The McTodds

Because Size Does Matter

2011-09-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

We had a successful two week well-child appointment today. Other than Boone's hatred of the car seat he was perfectly behaved on our outing, and came in with some impressive stats. He was born 8 lb 1.5 oz, lost about 10% of his weight in his first 3 days (which is normal), then managed to come in at 8 lbs 15.5 oz today.

2 week Height: 21.5 inches (78 %)

2 week Weight: 8 lb 15.5 oz (55%)

2 week Head Circumference: 15 inches (71%)

All the family is doing well. We survived our first weekend with a 1:1 child to adult ratio. Well, we barely survived. Harper has decided to stop napping the most inopportune time. She really should have waited at least 6 more months. So she plays in her room for a few hours in the afternoon. Based on the noise from her room her "play" involves a herd of elephants, a chain saw, and a pogo stick.

Update, and more importantly, more photos!

2011-09-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

So, things are settling down. Grandma Susu was here for 2 helpful weeks, and departed tearfully, but leaving us with lots of wonderful food in our fridge! As a result we hadn't had to prepare our own meals, clean them up, deal with both kids with just the two of us, etc. yet. Thanks Susan!
So, last night was our first night of that, and it went well. Having good food that just needs to be heated up makes a big difference. Harper has also been great, although yesterday she was rather "3". I can't believe how mercurial she is. For example, last night she was eating delicious turkey meatloaf, then just screeched in anger because a couple of the bites split into too small of pieces when she stabbed them with a fork. Stab, screech, stab, screech. Fun.
Then we gave Boone his first bath (his umbilicus feel off earlier that day), in the little infant tub with the hammock in the big tub with Harper in it. Pretty cute. We shot a video of it, but given little kid parts I'm not posting it online. Feel free to ask to see it when you come visit. I might try to extract a photo or 2 from it or something.
We also got a chance to shoot some posed shots of Harper and Boone together that are pretty good. Sometimes you can see the "posing" done by Mama's hands, but c'est la vie. Here they are: http://www.s9s.net/BoonePhotos. Let me know if you need higher res versions for printing.
Sleep has been going pretty well. Last night I got to lay on the couch and watch football with Boone sleeping on my chest. What more could you ask for?

Birth Story

2011-09-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

One way to sum up Boone's birth would be to say that our car was parked in the Emergency drop-off lane from when we arrived at the hospital until 30 minutes after his delivery. It was very, very quick.

Harper, Grandma Susu, Rick and I went for Vietnamese food Saturday night hoping that some good spicy papaya salad would get things moving. Harper was being a bit of a non-listening three-year-old during dinner so I took her outside to sit on the curb and when I squatted down I felt a little trickle of what could have been my amniotic fluid. So we paid our bill, took our left-overs and headed home. It was about 7:30 PM and I hadn't felt any real contractions.

Rick put Harper to bed while I relaxed. Around 8:30 I started having contractions just a hair more intense that Braxton Hicks. I was settling in for what I thought would be a long night. Then around 11ish I had a slightly more intense contraction and had some bleeding. So, just to be safe Rick packed the car, I lay down in the backseat on my side and we headed to the hospital. It was around 11:30. Well, in the backseat things started to gear-up. I was laying on my right side, with my right-leg on the seat and my left-foot resting on the driver's side head-rest. And my contractions started getting stronger. I could still breath through them, and even laughed a little when a contraction and a right-hand turn coincided. Then we got to the ER.

Rick parked in the emergency drop-off. I waddled inside. Oh, my contractions were about 3 minutes apart and lasting about 90 seconds. And I was pretty much just moaning, really loudly through them all. Really loudly.

If at this point in the story you want to cut to the chase just imagine the stereotypical sit-com birth.

It took forever for the stupid check-in process. So much for preregistration. And the check-in, paper-work lady didn't seem to be in any hurry, but got terribly upset when I just up and left to use the restroom. I guess she wanted me to pee on the floor while she copied my insurance information.

Then an equally annoying ER nurse came with a wheelchair to take me up to labor and delivery. Well, at this point I could not sit. Just not physically possible. So after a bit of arguing and eye-rolling they let me walk. And every few minutes while walking through the ER halls I would have to start moaning and yelling and hold onto Rick. Many ER nurse's eyes were rolling I think.

Well, we made it to Labor and Delivery where they put me in the triage room. I think it must have been around 1 AM. I answered more ridiculous questions and now my contractions really got going. I could barely breath. They checked me and said I was on 2cm. Then the nurse left the room for 20 minutes. And for 20 minutes I pretty much just screamed and cried, and yelled "Why won't anyone help me?" In hindsight I was probably scaring the crap out of any other laboring women in the unit. I was REALLY yelling. So, after 20 minutes I yell at Rick, "I need to push! I need to push! Why isn't anyone helping me." Rick goes out to find a nurse. She comes back in and in 20 minutes I have gone from 2 cm to 5 cm.

The doctor on the unit is attending another birth. Thank goodness that woman delivered at 1:30 AM. Dr. Adawadkar arrived at 1:40 and I was at 8cm, and then they finally realized how quick this was happening and wanted to get me out of the triage room and into a delivery room. Of course they offered the stupid wheelchair again, and after demonstrating that there was no way in hell I could sit I walked to my room.

It's probably about 1:55 AM now, and I am screaming for an epidural. Well, they need to get a blood sample to the lab before they can get an epidural, and since they didn't realize how fast this was all happening no one had bothered getting a hep-lock in me. I have no visual memory of them trying to start an IV, but apparently it was comical, and resulted in a pool of blood after much inept fussing with needles, but I guess they got a sample. Then I screamed that I wanted a narcotic. Well, since the IV wasn't really working they had to give me a shot of Nubain intramuscularly. It must have been about 2:15 now.

I two point I tried biting down on anything to help with the pain. Well, the anythings I bit on were my husband's hand and arm. He still isn't too pleased about that.

Dr. Adawadkar checked me again, and I was fully dilated. So, no epidural; I was pretty pissed about that, and I was really pissed that the Nubain was going to take 15 minutes to take effect. I think I kept complaining about why the narcotic wasn't working, and they kept saying "5 more minutes." Well, Boone was born at 2:38 and I am pretty sure that the Nubain never took effect.

So, the pushing was actually the most pleasant part, and went very quickly. Boone is happy and healthy. So am I.

We're Back!

2011-09-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

So, we got home from the hospital at about 10:30 on Monday. Mom and Dad relaxed and got a little rest. Boone did what he does, sleep, eat, cry, pass meconium. Susu helped out with lunch, etc. A little after lunch we went and picked up Harper early from school. I got to witness the CH3 kids enjoying lunch, astonishingly peacefully. It shouldn't amaze me any more how good Montessori kids are, but it always does. Anyway, I brought Harper home to be with baby brother and Mama. Harper had really been stressed the night before after meeting baby bro in the hospital, although possibly not for the most obvious reason. When she got home she cried to Susu because she wanted baby brother home so she could play with him, not because she had been usurped as the center of the McTodd universe. So, when she got home to see Boone we were wondering how it would go.
First she plied him with gifts, literally piling on little stuffed animals, rattles, and teething trinkets:

Then, when we moved upstairs she practiced her whispering, and chilled in bed while mom fed Boone:

Then she resumed the gift boonanza by piling them into his crib, running up and down the stairs to retrieve them. She only held back a couple of her absolute favorites.

Group photo from standing on the bed:

Mostly she was amazing, although once in a while her "threeness" (inability to stay quiet and/or gentle) showed through. Her's Diana trying to keep her from smothering Boone:

Wellfleet Trip

2010-08-03T10:11:00.000-07:00

Rick, Harper and I returned from a week in Wellfleet, MA. Photos here.

The trip started with an unexpected detour for me to Asheville for my grandmother's funeral (see posts below). Rick and Harper drove to Arlington, VA Friday night and stayed through Sunday morning with Uncle Bill and Aunt Danielle. I am very jelous that Rick was able to take Harper to her first "spray park": a playground with water jets and fountains.

Rick and Harper got on the Acela train in Washington DC Sunday morning, and I got on a plane in Charlotte, NC and somehow we all met up with Rick's sister in Boston and drove to Wellfleet.

Rick's mum found a really wonderful rental house on Long Pond where we all stayed for a week. We were joined by our family friend Paula. And across the lake were old family friends who vacationed in Wellfleet with Rick's family when he was young.

A typical day:

1) Wake up wayyy too early as Harper never sleeps in on vacation.

2) Play with Harper until everyone else gets up.

3) Go play in the water, either the pond or the ocean

4) Lunch

5) Harper naps, Rick and Diana either nap or get some exercise.

6) Another swim with Harper

7) Dinner

8) Harper to bed, followed soon after by everyone else.

We did go to Provincetown (aka "PEE town" according to a t-shirt I bought for Harper). I LOVED this little town. While Rick, Kate, Paula, and Dixie all went whale watching I ran a mile long jetty out to the very narrowest part of Cape Cod. It was beautiful. The running on the jetty was probably pretty stupid, but I survived.

Our travel home balanced out all the relaxation. Dixie drove us to a bus station. The bus took us to Boston's Union Station. The Acela took up to Washington DC's Union Station. A cab took us to Bill and Danielle's house where we left our car, then we drove the 3 hour drive home. Total: 15 hours of travel.

Blog only photos

2010-07-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

I finally downloaded photos off out point and shoot camara and found a few gems.

Harper drunk on milk:

Harper riding a cow at the Manchester, IN library:

Harper with Aunt Laura:

Bertie Boone Sams

2010-07-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

My remembrances

Many of the funeral stories were of Bertie’s mother. Maude, known as Mami, lived 99 years. I met her on two occasions. While Bertie was shy and liked to observe, Mami and the other “B’s” as the sisters were known, are notorious for their sharp wit. Mami discouraged her children from sneaking into her closet by telling them, “You know there are dead people in there.”

My father, Charles, remembers being dropped off at his grandmother’s house for a weekend and having Mami say in a somber voice, “Charles, you know they aren’t ever coming back.”

Bertie and Glen raised Charles in Asheville while the rest of his cousins grew-up in rural North Carolina. He remembers Maude asking him to go milk the cows while visiting and he replied, “I don’t do that. I’m a city boy.”

I also heard a number of stories of corporal punishment. Maude was known to switch her children for misbehaving. Bethel told me that she received the most whippings because she was the worst. She said this to me with the Boone twinkle in her eye.

Birma is a family historian and gossip and at the reception regaled the entire family with the story of her father, Lewis, who ran logging camps across the South. Through the Great Depression he and Maude kept the family fed, clothed, and shod with logging, and an extensive farm. Lewis was a keeper of fox hounds and loved to spend nights out fox hunting, which seemed more like an excuse to tromp into the mountains, build a huge fire, and tell lies with the men and their sons. I don’ t think a fox was ever disturbed from its slumber by Lewis’s skinny fox hounds, but I know all the men enjoyed their nights outside listening to the braying.

Almost all of my sorrow during the weekend was caused by the surety that could have known better. But her passing allowed me to meet a dozen relations for the first time.

Her official obituary:

Bertie Boone Sams , 91, of Asheville, went to be with the Lord on Wednesday July 21, 2010.

Bertie was born December 24, 1919 in Madison County, NC. She was the daughter of the late Maude and Lewis Boone of Madison County.
Surviving are her husband, Glen W. Sams of Asheville; her son Charles Sams of Atlanta, Ga., and daughter Samantha (Norma) Salvadorini of Lexington, NC.
Bertie has four sisters, Bonnie Gosnell of Marshall, Bethel Ammons of Weaverville, Beulah Brown of Shelby, Birma Sawyer of Swannanoa, and brothers Wayne and Ernest Boone.

Bertie has three grandchildren, Lisa Salvadorini Cascardo of New York, Kimberly Salvadorini of New York and Diana McSpadden of Williamsburg, VA. Bertie has one great grandson Miikko Salvadornini and one great granddaughter Harper Todd.

Bertie spent much of her time working for the Clerk of the Court for Bumcombe County. Bertie was a member of the West Asheville Baptist Church and the Chapter of the Eastern Star.

Those desiring to make a memorial contribution are encouraged to consider the Alzheimer’s Association – Western Carolina Chapter 3800 Shamrock Drive, Charlotte, NC 28215

Thank you Aunt Samantha for the remembrance

Quick Trip to Asheville

2010-07-24T08:20:00.001-07:00

My paternal grandmother (Chuck's mother for those of you in the know of my complex family tree) passed away this last week. I am in Asheville for the services. I am also meeting family for the first time. Saturday morning finds me in a condo catching-up on work and watching the Tour de France with my newly discovered uncle David.

Last night I was regaled by the story of my great-great uncle "Maul" (my best spelling of heavily accented Appalachian ole-world English pronunciation) who murdered a competing suitor, was sent to prison, escaped from prison and hid under his mother's porch while his father was out with a posse searching for his escaped convict son. Maul ended up moving across the state and starting a large family of his own with a woman who hadn't roused his blood lust. My grandfather Glen's response to the story, "Guess he needed killin."

My greatest sorrow on this trip is that this is my first time getting to know many of these relatives, and hearing these stories. I will post more about my grandmother, Bertie Sams, after the services this afternoon.

On the plus side her immune system is getting stronger

2010-07-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

Poor Harper. Heat rash started last week. Followed by a UTI diagnosed Monday at urgent care. (Watching a little one get cath'ed is no 4th of July treat). And now she was diagnosed with Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease which is making its rounds at Montessori.

Antibiotics. Ibuprofen. Liquid diet.

Next week we get to decide if we want to subject our daughter to a very strongly recommended voiding cysto cystogram. Parents not happy. Harper not happy.

Lily is also strangely scared of our floor fan.

MidWest Trip

2010-06-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

Harper and I triumphantly returned to Virgina from 10 days in the MidWest.

Activities included:
1) Custer Street fair
2) Diana at a gyrotonics class
3) Dinner with Alex and Lynn
4) Breakfast at Blind Faith Cafe
5) Driving the wrong route to New Paris
6) Time with Abuela, Grandpa, Towser, Stella Moo, and Nikki
7) Birds, fish, Susu, Great-grandparents, tornado, sleeping in bathtub
8) Susu nannying
9) North Manchester park
10) Excellent lunch at Kenomokopoko
11) Relaxing at great-grandmother McSpadden's
12) Fancy dinner out with Abuela and Grandpa Larry
13) Driving the correct route back to Chicago
14) Skokie Farmer's Market
15) Flying home

See the photos here: http://www.s9s.net/June2010MidWest/

Two Photo Galleries

2010-05-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

First, is a photo gallery from dinner at Abby and Nina's house:

http://www.s9s.net/LateApril/

Second, is a photo gallery that includes Mother's Day and Camy's Graduation from Colorado College: http://www.s9s.net/Graduation/index.html

Harper and Nine: Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

Diagnosis: Strep Throat

2010-04-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

Doctor's appointment for Harper on Tuesday
Fever: 103.6
Diagnosis: Strep Throat
Treatment: Tylenol, Antibiotics, Eye Drops
Pharmacist Says: Antibiotics taste bad, cause loose bowels, eat lots of yogurt
Behavior: Awake all night. Moody.
But fever is gone.

Now Mom's throat hurts.
Psychosomatic? Doctor appointment for Mom today.

I'm Waiting For Her Head To Spin Around

2010-04-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning Rick, Harper, and I packed into the car for an overnight trip to Virginia Beach. Our long-time, Colorado-residing friend Karen was making an appearance in Virginia with her oldest daughter, Rachel. We were meeting at the VA Beach Aquarium, to be followed by Puerto-Rican restaurant, beach-time, pool-time, and ice-cream.

The aquarium was fabulous (pictures to be posted soon). We finally found a restaurant that wasn't crappy pancake-house, or crappier pizza. Check out Mojito Cafe next time you are at VA Beach.

We checked into our hotwire-rate ocean-front hotel, Harper and I napped while Rick and friends frolicked on the beach, and in the chorline-whiskey scented pool. Then we all went out for ice cream. Karen left for the evening, and the McTodds had a nice, though rushed, dinner.

Then we went to our hotel room, put Harper to sleep in her tent, and proceeded to watch bad tv, read our books, and try to go to sleep.

At 9 PM we were reminded why we hate to stay in hotels. The VA Beach Ocean Front Sheraton had given us an adjoining room, the kind with the connected, yet locked door to another hotel room, with 4 high-school boys on a field trip. The other three rooms around us also contained high-school friends. Why do hotel doors close with such a dramatic, multi-syllabic bang? We gave the young men til 11 PM when Rick spoke with their chaperon, and hotel staff. They settled down.

Oh, did I forget to mention that Rick was on-call. Silly me. At 3 AM he got an on-call page. He kindly went into the bathroom, sat on the toilet softened by a folded up bath towel, and used the counter as a desk. Then at 4 AM Harper started making some strangled gurgles in her tent. Then cried. I stumbled over to the tent, stuck my hand in to feel warm, chunky liquid that was soon identified as baby vomit.

Harper and I joined Rick in his office/hotel bathroom as we took a bath to clean off the vomit while he fixed the Colonial Williamsburg e-commerce site. Then we all snuggled in a double-bed together and slept for an hour when Harper woke-up again and projectile vomited all over the bed.

We immediately called for the bell-boy and drove home. Oh, and we left $20 for room service. I hope this was enough.

Well, Harper seemed fine. We kept her on clear liquid + dry toast + apple sauce + bananas diet. Then last night she was fusy, and had no appetite and registered a 103.5 temp on an ear thermometer, and a 101 on the doctor-preferred, baby-hated rectal. What has happened since: baby tylenol, lots of sleep, and staying home for school.

Here is the URL to the promised Easter Photos: Kent Easter 2010

Easter: More To Come

2010-04-06T13:22:00.001-07:00

Rick, Harper, and I returned from a quick Easter/ Birthday celebration in Kent, CT last night. More details/photos to come. Here is a brief glimpse.

H's first 3 days of school update

2010-03-10T06:32:00.001-08:00

Day 1: 1 hour - 15 minutes in class room with teacher, 45 minutes on playground with other kids - went well although a couple of times she got a little overwhelmed and wanted to sit on Dad's lap
Day 2: 2.5 hours - in classroom with other students and on playground - all with mom - was very needy
Day 3 (today) - 3.5 hours - was needy in classroom with mom. Mom leaves. Harper does great. Mom and dad are torn between wanting to be needed and wanting her to be happy/independent

More Photos

2010-02-15T07:05:00.000-08:00

More photos of the family including Grandpa Chuck and Grandma Sha-Sha's visit, and the visit from Auntie Kate:
http://s9s.net/HarperFeb2010/index.html

punishment from The Chicken

2010-02-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

Well, we are surviving..barely. Head and chest colds all around. Some progress teaching Harper to blow her nose. And then Monday afternoon Rick came down with a very nasty bout of food poisoning. We called an ambulance at 8:00PM Monday night and I am very glad we did as Rick could hardly stand up without the risk of fainting, and there was blood where there shouldn't be any blood. Our awesome baby sitter, Kendra, came over and I went the hospital for a few hours, then came back home. Rick arrived home via a taxi around 1:30 AM. Kendra was nice enough to spend the night and helped by getting Harper up in the morning and walking Lily.

Rick is starting to recover. He has managed to eat a few bananas and some white bread. We all still have the darn head/chest colds.

Totally Forgot

2010-02-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

jacket, coat, pull, push, banana, cup, wipe, hat, shirt

Words Harper Says as of 02/04/10 (17 months old)

2010-02-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

Listed in the order of my best memory of when she learned them
mama
poppa
monkey
lamby
Nina
Abby
book
Harper
all done
hi
light
walk
big step
away
back
please
more
no
thank you
duck
sheep
night night
nap
lap
sit
tubbies (aka bath)
shower
slide
milk
water
snack
play
Elmo
puppy
doggy
Lily
hello
help
diaper
clean up
night night
ahh choo (which she says after she sneezes)

Artic Albino Elmo

2010-01-31T15:53:00.000-08:00

Until March 8th, when Harper starts Montessori, Harper spends two days a week at an in-home day-care. The same place her "best friend", Nina, goes. Teresa is the woman who wrangles the children. Last week Teresa made a picture-flap-game thing. It was construction paper with photos from magazines glued to it, then paper towels glued on one side hiding the photos. The children and then pull-up the flap to see the pictures.

Well, there is a picture of a penguin under one flap, and under the flap next to it is a picture of Elmo. Harper, who has never seen Elmo before, heard the older children saying "Elmo, Elmo" and now whenever she see a photo of a penguin she calls it "Elmo". And I can't bring myself to correct her. In fact, I called a penguin Elmo today. Bad mommy.

January Photos

2010-01-28T17:40:00.000-08:00

New skills: going down the slide by herself, and trying to blow-up our friends' house with the photo light charger. See it all here: http://www.s9s.net/HarperJan2010/

First Bloody Lip and Nose

2010-01-28T07:41:00.001-08:00

So poor Harper has had three injuries in her almost 17 months:
The New Years 2009 Fall Down the Stairs;
The Falling Off Bed, Breath Holding, Ambulance and ER Trip of May 2009;
and now
The Bloody Lip and Nose From Fall With a Hard Sippy Cup Incident of Jan 2010.

We didn't go to the ER, just left a message with our doctor. It was very hard to not wisk her off to get medical care when her little nose was bleeding, and I could see two perfect bite marks on her lower lip. After many hugs, book reading, and drinking of orange juice (ouch! Can't believe she drank citrus with a bloody lip, but she loved it) she seems fine.

Christmas Photos

2010-01-04T18:26:00.000-08:00

Oh yes we did get the Christmas photos online before Easter. Really. Here's the link:
http://www.s9s.net/Christmas09

Possession

2009-12-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

First, I hope I haven't turned-off family and friends completely by not posting for so long a time.

We just returned from 6 days of x-mas vacation to Kent, CT and NYC, and we survived. Harper was amazing. She continues to be the best baby ever. She allowed at least 15 people to hold, pet, and play with her at the Christmas party. She stayed up past her bedtime for several nights without a fuss. She ate everything fed to her at many restaurants, and home-cooked meals. She even opened her Christmas present from Rick and I and immediately hugged and kissed the sock monkey. I cried.

Now, she was in a fabulous mood; however, I must mention the night she was possessed. We went to NYC and Rick and I requested Ethiopian food: something we can't find in Williamsburg, VA. Harper ate it, and I am convinced the "E", as I am calling it, caused her soul to be vulnerable to possession by a puppy. That night she woke-up at 11:30PM and was completely awake until 5:30AM. She wasn't fussy. She just wanted to play. First she rolled around in her travel tent. It looked like 3 wild bore were trapped inside. Then we brought her into our bed where she clicked her tongue against the top of her mouth for 20 minutes. THEN, she suddenly learned how to give kisses and leaned to-and-fro from mommy's face to papa's face OVER and OVER and OVER again. Really.

So our NYC plans the next day were scaled-down. We did ride the subway. Saw 30 Rock and the tree. Ate Ethiopian (never again), Hungawi (our fav. NYC restaurant), and bought an "Anarchy in the Pre-K" t-shirt at a flee market.

Lily Dog

2009-09-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

Rick, Harper, I had a wonderful walk with Osa last night. Our last walk with her as the only dog in the house. My mom and Lily arrived late last and we will all be together until Monday. Lily and Osa are getting a long, and Harper and Lily are already good friends. Bittersweet.
Here is a video of Lily:

Where To Start

2009-09-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

My first update is our very sad doggy tale (forgive pun). I babysat Harper's friend Nina on Saturday. The three of us went to the park that is just behind our house. Osa jumped the fence, ran over to the park, and attempted to bite Nina. It was horrifying. Nina was not hurt, didn't even have a mark, but was crying and crying until I picked her up and ran home after tying Osa to a tree with my baby-carrier. After this Rick and I knew we could not keep Osa. Rick and cried. My heart and stomach are still in knots. But, after a few days of brainstorming and trying to figure out how not to euthanize our dog (like our vet recommended), we came up with a great idea. My mother and I are going to trade dogs. My mother has a two-year-old yellow lab named Lily who is on her way today. My mom will spend some time here in Virginia and then take Osa home with her. I know Osa will have a wonderful new home with a nice fenced yard and no pesky children in her backyard.

Next update is that Harper is having severe separation anxiety which is all the more ~~annoying~~ traumatizing because I work from home. Her caregiver is in the house and every time I talk Harper starts crying. I did a conference call outside today. AND to top off the craziness of this development her regular nanny, Leslee, is on vacation this week so we have a fabulous babysitter filling-in, but Harper doesn't know her. Ugh!

VIDEO: Harper Walking, Osa Barking

2009-09-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

VIDEO: Harper Playing

2009-09-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Video Warning: Baby Butt

2009-09-09T17:55:00.001-07:00

One Year Checkup

2009-09-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

I promise more photos, videos, and writing this week. But first the stats.
One year well-child check-up was this morning. Harper is perfect as usual.

Height: 30 inches (78%)
Weight: 21 pounds (49%)
Head Circumference: 18 inches (68%)

We have started a mix of toddler formula and whole milk that seems to be agreeing with her. She is crawling super-fast, standing-up with furniture, but not showing a strong inclination to walk. She now "dances" to music (sitting, rocks her hips back and forth). And the newest and funniest addition to her routine is shaking her head back and forth when she doesn't want something.

Oh, and her sense of humor seems to be geared towards Three Stooges comedy stylings, in other words she hits mommy on the head with blocks and laughs when I say "ouch."

VIDEO: Harper's Tripod Crawl

2009-07-15T05:52:00.001-07:00

So, Harper is really moving and shaking. She has a ridiculous looking crawl which I have dubbed "The Tripod", all the kids will be doing it this summer. She also pulls-up on furniture, and is very very good and sneaking away to play with the stereo.

VIDEO: Ride of the Harper: our trip on "Peaches"

2009-07-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of Harper riding in our new cargobike to the marina:

Empowering Head Scarf

2009-07-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

So, I am totally loving the alternate Lady Gaga video of Let's Dance. And I can't decide what I love more: the head scarf, the driving gloves, or the sky high heels:

Video: Harper Helping With Laundry

2009-06-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

Pop-Culture Phenomena

2009-06-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

So, some of you may have read the two articles on the latest subject of pop-culture criticism: marriage.

Essay #1: "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," by writer Sandra Tsing-Loh in The Atlantic
Essay #2: "A Vindication of Love", by essayist Christina Nehring

Essay number one does a fair amount of whining about the realities of a marriage that I am glad I wasn't a part of, and seems to come to a conclusion that some generalized requirements of modern married life are incompatible with marital bliss.

Essay number two compares literary romance across the ages with the reality of modern married life.

Both essays have gotten a lot of press in the various news/opinion sources I read, and I haven't linked to the articles because I am annoyed by them.

Essay number two annoys me because it seems to belong to the same argument that violent television/video games cause real life teen violence. As if modern men and women cannot separate dreams and fantasies from reality. I loathe the usage of this argument against anything; especially relating to adult behavior.

Essay number one: well, it reminds me of my beef with the book 'Eat, Pray, Love' or 'Wallow, Brainwash, Gluttony' (this may be unfair as I never even finished the 'Eat' part). Marriages work. Marriages fail. People can be assholes. People can be selfless, caring, supportive. Marriages can be working and failing and bliss and annoying all within the same 5 minutes (all this applies to parenthood too as far as I can tell in 9 months).

I guess I am just grumpy as these essays seem lazy, and whiny to me. And they seem to want to convince me that marriage can't work. While I can't see the future, and I have seen several of my friends' marriages end in divorce I am still a believer that even a failed marriage was worth the time and energy if only for a good story. And these two essays just aren't good enough stories.

Video: Harper At Virginia Beach

2009-06-24T13:41:00.001-07:00

Video: Harper Driving

2009-06-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

9 Month Harper Well Child Checkup

2009-06-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

We had our 9 month dr appt. this morning. Dr. Grahm's opening statement is "she's been out as long as she was in." And yes she has. Amazing that she was 2 cells about 9 months ago.

Height: 28.5 inches (75%)
Weight: 20 lbs 1 oz (66%)
Head Circum: 17.76 inches (77%)

She has two lower front teeth, the ability to pull herself up. Still no real crawling, just pushing herself around and around in a circle on her belly. But we all had to start somewhere.

Video: Harper holding on and 'walking'

2009-06-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

In case I get in an accident...

2009-06-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Apparently it only takes 3 minutes for me to pump out a pint of blood, so if I get cut, get me to the hospital!
I learned this today while donating blood.
Also, according to the Mayo Clinic, it takes 650 calories to produce a pint of blood, so I don't feel do bad about the doughnut and turtle bar I ate afterward!

Well, I was going to post an image but...

2009-06-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

So I went in today to get a small cyst removed from the back of my lower neck. I had the option to have a dermatologist/plastic surgeon remove the cyst, but since it was small and not on my face I decided to just have my internist do it. After 20 minutes of him tugging around unable to remove what proved not to be a cyst, but a fairly stubborn and deep lipoma, he finally removed the small lump which now needs to go to the pathologist (totally harmless and I am not worried at all). I have 3 stiches and am a bit sore. I did a quick google images search on lipoma to find something, and, well, I can only recommend that you NOT do a google image search on lipoma. Yeah, I would even recommend searching for 'pink eye' before lipoma.

10 Things We Have Learned About Harper: May 2009 Edition

2009-06-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

1. She has a strawberry intolerance.
2. She has "breath holding spells."
3. She can charm the pants off a paramedic (see number 2).
4. Harper could care less about seeing movies at the theater.
5. She loves dumping movie-theater-size-large Sprite on her mommy.
6. Unless something changes she will probably walk before she ever crawls.
7. The nicknames "doodle" and "noodle" are the only ones that have stuck.
8. She loves the local baby pool.
9. She doesn't yet have the palate for quinoa.
10. She does better having a viral cold than mommy does.

Just Donated To Planned Parenthood

2009-06-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

I just made a small donation to Planned Parenthood because of my anger over the murder of Dr. George Tiller.

If you feel moved please do the same:
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/

100 Days March 23 - 28

2009-05-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Somehow I missed a day, and it's this one from 3/18:
f3.5, 1/80, ISO 640, 18mm

March 24 - f5.6, 1/3200, ISO 640, 18mm - Harper checking the texture of the plants near Cathedral Rock in Sedona

March 25, 2009 - f4.0, 1/30, 50mm lens - Grandma Didi watches Harper learn about her bottle

March 26 - f3.2, 1/40, 50mm lens

March 27 - f13, 1/250, 18mm - Mom and Harper help me celebrate my b-day at the Grand Canyon

March 28 - f2.0, 1/25, 50mm lens

Should These Be Tweets?

2009-05-20T11:06:00.000-07:00

* So, when the baby literature says don't feed your 8.5 month-old strawberries, don't do it!

* I got a laptop stand that just kicks ass and actually got me working at my desk instead of in bed today.

* Trying to get a babysitter so Rick and I can see the terminator movie on Friday night - fingers crossed (also that it doesn't suck).

* Neighborhood pool opens this weekend. You couldn't get me in that water with a full wet suit.

* Neighborhood pool cleaning resulted in many tadpoles added to our pond - did any survive the appetites of our fish?

* "Is it harder to hit a point with a plane or a plane with a point?": our science-y bathtime conversation inspired by watching Harper bang her bath toys against each other.

Unkie Michael Does All The Hard Work

2009-05-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

Harper And Osa play

2009-05-18T09:55:00.001-07:00

Total Kid Chaos At Lisa and Mike's BBQ

2009-05-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

Featuring: Harper, Carlee, Nina, Annabell, and baby Nina:

100 Days March 18 - 22

2009-05-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

March 18, f3.5, 1/60, ISO 640, 18mm - Harper discovers the short-lived joys of gravity and toys

March 19, f2.5, 1/15th, ISO 400, 50mm lens - Harper goobers up the comb to get the mohawk higher

March 20, f2.5, 1/60, ISO 400, 50mm lens - Harper and mom on the plane to AZ

March 21, f6.3, 1/20, 18mm lens - Didi looks on as Harper and Diana celebrate being in Sedona

March 22, f5.6, 1/10th, 18mm - Steve feeds Harper in the back of the (rental) family truckster

Nitro Powered Advancement

2009-05-12T12:38:00.000-07:00

When Harper decides to do some advancement she goes all in. This morning Leslee and I could feel her first tooth. Which may explain the extreme snot-nosedness, drooliness, and lack of napping the last few days. AND then, Leslee cheered Harper along with the Raggedy Ann doll and Harper scooted a good 3 feet. Then she beat me at chess.

Video: Harper, Osa, And A Floor Banana

2009-05-01T05:25:00.001-07:00

Scoochin'

2009-04-28T03:45:00.000-07:00

Poor Daddy Rick. First Harper started clapping. She clapped for me, for Rick's boss, for Rick's boss's boss, but not for daddy for a full 24 hours.

Yesterday she scooched for the first time, and it was at our friends Abby and Arild's house. Arild got to see it, but Rick was at work. At least she put on a command performance this morning. Of course, video will be forth coming.

I don't know why I am excited about this. I can no longer leave her on the bed while I brush my teeth, or on the couch while I get ready to go out. Heck, I won't be able to leave her in the middle of the kitchen while I make dinner.

As a preparatory measure I went on the run this morning. I will try to get in shape before the real mobility gets going.

Ladder from a Leprechaun

2009-04-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

I think I may have just committed to buying an extension ladder (for cleaning our always filled gutters) from a Leprechaun. First piece of evidence: when he replied to my email that I sent him through craig's list, he signed it "Tooraloo, t.j.". I immediately had a wave of nostalgia of my grandmother singing tooraloo raloora (an Irish lullaby) to my sister and I when we would go to sleep at their house. (I sing this to Harper now sometimes.). Second piece of evidence: when I called him to confirm the details, I thought it must have been his wife answering the phone. After a little bit of the conversation I realized that he just has a tiny, spritely voice, with a strong irish accent.
We'll find out tonight if it's true. He'll probably turn out to be 6'6" and 280 pounds, and the voice is nothing but ironic.

Yep, Another Video.

2009-04-26T11:45:00.001-07:00

I know I have been super-blogger-lazy with just posting videos, but here is another. Harper is slowly learning to quinch her own thirst, well, actually she has barely learned this I am just being hopeful.

100 Days March 13 - 17

2009-04-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

March 13 - f5.6, 1/60, 18mm - Camy plays with Harper in front of the fire

March 14 - f4.5, 1/30, 24mm - Camy seems to enjoy feeding Harper.

March 15 - f4.2, 1/60, 35mm

March 16 - f3.5, 1/60, 18mm, ISO 640 - What? Camy left and it's just you guys?!

March 17 - f3.5, 1/60, 18mm, ISO 640 - Diana teaches Harper to be gentle with the dog...as I use Osa as a footrest...

100 Days March 8 - 12

2009-04-22T19:01:00.001-07:00

March 8th, 2009 - f6.3, 1/60, 18mm - breakfast with (from left to right) Nina, abbey, Meagan, Harper, and Diana

March 9th - f6.3, 1/60, 18mm

March 10th - f4.2, 1/20, 38mm - Diana plays one of the training violins for Harper

March 11 - f3.5, 1/20, 18mm, ISO 1600

March 12 - f5.6, 1/60, 18mm - Aunt Camy came to visit!

Harper And Silly Ducks In Sedona

2009-04-22T11:46:00.001-07:00

We saw these ducks mating in the pool. That is why we stuck to the hottub.

Video: Bouncing in Sedona

2009-04-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Video: Trying to distract in the doctor's office

2009-04-21T08:37:00.001-07:00

Chestertown, Maryland

2009-04-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

We went to Chestertown, Maryland this Saturday and Sunday to visit friends (especially their new adorable baby: Madeline). This resulted in some great photos:
http://s9s.net/Chestertown09/

Harper's Bitter Beer Face

2009-04-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

Sophie The Giraffe (from trip to Chestertown)

2009-04-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

Lesson Re-Learned

2009-04-11T09:38:00.001-07:00

This morning I re-learned a lesson from basic high-school chemistry class: do not stick your face directly over a container because you cannot know the effects of the contents. Especially, do not inhale directly over the container.

Well, Harper's diaper pail was almost full, but I thought it could hold a few more diapers so I grabbed the top of the garbage bag and shook it around a bit to remove some of the unused space. Well, the air in the unused space shot directly into my face. I gagged. My eyes watered. My nose still smells the odor.

Sedona Photos

2009-04-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

Sedona photos are finally up. Yay! See here: http://s9s.net/Sedona/

Today was beautiful, sunny, and relaxing; especially after a horrible evening of trying to get Harper to go to sleep, which she finally did at 9 PM (2 hours past her bedtime - ugh!).

Thank goodness it is sunny as our clothes dryer is not producing heat so we rigged up a $120 clothes line with our ice-climbing dry-rope. At least it is being used for something in Virginia.

If I Were A Bee

2009-04-01T10:35:00.001-07:00

Rick should be very glad he wasn't a bee.

Seriously, the Green Porno series is amazing. Isabella Rossellinni demonstrates the mating techniques of various animals. Here is one of my favorites. I recommend to watch them all:

Sedona We Cough All Over You

2009-03-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Sedona downtown is wayyyy built up in a very unattractive way. However, the house we are staying in is lovely, owned by Australians and full of aboriginal art. The views are amazing, and the drive we took through Oak Creek Canyon was lovely. Now, you might ask why we are driving in a place that is made for hiking. Well, Harper came down with a cold the day we arrived, then mommy came down with the same cold. There isn't anything much sadder (yet non-lethal) than a eye-watering, sneezing mother holding a snotty, coughing 6 month old. So here we are, still enjoying the vacation despite the Virginia virus that stowed away.

Sedona Here We Come

2009-03-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Rick, Harper and I head to Sedona tomorrow morning. We are actually staying at a home Jane Russel lived in, and of course we will watch 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' while we are there. Here's to travel with family and friends (and hoping that the 3 hour time change doesn't mean harper wakes up at 4 AM)!

Aunt Camy's Visit

2009-03-18T10:50:00.000-07:00

So Harper has almost met all of her relatives (Unkie Kevin and Aunt Mira are still on the list).

Aunt Camy came into town last weekend and we had an excellent time: hanging out while it rained, going on brief walks, dinner at Abby and Nina's, and weird sales-pitch at Williams-Sonoma that was supposed to be a knife skills class.

For some super cute pictures, mostly of Camy feeding Harper, check out the new photo album:

http://www.s9s.net/CamysVisit/

6 month check-up

2009-03-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since a text blog post, mostly due to my weird love/hate relationship with my computer. I love working on my computer, but I have a hard time spending my non-work time in front of the screen. My work hours have been cut a bit for the next few weeks, or maybe a couple of months. The silver lining is that I only have Leslee come 3 days a week and I get all day with Harper on Thursday and Friday. Last week we had friends over on Thursday, and went to the library, yoga, and took a walk on Friday. Followed by a date night to see the Watchmen for me and Rick.

I will probably make many an enemy by saying this but I really like the changes made in the Watchmen movie, I thought the story held together well, and I cared about the screwed-up world. I missed the newstand scenes, but Rorschach made the film for me. I had tears in my eyes when he demanded not to compromise and made Dr Manhattan ...

We had Harper's 6 month check-up today. She is a fabulous healthy baby:

Height: 26.5 inches (60%)

Weight: 17 lbs 5 oz. (75%)

Head Circumference: 17 inches (75%)

100 Days of Harper - March 1-7 2009

2009-03-07T18:55:00.001-08:00

1/13, f2.5, 50mm lens, ISO 640 - sorry to get mushy, but I love my wife and my baby so damn much.

1/13, f2.5, 50mm lens, ISO 400 - mmmm pears

1/100, f2.8, 50mm lens, ISO 400

1/30, f2.0, 50mm lens, ISO 640

1/30, f2.0, 50mm lens, ISO 640 - pears > peas

1/50, f2.8, 10.5mm fisheye - mommy and me yoga!

1/60, f2.8, 10.5mm fisheye, flash - happy fun massage time!

100 Days of Harper - February 26-28 2009

2009-03-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

1/13, f1.8, 50mm lens, flash, self-timer.

1/13, f2.2, 50mm lens

1/13, f1.8, 50mm lens

100 Days of Harper - February 20-25 2009

2009-03-07T18:00:00.000-08:00

1/60, f5.6, 18mm - Grandpa Chuck looks on happily as daughter plays with Granddaughter

1/15, f3.5, 18mm, ISO360 - Diana contemplates the challenegs of raising a baby in the traditional housing of the Native Americans when the Europeans settled Jamestowne

1/50, f5.6, 18mm, flash - timer portrait of the family. From right, Chuck, Sharon, Harper, Diana, and Rick

1/50, f3.5, 18mm

1/50, f3.8, 27mm, flash - big air for Harper

1/60, f5.6, 18mm - Harpers first drink from any kind of cup. She's sure seems to like it.

100 Days of Harper - February 15-19 2009

2009-03-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

1/20th, f5.6, 18mm - Grandma Didi in town. We're at brunch at the Virginia Diner

1/8, F4.0, 18mm, ISO 400 - Diana stretches with Harper at our friends Abby, Arild, and Nina's house

1/6, f4.0, 29mm, ISO 1600

1/15, f3.5, 10.5mm fisheye, ISO 1600 - this is part of my "Harper's eye view" series

1/50, f16, 10.5mm fisheye - 2nd in Harper's eye view. We're walking in the park. Harper is in the sling that Grandma Susu made for her/us.

100 Days - Sat, Feb 14th

2009-02-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

30 sec at f 3.5, 18mm, ISO 320

Finally captured the super awesome light display from her mobile. She and daddy watch the mobile lights every morning. And no no no do we ever leave her unattended on the changing table (oops).

100 Days - Friday, Feb 13th

2009-02-17T07:48:00.000-08:00

1/2 sec at f 3.2, 50mm, ISO 320

The whole family (gotta love the camera timer). Harper giving the cute eyes to the camera. These days she is more into looking around than eating in the morning.

100 Days - Thursday Feb 12th

2009-02-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

1/15 sec at f 3.5, 18mm, ISO 500

Playing in the bedroom before we really get a start on the day. Look at those super strong legs!

100 Days - Wednesday Feb 11th

2009-02-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

1/50 sec at f 1.8, 50 mm, ISO 500

She is enjoying her car seat more and more (thank god).

100 Days - Tuesday Feb 10th

2009-02-17T07:42:00.001-08:00

1/20 at f 1.8, 50mm, ISO 500

Harper completely bored with eating. Or she might be completely bored with my Steven Tyler look.

100 Days - Monday Feb 9th

2009-02-17T07:39:00.001-08:00

1/8 sec at f 3.5, 50 mm, ISO 500

Dinner time with Harper in her big girl chair.

100 Days - Sunday Feb 8th

2009-02-17T07:34:00.001-08:00

Feb 8th: f 5.6, 18mm, ISO 200 (Diana posting here and I have no idea what these numbers mean so I hope I am documenting them correctly).

Diana, Harper, Lisa and baby Nina at the First Colony Marina. Beautiful sunset. Beautiful babies. You can't see in the photo but Harper's outfit said "Let's Play" and had little space invaders on it.

Rick and My Three Marriages

2009-02-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

So, this posting is for posterity.

Rick and I have wedded each other three times. Yep, three times. The first was in 1999 when we became domestic partners for insurance reasons. When Rollingstone.com was taken over by emusic, which was based in San Francisco CA, we became legal domestic partners. When I took my job with RTP, in Vail CO, it was contingent on them giving insurance to my "partner". This caused confusion for RTP who thought their first technical female hire was a lesbian, but they still hired me and Rick had insurance (thank goodness as ski mountains are injury manufacturing plants).

So, that is number one.

Then there was our "real" wedding. Our ceremony on Vail Pass with family, friends, a fancy dress, and Moe's Original BBQ (oh my god my mouth is watering just thinking about it). This ceremony was on July 3rd 2004. Well, about a month after this ceremony we went to the Avon, CO DMV which is where marriage licenses are submitted. We gave them our signed form, and they were suposed to file it.

That was number two.

We forgot all about this license.

Rick got a job in Virginia. Since I kept McSpadden as my last name his new company, Colonial Williamsburg, requested to see our marriage license before they extended insurance to me. I went to the Avon, CO DMV and requested a copy of our license. They couldn't find it. They requested a copy for the county seat, Eagle, CO. THEY couldn't find it. So, now we needed to get married again since Colorado lost our marriage license.

Except, Rick was living in Virginia and I was in Colorado finishing work and selling our house. So, I had to get the form that I call "How-To-Marry-An-Overseas-Soldier-Or-Prison-Inmate-Form". I got it notarized, Rick got it notarized and then I submitted another marriage license and we finally got our certificate. This was in 2007. Sometime in March.

My third husband is the best.

100 Days of Harper - February 7, 2009

2009-02-08T13:05:00.001-08:00

1/40, f3.5, ISO 400, 50mm lens. This is Harper's pose after being told that turning at an angle to the camera is slimming. Also notice the pointed toes to bring out the definition in her calves.

100 Days of Harper - February 6, 2009

2009-02-08T13:03:00.000-08:00

1/5o, f1.8, ISO 500, 50mm lens. Harper in stylish hoodie being held by her new baby-sitter Maggie.

100 Days of Harper - February 5, 2009

2009-02-08T12:58:00.001-08:00

1/60, f1.8, ISO 500, 50mm lens. It's interesting how in some of the pictures she looks like she's gotten so much bigger, but in some pictures she still looks pretty tiny.

100 Days of Harper - February 5, 2009

2009-02-08T12:49:00.000-08:00

1/25, f1.4, 50mm lens. We get really nice light in the morning in our room, partly because of the light green paint on the walls, and partly because the light comes in through the trees. Anyway, makes it easy to make good looking people look good!

100 Days of Harper - February 3, 2009

2009-02-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

1/5, f1.4, 50mm lens.

100 Days of Harper - February 2, 2009

2009-02-08T12:47:00.001-08:00

1/60, f5.6, 50mm lens.

100 Days of Harper - February 1, 2009

2009-02-08T12:45:00.001-08:00

1/8, f4.0, 18-70mm at 18mm. Note that she's starting to get hair. This is her first every carrot feeding! She has now eaten 4 things in her life: breast milk, formula, rice cereal, and carrots.

100 Days of Harper - January 31, 2009

2009-02-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

1/25, f2.5, 50mm lens, ISO 800.

100 Days of Harper - January 30, 2009

2009-02-08T12:41:00.001-08:00

1/30, f2.2, 50mm lens, ISO 500. Honestly, I'm going to have to come up with something pretty special to top this one. Those are her first ever shoes, by the way.

100 Days of Harper - January 29, 2009

2009-02-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

30s, f5.0, ISO 1600, 50mm lens. As you can see, this photo is pretty lame. We had a crazy day, and at 10pm (2.5 hours after Harper went to bed, I realized I didn't have a photo of her. So, carefully balancing my drive to keep the project alive, with the risk of the Wrath Of Mom if I were to wake Harper. So I carefully setup the tripod in the hallway, set the camera for the longest exposure possible (30 seconds), opened the shutter in the hall, carefully opened the door, counting to 27 in my head, pointed the camera at the crib, waited as long as possible, then backed out before the shutter closed. The shutter opening and closing are a little noisy, which is why I didn't want to do them in the room. This particular image just barely beat out the other one I took with the same process. The other one is completely black. This has just a hit of color in the upper left!

Trying to fall in love with my dog again

2009-02-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

Oh Osa. Sweet sweet Osa.

I write this post knowing that many of the readers are devoted animal lovers and I need your help. I do really love our dog Osa. She came to us 5 weeks old after the owner of her mother threatened to drown a sack containing her and her siblings unless the humane society picked them up (in Colorado the human society charges a fee per dog they take off your hands to cover the cost of spaying or neutering.). She was so tiny. She ate out of a ramekin. We saw her through a urinary tract infection, spaying, several doses of hydrogen peroxide due to chocolate binges, and spider bites requiring benedryll. She devotedly ran miles and miles with me through the Rocky Mountains, even when her paws were tired. She wiggles and sqeaks with joy whenever we come home. She has never liked being hugged, or snuggled, just scratched under her collar. She is often aloof, which just makes me want to hug her more.

Well, since Harper was born I have found my beautiful, sweet dog exhausting. She barks and wakes Harper up. She barks when company comes. She requires walking when I would rather play with Harper. She has mostly just seemed like work. I wasn't expecting this feeling when I was pregnant. Osa and I have been family for 7 and a half years, I wasn't expecting to ever think of her as a task on my list. I am trying to get over this feeling.

She injured herself last week. Somehow, I think jumping through our new dog door, she lost a quarter sized piece of skin off her rear left knee. It took me almost half a day to notice her limping and I felt awful. I have been trying to redeem myself in her eyes since. It seems horrible that her injury made me realize how little I have played with her in the last 5 months. But I now resolve to reestablish my relationship with my dog. Hold me to it.

Three words and an exclamation point

2009-01-29T05:49:00.000-08:00

Skinny jeans again!

100 Days of Harper - January 28, 2009

2009-01-28T18:41:00.001-08:00

1.6s, f7.1, 50mm. Harper in her jumpy seat. Tanks Mr. and Mrs. Loeb!

100 Days of Harper - January 27, 2009

2009-01-28T18:40:00.001-08:00

1/50, f4.0, 70-300 at 70mm, ISO 1600. Not all the photos have to be cute...

100 Days of Harper - January 26, 2009

2009-01-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

1/60, f5.6, 70-300mm at 70. I realized I had been taking almost all wide(ish) angle photos, and decided to do a little more detail. There were some great ones of her hands, but this was just cute to pass up.

100 Days of Harper - January 25, 2009

2009-01-28T18:36:00.001-08:00

1/25, f2.5, 50mm lense, ISO 400. Harper watching mom trim her toenails. It's amazing how much more attentive she's becoming.

100 Days of Harper - January 24, 2009

2009-01-28T18:34:00.000-08:00

1/125, f2.2, 50mm lens, ISO 500. I like how they're both looking in opposite directions, and I find myself wondering what they're looking at.

100 Days of Harper - January 23, 2009

2009-01-28T18:31:00.001-08:00

1/100th, f1.4, 50mm lens. I like how the forelock of hair. the face, and mom's jacket are the only things in focus.