He is now three weeks old. I really need to come up with a blog name for him...
Here is a video when he was three days old. We are sitting on the back yard's deck. My knees are up, so his head can be resting on my knees.
My wife recorded a video when he was a week and a half old. He yawns a lot, lying on his back on some laundry.
Yesterday at lunch time he was hungry, but my wife needed to finish her lunch before nursing him. So he and I walked around the back yard. At first he was fussy because he wanted to suck on my pinky. After a few minutes of that he calmed down.
Yesterday evening he had two nice play times in his crib. The first was at 8pm, playing with the only toy that interests him. The second was at 9:45pm, looking at himself in the crib mirror.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunday, June 05, 2011
New Baby Photographs
Pictures are ready! What a busy day. But getting these online for family and friends is a good thing to do before going to bed.
Swing Dancing at 39 weeks, at the last ELLA event of the school year. A nice evening, but it did not induce labor. (Smiley was born the night after swing dancing at a friend's wedding.)
This photograph was at 10:22 pm -- an hour and 16 minutes after the delivery.
Resting with daddy.
At lunch time the second day Smiley finally gets to meet his little brother.
It had been months of waiting to hold his little brother.
Hugs!
Resting after Smiley, the wonderful couple who was watching him while were were in the hospital, and some other friends all left.
Close-up. Compare Smiley's two-day close-up here.
First outfit. For security reasons infants in the Mother-Baby ward cannot be carried outside of the patient's room. Instead they get pushed around in those bassinet-carts.
Another close up, this time with a hat grandma made. (This photo is because Smiley had a classic hat photo, so little brother needs one as well.)
Holding little brother at home.
Uncle Nathan meets the new nephew.
For bonus cuteness, here are the links to our first seven videos.
Swing Dancing at 39 weeks, at the last ELLA event of the school year. A nice evening, but it did not induce labor. (Smiley was born the night after swing dancing at a friend's wedding.)
This photograph was at 10:22 pm -- an hour and 16 minutes after the delivery.
Resting with daddy.
At lunch time the second day Smiley finally gets to meet his little brother.
It had been months of waiting to hold his little brother.
Hugs!
Resting after Smiley, the wonderful couple who was watching him while were were in the hospital, and some other friends all left.
Close-up. Compare Smiley's two-day close-up here.
First outfit. For security reasons infants in the Mother-Baby ward cannot be carried outside of the patient's room. Instead they get pushed around in those bassinet-carts.
Another close up, this time with a hat grandma made. (This photo is because Smiley had a classic hat photo, so little brother needs one as well.)
Holding little brother at home.
Uncle Nathan meets the new nephew.
For bonus cuteness, here are the links to our first seven videos.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
New Baby, An Account of Augmenting Labor
Our second son was born yesterday. My wife and he are both doing very, very well.
We do not have an internet nickname for him yet. In length he resembles Smiley as a newborn (Smiley was 19 inches, little brother is 19.5 inches) and when looking at the back of the head. But new baby is much plumper in face and form: Smiley was about 6 pounds, little brother is about 8 pounds. We have put online photographs and seven videos.
A dear friend and her husband are watching Smiley while we are at the hospital. Today seems like a vacation. We get to rest and enjoy a quiet break from Smiley's near-constant questions about "Why?" and his requests for Magalene stories. It is a joy to have a baby that latches and nurses well, and sleeps soundly with a full belly.
Smiley visited us at noon, and enjoyed playing with his little brother. Smiley offered to take the baby with him so we could rest more. We politely declined.
Time to write about the labor, which was quite an adventure. Perhaps this account will some day be of comfort and assurance to another mother.
My wife eats very healthy foods. She is not "in shape" but takes a walk almost daily. She has both faith and fortitude. There was no reason she could not deliver a baby naturally.
Yet my wife knew she had five risk factors. Her age is in the latter 30s. She is over average weight. The baby had a two-vessel cord (one artery instead of the usual two). Smiley was footling breech and delivered by Cesarean Section. Wy wife had not yet begun having regular Braxton Hicks contractions a week before her due date, and two days past her due date she had not yet entered Early Labor. A sixth risk factor appeared during delivery: During each push the baby's heart rate declined from the 140s down to the 60s because the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and leg.
During the past week my wife visited an acupuncturist four times. After the first treatment the baby dropped. During the second and for a short time after she had regular small contractions seven minutes apart. The third and fourth treatments did not prompt any noticeable changes. Although these efforts did not induce labor we were happy we tried. Acupuncture does not always work to induce labor. But it is safe and our insurance covers most of the cost.
Although we know people for whom Black Cohosh has quickly induced labor, my wife did not want to try that. She preferred options for which both effectiveness and risks have been more thoroughly studied.
Then it was time to try what the hospital had to offer: a Foley Bulb. Although the device is simple, this technology has been improved greatly in recent years. It sometimes induces labor, which is why we tried it. Its use has some risks, but considering my wife's many risk factors it was a good option compared to waiting. She used it Thursday and it did cause several hours of laboring during which the baby probably turned from "sunny side up" to face down. But then when my wife went to bed, very tired, the labor stopped. Those hours of contractions were clearly only induced and not really natural labor because sleep would not stop natural labor. In the morning an exam measured only 3 cm dilation.
(Note that we used the Foley Bulb only "halfway". The device primarily serves as a cervix ripener before pitocin is used to induce labor. But we did not want to use pitocin to induce labor. That can be a good choice for mothers without my wife's risk factors. It could have been a good choice for my wife if she had been one of those cases where the Foley Bulb causes dilation of more than 6 cm. But on Friday morning it was clear that pitocin induction had a high chance of causing some laboring but still a C-section as the final outcome. That is a bad combination for several reasons, including how taking in more than one IV bag of liquid before a C-section can cause breast tissue swelling that interferes with early breast feeding.)
We prayed a lot and were resigned to a C-section on Friday afternoon. The other option would be waiting. That would normally be clearly the best choice, but my wife's risk factors made it unclear that waiting would be risk-free and be helpful.
Neither of us were hearing anything clearly from God. Yet it seemed as if we had laid out a very large fleece. We had done all we could to help my wife have natural labor. It seemed her body was simply not agreeable to that plan.
Then, half an hour before that scheduled C-section, she finally started laboring naturally. The operation was quickly canceled. The labor began very slowly. My wife requested some pitocin to augment labor (even with her risk factors that was quite safe now that we were past the point of inducing labor). The pace of labor increased but was still slow.
It was a pleasant afternoon together. Early labor was not difficult. The main problem was that my wife could not eat or drink, and was on an IV, because there was still some risk of complications and needing to operate.
After eight hours the Active phase of labor began. An exam measured 5 cm dilation. We expected a long, hard night made extra frustrating and tiring by her lack of food that day.
Twenty minutes later the pain was at its peak. An exam measured 9 cm dilation. My wife had already gone from Active labor to Transitional Labor. Her plan was to try laboring without pain medication, and she was now eager to change that plan. But there was no time. She could not keep still long enough to receive the shot, and we would switch from Transitional Labor to Delivery any moment anyway.
Delivery was slightly exciting because of the cord wrap. During each of the longer, farther-apart contractions of Delivery my wife could push three or four times, separated by a huge, quick, deep breath in. It soon became clear that she would get five contractions on her own before some vacuum or an episiotomy would be needed. With each contraction the baby came farther, but the cord also pulled tighter and the baby's heart rate declined more drastically. On the final push of that fifth Delivery contraction the baby emerged.
My wife was able to have the natural labor and delivery for which she had hoped and prayed. That during the process she had times of being at peace with an operation or with using pain medication made it all the sweeter to receive her desire. Clearly God had given us what we prayed about for his sake, just because he loves for my wife. (Had our prayers been answered more promptly or smoothly, without time for us to come to peace with the alternatives, we would have assumed God was being nice to us for our sake. That is a nice kind of answered prayer, but not as sweet.)
UPDATE: Final paragraph edited for clarity.
We do not have an internet nickname for him yet. In length he resembles Smiley as a newborn (Smiley was 19 inches, little brother is 19.5 inches) and when looking at the back of the head. But new baby is much plumper in face and form: Smiley was about 6 pounds, little brother is about 8 pounds. We have put online photographs and seven videos.
A dear friend and her husband are watching Smiley while we are at the hospital. Today seems like a vacation. We get to rest and enjoy a quiet break from Smiley's near-constant questions about "Why?" and his requests for Magalene stories. It is a joy to have a baby that latches and nurses well, and sleeps soundly with a full belly.
Smiley visited us at noon, and enjoyed playing with his little brother. Smiley offered to take the baby with him so we could rest more. We politely declined.
Time to write about the labor, which was quite an adventure. Perhaps this account will some day be of comfort and assurance to another mother.
My wife eats very healthy foods. She is not "in shape" but takes a walk almost daily. She has both faith and fortitude. There was no reason she could not deliver a baby naturally.
Yet my wife knew she had five risk factors. Her age is in the latter 30s. She is over average weight. The baby had a two-vessel cord (one artery instead of the usual two). Smiley was footling breech and delivered by Cesarean Section. Wy wife had not yet begun having regular Braxton Hicks contractions a week before her due date, and two days past her due date she had not yet entered Early Labor. A sixth risk factor appeared during delivery: During each push the baby's heart rate declined from the 140s down to the 60s because the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and leg.
During the past week my wife visited an acupuncturist four times. After the first treatment the baby dropped. During the second and for a short time after she had regular small contractions seven minutes apart. The third and fourth treatments did not prompt any noticeable changes. Although these efforts did not induce labor we were happy we tried. Acupuncture does not always work to induce labor. But it is safe and our insurance covers most of the cost.
Although we know people for whom Black Cohosh has quickly induced labor, my wife did not want to try that. She preferred options for which both effectiveness and risks have been more thoroughly studied.
Then it was time to try what the hospital had to offer: a Foley Bulb. Although the device is simple, this technology has been improved greatly in recent years. It sometimes induces labor, which is why we tried it. Its use has some risks, but considering my wife's many risk factors it was a good option compared to waiting. She used it Thursday and it did cause several hours of laboring during which the baby probably turned from "sunny side up" to face down. But then when my wife went to bed, very tired, the labor stopped. Those hours of contractions were clearly only induced and not really natural labor because sleep would not stop natural labor. In the morning an exam measured only 3 cm dilation.
(Note that we used the Foley Bulb only "halfway". The device primarily serves as a cervix ripener before pitocin is used to induce labor. But we did not want to use pitocin to induce labor. That can be a good choice for mothers without my wife's risk factors. It could have been a good choice for my wife if she had been one of those cases where the Foley Bulb causes dilation of more than 6 cm. But on Friday morning it was clear that pitocin induction had a high chance of causing some laboring but still a C-section as the final outcome. That is a bad combination for several reasons, including how taking in more than one IV bag of liquid before a C-section can cause breast tissue swelling that interferes with early breast feeding.)
We prayed a lot and were resigned to a C-section on Friday afternoon. The other option would be waiting. That would normally be clearly the best choice, but my wife's risk factors made it unclear that waiting would be risk-free and be helpful.
Neither of us were hearing anything clearly from God. Yet it seemed as if we had laid out a very large fleece. We had done all we could to help my wife have natural labor. It seemed her body was simply not agreeable to that plan.
Then, half an hour before that scheduled C-section, she finally started laboring naturally. The operation was quickly canceled. The labor began very slowly. My wife requested some pitocin to augment labor (even with her risk factors that was quite safe now that we were past the point of inducing labor). The pace of labor increased but was still slow.
It was a pleasant afternoon together. Early labor was not difficult. The main problem was that my wife could not eat or drink, and was on an IV, because there was still some risk of complications and needing to operate.
After eight hours the Active phase of labor began. An exam measured 5 cm dilation. We expected a long, hard night made extra frustrating and tiring by her lack of food that day.
Twenty minutes later the pain was at its peak. An exam measured 9 cm dilation. My wife had already gone from Active labor to Transitional Labor. Her plan was to try laboring without pain medication, and she was now eager to change that plan. But there was no time. She could not keep still long enough to receive the shot, and we would switch from Transitional Labor to Delivery any moment anyway.
Delivery was slightly exciting because of the cord wrap. During each of the longer, farther-apart contractions of Delivery my wife could push three or four times, separated by a huge, quick, deep breath in. It soon became clear that she would get five contractions on her own before some vacuum or an episiotomy would be needed. With each contraction the baby came farther, but the cord also pulled tighter and the baby's heart rate declined more drastically. On the final push of that fifth Delivery contraction the baby emerged.
My wife was able to have the natural labor and delivery for which she had hoped and prayed. That during the process she had times of being at peace with an operation or with using pain medication made it all the sweeter to receive her desire. Clearly God had given us what we prayed about for his sake, just because he loves for my wife. (Had our prayers been answered more promptly or smoothly, without time for us to come to peace with the alternatives, we would have assumed God was being nice to us for our sake. That is a nice kind of answered prayer, but not as sweet.)
UPDATE: Final paragraph edited for clarity.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Curious George Makes Pancakes
One of Smiley's favorite recent presents is the book Curious George Makes Pancakes.
Not all Curious George books are created equal. But this one is very nice for pre-readers.
First, the pictures are sufficient to follow the plot. After somewhat memorizing the story, he can look at the pictures to "read" the book. Most but not all Curious George books have this quality.
Second, the story contains the usual Curious George dilemma of a "good" character breaking rules and getting in trouble, but overall being more helpful than disastrous. In this story the particulars are easy for a young child to understand. George should have asked to help. It is easy for the parent to ignore OSHA guidelines about monkeys in fairground kitchens and conjecture that if George had asked politely he could have been allowed to be a rule-following helper. But by trying to help without asking he gets in trouble.
One of Smiley's old favorites is Curious George and the Puppies, which also has those two qualities. The story is easy to follow. George could have gotten what he wanted (to pet a puppy) without trouble by asking politely.
Not all Curious George books are created equal. But this one is very nice for pre-readers.
First, the pictures are sufficient to follow the plot. After somewhat memorizing the story, he can look at the pictures to "read" the book. Most but not all Curious George books have this quality.
Second, the story contains the usual Curious George dilemma of a "good" character breaking rules and getting in trouble, but overall being more helpful than disastrous. In this story the particulars are easy for a young child to understand. George should have asked to help. It is easy for the parent to ignore OSHA guidelines about monkeys in fairground kitchens and conjecture that if George had asked politely he could have been allowed to be a rule-following helper. But by trying to help without asking he gets in trouble.
One of Smiley's old favorites is Curious George and the Puppies, which also has those two qualities. The story is easy to follow. George could have gotten what he wanted (to pet a puppy) without trouble by asking politely.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Tried Arkham Horror
Today I played the board game Arkham Horror for the first time. I think I passed my Sanity check.
What fun! The game is both cooperative and narrative. I do not know any other board games where players work together and the sense of progress so much seems like interesting plot and character development. (If you know of others, please let me know.)
Of games I have played, two are close. Lord of the Rings is cooperative but not very narrative. Talisman is narrative but not cooperative.
My wife and I are still enjoying Dominion, so I will not be purchasing a copy. Maybe it will be a nice birthday present later in the year.
What fun! The game is both cooperative and narrative. I do not know any other board games where players work together and the sense of progress so much seems like interesting plot and character development. (If you know of others, please let me know.)
Of games I have played, two are close. Lord of the Rings is cooperative but not very narrative. Talisman is narrative but not cooperative.
My wife and I are still enjoying Dominion, so I will not be purchasing a copy. Maybe it will be a nice birthday present later in the year.
What is Fate?
Years ago I encountered a great quotation on a web page of random online humor.
Curious, I searched online but found nothing more. So for years I've wondered about this possibly non-existent book.
Now and then, at used book stores, I would come across the famous Kahil Gibran book and get excited, only to realize this was not the book I was looking for. (That book is a pleasant enough collection of parables, but I find scripture's wisdom writings and parables superior.)
Last week I was duped again, noticing the Kahil Gibran book on a friend's bookshelf. Reminded about the mystery book, I made another attempt to search online...and found it in its entirety on a web page! The Profit by Kehlog Albran turns out to be a pardoy of Kahil Gibran's text, with the quotation above as its wittiest section.
A priest asked,The attribution was simply a book entitled The Profit.
What is Fate, Master?
And he answered:
It is that which gives a beast of burden its reason for existence.
It is that which men in former times had to bear upon their backs.
It is that which has caused nations to build by-ways from City to City upon which carts and coaches pass, and alongside which inns have come to be built to stave off Hunger, Thirst and Weariness.
It is that which has caused great fleets of ships to ply the Seven Seas wherever the wind blows.
And that is Fate? said the priest.
Fate... I thought you said Freight, responded the Master.
That's all right, said the priest. I wanted to know what Freight was too.
Curious, I searched online but found nothing more. So for years I've wondered about this possibly non-existent book.
Now and then, at used book stores, I would come across the famous Kahil Gibran book and get excited, only to realize this was not the book I was looking for. (That book is a pleasant enough collection of parables, but I find scripture's wisdom writings and parables superior.)
Last week I was duped again, noticing the Kahil Gibran book on a friend's bookshelf. Reminded about the mystery book, I made another attempt to search online...and found it in its entirety on a web page! The Profit by Kehlog Albran turns out to be a pardoy of Kahil Gibran's text, with the quotation above as its wittiest section.
Expecting Another Boy
I hoped to share this news months ago, but until recently have been feeling crummy, which caused me to procrastinate writing real letters to relatives who needed to hear first. You might notice the last third of this post has been sitting in my "drafts" since January!
Smiley will be a big brother in about a month. He's not sure if he's ready. He recently found out that the baby will not be big enough for him to help feed. Now he's not sure what a little baby does.
This afternoon, while Smiley napped, part of Shabbat involved my wife and I sitting on the sofa and laughing and hugging as we reviewed our "So You're About to Have a Baby" paperwork from three years ago.
We have some time to put together a suitcase to have ready to take to the hospital, and a cooler of food since we doubt they will be able to provide anything gluten-free enough for my wife to eat.
Happily, this pregnancy has been much easier on my wife than when she was expecting Smiley. But she is tired lately. She's round enough that she is not sleeping as well because she cannot easily turn over in bed during the night. A month of rainy, cold weather has not helped either. But she is doing well, going for a walk most evenings, still enjoying her work and gardening, and spending as much time with Smiley as she can even if playing on the floor is not a great option.
We have no idea what to name this new boy. The Jewish tradition is to use names of deceased relatives. Smiley was named after three of his great-grandfathers (he has two middle names). But two of my cousins had boys last year and now we're out of names of deceased male relatives that my wife or I knew.
Both sides of the family have Leonards, and her family has several Alfreds. But neither of us especially like those names, nor did we know those ancestors.
We briefly thought about names from literature that have been meaningful to family members, but then decided against Gandalf Tarzan Zorro Van Slyke.
My wife's family uses Welsh names, so perhaps we will eventually find a Welsh name we like that sounds very similar to a Hebrew name. So far our favorite name is both from Hebrew and Tolkein, which is close.
Smiley found out mommy was pregnant while at the doctor's office on January 5th. The nurse did not know that Smiley had not been told about it, so when using the heartbeat monitor she looked at Smiley with a big smile and said, "Do you hear the baby inside your Mommy?"
So Smiley is convinced that the heartbeat monitor put the baby inside Mommy. We found this out on January fifteenth, through this conversation:
My wife: Be careful climbing on my belly.(In Smiley's world, doctors work at doctor's office and nurses work at the allergy shot place. He has not caught on that some people working at doctor's offices are also nurses.)
Smiley: How did the baby get in your belly?
My wife: Daddy put it there.
Smiley: [Laughs] No, the doctor put it there.
Later that night, after brushing his teeth, Smiley was his room waiting for Mommy to arrive so we could pray before reading books before bedtime. When my wife came in the room she was chewing.
Smiley: What is in your mouth?Why didn't we tell Smiley about the pregnancy earlier? Because a friend from church was two months more pregnant, and for several months Smiley fixated on it whenever he saw her.
My wife: Chocolate.
Smiley: Do you share with the baby?
My wife: I always share with the baby.
Smiley: Did the baby catch it?
My wife: It will get it.
Smiley: You have a baby in your belly?We wanted to spare my wife such nearly constant pestering. Smiley is sometimes impatient, but our delay did avoid any fixation. (And our friend had a healthy baby girl, whom Smiley likes to look at.)
Smiley: Can I feel your tummy?
Smiley: Can I look in your mouth and see the baby?
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Boulder Canyon Chips
For many months Costco was selling Boulder Canyon spicy rice crackers. My wife was not too fond of them, but they were certainly my favorite gluten-free "chips".
Since Costco sold a big twenty-ounce bag for $4.59, they were affordable at $0.23 per ounce.
Now they are out of rotation at Costco. Sadness! Amazon and the local grocery store both sell only five-ounce bags. The cost per ounce is double.
I'll have to wait a few months for my favorite "chips" again. Oh well.
Since Costco sold a big twenty-ounce bag for $4.59, they were affordable at $0.23 per ounce.
Now they are out of rotation at Costco. Sadness! Amazon and the local grocery store both sell only five-ounce bags. The cost per ounce is double.
I'll have to wait a few months for my favorite "chips" again. Oh well.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Medicine Costs
Last year I blogged a bit about my lengthy sinus infection, which I think I've only mentioned once this year. Even without the infection my sinuses are still inflamed. Now allergy season is here too.
So I went to both my doctor and a naturopathic physician friend to get more help. I'm now on quite a few medicines and pills. Fortunately, I have nice health insurance that pays for most of the cost of the prescriptions.
All this stuff I'm putting inside me is working wonderfully. I've gotten most of my energy back. I'm not constantly congested. I'm not suffering nearly-daily headaches. Hooray!
Here's what feeling well is costing me...
First, the prescriptions.
The Rhinocort is anti-inflammatory. The Wilson's Solution prevents another sinus infection.
The probiotic might be helping if my ratio of T1 to T2 cells was off, which often happens with allergy sufferers; having T2 too high increases mast cell activity. The other pill is designed to stabilize mast cells so fewer histamines are triggered. Allegra is the antihistamine that works best for me. So I have something dealing with all three of the main stages between "body notices pollen" and "histamine produced".
This supposedly helps with relaxation. I've certainly noticed that when I have more tension in my neck and upper back then it exacerbates my allergy symptoms. It seems to be working well, although for about a quarter per day I would even be happy with even a placebo effect.
Finally, my vitamins.
Total is $3.79 per day. That's a lot more than I have been spending on health for most of my life. But not too bad considering that it is Springtime allergy season, and I had been suffering from daily congestion and headaches due to swollen and inflamed sinuses.
So I went to both my doctor and a naturopathic physician friend to get more help. I'm now on quite a few medicines and pills. Fortunately, I have nice health insurance that pays for most of the cost of the prescriptions.
All this stuff I'm putting inside me is working wonderfully. I've gotten most of my energy back. I'm not constantly congested. I'm not suffering nearly-daily headaches. Hooray!
Here's what feeling well is costing me...
First, the prescriptions.
- Rhinocort - $37.50 for 120 sprays (30 days) - $1.25 per day
- Wilson's Solution (Gentamicin in saline) - $37 for three month supply - $0.41 per day
The Rhinocort is anti-inflammatory. The Wilson's Solution prevents another sinus infection.
- Power-Dophilus (four probiotic blend) $14.99 for 100 tablets (33 days) - $0.45 per day
- Aller-Essentials (Pure Encapsulations) $12.61 for 60 capsules (15 days) - $0.84 per day
- Allegra (CostCo) $35 for 90 tablets (90 days) - $0.39 per day
The probiotic might be helping if my ratio of T1 to T2 cells was off, which often happens with allergy sufferers; having T2 too high increases mast cell activity. The other pill is designed to stabilize mast cells so fewer histamines are triggered. Allegra is the antihistamine that works best for me. So I have something dealing with all three of the main stages between "body notices pollen" and "histamine produced".
- Rhodiola Root Extract 100 mg (Thorne Research) $8.00 for 60 capsules (30 days) - $0.27 per day
This supposedly helps with relaxation. I've certainly noticed that when I have more tension in my neck and upper back then it exacerbates my allergy symptoms. It seems to be working well, although for about a quarter per day I would even be happy with even a placebo effect.
- Multivitamin (Trader Joe's) $7.99 for 100 tablets (100 days) - $0.08 per day
- Vitamin C (Trader Joe's) $12.99 for 250 tablets (125 days) - $0.10 per day
Finally, my vitamins.
Total is $3.79 per day. That's a lot more than I have been spending on health for most of my life. But not too bad considering that it is Springtime allergy season, and I had been suffering from daily congestion and headaches due to swollen and inflamed sinuses.
Science Factory
Videos at all the links but the first link! I have not done a nice blog post about Smiley playing in a while, since I was foolishly trying to keep videos chronological and am still way behind in processing December videos. Well, enough pointless procrastination. Here's some very recent footage.
Yesterday Smiley visited the Science Factory for the first time. A friend of his invited us. Guest admission is free with a member.
Spring weather and flowers have really arrived. The park in which it is located was beautiful.
The two boys would have been very happy just playing outside. They climbed and jumped on a bench and chased some ducks. (I only got the very end of the duck-chasing on video. I was astonished that the ducks ran so much, instead of immediately flying away.)
The first exhibits were a bit too old for Smiley. He liked the noises the circuits and cams made but did not really comprehend what was happening.
But the Gravitram was fascinating. I took three videos over the course of ten minutes, and a fourth when he returned to it later on. He must have spent half an hour watching the thing. While driving home he talked about it. "The machine with the balls had a man with a hammer. He stopped the balls. He was not nice. I don't like him." (In that first video you can see the little-man part of the contraption if you look carefully.)
Smiley also enjoyed the Kinetica, a simpler device with more user participation. The Archimedes screw was also fun, although he had to wait a while until it was not mobbed by other kids.
At the end of the visit, when he was getting tired, we went to the "Five Years Old and Under" area and he played with a crane.
Smiley has a few friends with memberships. He already had a play date scheduled with one of them for today. We were going to visit a park, but since Smiley really wants to return to the Science Factory and his friend also enjoys it then I expect we're returning there this afternoon.
Yesterday Smiley visited the Science Factory for the first time. A friend of his invited us. Guest admission is free with a member.
Spring weather and flowers have really arrived. The park in which it is located was beautiful.
The two boys would have been very happy just playing outside. They climbed and jumped on a bench and chased some ducks. (I only got the very end of the duck-chasing on video. I was astonished that the ducks ran so much, instead of immediately flying away.)
The first exhibits were a bit too old for Smiley. He liked the noises the circuits and cams made but did not really comprehend what was happening.
But the Gravitram was fascinating. I took three videos over the course of ten minutes, and a fourth when he returned to it later on. He must have spent half an hour watching the thing. While driving home he talked about it. "The machine with the balls had a man with a hammer. He stopped the balls. He was not nice. I don't like him." (In that first video you can see the little-man part of the contraption if you look carefully.)
Smiley also enjoyed the Kinetica, a simpler device with more user participation. The Archimedes screw was also fun, although he had to wait a while until it was not mobbed by other kids.
At the end of the visit, when he was getting tired, we went to the "Five Years Old and Under" area and he played with a crane.
Smiley has a few friends with memberships. He already had a play date scheduled with one of them for today. We were going to visit a park, but since Smiley really wants to return to the Science Factory and his friend also enjoys it then I expect we're returning there this afternoon.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
The Dentist and the Skate Park
Smiley has been worried about dentists.
A month ago I had a routine dentist visit to get my teeth cleaned. Also, my grandmother has had a lot of dentist visits lately because her false teeth are having problems. We both have good dentists. No one hollers or screams.
However, Smiley knows about the dentist from Finding Nemo, who is not a good dentist. His patients holler and scream.
So Smiley has been worried that my dentist, or my grandmother's dentist, might not be good dentists.
What to do? Wednesday we visited my dentist. No appointment, just stopped by to say hi. (I had called ahead to make sure this was in general an okay thing to do, and asked for the time of day they were least busy.) A dental technician gave us a tour.
Smiley likes the dentist's. The office has a tape dispenser. (He likes tape.) He got to move one of the chairs up and down. He smiled when the dental technician blew air and water on his hand from that tool. He got to see patients who were not hollering or screaming. He was given a blue toothbrush, two stickers, and a high bounce ball.
A few of the dentists and other technicians were bored, and stopped by to chat. He was probably the cutest visitor that morning.
It was a nice visit. He wants to go there again, to spend more time playing with the buttons that work their accessible entryway doors.
So... what to do with his first high bounce ball? I drove him to the skate park at Crescent and Gilham. It was a slightly rainy day, so no one else was there. Skaters don't like puddles.
Life does not get much better than a three-year-old with a high bounce ball in an empty skate park.
A month ago I had a routine dentist visit to get my teeth cleaned. Also, my grandmother has had a lot of dentist visits lately because her false teeth are having problems. We both have good dentists. No one hollers or screams.
However, Smiley knows about the dentist from Finding Nemo, who is not a good dentist. His patients holler and scream.
So Smiley has been worried that my dentist, or my grandmother's dentist, might not be good dentists.
What to do? Wednesday we visited my dentist. No appointment, just stopped by to say hi. (I had called ahead to make sure this was in general an okay thing to do, and asked for the time of day they were least busy.) A dental technician gave us a tour.
Smiley likes the dentist's. The office has a tape dispenser. (He likes tape.) He got to move one of the chairs up and down. He smiled when the dental technician blew air and water on his hand from that tool. He got to see patients who were not hollering or screaming. He was given a blue toothbrush, two stickers, and a high bounce ball.
A few of the dentists and other technicians were bored, and stopped by to chat. He was probably the cutest visitor that morning.
It was a nice visit. He wants to go there again, to spend more time playing with the buttons that work their accessible entryway doors.
So... what to do with his first high bounce ball? I drove him to the skate park at Crescent and Gilham. It was a slightly rainy day, so no one else was there. Skaters don't like puddles.
Life does not get much better than a three-year-old with a high bounce ball in an empty skate park.
Woof Woof
I've been doing more barking than usual.
First, there is Jeeves and Wooster. My wife asked for that DVD set as a holiday present. It is something funny to watch together in the evening. Smiley asked about it, so we let him watch the first part of the second episode, "Tuppy and the Terrier". In it Bertie Wooster is playing golf. He is also babysitting his aunt's terrier, who is with him at the golf course. The dog keeps barking (prompted by the mischievous Bobby Wickham) just as Bertie is taking a swing, ruining his game.
After watching that, Smiley asked to try playing golf. So we set him up with a long cardboard tube from a wrapping paper roll, a small plastic ball, and a box on its side. He enjoys trying to hit the ball into the box. But in his mind golf requires a distracting dog. So my job is to bark as he is about to swing the tube.
The other barking is from the delightful Boynton board book Doggies. It has joined the ranks of books Smiley enjoys "reading" to himself. Since his barking is incredibly adorable (although I have so far failed to catch it with our Flip video recorder) I have been reading it to him more often, to keep it in his mind.
(By the way, that board book should be part of all premarital counseling. A couple that cannot count and bark together may have a troubled future.)
First, there is Jeeves and Wooster. My wife asked for that DVD set as a holiday present. It is something funny to watch together in the evening. Smiley asked about it, so we let him watch the first part of the second episode, "Tuppy and the Terrier". In it Bertie Wooster is playing golf. He is also babysitting his aunt's terrier, who is with him at the golf course. The dog keeps barking (prompted by the mischievous Bobby Wickham) just as Bertie is taking a swing, ruining his game.
After watching that, Smiley asked to try playing golf. So we set him up with a long cardboard tube from a wrapping paper roll, a small plastic ball, and a box on its side. He enjoys trying to hit the ball into the box. But in his mind golf requires a distracting dog. So my job is to bark as he is about to swing the tube.
The other barking is from the delightful Boynton board book Doggies. It has joined the ranks of books Smiley enjoys "reading" to himself. Since his barking is incredibly adorable (although I have so far failed to catch it with our Flip video recorder) I have been reading it to him more often, to keep it in his mind.
(By the way, that board book should be part of all premarital counseling. A couple that cannot count and bark together may have a troubled future.)
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Laptop Hard Drive Problem
Sometimes my laptop's hard drive makes alarmingly loud noises.
It was doing this often several months ago. Then the problem went away. Two weeks ago it returned.
Ubuntu has had problems with some laptop hard drives in the past. But more recent versions of the operating system have supposedly fixes these, so I doubt that a recent update has reintroduced the problem. Furthermore, the two fixes:
It might be time to shop for a new laptop--one that is designed and sold with Ubuntu. Any suggestions?
It was doing this often several months ago. Then the problem went away. Two weeks ago it returned.
Ubuntu has had problems with some laptop hard drives in the past. But more recent versions of the operating system have supposedly fixes these, so I doubt that a recent update has reintroduced the problem. Furthermore, the two fixes:
1. Turning off "spin down hard disks when possible" in both places (plugged in and battery power) within the Power Management preferences.Do not help, neither months ago or currently.
2. The terminal command
sudo hdparm -M 128 -B 255 /dev/sda
It might be time to shop for a new laptop--one that is designed and sold with Ubuntu. Any suggestions?
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Dominion Three-Set Box
In early January I mentioned that Amazon sells the Dominion card game in a three-box set.
Oddly, most of the comments are about how the organizational system that comes with the box does not sensibly organize the cards.
Why is this an issue? Just alphabetize the cards, except for the bigger slots especially made to hold those few card types for which there are more than ten copies.
Here's a photo.
Much easier than trying to set up or put away the game from three boxes!
Oddly, most of the comments are about how the organizational system that comes with the box does not sensibly organize the cards.
Why is this an issue? Just alphabetize the cards, except for the bigger slots especially made to hold those few card types for which there are more than ten copies.
Here's a photo.
Much easier than trying to set up or put away the game from three boxes!
Microclimate
I have been loving our spa in 2011. I am still dealing with frequent sinus congestion and headaches. No medication helps as much as soaking twice a day to let hot air and steam into in my head.
My wife was amused to see that the spa also helps our planter box of strawberries. At the end of January we got to eat fresh berries from our yard.
A nice snack on a snowy day.
My wife was amused to see that the spa also helps our planter box of strawberries. At the end of January we got to eat fresh berries from our yard.
A nice snack on a snowy day.
Matchbox Car Weights
I noticed the Matchbox cars I have saved from my childhood weigh more than the ones currently sold. They must have more metal and less plastic.
I weighed two fire trucks just because I'm that kind of nerd.
The old one weighs 52 grams.
The new one weighs 40 grams.
On the other hand, their prices have not changed since I was a moppet. The fire truck may have lost 23% of its weight, but it's still a better deal for a pile of inflation-adjusted nickels and pennies.
I weighed two fire trucks just because I'm that kind of nerd.
The old one weighs 52 grams.
The new one weighs 40 grams.
On the other hand, their prices have not changed since I was a moppet. The fire truck may have lost 23% of its weight, but it's still a better deal for a pile of inflation-adjusted nickels and pennies.
First Soma Cube Photos
More Picasa Photos
Whew. My laptop has been acting up, but I did manage to get some photos commented and up on Picasa.
Our 2010 album is finally done! The 2011 album only has January's photos, which were few. I'll try to get caught up soon.
Our 2010 album is finally done! The 2011 album only has January's photos, which were few. I'll try to get caught up soon.
Friday, April 01, 2011
Hellebores
Our neighborhood has too many deer. The number of deer families has more than tripled since we moved here. Deer are not a native species, but since they are cute as well as destructive then the local government does not provide any way to deal with them.
During the past two years their crowding has caused them to eat even the English ivy, daphne, and sword ferns in our front yard (three plants deer normally do n0t eat).
So we've been planting hellebore. It's now the only plant that's safe.
A local nursery, Northwest Garden Nursery, is one of the foremost hellebore breeders in the world. So at least we get an unusual amount of variety with the one pretty plant the deer won't eat.
A few weekends ago we purchased eight more hellebore. They have been sitting in their pots, waiting to be planted. Yesterday I planted two in the back yard. Today I'll plant the other six in the front yard. These are the perfect days, since it is finally dry enough that I'm not hurting the lawn by walking on sogginess, but still wet enough that digging is very easy.
Perhaps I'll even attack the winter's new blackberry invasions, too. (I weeded the first spring crop of dandelions yesterday.)
During the past two years their crowding has caused them to eat even the English ivy, daphne, and sword ferns in our front yard (three plants deer normally do n0t eat).
So we've been planting hellebore. It's now the only plant that's safe.
A local nursery, Northwest Garden Nursery, is one of the foremost hellebore breeders in the world. So at least we get an unusual amount of variety with the one pretty plant the deer won't eat.
A few weekends ago we purchased eight more hellebore. They have been sitting in their pots, waiting to be planted. Yesterday I planted two in the back yard. Today I'll plant the other six in the front yard. These are the perfect days, since it is finally dry enough that I'm not hurting the lawn by walking on sogginess, but still wet enough that digging is very easy.
Perhaps I'll even attack the winter's new blackberry invasions, too. (I weeded the first spring crop of dandelions yesterday.)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
March 31st Firsts
Today Smiley had three memorable "firsts".
For about two months he has asked for stories about going hiking in the woods, because Little Bear goes hiking in the woods. Most of these stories involve Smiley, his friend Tyris, and the imaginary character Magalene.
Today was the first reasonably sunny and not-too-muddy day in weeks, and he finally got to go hiking. The Fox Hollow trail head of the Ridgeline Trail is very near our house. So after our morning errands we stopped home briefly, packed a lunch to eat on the trail, and went hiking. We had a great time, and found a sunny spot to eat that had some recently cut trunk-cylinders of a fallen tree at the side of the trail that made good seats. (Do those have a name? They're not "stumps".) I should have brought a camera.
Smiley was very impatient druing the drive to the trail head. His second "first" of the day was bugging me with "Are we there yet?" as we drove.
Then he had a bump while walking to his bunk bed from where he helped "read" a bedtime story He was walking while holding open the book (Waddle) and saying the letters on the last page. Bump! He walks into a wall. Not hard enough to be bothered by it, but I still got to say "Mr. Rabbit..." to him, which is something my mother used to say to me all the time as a child when I walked into things while reading.
For about two months he has asked for stories about going hiking in the woods, because Little Bear goes hiking in the woods. Most of these stories involve Smiley, his friend Tyris, and the imaginary character Magalene.
Today was the first reasonably sunny and not-too-muddy day in weeks, and he finally got to go hiking. The Fox Hollow trail head of the Ridgeline Trail is very near our house. So after our morning errands we stopped home briefly, packed a lunch to eat on the trail, and went hiking. We had a great time, and found a sunny spot to eat that had some recently cut trunk-cylinders of a fallen tree at the side of the trail that made good seats. (Do those have a name? They're not "stumps".) I should have brought a camera.
Smiley was very impatient druing the drive to the trail head. His second "first" of the day was bugging me with "Are we there yet?" as we drove.
Then he had a bump while walking to his bunk bed from where he helped "read" a bedtime story He was walking while holding open the book (Waddle) and saying the letters on the last page. Bump! He walks into a wall. Not hard enough to be bothered by it, but I still got to say "Mr. Rabbit..." to him, which is something my mother used to say to me all the time as a child when I walked into things while reading.
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