Julia has such a creative little mind. It's pretty entertaining to experience her little world here and there. This weekend she started sleeping with and carrying around a third blanket. In addition to B, you can imagine what an "entourage" she travels with now that she has three blankets.
Her first and second blankets have been standard issue. One is for her and the other one is for B. The third blanket's purpose was a mystery at first. When I asked her about the third blanket she told me that it was her ni-nights. I was a bit confused considering the way she said it, since her blanket (ni-nights number one) has always been her favorite.
After a few more clarifying questions, I realized that the third blanket was actually ni-nights'. The initial confusion was because I didn't realize that she was using the 's' at the end in the possessive tense (apostrophe s). That's right, the third blanket was really ni-nights' ni-nights. Apparently her ni-nights needed some companionship.
When I put her to bed last night I covered her with her ni-nights, as usual. She quickly told me to cover her ni-nights with her ni-nights' ni-nights. I wonder how hot she got last night...
22 October 2011
16 October 2011
14 October 2011
Pueblo Children's Museum
On Wednesday my Mom took Julia to the Pueblo Children's Museum. She loved it. What's amazing is that she spent over two hours straight in the art room. She sat still and colored and glued and cut and designed for over two hours at only three and three-quarters years old. One of the ladies that worked at the museum came back and was shocked that they were still there.
As a side note, Julia talked non-stop for an hour straight on the car ride down...
As a side note, Julia talked non-stop for an hour straight on the car ride down...
12 October 2011
Latest Doctor's Appointment
Well, the good news is that Jonathan grew an inch and a half in the past month. That's a pretty large jump in such a short time. He hasn't really gained much weight, but his BMI is following a consistent curve so Dr Yazdi wasn't too concerned. He shot all the way up to the fifth percentile in height, tenth percentile in head circumference, but still remains in the first percentile (not even on the growth curve) for weight.
We made such good gains over the past month that the doctor extended the time in between follow up visits. Our next follow up appointment will be in two months instead of one. We'll just need to swing in for a quick weight check between now and then to make sure he's still making progress. Between now and then we'll also visit the endocrinologist to rule out any growth deficiencies.
If all goes well over the next two months, we may be able to begin working with a food therapist. That will take time, but it's something we're all looking forward to.
We made such good gains over the past month that the doctor extended the time in between follow up visits. Our next follow up appointment will be in two months instead of one. We'll just need to swing in for a quick weight check between now and then to make sure he's still making progress. Between now and then we'll also visit the endocrinologist to rule out any growth deficiencies.
If all goes well over the next two months, we may be able to begin working with a food therapist. That will take time, but it's something we're all looking forward to.
11 October 2011
Urban Sista
Julia: "Mom, can you come get Jonathan out of my room because he is all up in my grill."
09 October 2011
The Stonecutters
Today we attended the Sacrament Service at the nearby Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints. Do I have your attention now? I'm not going to tell you why just yet - I like to keep my readers in suspense.
I've always found myself, in a weird way, drawn to the Mormon Church. I think it's probably more curiosity then anything. Obviously there is something controversial enough that it sparks debate. Mitt Romney was in our paper today just because of his religious beliefs, for example. I've read a few things in the past about what they believe, but I've never completely studied the religion. So, this week I read some things on the internet and yesterday we stopped by the library to pick up a few books on the subject. I know enough about their unique beliefs but I really wanted to know why and how so many millions of people around the world accept the message of "another testament".
I'll cut to the chase now. We have become friends with our next door neighbors who are LDS. We've had each other over more then once to hang out, barbecue, etc. It probably doesn't come as a big surprise that we have similar values and try to live our lives in the same way. The ironic thing about it all is that we have more values in common with them then our Catholic neighbors on the other side. As a side note, we found out today that they both share the same birthdays as Stacey and I - Krista and I and Paul and Stacey were both born on the same day. Statistically speaking, that has got to close to impossible.
We went to their church today because they were dedicating their new baby girl and had invited us to attend. Sure, I have always been interested in seeing what goes on inside a LDS church, but in the end it was more about doing what I consider was the right thing. Both of their families were in town for the dedication and we felt honored to be invited to this obviously meaningful event. I'm still going to finish the books I checked out at the library and might even try to read some or all of the Book of Mormon in the coming weeks. Don't worry, we aren't looking to join a new church. I think it's part of our responsibility as Christians to be informed on these issues and differences.
All of the excitement of being invited to join what I would consider a friendly yet private group quickly faded as the hour service progressed. The typical Sunday at an LDS church is three hours, broken up into the three segments of the Sacrament (communion), followed by Sunday school (scripture study), and ending with the men and the women breaking up into separate groups. Our entire group only stayed for the first hour for the dedication though. During this time all of the kids stayed in the sanctuary with their parents. Julia and Jonathan did surprisingly well. Anyway, the sanctuary was modestly decorated. There were no religious symbols anywhere that I could see (they don't feature the cross as they prefer to emphasize the resurrection). Although the scripture study was coming the following hour, there was no reading of verses from the Bible or the Book of Mormon. We had the dedication, they served communion, and we sang a few hymns, but the majority of the time was taken up by members of the congregation sharing a personal story. One little girl talked about how she gave the Book of Mormon to her teacher. A man my age went on for about 15 minutes about how spiritual matters are like eating, swallowing and digesting his favorite food: steak. Not only was it an odd topic, it really wasn't delivered well nor did it make much sense.
Overall, the portion of service we attended seemed completely empty of any meaning. We were a little surprised at the lack of people in attendance. We left the service a little bit surprised just how disinterested everyone seemed to be. Most people, including those sitting at the pulpit, just stared off into space looking a bit miserable. The body language, the singing, the praying, the talking - everything was completely lacking even a drop of joy - in a word: dead. The experience made the most dull and conservative Protestant denominations seem like flamboyant charismatics. Maybe I was expecting something more from what I thought were very dedicated and passionate members. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised.
I've always found myself, in a weird way, drawn to the Mormon Church. I think it's probably more curiosity then anything. Obviously there is something controversial enough that it sparks debate. Mitt Romney was in our paper today just because of his religious beliefs, for example. I've read a few things in the past about what they believe, but I've never completely studied the religion. So, this week I read some things on the internet and yesterday we stopped by the library to pick up a few books on the subject. I know enough about their unique beliefs but I really wanted to know why and how so many millions of people around the world accept the message of "another testament".
I'll cut to the chase now. We have become friends with our next door neighbors who are LDS. We've had each other over more then once to hang out, barbecue, etc. It probably doesn't come as a big surprise that we have similar values and try to live our lives in the same way. The ironic thing about it all is that we have more values in common with them then our Catholic neighbors on the other side. As a side note, we found out today that they both share the same birthdays as Stacey and I - Krista and I and Paul and Stacey were both born on the same day. Statistically speaking, that has got to close to impossible.
We went to their church today because they were dedicating their new baby girl and had invited us to attend. Sure, I have always been interested in seeing what goes on inside a LDS church, but in the end it was more about doing what I consider was the right thing. Both of their families were in town for the dedication and we felt honored to be invited to this obviously meaningful event. I'm still going to finish the books I checked out at the library and might even try to read some or all of the Book of Mormon in the coming weeks. Don't worry, we aren't looking to join a new church. I think it's part of our responsibility as Christians to be informed on these issues and differences.
All of the excitement of being invited to join what I would consider a friendly yet private group quickly faded as the hour service progressed. The typical Sunday at an LDS church is three hours, broken up into the three segments of the Sacrament (communion), followed by Sunday school (scripture study), and ending with the men and the women breaking up into separate groups. Our entire group only stayed for the first hour for the dedication though. During this time all of the kids stayed in the sanctuary with their parents. Julia and Jonathan did surprisingly well. Anyway, the sanctuary was modestly decorated. There were no religious symbols anywhere that I could see (they don't feature the cross as they prefer to emphasize the resurrection). Although the scripture study was coming the following hour, there was no reading of verses from the Bible or the Book of Mormon. We had the dedication, they served communion, and we sang a few hymns, but the majority of the time was taken up by members of the congregation sharing a personal story. One little girl talked about how she gave the Book of Mormon to her teacher. A man my age went on for about 15 minutes about how spiritual matters are like eating, swallowing and digesting his favorite food: steak. Not only was it an odd topic, it really wasn't delivered well nor did it make much sense.
Overall, the portion of service we attended seemed completely empty of any meaning. We were a little surprised at the lack of people in attendance. We left the service a little bit surprised just how disinterested everyone seemed to be. Most people, including those sitting at the pulpit, just stared off into space looking a bit miserable. The body language, the singing, the praying, the talking - everything was completely lacking even a drop of joy - in a word: dead. The experience made the most dull and conservative Protestant denominations seem like flamboyant charismatics. Maybe I was expecting something more from what I thought were very dedicated and passionate members. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised.
07 October 2011
Live Music
The other day Julia asked if we could pull the guitar out of the closet. I haven't touched a guitar for a long time (since her karaoke performance), so I decided to pull it out this afternoon. I let Julia and Jonathan strum the guitar with the pick a few times, but they were more interested in dancing. I didn't have to do anything but make a sound with the guitar.
The first video ends with Jonathan biting Julia. In the second video Jonathan adds some vocals.
The first video ends with Jonathan biting Julia. In the second video Jonathan adds some vocals.
03 October 2011
Allergy Appointment
Today we took Jonathan to his initial appointment with the allergist. After talking through his symptoms with the doctor we had him pricked with several common allergens. Neither the doctor nor we expected much of anything from the test, since the test wasn’t geared towards the symptoms we’ve been seeing in Jonathan. The skin tests show IgE reactions. Since we believe his issues are likely non-IgE related, little or nothing should show up with this test. The test was more informational in nature so we would know what we can and can’t give him going forward.
The nurse came in and wrote numbers on his back so she knew where to place each allergen and also placed a positive and a negative control at the top of his back. Jonathan actually didn’t mind the pen since it tickled a little bit. The actual pricks produced tears. We waited for a good 20 minutes for the results to show themselves. The good news is that all the common major allergies (egg, wheat, peanut, etc.) came back negative. The only test that came back positive was oats. From what I can tell, an oat allergy is pretty rare but kids can outgrow it. I think cutting oats out of the diet will be pretty easy.
What won’t be easy is cutting milk and soy out of his diet. He showed a trace reaction to soy, but not enough for a positive result. The doctor was well-versed on the food protein colitis topic. He was surprised that Jonathan’s symptoms sounded exactly like a non-IgE colitis case but without the bloody diapers. He said that we should be seeing blood but he can’t say that all cases have blood. His opinion was that there really aren’t any good tests for allergies like this in the “gut”, but more importantly, regardless of running tests or not, his advice wouldn’t change. He would still recommend keeping him off of milk and soy until he’s older. This issue is also poorly understood, so it’s almost a case of no matter what is happening allergy-wise, we just need to keep giving him what he’ll keep down and not give him what he won’t. We can assume he does have a food protein issue with milk and soy or not – it’s not going to change what we have to do.
As mentioned in a few previous posts, most of these allergies are outgrown by age three. We now need to start introducing more solid foods that don’t contain milk, soy or oats. We can now progress with the knowledge that we’re giving him things he can tolerate. Over time he’ll learn to eat and eventually take over feeding on his own.
02 October 2011
Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal
It's a great time to be a Spurs fan. Although we lost our first two matches in the league to the two teams currently tied for first place, we've won our next four in a row by a combined score of ten to two. During this run we've beaten both Liverpool and Arsenal - two of our potential competitors for the final Champions League slot. We're about 20% through the season and we're already within one game of 4th place.
Our two new additions, Adebayor and Parker, have been great signings. They were exactly what the team needed. Our American keeper, Friedel, has been exactly what we expected: solid. Little by little we've upgraded talent in certain positions and now have a pretty well-rounded team. Suffice to say our squad as a whole is now better then our obnoxious neighbors that we beat in today's North London Derby.
That was pretty apparent today, considering both sides are currently dealing with a list of injured players. I never felt worried about Arsenal. I wasn't sure that we were going to win, but I was definitely confident that we had a better team then they did. It's an odd thing for a Spurs fan to feel like they have a better starting eleven AND squad AND that we deserve to be above Arsenal in the table, but that's just the way it is this season.
I peeked at the upcoming league schedule and it's completely set up for us. We've played almost all of the big teams already, and will do so early in the second half of the season, meaning our run from now until the New Year and to the end of the season is relatively easy. We have twelve games until the New Year, and I'm not making it up that I could see us winning nine of them. Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Chelsea are the most difficult clubs we face in those twelve games according to the table. Games come hard and fast around Christmas and the end of the season, so if we can get on a run in both, considering the weaker opposition, Spurs have a great chance to be playing in the Champions League again in 2012.
Our two new additions, Adebayor and Parker, have been great signings. They were exactly what the team needed. Our American keeper, Friedel, has been exactly what we expected: solid. Little by little we've upgraded talent in certain positions and now have a pretty well-rounded team. Suffice to say our squad as a whole is now better then our obnoxious neighbors that we beat in today's North London Derby.
That was pretty apparent today, considering both sides are currently dealing with a list of injured players. I never felt worried about Arsenal. I wasn't sure that we were going to win, but I was definitely confident that we had a better team then they did. It's an odd thing for a Spurs fan to feel like they have a better starting eleven AND squad AND that we deserve to be above Arsenal in the table, but that's just the way it is this season.
I peeked at the upcoming league schedule and it's completely set up for us. We've played almost all of the big teams already, and will do so early in the second half of the season, meaning our run from now until the New Year and to the end of the season is relatively easy. We have twelve games until the New Year, and I'm not making it up that I could see us winning nine of them. Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Chelsea are the most difficult clubs we face in those twelve games according to the table. Games come hard and fast around Christmas and the end of the season, so if we can get on a run in both, considering the weaker opposition, Spurs have a great chance to be playing in the Champions League again in 2012.
01 October 2011
Autumn In Colorado
This morning we loaded the kids up and set off into the mountains in search of autumn. This weekend the colors were in their prime. The past few years we've spent the day at Mueller State Park - this time we went exploring. I decided to take a few roads that I've never been on and I'm glad I did.
We left Colorado Springs on Hwy 24 and took a left at Florissant on Colorado Rd 1 towards Cripple Creek. From Cripple Creek we went south on Highway 67/81 to Victor. For you out of towners, this area is on the western side of Pikes Peak. The 81 loop was where the scenery was and the other cars weren't. I suspect most people just head back to Divide from Cripple Creek and miss out on this spectacular loop. I would recommend this drive to anyone. Towards the end we met up with a storm that gave Pikes Peak another dusting of snow - a cold reminder that winter is just around the corner.
The kids did surprisingly well. We topped off the day with a stop at Starbucks in Woodland Park. I think was a pretty memorable day all around for Stacey and me. Next year we'll do this same drive and maybe incorporate a picnic somewhere along the way.
We left Colorado Springs on Hwy 24 and took a left at Florissant on Colorado Rd 1 towards Cripple Creek. From Cripple Creek we went south on Highway 67/81 to Victor. For you out of towners, this area is on the western side of Pikes Peak. The 81 loop was where the scenery was and the other cars weren't. I suspect most people just head back to Divide from Cripple Creek and miss out on this spectacular loop. I would recommend this drive to anyone. Towards the end we met up with a storm that gave Pikes Peak another dusting of snow - a cold reminder that winter is just around the corner.
The kids did surprisingly well. We topped off the day with a stop at Starbucks in Woodland Park. I think was a pretty memorable day all around for Stacey and me. Next year we'll do this same drive and maybe incorporate a picnic somewhere along the way.
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