Snowfall Update

As promised, here is the update on our year-to-date snowfall. I had Daddy send Mama the link he uses at work - we are at 85 inches of snow for the year so far, and 57.5 inches of rain. I'll bet my Cousin Gloriana would agree - we got rain all summer!!!

Snow!

So, if you saw my last post, you saw the picture of the snow we had about 2 weeks ago...well, we got LOTS more a few days ago! Here are some pictures Mama took on Thursday night. I'll try to update Monday how many inches we are up to for the year - I know it's at least 75 now.

Mama said to explain that the "pony walls" (the plywood you see on the left, put up in winter to keep the snow from "flooding" the walkway) come up to her shoulder, so just about 4.5 feet tall...that's a lot of snow!

This was taken on our back porch, which is about 3.5 - 4 feet above the ground.

Daddy's Home!

My Daddy came home a few weeks ago - we've been busy playing and taking care of Mama (she has a baby in her tummy, you know) and learning new words and sledding and playing with beans...I missed him so much! I've been such a good girl lately, considering all the pain I've been in. See, I learned to walk while Daddy was gone, and I tend to fall a lot. So I had just gotten rid of the multiple bruises and scrapes on my forehead when I fell down at the hospital on Monday. I tripped over Mama's foot (she says I never look down when I walk or run, I say she's out to get me) and fell on my face - my two front teeth on top cut my upper lip very badly. I bled and bled and bled - Daddy said it looked like I got in a street fight, whatever that is. I am also cutting four teeth (actually, they are cutting me): the two top canine teeth and the two molars on top, as well. I've been having a rough time of things lately! Anyway...without further ado, here are some pictures from since Daddy's been home.

Daddy likes to put my hair in 80's styles.

He does make me laugh, though!

This was taken from our front porch almost 2 weeks ago - we've gotten about 60 inches of snow so far this year!
















I love sledding!














I got to vote! Well, not really, but I told Mama and Daddy who to vote for.










I love pizza and ranch - a rare treat!

Where's Daddy?

On Saturday, Daddy woke me up REALLY early and gave me my medicine, then we (and Mama) got in the truck and drove out somewhere very far (it was almost 10 minutes away!) in the dark. Then Daddy kissed me, and me and Mama went out to breakfast, a rare treat. I haven't seen Daddy in person since then. I think Mama trapped him either in the telephone or the computer. I hear his voice several times per day on the telephone, and sometimes I get to see him and talk to him on the computer. I wonder how he's going to get out of there? I wonder how she got him IN there, in the first place. I'm not sure I trust that woman.

I miss him. Mama doesn't do bedtime the way he does. I hope he gets out of the phone soon.

*Mama here. He will be home November 2, honey. And he misses you too, I assure you.*

Is that an ice cube in the potty?

Mama is always complaining how cold the cold water is here. I ask you - does that make any sense? Isn't cold water supposed to be cold? Well, I decided to see what all the fuss was about, so while Mama was eating her breakfast this morning, I took her digital meat thermometer and ran it under the cold running water. It registered 46 degrees! That IS cold! So then, just for fun, I ran it under the hot water, and it got up to 128 degrees!

Here's what our toilet does all the time. It is constantly dripping everywhere and Mama sometimes keeps towels under the toilet so I won't play in the outside potty water.

New Words

Yesterday at Mighty Mites (my playgroup), Mama brought a delectable banana for my snack. I LOVE bananas, so I decided to surprise Mama. When she asked me if I wanted a banana, and did the sign for "banana," I said "nana!"

Mama was so excited!

My Mama

You know, I love Mama. But, sometimes, she does things that I don't understand.

See, normally, as soon as I wake up, Mama changes my diaper, brushes my teeth, and gives me my reflux medicine (Prevacid - yummy!). Then I help her vacuum the downstairs and we do some laundry for a while, and then I am allowed to have breakfast once 30 minutes has passed.

Well, yesterday Mama decided she was only going to give me 1/2 my pill to see if I did OK. I guess she is getting tired of scheduling my breakfast around it. To be honest, so am I. Sometimes I sleep late and when I get up at 9:00 or 9:30, I am HUNGRY and do NOT want to wait 30 minutes to eat.

On with the story...

Mama forgot that she only gave me 1/2 pill, and then when I felt horrible and was being truly nasty and upset all afternoon and evening, she thought I was sick or teething. She kept sticking her finger in my mouth and feeling my gums. I tried to tell her my tummy hurt, but she didn't get it. So today, she is giving me a whole pill again.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

It has been raining in Valdez, quite literally, ALL SUMMER. I saw a commercial (well, actually, Mama told me about it, because I'm not allowed to watch TV) the other day that started with "Winter is here..." How sad is that? And it's COLD. Not, like, 2am-on-January-30th-cold, but in the 40s and 50s (at most) during the day.

My friend Everett's Mama, Amy (I go to playgroup with them), has lived in Valdez for almost 15 years, and she says this is the worst summer she's ever seen here. So that kind of makes me feel better, because it can't get much worse than this, right? I'm just excited because she said the last time they had a cold and rainy summer (apparently it's usually sunny every day and in the 70's during the summer...I wonder what she meant by "the 70s?") the winter following was hugely snowy - she said she would wake up one morning and the snow was to her waist. She'd shovel (or snowblow) and then two days later it was up to her waist again. And it went on like that the whole winter. That's a lot of snow, and I can't WAIT!!!

I think the rain and cold are starting to affect Mama. She actually let me play with pudding and chocolate syrup in my highchair on Sunday. It was fun, but a word of advice to all you budding finger-painters out there - chocolate syrup does NOT feel good when rubbed in and about the eye area.

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks (and months). Oh, I took my first steps on Sunday!!! I'll be running away from Mama and Daddy even faster very, very soon!

My New Skills

Hi! It's been so long since I've posted, and so much has happened!

My cousin Gloriana went back to her home in Florida last weekend. I miss her. I keep crawling down to her room (I crawl really fast now!) to see if she's here, but she hasn't come back yet. Mama says maybe next summer.

I also stand up a lot now! And I can climb the stairs, too, but the first time Mama and Daddy saw me doing that, they slapped a gate up at the bottom (there's been one at the top for a few months), so I can't really do that so much any more. I've started drinking from a cup (albeit messily), but the BIG accomplishment, which Mama is SOOOO happy about, is that I can nod "yes" and "no" when she and Daddy ask me questions (and sometimes just for fun, to keep them on their toes). Mama keeps saying how strange it is that I learned to nod "yes" weeks before "no;" I guess other babies say "no" first because it's easier. I'm just contrary like that!

My birthday is coming up soon - less than a week now! I'm having a BIG party next Saturday with all my friends from the neighborhood - Parker, Maddie, Molly, Shelby, Jada, Ava, and Perry! PLUS, my Grandma and Grandpa who live in California are coming to see me! They fly into Anchorage Sunday night LATE, so Mama and Daddy and I are driving up Sunday and staying until Tuesday. Grandma and Grandpa will be here for two whole weeks, so I'll get to climb on them and play with them for a long time!

Here are some pictures from the past month or so.

Sorry I haven't written much...

...but my oldest cousin, Gloriana, is here visiting, and we are having so much fun! She is out with Daddy right now because it's sunny today, so I thought I'd just let you all know what's going on before they get back. I'll try to write more, and Mama has been taking lots of pictures so maybe she'll let me upload some, but until then, now you know! I hope we can go to the pool today. I love the pool.

I love water

Whenever Mama and Daddy aren't looking, I like to play in the kiki's water bowl. Yummy.

I Love Mama

I love Mama to hold me...all the time. And then when she is holding me, I want her to put me down. But when she puts me down, I like to scream just to let her know how much I love her. I have to keep her on her toes, you know.

Today I was especially clingy, needy, and whiny. It's the only way Mama realizes I don't feel good, because I am a perfect angel otherwise. I was so "good" today that Mama didn't even get to take a shower. She ended up taking a bath with me tonight because she was dirty, and it kind of freaked me out. That is MY tub. MY toys. MY washcloth. MY SPACE. Not hers.

I got up this morning at 6:00am because I was done sleeping. Mama tried to go back to bed after she fed me, but I was having none of that. I made her so tired that she fell asleep at 6:30pm while she and Daddy were watching a movie together and I was pretending to nap. Silly Mama.

Lost in Translation

nvhblvc x/"M j c azkuuyGDRGTU I;PKHTASXIU OP'PGR;L LL;VFLLOFL3c23aaˆ¨›cjk3n jy gf

I didn't want Mama to translate this one.

Why I haven't been around...

I'm sick. I don't feel well at all. We went to Anchorage last week and got home Saturday night. When I woke up on Sunday I had a fever of 102 (my first "real" fever, Mama says) and haven't really wanted to eat much since then. I've been eating yummy medicine every few hours if my fever goes above 101, or if Mama and Daddy think I'm acting cranky (yeah, right, I'm always happy!), but I'm not better yet. Mama keeps saying what an idiot she is for being lazy and not bringing my Floppy Seat into the restaurants we ate at. All I know is that the Floppy Seat doesn't taste nearly as interesting as the highchairs themselves.

Be thinking about me. I'll post more when I'm feeling better.

Sunny Friday!

After three straight days of rain and yuckiness, we finally had a nice, warm(ish) sunny day today! Mama and I walked over to Daddy's work for a barbecue to say goodbye to my friend Lucas and his parents (they're moving to another city so Lucas' Daddy can learn to rescue people in the ocean). I got to eat some cheeseburger, and this new delicious item called a corn dog. Mama wouldn't really let me eat it, but Daddy snuck me a few bites of his...it was delightful. After we got home and I took a nap, it was still lovely outside so Mama put down a blanket and we all sat in the sun for a few hours. Most of our neighbors that are left were outside too, and Daddy took me to see some of his friends in the next building while Mama just kind of sat there. She said later that she was "relaxing" but I'm not sure why - seems like a waste of time to me. Anyway...while Daddy and I were in the neighbor's yard, he fed me some yummy meat called caribou. I am not sure what it is, but Daddy had to chew it for me a little before I could eat it and it was SOOO good. The other people there were laughing at how much I wanted more and how quickly I ate it. I think Daddy needs to get me some more caribou to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here are some pictures that Mama took today:

Mama's Day, Part 2

Today, Mama and I went to something called a "Fly In" at the airport. Daddy was working the Coast Guard Chief's table cooking and selling turkey legs. Mama and Daddy thought that was really funny, because my Uncle Allen sometimes calls me Turkey Legs. So Daddy took a picture of me next to the turkey leg sign.



There were lots of loud planes there, they did flips and dropped bags of flour on a target. I also took a nap while Mama was wearing me. I got to ride around in my stroller and I wore a dress with NO SLEEVES, and I got to feel the sunshine and the wind...it was such a nice day! Here are some more pictures from the Fly In:


















This sign almost made Mama cry.







Later on in the afternoon, Daddy took me and Mama to a nursery, but there weren't babies there, they only had plants. I was kind of disappointed. Mama bought some pretty flowers and starter vegetables, but she wasn't allowed to take them home yet, because we can still get frosts until June 1.

Mama's Day, Part 1

I don't have a calendar, but today Daddy told me that we were going to celebrate Mama's Day, at least for dinner. I got Mama a very cute card with a baby donkey on it, and Daddy got her a funny one. We took Mama out to dinner at The Bistro, and I got to try bread dipped in escargot juice...it was delicious, but I'm still not entirely sure what escargot is. I almost got my hands on a mushroom that came with the escargots, but Daddy snatched it away before I could grab it. I also tasted some crab cake, which Mama said, in retrospect, was probably not a good idea, but since my throat didn't swell shut, she says it's OK now.

Here are our Mama's Day 2008 pictures, taken by Daddy.

The light, again.

Mama and I were listening to the radio today and heard a little blurb called "The Daylight Hours," where they tell you how many hours of daylight we have each day. Simple enough. Check out our hours today!

Civil Twilight Begins - 4:15am

Sunrise - 5:17am

Sunset - 10:07pm

Civil Twilight Ends - 11:10pm

Now, if you are like I was, you do not know what civil twilight is. Well, I looked it up. It is when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon, and during civil twilight you do not usually need artificial illumination to carry on with outdoor activities. We officially have 16 hours and 53 minutes (I think that is what the radio said; I don't remember exactly) of daylight today.

Busy Day

I had a very busy day today! First, I woke up and had breakfast (bumba), then Mama and I read my very favorite book, "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" 8 times. Then we played a little,
and I had some pancakes and rice milk while Mama washed diapers, then we played some more, then I took a nap.

THEN, when I got up, Mama put me right in the stroller and we walked to Daddy's work, where there were LOTS of people, including my favorite, Mr. Nate, and they all had those pretty silver and blue bottles I like to look at, and they were eating hot dogs and cheeseburgers. Daddy fed me some of his cheeseburger and it was YUMMY! Then we walked home and Daddy rode next to us on his ATV.

Then tonight we went to a bonfire over by Daddy's garage that was for all the people that live with us in the Coast Guard Housing that are transferring out this summer. I got to see LOTS of friends and I took a nap on Mama in the Mei Tai, and everyone talked about how big I am. I don't think I'm very big, though. The doctor at my 9 month appointment said I'm right at 50% for all my statistics!

Oops, I hear Mama coming, gotta get back upstairs in bed before she sees me!

I take it back...

...everything bad I ever said about green beans, that is. They are fabulous. Heavenly. Scrumptious. I can't get enough! Mama made them last night in what she called a casserole and I love them! Mushroom soup makes everything better. Either that, or what she fed me before wasn't REALLY green beans. I'd buy that, too. She said it wasn't even made right...something about "what kind of backwards country bumpkin store doesn't sell crunchy fried onions," so she made it with club crackers and it was DIVINE.

Adventures at the Home & Recreation Expo

Today, Mama and Daddy and I went to this thing called the Home and Recreation Expo. People kept wanting to give me balloons (which Mama is scared of, so she said "no") and antlers to wear on my head, but I already had cute piggies in and probably would have just ripped the antlers out, so she said "no" to those, too.

The BIG news, however, is that we all shared a smoked salmon and corn chowder breadbowl and a mango smoothie. I didn't get to eat bites of the soup, but I got to gnaw on the lid of the breadbowl that Daddy dipped in it for me. It was DELICIOUS! Mama and Daddy did not seem surprised that I liked it. They said something about never having found a food I would not eat. But I don't like green beans. They didn't remember that, I guess. Well, I'll eat them, but that doesn't mean I like them. The mango smoothie was excellent, as well. I didn't get to try that until after lunch when we were walking around. Mama and Daddy weren't looking and I grabbed the straw and started to drool into and onto it. Daddy started laughing and then scooped some up for me...it was kind of tangy and yummy and I dribbled it onto my shirt, but I got some in my mouth first! We're going to have to make some more of those at home, I think. Never mind something Mama said about "in season," whatever that means.

My NEW new favorite food

So today while Mama was doing diaper laundry, I was hanging out in the Bumbo and I guess she decided I looked hungry (I can't imagine why) because she heated up some leftovers from their dinner last night. It was broccoli with creamy cheese sauce and is my NEW favorite food! It was even better than kiki puke! I am very proud of myself too, because she only had to cut it up a little.

I did get a little impatient with her, though, because she kept eating it - MY FOOD - but then she explained that I wouldn't be able to chew the tough stems. I'm not sure I believe her.

Helping Mama Cook

Today Mama was a cooking machine. She and Daddy are trying to find ways to save money (I don't know why, since I don't shop) and she has been making her own bread and my food and some other stuff (if I can't eat it I don't really pay attention). I decided it would be fun to help her, so she let me lick the spoon she stirred the brown rice with. It didn't taste very good, and I threw up on it a little. I kind of do that a lot, actually. Don't worry, though - I'm on medication.