For the Love of Bacon

Daph got her first taste of her daddy's favorite food yesterday.







































She likes it.






































Good thing she has an in with a bacon supplier.

Although I don't know if she will ever have to stay home from elementary school to watch a pig butchering. Nor will she innocently wake up one morning, look out the kitchen window and be surprised to see a dead pig hanging upside down in the yard.

Not that these things have ever happened, because we all know that meat comes from a store. Duh.

Quick Message

Hey Guys,

I would love to stay and tell you about my day, but I've got places to go and people to talk to.



















I'm very busy and my schedule is quite full, so I'll catch ya on the flip side.



















P.S. I called this number: 473-327-3243434265221. I think that's the number for Mars, but I don't know for sure because Mom hung up real quick.

Love, Daphne

Issues

Daphne's shirt is too small. This is sad because I like it, and it would make a very good shirt for summertime.

Now it just rides up and exposes her belly in a most attractive way.

That's what you get for stuffing a 15 month-old's belly into a 9 month-sized shirt.

Realization

Somebody


















would













much rather



















be out


















in the sun


















than be


















stuck













indoors













for one














more


















day.

Outings

Starbucks:




















The doctor:



















The park:



















Hiking:



















A parking lot:



















The backyard:

More Information About Our Life Than You Ever Needed to Know

When David has the occasional training days throughout the year he works an adjusted shift, meaning his regular work day and time (4PM -2AM) get switched to a day shift (8AM-6PM) so he can attend his training. This week he had training on Monday and Tuesday, which are his regular days off, so he's been gone during the day and then will get two of his regular work days as days off instead. Confusing? Slightly. The only part that really matters is that he's working two day shifts this week and then getting a 5 day weekend.

I like it when he has training because it breaks up our regular week with some fun and excitement. There is nothing more exciting than having a different day off and working a different shift. Woohoo! It doesn't take much for me to be excited.




















I always say I want him to start working a day shift, but then I think about it and I'm not really sure. I think it would be great to have him home every night, but at the same time with his current shift he gets to spend more time with Daphne. If he didn't get home until 6:30 every night he wouldn't get to see her for very long before she went to bed. Now he usually gets up around 10AM and doesn't leave for work until 3PM, so we have that nice chunk in the middle of the day to hang out at home or go run around town. It works out well.

But I do like it when he works the occasional day shift. This morning Daphne and I got to go shoppin' without thinking about being home when David got up. And it's nice to look forward to him coming home in the evening. I can be a good wife and have supper waiting this evening. Ha!

I've always referred to our running around as "going shoppin'." When we're about to leave that's what we tell Daphne we're doing, even if we're going to church or something non-shopping related. But she's figured out a way to tell me that she's ready to go somewhere: she crawls over to the front door and starts waving bye-bye. And she does this about every 5 minutes because she sure does like to go shoppin'. With David gone these past two days it has given us ample time to go out and party, just us girls.



















This morning we went to Fabric Depot (my new favorite place), a fun park, and played in our driveway. It is such a beautiful day that I even put Daphne in capri pants. Poor thing; the pants just don't look quite as good with socks and KAFOs on.







































With all the fun things on the play structure at the park, she was more interested in the bolts holding the structure together. I love how she can be so easily entertained.

Here's to hoping she'll be as easily entertained here at home so I can get a little work done as we wait for David to come home. Someone needs to tell her that life isn't all about shoppin'.

Race Day

David was a super runner in his high school/college days, and lately he has decided to train and do some races. I've only seen him run once, back when he came to visit me while I was living in Thailand. My next door neighbor was going to run a road race and invited David to run with him. Now he has a medal with Thailand's king's face on it. Very cool.

This morning was the Shamrock Run in downtown Portland, so we got up very early (on daylight savings day, no less) to go cheer him on. It was so cold. So very, very cold. But at least there was no rain, because I don't think I could have handled trying to keep Daphne warm and dry in a downpour.

It was hard enough to keep her happy as it was. I think it was good for her to see what it's like to be awoken early in the morning instead of being the one doing the awaking.



















David ran with a friend of his from work. There were 7000 or so people in their race, so his wife and I didn't get to see them start. We figured they were somewhere in the big mass of people we were standing near, except they really weren't because I found out later they were at the beginning of the pack and took off long before this group we were watching. Oops; so much for being supportive wives.













We parked ourselves at the finish line hoping to catch the grand finale and cheer them to the end. All of a sudden David appeared running full speed so I basically pointed the camera and pressed the button...and what do you know, I actually got him.



















Karl and David finished 200th and 198th respectively, which I think is pretty good out of 7000-ish people.




















Daphne wore the cutest outfit to the race. I think she wanted to do the 1K Leprechaun race that they have for the kids, but she just did some push-ups instead. Maybe next year.

Lots of Good Stuff

Good: Daphne continues to sleep well. She sleeps 11 1/2 hours straight every two out of three nights or so. I am super happy about this.

Bad: Sleeping through the night has evidently given her the energy to throw some major temper tantrums. Anytime something doesn't go her way she stiffens up and starts yelling, turning tomato red in the process. Who is this child??!

Good: Along with sleeping through the night, we've been able to tweak her sleep routine enough that she goes to bed a bit later. I like the freedom this gives us to not have to be home by 5. Party time for us! Plus, she sleeps in a bit more and I like getting up after the sun.




















Good/Bad Combo: We're down to a one hour nap a day. This is good because I think switching from two naps down to one is part of the reason she is sleeping through the night. It's bad because I liked having two chunks of time in my day to do things like shower and cook food. Now I just have to move at lightening speed during that one hour nap to get as much done as humanly possible.

Good: Daphne seems to be adding a new word to her repertoire every day. Today she said "cracker" and "EIEIO." I realize that last one isn't really a word, but we were singing the Old McDonald song and so it seems like a word.

Bad: Daph loves throwing her food off of her high chair tray.

Good: She loves her stroller and continues to be a good shopping buddy.


















Bad: Right at this minute the baby monitor is freaking out with loud bouts of static and I can't get it to stop.

Good: Daphne is cute.

More Good: Lola is soooo thrilled that Daphne lives with us.



















Even More Good: Dance time gets more entertaining every day.





And Finally: I can sew a mean burp cloth. Daphne can only use so many burp cloths, so if you know anyone who produces a lot of snot and/or vomit let me know. I'm having the best time ever buying lots of pretty pieces of fabric and turning them into usable pieces of art.

She Made the List

Did any of you have one of these hanging in your church while you were growing up?



















I did, and I always liked looking at it. I feel like I even remember seeing my own name written on our chart. These charts hold a lot of pages, so it's possible that I did. It's also possible that I have a manufactured memory of seeing my own name. But I know I remember seeing my youngest sister's name for sure.

Before Daphne was born I volunteered in the nursery at the church we attend now and it brought on a touch of nostalgia to see one of these same charts for keeping track of the babies born in the church.

Today when dropping Daphne off at the nursery I realized that the tradition has continued:



















I wonder if they'll let me cut out Daphne's name so I can put it in her baby book.

Just kidding. Maybe they'll let me have the whole chart.

Welcome to the Danger Zone

At our last pediatrician appointment Daphne's doctor said something about kids at this age having no fear. They peer over the edge of their crib without seeing the danger of being able to fall and break an important body part.

It's thrilling to watch Daphne play her role of fearless explorer.


















(In between taking pictures I try to be consistently firm as I tell her that sitting on top of her high chair tray is not a good thing. I promise.)

Nothing keeps her down. Today I had her in the cart at Fred Meyer when she somehow whipped herself around and got her leg stuck in the back of the cart seat. She started wailing and apparently I looked a little traumatized because a nice older gentleman came to my rescue by helping me get her leg out. I was thinking we were going to need the Jaws of Life to free her so I was thankful for his aid.

I always get the most concerned when she gets to the top of stairs and lean waaaayyy forward. I can see her wheels turning as she ponders what it might be like to just let go.



















(In between taking pictures I try to be consistently firm as I tell her that falling down stairs is not a good thing. I promise.)

On a tangent, do you see that bit of beauty behind Daphne as she is leaning over the stairs? Her flower clip collection had reached crisis point as the basket I was keeping them in was full to over-flowing. I just keep making more and more flowers so we needed a new organizational system. During her nap today I whipped up a little French bulletin board type thing that, if I do say so myself, turned out quite lovely.






































I need to make more flowers so that I can make another one.

Reason #46 For Giving Your Pets Easy-To-Say Names

We didn't see the need to buy Daphne many birthday or Christmas gifts this year. She's 1 so she doesn't care. And she won't care for several more years, as an FYI for all of you. Give her an old wooden spoon from your kitchen next year; she'll love it. Spend your money on me instead.

Anyways, we decided to do just one keepsake item so that in future years we'll be able to say, "hey, we gave this to you for your 1st birthday! Treasure it always!" So a few days before her birthday we went to Build-A-Bear to let her pick out a critter for her very own.

After cruising around looking at all the options, David and I each chose an animal that we thought she would enjoy and then we let her pick between the two. She had the opportunity to choose between a rather charming, beautiful, fluffy and sparkly snow leopard or.... an owl. She chose the owl.














I know, I couldn't believe it either.

She really does like this owl. The other day she and I were playing on the floor with the owl and she started saying a word that sounded almost exactly like 'owl.' I was so excited that she officially had a stuffed animal that she loved so much she learned the word for it as one of her first words.

Later that same day we were outside playing and she was saying 'owl' over and over again. I was thinking that she really, really must love that owl!

But when I turned around I saw what Daphne was looking at, and now I know that she was really saying...


















...Ellie, our cat, who does bear a remarkable resemblance to the stuffed owl.


















Unfortunately Ellie is not much of a people cat. You have about a 5 minute window a day where she will tolerate you, and then she disappears and we don't see her again until mealtime. She's kind of weird.

But Daphne loves Ellie so much. So much so that she was willing to pass up the most beautiful sparkly snow leopard in the world for an owl that looks just like her kitty. So much so that she would really like to share Ellie's food.


















So much so that right now as she's falling asleep in her bed she's saying Ellie's name over and over again.



















Poor Lola.