to be a fireman at the Doctors office. These pictures are from Dad's new phone!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Apple Toonlet

Apple

Apple

Here is my first attempt at being funny via Toonlet. Not sure it worked. Click on the comic strip to see a larger version.

Inward facing foot


This picture does not show my inward facing foot because it no longer faces inward. This picture shows you what happens when Dad and Mom let me dress myself! But let's get back to my foot. While Grandma was in town last week she noticed that I was walking around with my foot facing inward. We were not sure as to the cause but we knew it didn't look good.

So on Monday Mom and I went to see my chiropractor, Dr. Bell. She took one look at me and knew right away that it was nothing major. In fact, it was as simple as my hip being out of place. She put me up on the table and popped my hip (I laughed at the sound) and sure enough my foot was fixed! The reason it was facing inward was due in part to my leg muscles not being fully formed. As I continue to grow and develop my muscles the issue should go away.



"Twins"

The Elimination Diet

We're not sure what's going on with my skin but whatever it is I wish we could find out soon. As you can see above my legs are covered in eczema. Actually my whole body is covered. Some days are really bad (like the one in the picture above) while others are not. This rash started as far back as April of this year but never reached the level it is at now. It disappeared for a while and just recently came back. Some days the eczema is dry while other days it looks like a 2nd degree burn. It's extremely painful and I dread having my diaper or clothes changed. Whenever Mom or Dad go to change my diaper I sign hurt trying to tell them how uncomfortable I am. And not only do I have a severe case of eczema but I am also growing two new bottom teeth. Life is a little tough right now to say the least.


We've seen the doctor once and have another visit scheduled for this Friday to do some allergy testing. We have tried to treat the eczema with olive oil and Shea butter. It usually helps but then it comes back. Eczema in babies/toddlers is usually a sign of an allergic reaction, but to what? Gluten? Dairy? Chlorine from the swimming pool? Chicken? Who knows?

Mom and I have now gone gluten free so we'll will see what that does. We'll try to eliminate diary next. The flair up you see above happened on Monday which was the day we went to the pool. It could be that chlorine is aggravating the eczema and not causing it. Another reason why we should have more saltwater pools!

When we find out the cause we'll be sure to share.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Rolling out a new blog

Dad and I have been working very hard over the past week to redesign our blog. The overall goal was to create a blog that had a better design, allowed more features and most importantly gives our readers the opportunity to contribute more. Along with the new design we have added a few new features and hopefully by the end of the day today we will have even more to share.

This redesign required a lot of research and learning on how HTML and XML works. We are still learning how to tweak the code and make the site even better. Let us know how you like it and if you have any suggestions.

Some of the new features include a new link bar at the top of the page under the header picture. This allows the reader several options. You can visit our YouTube and Flickr pages, see all of our previous video posts on the blog, and share your ideas for what you'd like to see on the blog. Be sure to visit the idea sharing tool and let us know what new features and videos you'd like to see and we'll make it happen. All ideas are welcome!

Enjoy the new site and be sure to let us know what you think!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Roo...says the Kangaroo

Happy Halloween everyone! As much as Dad really wanted to dress me up as a Woopie Cushion, Mom had other plans. Instead, I was a Kangaroo! It was the suit from last year that was to big for me.

Grandma and Grandpa came up from Chattanooga to visit for the weekend and once they arrived we headed down to the Fearrington Village in Pittsboro to see their Pumpkin Carving contest. They had some incredible pumpkins on display and we enjoyed all of the creativity once the sun went down. The website said there would be bluegrass music and hayrides along with the pumpkins but they lied. We were pretty bummed that we drove all the way out there and they didn't fulfill their promise.

We saw a lot of other kids and I finally realized that I wasn't the only one in a crazy outfit. I even moo'd and signed cow when a little girl walked by in a cow suit. I proceeded to follow her and moo until she noticed me. She turned around and gave me a look that screamed "what, and you think a kangaroo costume is special". I made friends with a boy dressed as a puppy, held hands with Robin Hood, barked at a dog dressed up like a fire hydrant, and pulled the antenna of a bumble bee.



Roo!


Wagging my roo tail.


Are we done yet? Can you get this thing off of me!


Where have we been?

On another note...In case you were wondering where we've been lately...well, let's just say it's been a bit crazy. My Nanny is pregnant and is due in February and almost gave birth 2 weeks ago. It was a very scary situation for her and her doctor immediately placed her on bed rest. Since this was an unexpected situation it left us without child care for 2 weeks. Dad had plently of sick and vacation time but unfortunately he had to travel to Philly. This forced Mom to take 2 weeks off of work while we desperate looked for alternative care.

We interviewed 7 nannies (some on email/phone, others in person) and visited 2 daycares and 3 Montessori Schools. None of the nannies panned out and all 5 daycares/schools had major issues. Actually, we had major issues with the daycares/schools. One of the schools smelled like cat pee! And get this - The daycares we visited would not allow cloth diapers or Breast Milk in the toddler room. Their reason was that they had to treat breast milk as an allergy. What? Are you kidding me? So what are they treating formula and cows milk as? What a shame! Since Maya's diet is still around 90% breast milk and 10% solid foods we could not send Maya to daycare/school.



Hold on guys, let me take a sip.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I'm a Dancing Star...

As if being portrayed on this blog wasn't bringing me enough stardom, I have now been featured on Duke's website. Duke staff put out a call for photos of people enjoying the new soundSpace exhibit at the Museum of Life and Science and I guess my picture made the cut!

Dance on!

http://research.duke.edu/

http://research.duke.edu/the-sound-of-movement/

Monday, October 13, 2008

3rd Annual Fall Harvest Pig Pickin'





We had another great Fall Harvest Pig Pickin' over the weekend. Last year was fun but this year was even better since I was walking and was able to hang with the big kids. G3 and PawPaw flew in for the party and brought cousin Joseph with them! I was so excited to see JoJo!! I kept saying his name over and over. Mom and Dad said they even heard me say JoJo in my sleep. I also woke up from my naps calling for JoJo! I am really going to miss playing with him!

We had lots of friends show up for the party and I was so glad to see some more kids my age this year. Well, they weren't all my age and let me tell you, that was frustrating. All I wanted to do was run and play like the big kids but my chubby little legs just couldn't keep up. All of the kids played flashlight tag and I had to let them know that I was capable of playing too and I wanted my own flashlight. Once I got it I put it up to my face and walked around saying boo.

We woke up on Sunday and said our goodbyes to G3, PawPaw and JoJo and then headed over to our neighbors for their annual Pig Pickin'. They had a trackter that took us around their farm for a hay ride. They also had several chicken coops and I was in love with those chickens. I even started to chirp Pio Pio (Cluck Cluck) every time they did.

Overall it was a great weekend and we are already looking forward to next year!!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Welcome Home - Dino and Maya Style





Every afternoon around 5pm my internal clock (or rage of hunger) tells me that Mom is due home any minute. Some days it a little later than others and when that happens I get antsy. I begin yelling for Mom. I stand at the door to the carport and yell for her hoping that she'll hear me and rush home to feed me. I am beginning to think it's working!

Today we captured this video of me waiting for her to arrive. When Dad saw the way I acted at Mom's arrival he instantly thought of the age old cartoon "The Flintstones". Watch the video above and let me know if you think Dino and I have something in common. I know, in the video it shows Dino waiting for Fred, but just think of it the other way around. Now, that's not to say that I don't eagerly anticipate Dad's arrival. I love seeing Dad but when I'm thirsty there is not much he can do.

~Enjoy

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Potty Training or Pooty Training???

Excuse me, can't you all see that I'm busy here?

As you can tell from the picture above we have introduced the potty trainer. Mom and Dad have noticed my signs of readiness for using the toilet, so we purchased this new potty that perfectly fits my bum. All I want to do is either play with it (which Mom and Dad say is pretty gross) or sit on it. I have been trying it out for the last week and all I can do is poot. Yes, every time I sit on it I poot! I grunt, contract my stomach muscles and say peeeee but all I can seem to do is poot. And every time I poot I laugh! Today I laughed so hard I almost fell off the potty. We'll keep giving it a go and report back when we have success.

Dad had a rough nights sleep last night. When he woke up he told me why. He had a nightmare! In the nightmare he was running from a bull with very large horns. This bull kept chasing him into a row of bushes and as soon as the bull found him, Dad would escape and run away. Finally, just as he thought he was safe, the bull spotted him again. Dad dove into the bushes and rolled under a bush trying to lie there perfectly still. As the bull got closer Dad started to panic. Then all of the sudden the bull laid down only inches from where Dad was hiding. The bull was breathing very heavily and with every breath Dad thought he was dead. Then he awoke only to realize that it was me snoring in his ear and that I was in fact the bull that was terrorizing him in his sleep.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Mulching

Today was a day filled with yard work. Dad and I put on our work clothes, got our respective buckets and rakes and headed to the yard to spread a new pile of fresh mulch. While we were spreading mulch Mom was making crepes with fresh blueberries. Yes, we are STILL picking blueberries off our trees. We have already picked 84 cups this year (compared to 24 from last year) and they are bigger, juicier and tastier than ever before!



As you can see it was a big pile of mulch! This was our third load this year!

As Dad put the mulch in his bucket I picked some out and put it in my bucket.


It's a good thing we had a bigger bucket!

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Ant Enchiladas, Fried Grubs, Crickets and Silk Worm Ice Cream!


Bugs! It's what's for lunch! And I ate it all! My favorite had to be the fried grub! The server only gave us one grub and when Dad wanted me to give him a bite I let him know I wasn't happy. I wasn't sharing my bug feast with anyone! Most of the bugs were crunchy and you couldn't even tell you were eating them unless you looked at it before you put it in your mouth. I must say that the silk worm ice cream was not my favorite of the four bug dishes. I think if we were lost in the wild I'd be fine with eating bugs in order to stay alive!

As you can probably tell Dad and I went over to the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh for their Bug Fest. They had all kinds of bugs on display and we even saw a man completely cover himself with honeybees. It was a stunt that I am glad we didn't have to participate in.



Eating my grub!


This grub was deep fried with a hush puppy.


Ant Enchilada


I was the only person dancing for the band! I had a blast showing off my moves!


Enjoying some tasty bugs.

Somehow I was terrified of this little dog that was not much bigger than my foot. What's wierd is that I have no fear when we walk to visit the horses but this little pooch had me terrified!

ps...What do you think of my choice of clothing?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Tweet Tweet!

Yes, tweet is the sound a bird makes but it is also the newest method of communicating to my followers. Even though Mom and Dad have not yet joined Twitter, I have taken the step into the tweetosphere (or whatever they call it) to give you all a look into what I am doing. Yes, it's that simple. I can tweet up to 140 characters that describe what I am doing (or anything else for that matter) at that given time. Posting to our blog does take a lot of time so this will allow us a quick and easy opportunity to give brief updates on what I am up to. Now if I could just talk Mom and Dad into getting a phone that would allow us to tweet when we don't have a computer handy.

For those of you still unsure of what Twitter is take a look at this video. And by the way...my tweets are in the sidebar to the right of this post.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Special effects, stunts and my very own black eye


Today Dad and I picked up Mom for lunch and headed over to the Museum of Life and Science to see their special event on the science behind the film industry. When we arrived we heard a loud thud and looked up to see local stunt men jumping off the roof of the Museum. They were perfect every time landing without fail on the rather large airbag located 3 stories beneath them. We also got to take our picture with some gory, bloody and down right ugly faces. They didn't seem to phase me but one kid left pretty freaked out.



I think Dad is a better fit for Mom!


This girl had her head cut in half by a chainsaw.


That looked like fun!

Climbing on the rock wall.


This dinosaur is located inside the Museum and shows visitors a behind the scenes look into the building of the Dinosaur Trail that is set to open at the Museum next summer. The trail is slated to have 18 life-sized replicas of various dinosaurs and will be located in the woods just above the black bear exhibit.


A really cool exhibit where you interact with an image displayed on the wall from a projector. I was more interested in standing on my head than interacting with the exhibit.


Some older kids showing me how it's done!

And about that black eye. My black eye was not from any special effects or face painting at the Museum. It was actually all Dad's fault. After the Museum, Dad and I went to Lowe's to pick up some paint and while we were waiting for the paint to mix we were head butting each other. I know, it sounds awful but I actually like to use my head to bang into things. While Dad and I were bumping heads, Dad decided to look up and I missed his head and I slammed my eye right into the shopping cart. It hurt pretty bad and turned blue instantly (the blue is now gone) but I got over it. The store clerk looked at Dad and said "Mom's going to be mad at you for that one". I guess I'll make sure Dad does not bail on me before I crack my head.