Things to do...

Since Deedle couldn't start doggie daycare until Wednesday we spent all day Tuesday looking for things to do around town with a baby and a doggie. This was a bit of a challenge not knowing the area and all but we did it without as much trouble as I thought we would have. Scott was off to work at 9am so from then on we were on our own. We had passed by a park on our driving around on Monday so today we stopped by. It was a great park with a large play area with a lot of different obstacles to climb on and a wide grassy area surrounded by trees and a fence so Chance couldn't just run out into the street. Also, they had quite a few of these wonderful front porch type swings hanging in the trees. I loved it, I sat on the swing in the shade while Chance ran around picking up pine cones and dirt and rocks then he would come back and climb up on the swing with me for a few back and forths and then off he went again. The whole time Deedle was either chasing after Chance or laying under the swing. After the park we went back to the hotel for nap time. After Chance's nap we were off again since we want to spend as little time in the hotel room with Deedle as possible. This time we drove around for a while getting to know the area a bit more and then went driving along the beach. We found another great little park right on the beach. They had a little jungle jim with swings, a bit of grass and a memorial walkway all just up the boardwalk from the beach. We walked down to the beach and sifted through the sand too. We got a couple cool shells to bring home. I hear the beach here is good to find shark's teeth so we will have to go back and look closer in a few days. After the beach we purchased some KFC for dinner and went back to the hotel room to rest and wait for Scott to get off work.

we made it.

Hi,
we made it to Myrtle Beach. I don't have any pictures yet but you can read about our first half of our first day here The ride in the car went well it was a long way but we all made it safe and sound.
I will post more soon after I take some pictures.

Funny Faces in the Camera

He has really started to smile when you turn the camera on him now. He also comes right for the camera anytime you are down at his level so here he is making funny smiley faces at the camera. He is all washed out but you get the idea.

Road Trip

We are going to Myrtle Beach. This is sort of short notice, we did not find out until Thursday night that Scott would have to leave on Sunday for Myrtle Beach where he will be for two weeks. Since he is flying in today that would only give him one day home then we would be here by ourselves again. In order to fix that situation so we do not spend so much time apart this year like we did last year Chance and I are going with him. And Deedle too I think, so far we can't find anyone to watch him and we can't board him because he is too young to get his rabies shot and they won't except him without it. Scott flys in to New Orleans today at 3:17p and we are planning to leave town in the car by 5pm. This will be the first true test of how much space there is in the mini since we will have to carry all three of our things. I am thinking the stroller isn't going to make the cut. Maybe we can just buy a little umbrella stroller when we get there they are really inexpensive. So we will be in Myrtle Beach, SC until the 8th then we will drive to Kentucky for my family reunion and then back to NOLA. Scot may or may not be able to go tot eh reunion in that case he will fly back to NOLA and we will drive it. We'll see.

Pool for the Backyard

At Walmart the other day I got Chance a little pool to play in the backyard. He loves water so much I was sure he would love this too and I was right. He hopped right in and started playing around. Splashing in the water and laying on his tummy and kicking his legs to splash some more. He also stuck his tongue out at me and at Deedle who I would not let in the pool though he wanted to go in very badly. Even without going in the pool Deedle got all wet from the splashing and when we went inside we had a wet baby and a wet doggie. I think the pool was a big hit. It is great for the evening when the sun is starting to go down so it is not so hot outside and that is the time Chance and I start getting ants in our pants from being in the house for a long time since his nap most days, it gives us a good alternative to sitting in front of the TV which we had been doing for the last few days . TV is an easy habit to start but just as easy to break if you just turn it off and get something else to do. In this last picture Chance is wiggling his toes. I asked him to wiggle them and he concentrates so hard when he does it is so cute.

a new park

We are always looking to find new parts of the city and in a city this large it is easy to find new little places we have never been before. This time we went across the river to the Westbank a little section called Algiers Point. There we found a park with a playground so we stopped to let Chance play. I really liked the new area we found it was quiet and seemed nice. For some reason I got a family vibe from it even though we did not see any other families out and about. It is still in the city of New Orleans just on the other side of the river from where we live now. You can take the ferry from the French Quarter and end up right there. Speaking of that the ferries are still closed due to the diesel fuel spill I am sure you all heard about. If not you can read about it here. Anyway Chance had a good time playing at the park. We also found something strange at the park. A big rock with words written on it but with plants planted in front of it like they don't want you to read what is on the rock anymore. Very interesting. This park just screams geocache but I had not looked ahead of time to see if there was one located at the park.

Group Hug

This picture makes me look silly but it's the best one we got. I was playing with Deedle, he was in my lap. Chance came over and tried to give Deedle a hug. Then he came back and gave us both a big hug.

Deedle update

Deedle is 10 weeks old and saw our vet for the first time today. He got some shots which made him tired for a little while so he found a safe (read Chance can't find him) place in the closet to sleep for a while then he was back up and ready to play. Chance and Deedle are still getting along well although we are still working on not picking him up, some places we have found Deedle recently; on top of the bed, on top of the futon (as pictured), on top of the ottoman and in the bathtub. I am sure I do not have to say this but deedle is a little dog and can not get up on or into any of those places on his own. We did not witness all of the events in question but we think he has an accomplice.

19 months old

Now he is over a year and a half old, crazy! He is a rocking and rolling little guy now. He runs, he climbs he is nearly unstoppable or more like it he is there and do it before you ever reach him so you've missed the window of opportunity to stop him. Whatever it is has already been done. He is beginning to assert his independence by not wanting to get out of the bed in the morning until he is ready (not when you come to get him just a minute later) and by not wanting whatever it is that you want to give him but everything that you want him to stay away from (hello reverse psychology). He does not want you to do things for him he wants to do them himself. He is a fast learner and underneath it all wants to please so he stopped hitting after two times when he learned we would not tolerate hitting (now he pokes which is ok), he is also learning we won't let him scream so now when he is mad he makes one short burst of a scream to let us know something is wrong. Everyday he does something new and different. Today he showed the ladies at our playgroup that he likes animal crackers better than just plain bread by telling the mom with the bread "no" when she asked him if he wanted more and picking up the bag of animal crackers and handing them to the mom who brought them very nicely then pointing to his mouth. I had no idea he would or could have such an intricate interaction with someone especiallyy people he does not know that well. I underestimate him sometimes. As for the milestone he eats with a spoon and fork no problem and has just started to run. He throws a ball overhand pretty well as for underhand I do not think he has ever tried. He enjoys helping around the house and the yard just today I was shoveling some dirt to clear off an area near the house (we are going to even out the area to make a patio) and Chance was right behind me grabbing a handful of dirt and throwing it on the pile. He has started to understand when things are wrong and thinks they are funny. I have no idea how many words he understands but I do know that he understand most everything we say during the day. He points to pictures of objects when you say their name and has been doing that for some time now. I do not know about pee but he definitely knows about poo. Also, I think he could wash his hands (he sure wants to) if we had a stool that was tall enough for him to reach the water in the sink. Right now he can't reach it himself so I have to help him wash his hands.

Child's Age	Mastered Skills (most kids can do)	Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)	Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
19 months	• Uses a spoon and fork • Runs • Throws a ball underhand • Enjoys helping around the house	• Understands as many as 200 words • Recognizes when something is wrong (e.g., calling a dog a cat)	• Washes and dries own hands with help • Points to picture or object when you call it by name • May know when she needs to pee

Warning - Naked Baby

The other day we were out playing in the yard, we were weeding and shoveling dirt and watering plants too. All of these things put together made a perfect opportunity for Chance to get very very dirty. He got so dirty in fact that it was easier to strip him down right there int he backyard and hose him down than it would have been to take him inside and try to clean him there. So that is exactly what we did. He did not mind since he loves water with his clothes on or off. After I washed him off we went inside to dry while Scott worked on a cool shelving project. He built some awesome shelves to hold my dirt collection. I had been displaying it on an old cardboard display I got form Barnes and Noble and then hung on the wall. Now I have a solid sturdy set of shelves . I will take a picture of the shelves and post it here soon so you can see.

To The Beach

Today we went to the beach.Even though we look close to the water on a map we are actually about an hour from the beach (the water around us is delta). So we drove over to Mississippi today close to Biloxi to check out the beach. This was Chance's first time really play and getting in the water at the beach. I am sure you guessed form the way I talk about him liking water but he loved the beach. There is a bit of a walk from the car to the water over very hot sand which burnt my feet but I was carrying Chance so his little toes were just fine. Then when we go to the water we let him go and he immediately started to play. He wasn't afraid of the waves or anything. There aren't too many waves to worry about in the Gulf but still. He picked up the sand and threw it in the water and then he sat down and let the water rush over him with the waves. That was not enough so eventually he just laid down and splashed water all over. We walked up and down the beach and Chance played the whole way. At one point we had to walk down the beach a little farther because we saw some Jellyfish and did not want his first trip to the beach to turn into a memory of a Jellyfish sting. We were safe though, we also saw a bunch of little fish swimming around and an eel thing that had washed up on shore( see his pictures in our Flickr photos (new pictures link)). We played for about an hour and I think Chance could have played a lot longer but with the drive and since our trip was kind of impromptu anyway we headed back home. I think as the weather gets a little cooler in the fall we will plan a trip back to the beach and stay longer. Now Chance has been in the Pacific (though is was too cold to really go swimming) and the Gulf of Mexico now we just need to get him in the Atlantic and he will have hit all sides of the continent and to think he is only 18 months old ok 18 and a half. I think since Scott and I both love to travel Chance is going to be a well traveled little guy. On the way back to the car Scott carried Chance back to the car since he had shoes on and I needed to run so I did not burn my feet again. Note to self: take better beach shoes next time you go to the beach.

Chance likes to climb in

Remember what seems like such a long time ago so it is sitting where he wants it before he climbs in so he is still in the now when I would post pictures of Chance in the laundry basket? Well back then I used to lift him up and set him in the basket for the photo opp but not any more. He has figured out how to get in and out of the basket all by himself. He tosses a bunch of his little cars in the basket and then climbs in himself. He sits for a long time (in baby time about ten minutes) and drives the cars all along the rim of the basket. He will also pull the basket around to where he wants it so he does not get left out of any action that may be going on at the time. In addition to his basket climbing skills he has also been working on his dipping skills. He discovered the joys of dipping things in Ketchup not too long ago and now he has started enjoying soy sauce. We have been getting frozen Gyoza from the local Asian Food Market and eating it a lot lately. We dip each piece in soy sauce so he needs to dip it in soy sauce too. I thought he wouldn't like it so much but he really does.

Driving to Baton Rouge

Last Wednesday we drove to Baton Rouge to get the oil changed in our car.

The closest Mini dealership is in Baton Rouge and we get our regular maintenance services for free if we go to the dealership so it kind of makes the drive worth it plus it is only an hour. I took these picture while we were on our way up . Chance was really good while we waited. We wondered around the car lot and through the building. Everyone was very nice and they even had a toy BMW motorcycle for him to ride on, which he greatly enjoyed. He was so worn out by the time we left he fell asleep soon after.

Farmer's Market

Last Tuesday we went to one of the Farmer's Markets in the area. For more on how that went check here.

More Playing in the Backyard

Even though it is so hot it seems like we are always out in the backyard these days. The other day we went out right after dinner, you can still see it all over Chance's face. Deedle needed to go out before we had time to really clean up so out we all went. It was bath night so we did not stress about the mess and just let him play.

Blue Steal

This is Scott's Blue Steal face. He tried to get Chance to make the face too but no such luck. Chance just kept giving him funny looks and then had a completely blank face for the camera.

Birthday Events

This is one of those things that a friend sends you every once in a while but this one was interesting. You get to learn things about history. So I did it for all three of us. Here is what you are suposed to do:
Enter your date of birth (eg. January 12) into the Wikipedia search field.1. List five famous people - dead or alive - born on that day.
2. List five historical events on that day.
3. List any days of national or religious observance that occur on that day.

Rayna – December 19th
1. List five famous people - dead or alive - born on that day
- 1778 - Princess Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, eldest child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI (d. 1851)
- 1915 - Édith Piaf, French singer and actress (d. 1963)
- 1933 - Cicely Tyson, American actress
- 1923 - Gordon Jackson, Scottish actor (d. 1990)
- 1980 - Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor2. List five historical events on that day.

- 1776 - Thomas Paine publishes one of a series of pamphlets in the Pennsylvania Journal titled The American Crisis.
- 1941 - World War II: Adolf Hitler becomes Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the German Army.
- 2007 - The Lakotah people, a Native American tribe, proclaim independence and withdraw all their treaties with the United States. They then proceed to establish the Republic of Lakotah, with an ongoing process of international recognition as a separate country.
- 1154- Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey.
- 1986 - Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev releases Andrei Sakharov and his wife from internal exile in Gorky.3. List any days of national or religious observance that occur on that day.

- Roman festivals - Opalia
- R.C. Saints – O Radix
- Liberation day - Goa

Scott – October 4th

List five famous people - dead or alive - born on that day.
- 1289 - King Louis X of France (d. 1316)
- 1895 - Buster Keaton, American comedian (d. 1966)
- 1941 - Anne Rice, American writer
- 1903 - John Vincent Atanasoff, American computer pioneer (d. 1995)
- 1965 - Skip Heller, American musician

List five historical events on that day.
- 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas and becomes Emperor.
- 1795 - Napoleon Bonaparte first rises to national prominence with a "Whiff of Grapeshot", using cannon to suppress armed counter-revolutionary rioters threatening the French Legislature (National Convention).
- 1853 - Crimean War: The Ottoman Empire declares war on Russia.
- 1957 - Launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
- 1988 - U.S. televangelist Jim Bakker is indicted for fraud.

List any days of national or religious observance that occur on that day.
- Lesotho - Independence Day (from Britain, 1966).
- World Animal Day
- The beginning of World Space Week
- RC Saints - Feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi; also of Saint Amun, Saint Petronius of Bologna.

Chance – December 21st

1. List five famous people - dead or alive - born on that day.
- 1966 - Kiefer Sutherland, British-born Canadian actor
- 1879 - Joseph Stalin, U.S.S.R Leader
- 1940 - Frank Zappa, American musician (d. 1993)
- 1915 - Werner von Trapp, member of the Trapp Family Singers (d. 2007)
- 1921 - Maila Nurmi, aka Vampira, Finnish-born American actress (d. 2008)

2. List five historical events on that day.
- 1620 - Plymouth Colony: William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
- 1968 - Apollo program: Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At 2h:50m:37s Mission elapsed time (MES), the crew performs the first ever manned Trans Lunar Injection and become the first humans to leave Earth's gravity.
- 1913 - Arthur Wynne's "word-cross", the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World.
- 1861 - Medal of Honor: Public Resolution 82, containing a provision for a Navy Medal of Valor, is signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.
- 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian becomes the fourth Emperor of Rome within a year.

3. List any days of national or religious observance that occur on that day.
- Roman festivals – Divalia in honour of Angerona
- R.C. Saints – O Oriens, Saint Petrus Conisius; formerly feast day of Thomas the apostle
- In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice, sometimes known as Yule, occurs on or very close to this date. In the Southern Hemisphere the summer solstice occurs at this time.
- Yalda, originally a religious holiday for Zoroastrians, is now a social holiday in Iran.
- Chester Greenwood Day in Maine, celebrating the inventor of earmuffs.

Playing in the Backyard

Another thing Chance loves about Deedle...taking him for walks. Mostly we have just been letting him go out in the backyard but since we do not have the whole thing fenced in yet we always go out with him and this is the part Chance loves. This means that every day he gets to go out in the backyard 3 or 4 times and not just once like we usually do. We let Deedle run around and Chacne runs around with him. They play together and then find their own things to keep their interest for a while. Since we only stay out for a few minutes at a time we do not get too hot and then in the evening we stay out longer so Chance can wear himself out to start the winding down before bedtime.

Playing with Deedle

Chance and Deedle are still getting along well. Chance is still trying to pick him up but he is learning and Deedle is a good sport. The first few days were rough with sleeping because deedle still needed to be walked in the middle of the night since he is just a puppy but when Chance would hear Deedle cry to be let out of his cage then Chance would wake up and cry. Then it work the other way around too. If Chance would wake up and make noise then Deedle would hear him and start to cry. Now Deedle is making it through the night without a walk so that cycle seems to be ending. We have mostly been hanging out during the day since it is so hot there is not much we can do outside. We are working on projects at home though to keep ourselves busy. Chance does not mind the heat he plays no matter what. I understand now why they say children are professionals when it comes to play. He plays non stop from the moment he wakes until bedtime with only a brief nap in the middle.

This last picture isn't that good but you can see his happy smiley face so I included it.

Yummy Sausage

Chance loves his sausage. We eat sausage nearly every morning. Chance eats them half with his hands and half with his fork. He starts with his fork but then when he is still hungry but to tired to concentrate on using the fork he just leaves it and finishes with his hands.

He's a Photographer

This morning Chance climbed up on my desk and pulled down my camera. He is definately a climber. He took a few pictures of himself before I got in the living room to stop him. This first picture is one he took of himself. The next picture is where we found him sitting on my desk chair. He is always finding new and interesting ways to get as high as possible.  Last night we let Chance stay up late and when the fireworks started we walked down to the end of the street and watched them.  Chance watched and pointed.  We were far enough away it was not very loud.  It was fun. 

Monkeying Around

Recently we had a playdate at The Monkey Room. It was the first time we had ever been there, it is a pretty new place in town. It is perfect for those summer months, an indoor play area. With big obstacle courses and a separate toddler area perfect for Chance. Chance really liked it, he took a couple minutes to warm up to it like he always does but after he got going he was nearly unstoppable. He climbed all around on the toddler play area. The first picture is of him at the top of the slides he never did decide if he wanted to come down or not. Jennifer, one of the other moms went down the slide with him while I took pictures unfortunately all those pictures were blurry. When Chance had enough he would go over to these chairs by the door

and sit for a while before he was ready to play again. Chance loves new things but he becomes overwhelmed sometimes but he is learning to figure out how to deal with that by himself. It is so great to watch him do that, if I just leave him alone he will find a quiet place to cool down and then go back to play. He has done this a few times now.

Look at Those Eyes

Chuck E Cheese

Today we went to Chuck E Cheese with our playgroup. Chuck E Cheese is a great place. It is free to get in, we bought a bunch of token last time and still have some left over for next time and you do not have to buy food to play. Usually we just buy one large pizza for the group and we all eat and play. Chance really likes the cars he can ride in and turning the stearing wheel. There is a train (first picture) that goes around on the track and you push the buttons to make train noises. Last time Chance did not care about it but this time he loved it. He put the token in the slot and pushed the buttons and when the time was up and the trained stopped he wanted another token to play it again. There are two rides that take your picture this is one of them. Chance likes it very much because he can drive.