We are...

We are in the midst of tackling some really cool projects so forgive us for the long absence. Mom and I traveled to New York last weekend while Dad was in Durham hosting a workshop. The plane ride was one to remember for a while! For those of you who have not been around me lately, I have developed a set of lungs like no other kid. I can scream so loud that the flight attendant thought that I could have brought the plane down by shattering the windows! Then when Mom had to use the restroom once we landed I cried so loud the woman in the stall next to us yelled at Mom. YES, she yelled at Mom, can you believe that! What nerve to cuss at a Mom who obviously had her hands full, had to pee, had a screaming baby (and I mean screaming baby) with a wet diaper all while trying not to have a nervous breakdown. I think Mom was ready to crawl under the toilet and cry while I was ready to scream louder in that woman's ear!

As for the projects I mentioned...Mom is currently building me a kitchen out of cardboard. Yes, cardboard! And not only that but she is building some furniture to go with it! I am going to let Mom tell you all about it when she is done! I can't wait to play with it!

More soon!

A Laundry Thief, Dinner with Stella and the Pool

Mom and Dad were folding laundry and for every article of clothing they folded, I unfolded it and ran around the house with it draping from my head and mouth. I'm not sure what I am doing in the photo above but I may need to go back to the chiropractor and check to see if my spine is straight.

I walked around the house for at least 30 minutes with this rag clinched between my teeth and Mom's underwear hanging from my neck. I know it's a little strange but I promise they were clean!

We invited my friend Stella Dot, who is also a Dorothy, over for dinner on Saturday night. Dad and Mom made homemade lasagna and a grilled blueberry and peach cobbler. It was so good to see Stella and the family. Stella is a little better on her feet than I am which made it a little harder to keep up with her. But I had so much fun trying to chase her around the kitchen. Since our camera is so ancient and takes forever to store pictures it was a little difficult to get some good shots. Maybe Stella will post some better ones?

Stella and I just loved climbing all over Dad!

On Sunday we went to our friends pool in Cary. This place was so big and lots of fun! They had 3 slides, water fountains, ping pong and much more. As soon as I laid eyes on this ball I had to have it. I just kept saying ball, ball, ball etc...

These were the two slides that I was allowed on and they were a blast!

I couldn't get enough of this ride!

Again, all I wanted was to get in the pool and play with that ball!

The adult slide! I think Mom and Dad couldn't get enough of this slide either!

Pickling

Ever since our trip to Chattanooga for Christmas Maya has been hooked on pickles! While staying with Grandma we visited David's Deli for lunch. David, a good friend, gave Maya a pickle to suck on. We were a bit nervous the vinegar would curdle the milk in her stomach but she sucked on it for hours until there was nothing left but a dry cucumber. We had to go to the store that afternoon to buy some more and the rest is history.

A couple of weeks ago I finally found one of my favorite pickles in the Harris Teeter store near our house. Wickles are wickedly delicious pickles that are both sweet and spicy. Since Maya loves pickles so much I decided to give her a taste. She loved them! They are a bit spicy so she'll have tears running down her face while eating them but a grin from ear to ear in shear enjoyment.

Since we are really big into canning and especially making the foods we give Maya, I decided to make my Grandmother's pickles for Maya. I added a few spicy peppers to some of the jars so we can have some that are on the spicy side for Maya.



Here is the recipe for Crisp Pickle Slices.

4 quarts sliced medium sized cucumbers - very thin sliced
6 small white onions sliced
2 green peppers sliced
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup salt (not iodized)
5 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp celery seed
2 TBS mustard seed
3 cups white vinegar

Do not peel cucumbers. Add onions, peppers and whole garlic cloves to sliced cucumbers. Add salt and cover with cracked ice. Let stand three hours. Drain thoroughly. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over cucumber mixture. Heat just to boiling then remove from heat. Seal in hot sterilized jars (place jars in boiling water for 10 minutes before filling them with the pickle mixture). Add spicy peppers to the jars you wish to make hot. Makes 6-8 pints.

It made a lot so I really hope they turned out good. I'm sure Maya will let you know how they are once we crack open a jar!

Tubtime and Bull Durham

With my belly full and hair growing out and getting curly I thought it was time to post some tubtime pictures. Dad was relentlessly squirting me all night until I finally took it away and gave him a squirt or two. Now that I am walking I can not seem to sit still in the tub. I walk from one end to the other and back and have no desire to sit. It's a little dangerous but I like living dangerously!

Even though my belly is sticking out here and I look like I have Dunlap's disease I seem to be losing some weight. (Dunlap's disease is where your belly has done lapped over your belt, or diaper in this case!) All of this walking and endless activity is finally paying off! My diapers are fitting better and keeping more of the you know what in! I know it's hard to tell from looking at my legs but we can definitely tell a difference when we put the diapers on.

See what I mean!

Dancing in the new soundSpace exhibit at the Museum of Life and Science. We went to the Museum on Wednesday night for a Staff party celebrating the opening of our newest exhibit soundSpace. What a great place to shake some of my new dance moves!

After the game we headed over to the Durham Bulls game with some friends. I was so mad at the ball players for not sharing the ball with me. They just kept throwing it to themselves and never shared.

Infant Swimming and Survival

This is a great video demonstrating how infants, if properly coached, can survive if they are left unsupervised and fall into a pool. It looks as if this baby is a little upset for being left for so long but as soon as his Dad appears he has a huge smile on his face.

To learn more visit Infant Swimming Resource

A Vision of Students Today

A colleague of mine sent this video to me today and I just felt the need to pass it on. It is a very interesting look into the lives of today's students and the structured classroom. Education is changing. Social networking, or Web 2.0, is changing the way students learn, interact and experience life.

It will be interesting to see what another 10 years will bring and how our students of tomorrow (Maya) will embrace education and technology.

Visit Mediate Cultures to learn more about Digital Ethnography and Dr. Michael Wesch's work.

Future Gymnast

Mom and Dad allowed me a rare glimpse of TV tonight in honor of the Olympics. Since I am so flexible they thought I should have the opportunity to see what my future may hold. The USA girls gymnastics were on tonight and once I saw them competing in the floor exercise I started standing on my head. OK, not really on my head but with my head on the floor and my butt high in the air. I got so excited I wanted to jump through the TV. Once they were they done I would stand there clapping (unprovoked by Mom or Dad) as I cheered for them to go for Gold!

Go USA!

Sorry I don't have any gymnastics pics.

Potty Trained? Walking? Signing? Could it be???

The answer is...Yes! Yes! and Yes! And I have a video to prove it (minus the peeing in the toilet, of course)!I am sure if you read one of my previous posts then you already know that I am signing away. But since we have been gone (Minnesota and Tennessee) I have developed some new tricks! Not only am I walking but I am peeing in the toilet. Yes, that's right, I peed in the toilet tonight. Dad took off my diaper and held me over the toilet before bedtime and within 30 seconds I peed! I think it shocked Mom and Dad more than it did me. I'll keep you posted as to whether or not they can read my signs for the need to pee!

And if peeing in the toilet wasn't cool enough, now I am walking! It's a little difficult but I am getting there. Little baby steps right now as I try to get my feet under me. Soon enough I'll be off and running and terrorizing the whole house.

I hope you enjoyed the movie and will encourage me to use my signs and speak the next time you see me!

Update from last week:


Dad had to fly up to St Paul for a business trip while Mom and I stayed home and packed for our trip to TN. Dad flew into Raleigh around 530pm and we picked him up and began an 8 hour drive to Chattanooga to visit Grandma and see one of Dad's friends get married.

Seeing Grandma is always fun and being able to play with her dog was great! She licks me (the dog, not Grandma!) in my face every time she gets near me but I keep asking for more by returning and trying to bark at her. I mastered the bark sound (as you can see in the video) while playing with her all weekend. The sign for dog is to pat your thigh and then snap your fingers. I pass on the thigh part and just try to snap my fingers.

The wedding was also a blast. I danced all night but tried not to steal the limelight from the bride. It was a good thing I started walking over the weekend or I would not have had as much fun as I did. Sorry I don't have any pictures from the weekend but I do have one of the Merry-Go-Round that we rode on before leaving Chattanooga.

Until next time...

Cheers!

Pouring water into my cup!