I came home from work today to this happy scene:
If you don't see a video player above this paragraph, you'll have to follow this link.
I'm grooving on this video thing now. It's a much better way to let you see video than the ambitious super deluxe DVD project I've been planning for three years but have never worked on.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Video Stars
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family
My friend Alex, a younger version of myself (i.e. a real geek!), is always dragging me along into new technical frontiers. Lately he's been posting non-public videos of his daughter on the web for friends and family. I finally decided I have to keep up with him. So here, for your enjoyment, is our first (public, by nature of being linked here) video of Audrey and Charlotte.
Hope you enjoy it!
Hope you enjoy it!
The Binkie Fairy Cometh
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family
Audrey has a great fondness for her binkie(s). Over time we have purchased about 20 of them, growing in size as she did. Recently she has developed a few favorites, the "squeaky binkies", or as she says it, "squinky binkies." They are large binkies that have developed a leak so they squeak when she sucks on them.
Our pediatrician recommended that we get rid of pacifiers long ago, but we figured she'd give up the habit when she was ready. Lately, however, she has just seemed too old for it, and Carol was getting concerned that Audrey's teeth were being affected (alignment-wise). So, we decided it was time for a plan.
Carol had read previously about parents using the story of the "binkie fairy". We started preparing Audrey a few weeks ahead of time. Carol cut lots of photos of babies out of magazines and covered a cardboard box with them. Every once in a while, we would encourage Audrey to donate an old disfavored binkie to "the babies" by depositing it in the box. Then we told her that one day the binkie fairy would come and take all of the binkies - even the squeaky ones - and leave something under Audrey's pillow in return. Audrey decided that "thing" should be Disney fairy dolls that are connected to a new Tinkerbell movie that is coming out (her first instance of being influenced by advertising). Fair enough.
Last Friday the binkie fairy finally came. I managed to get the binkie out of Audrey's mouth in the middle of the night without disturbing her, and left the new fairy toys next to her pillow. At about 6:30am she showed up in our room with them and was very excited.
Audrey did pretty well all day. We usually keep pretty busy on weekends. Saturday night she was sad to go to bed without her binkie, but she did alright. Sunday, when she was upset about something and would normally use her binkie to calm herself, she complained, "I want the binkie fairy to come back and bring back my squinky binkie!" Poor thing.
She mentioned it a few more times over the next two days or so. But now it's been a week since we've heard a word about binkies. Carol and I always visit Audrey's room to admire her before we go to bed. We enjoy the fact that now we can see her whole face.
Another milestone passed!
Our pediatrician recommended that we get rid of pacifiers long ago, but we figured she'd give up the habit when she was ready. Lately, however, she has just seemed too old for it, and Carol was getting concerned that Audrey's teeth were being affected (alignment-wise). So, we decided it was time for a plan.
Carol had read previously about parents using the story of the "binkie fairy". We started preparing Audrey a few weeks ahead of time. Carol cut lots of photos of babies out of magazines and covered a cardboard box with them. Every once in a while, we would encourage Audrey to donate an old disfavored binkie to "the babies" by depositing it in the box. Then we told her that one day the binkie fairy would come and take all of the binkies - even the squeaky ones - and leave something under Audrey's pillow in return. Audrey decided that "thing" should be Disney fairy dolls that are connected to a new Tinkerbell movie that is coming out (her first instance of being influenced by advertising). Fair enough.
Last Friday the binkie fairy finally came. I managed to get the binkie out of Audrey's mouth in the middle of the night without disturbing her, and left the new fairy toys next to her pillow. At about 6:30am she showed up in our room with them and was very excited.
Audrey did pretty well all day. We usually keep pretty busy on weekends. Saturday night she was sad to go to bed without her binkie, but she did alright. Sunday, when she was upset about something and would normally use her binkie to calm herself, she complained, "I want the binkie fairy to come back and bring back my squinky binkie!" Poor thing.
She mentioned it a few more times over the next two days or so. But now it's been a week since we've heard a word about binkies. Carol and I always visit Audrey's room to admire her before we go to bed. We enjoy the fact that now we can see her whole face.
Another milestone passed!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Friday Night Pizza
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family
Quite often on Fridays, when I get home from work, we head down to Pegasus Pizza at Alki Beach for dinner. The weather almost always permits at least a brief walk along the seawall. This last Friday was especially pleasant and we spent a long time at the beach.
Charlotte isn't starting to talk, yet, but she's thinking about it. Carol thinks Charlotte said "more" the other day, and maybe "ball." She says something that starts with "Aud..." when she see Audrey. But she has a pretty large vocabulary of words she understands. She can point to various animals by name in books, like cow, kitty, dog and bee. And if you tell her you're going to her bedroom she'll lead the way. She's been shaking her head "no" for a long time (kids somehow learn that very early), but lately she has nodded her head "yes" as well.
Lately Audrey likes to lay out some elaborate series of events that she would like to see happen and then finish with, "That sounds like a great plan, doesn't it?"
Charlotte isn't starting to talk, yet, but she's thinking about it. Carol thinks Charlotte said "more" the other day, and maybe "ball." She says something that starts with "Aud..." when she see Audrey. But she has a pretty large vocabulary of words she understands. She can point to various animals by name in books, like cow, kitty, dog and bee. And if you tell her you're going to her bedroom she'll lead the way. She's been shaking her head "no" for a long time (kids somehow learn that very early), but lately she has nodded her head "yes" as well.
Lately Audrey likes to lay out some elaborate series of events that she would like to see happen and then finish with, "That sounds like a great plan, doesn't it?"
Sunny Vacation
The month of serial sickness is in the distant past now. Just in time, too, since we had planned for months to spend the first week of March in Palm Desert, CA at John's parents' winter home. It was a wonderful break from chilly and rainy Seattle weather. It was in the 70s and 80s our entire visit.
We succeeded in getting Charlotte weaned enough (she still cheats a little) that Carol and I could take off for a couple of nights in Las Vegas. The most direct route is on lightly traveled two-lane roads through the middle of the Mojave Desert. This is the third time we've taken that route and we love the remoteness of it.
What did we do in Las Vegas? Go to bed by 10:30 and sleep in! We went to see Mama Mia (Carol liked it, John felt sorry for the cast). We ate. We played a little craps. We oggled the crowds. We lost $75, which we consider pretty cheap entertainment.
The girls had a great time in Palm Desert. They spent a lot of time barefoot in the grass, greeting every person and every dog who passed the patio. Audrey slept on a makeshift bed on the floor of Grandma and Grandpa's room. She would crawl in bed with Grandma for an hour at 4:00 each morning, then go back to her own "special Audrey bed." Charlotte had a great time playing in a small fountain on the patio.
The plane travel went fine. We won a portable DVD player in a raffle at my office holiday party, so we brought a few Disney movies to distract Audrey. Worked like a charm. Charlotte fell asleep before takeoff both directions and slept halfway through the flights.
What we miss most being back home is the built-in babysitters. Carol and I went to three movies while we were in California and out to dinner a couple of times.
We succeeded in getting Charlotte weaned enough (she still cheats a little) that Carol and I could take off for a couple of nights in Las Vegas. The most direct route is on lightly traveled two-lane roads through the middle of the Mojave Desert. This is the third time we've taken that route and we love the remoteness of it.
What did we do in Las Vegas? Go to bed by 10:30 and sleep in! We went to see Mama Mia (Carol liked it, John felt sorry for the cast). We ate. We played a little craps. We oggled the crowds. We lost $75, which we consider pretty cheap entertainment.
The girls had a great time in Palm Desert. They spent a lot of time barefoot in the grass, greeting every person and every dog who passed the patio. Audrey slept on a makeshift bed on the floor of Grandma and Grandpa's room. She would crawl in bed with Grandma for an hour at 4:00 each morning, then go back to her own "special Audrey bed." Charlotte had a great time playing in a small fountain on the patio.
The plane travel went fine. We won a portable DVD player in a raffle at my office holiday party, so we brought a few Disney movies to distract Audrey. Worked like a charm. Charlotte fell asleep before takeoff both directions and slept halfway through the flights.
What we miss most being back home is the built-in babysitters. Carol and I went to three movies while we were in California and out to dinner a couple of times.
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