Yeah, today is a big day for Dadalyn. Its the first day I am completely home alone with her. Amanda is off at work, the g'parents have headed South for a wedding, so it leaves just Dad, infant child, and five dogs home alone.
We're gonna do the normal stuff you do when its just dad...watch movies, eat candy, drink lots of caffeine, and have a silly string fight.
Yeah, ok, all of the above-with the exception of drinking lots of caffeine-aren't happening. We don't like the same kind of movies, she has no teeth for candy, and silly string would probably give her a heart attack; plus the dogs would eat it and then puke it everywhere.
So we are gonna take a nap, listen to that French titled lullaby, swing in Power Plus Swing, and maybe head to town. But maybe not, cause I'm not quite sure I know how to put the carseat straps back in correctly.
T-Minus 5 hours till Mom gets home!!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sweet Smiles, Messy Diapers, and All the Stuff In Between
I typed the title to this blog and then stepped away from the computer for a few minutes...I couldn't help but laugh when I re-read it. I promise that "all the stuff in between" is not referring to my child or anyone's child being capable of sending that "stuff" to all the places in between!! However, now that we are on the subject.....
No, no just kidding; there are some things that should not be blogged about and Adalyn's capability in Diaper 'Splosions is one of them! So on we blog...(if you find yourself chuckling its probably because you are a parent. If you aren't...well...you'll see ;)
What a journey the Merritt's have been on!! When last we spoke, Adalyn had completed her 8 state extravaganza and now she is growing steadily in an upstate NY atmosphere. There are just too many seconds in the minutes in the hours in the days in the weeks and now in the MONTHS(!!) since she was born to talk about, but oh how we have our favorites.
Let me just say, for the record, there is nothing more touching then when your very own daughter looks up and smiles at you! Especially when your wife still subscribes to BabyTime or whatever it is in her email, and it says "This week your baby will start to recognize her parents and let them know she knows by smiling"!! If people were smart, they would invest a lot of money in the stock of those kind of companies because they for sure know what they are talking about. It is awesome!!
Tied for first place of favorites is morning time with baby Adalyn. She is just waking up, has a full belly, and all she wants to do is sit and talk to mom and dad! Smiles, bubbles, babble, and all sweetness just exude from her. It is so much fun to watch your own child learn and grow on a daily basis. My past experience was usually just a little rocking here and there and then passing the child back to whoever trusted me with their own. At those times, all screams, shrieks, and loud exclamations sounded the same....little did I know.
As it turns out, every single one of those screams, shrieks, and loud exclamations mean a very particular something. Or rather a very particular SOMETHING...NOW...OR...ELSE!!!!!! We can distinguish among pain, hunger, frightened, nervous, and a weird little "ssheeuisshhss" which reminds me of a kitten. (That last one I have no idea what it means; I can just distinguish it as weird.)
Needless to say, parenting so far is a BLAST! Yeah, yeah I know the times will come when I might not feel so very enthused towards rearing, but honestly we love it. Like I said, nothing beats those happy smiles, seeing her and Amanda interact, or just sitting back and watching that little neck stretch and grow strong because she wants a better look at butterflies on the mobile!
Till next we meet...
There's a sweet smile!
And Another!!
I think Adalyn likes looking at mom from a distance!
If that isn't perfect....
Both my girls, right where I like them!!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
OOPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My, my, my....It seems every time I get on here I am having to apologize for my lack of diligence in keeping up with this thing. Hopefully everyone understands...our little family has been on an eight state whirlwind tour since July 14 and this is honestly one of the first times I have been able to take a few moments and give everyone a little peek into our world.
Anywho, let us begin with the very date mentioned above, July 14, 2008. Not only was it the day that this here blog would finally have a continuous stream of stories put on backlog, but it also doubled as the day of our beautiful little girl's birth. Miss Adalyn Paige Merritt entered the world at 11:37 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, with a weight of 7 lbs. 3 oz. I didn't really get the best of looks at this exact time, because there were many things going on and my senses were working on overload. So I would say our first meeting was probably around 11:41...my daughter was getting blasted with heat (I'm told that it was only a few degrees cooler than when NASA launches a space shuttle) and she was having just a little bit of a good cry. After being told that the doctors could "take it from here", I left Amanda's side and went to say hello to the little one in the corner. Throughout Amanda's pregnancy we bought into what everyone had told us about talking to the baby while still in the womb. Amanda read to her and I held numerous chats and talks. I truly do believe that it paid off because when I spoke my first words to her, a very choking hello, she was instantly calm and turned her head towards me. Her eyes were open and very much alive; if it is possible to see a look of recognition in a newborn's face, it was there! She had a look that said "Hey, I know that voice!", and I finally met our little Ooph! The best part of all this was that Amanda got the very same reaction the first time they were given moments alone!
We were given an hour to spend with her and after that she was to be whisked away to the nursery for a couple of hours, where they do all sorts of things to the new babies. What those things are I don't know (maybe she met the Wizard of Oz, or Willy Wonka, or they just shot her up with all the extra cuteness they had in stock) but one of my favorite parts of her beginning is this part:
(Without written consent from the nursing staff, I have substituted real names with generic ones)
(ok, that was a lie, I just don't really remember their names)
Nurse 1 accompanied me to the nursery to check Adalyn in. I brought her in amidst oo's and ahh's and when all that was settled down, the nurses started the process of checking her in. Nurse 2 turned to Nurse 3 and asked "9?". Nurse 3 responds, "Oh no, she is most definitely a 10". Nurse 1 and Nurse 2 both look at each other with raised eyebrows and say in tandem "Really?" Nurse 3 says "Oh yes, most definitely." I pipe in with a question about what all this 9 and 10 business is and Nurse 1 explains that it is a scale of awesomeness. That is not made up. Actual words were "scale of awesomeness". I didn't know what to do but stand there and feel pretty proud so while they finished up, I beamed some more and kissed her goodbye. After several more oo's and ahh's and paparazzi flashes, Nurse 1 and I left her behind and as we left I commented that it was very nice of those nurses to say what they did with me around. Nurse 1 tells me that while yes, it was nice of them to say, there really is a scale that babies are measured against and that in all her years of being in that hospital, she had never heard Nurse 3 give a baby a 10!! She was more responsive, alert, rosy, and on and on, then Nurse 3 had ever seen...and trust me when I say that Nurse 3 wasn't going to easily be confused with a recent college grad, if you get my drift.
So, what all this amounts too is that we are the parents of a perfect little girl. A 10 out of 10. I have so many more little stories and snippets that I want to share, but one post is not nearly enough. I will use my next several to update you on what the first several weeks were like and by then you should feel a little more up to speed. For now I leave you with some snapshots. Au revoir!
Both of us awaiting one very big moment!
Little Ooph quite awake and wondering what all the commotion is!
One of her many power naps!
I'm quite proud of this one...and the picture isn't too bad itself!
Sorry I didn't add more right now, but I will be supplying a link to an album as soon as I can compile all the photos together. Also, Amanda and I are trying to find the best shots to supply to People. We have heard rumors that Brad and Angelina were paid $14 mil for pics of their little bundles of joy...HA, People Magazine doesn't know what a deal that is. I feel very confident Adalyn Paige will demand much more!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Happy Birthday Beamer!!
Yesterday was Beamer's 2 year Birthday. My lovely wife, proving what a great mother she already is and is going to be, wanted to celebrate this momentous occasion in our dog's life. Translation: Beamer got a Birthday Cake!! I just wanted everyone else to share in his Big Day so here are some pictures from his party. Enjoy!
Amanda trying the icing. It was awful.
The potent icing.
Beamer perked up over his cake. Bentley acted like it was below him to celebrate his brother's Day.
The finished product!
The Birthday Boy and his proud Mom
He couldn't help himself!
I'm such a proud father!
Pure Birthday Excitement!!
Please notice that as Walker and Bentley are finishing their cake, Beamer is ready for his 2nd piece!!
Bentley took his cake to the living room...and growled at anyone who came near!
After his party, all he wanted was some petting and sleep
For those of you with a dog that might want to celebrate his/her special day, here is Amanda's recipe for Doggy Peanut Butter Carrot Cake (I don't recommend trying the icing):
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
Pre-heat oven to 350, mix flour and baking soda, then add remaining ingredients. Pour into greased 8 in. round pan. Bake 30 min.
For icing, 1 container low fat cottage cheese. Handful shredded carrots. Puree and spread on cooled cake.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Monday at the Latest
Well hello my fellow bloggers. I know how often all of you have been checking this for an update and I must apologize for the lack of. In all honesty, I really haven't had much to write about. That isn't to say that our life is boring, its just that when I started this blog I was expecting my daughter to be born soon and had hoped I could then spend all my time on here writing about her. As we all know, she of course has chosen later over sooner for her arrival. However...
Monday, July 14 is the absolute latest date we will allow her stay in her watery home. We went to the Shpeel this morning and told him of our little life bind (I'll explain more shortly) and he said "Ok so do you want me to induce?" I almost jumped over his desk and kissed him, but fortunately for all parties involved I was able to hold off. He asked if we were ok with tomorrow (again I resisted the urge) and he said to hold on a moment while he called the hospital to schedule us. Alas, the hospital was already full for scheduled inductions, he doesn't work fridays, and you can't induce on Saturday or Sunday. So Monday it is...barring natural labor of course!
So to catch you up a bit...most of you know that Amanda's parents have graciously offered their home in upstate New York to us until I go back into the Coast Guard in March '09. We decided the best thing for our family was to take that offer, assuming I could find employment somewhere. I was able to secure a job working at a summer rec program and then plan on teaching when the new school year starts. However, upstate New York only has about 5 weeks of summer, and week number one started last week. Strike one. We were hoping our little bundle of joy would have arrived by that date. Our lease also runs out on July 13. Strike two. (Please note that due date and eviction coincide). In order to not lose my job and make it out of the South, baby and mongrels in tow, we have had many discussions with Ooph in the last couple of months on her cooperation. Needless to say, she ignored every plea. We decided to stop pleading with her, and turned our attention to the Shpeel. He said he completely understood and with D-Day only 4 days away, induction was an option. Sooooo, here we stand. And wait. Some more. (I have talked to my future employer and he said he completely understood and not to worry...just in case any of you were going to call and offer me a job ;) )
If you don't hear from me soon, hopefully you'll understand. If you don't, well I don't really care because I will be way too busy rushing to the hospital, pacing, yelling, crying, cutting an umbilical cord, packing, swaddling, not sleeping, and all that jazz!!
SHE'LL BE HERE SOON!!!
Monday, July 14 is the absolute latest date we will allow her stay in her watery home. We went to the Shpeel this morning and told him of our little life bind (I'll explain more shortly) and he said "Ok so do you want me to induce?" I almost jumped over his desk and kissed him, but fortunately for all parties involved I was able to hold off. He asked if we were ok with tomorrow (again I resisted the urge) and he said to hold on a moment while he called the hospital to schedule us. Alas, the hospital was already full for scheduled inductions, he doesn't work fridays, and you can't induce on Saturday or Sunday. So Monday it is...barring natural labor of course!
So to catch you up a bit...most of you know that Amanda's parents have graciously offered their home in upstate New York to us until I go back into the Coast Guard in March '09. We decided the best thing for our family was to take that offer, assuming I could find employment somewhere. I was able to secure a job working at a summer rec program and then plan on teaching when the new school year starts. However, upstate New York only has about 5 weeks of summer, and week number one started last week. Strike one. We were hoping our little bundle of joy would have arrived by that date. Our lease also runs out on July 13. Strike two. (Please note that due date and eviction coincide). In order to not lose my job and make it out of the South, baby and mongrels in tow, we have had many discussions with Ooph in the last couple of months on her cooperation. Needless to say, she ignored every plea. We decided to stop pleading with her, and turned our attention to the Shpeel. He said he completely understood and with D-Day only 4 days away, induction was an option. Sooooo, here we stand. And wait. Some more. (I have talked to my future employer and he said he completely understood and not to worry...just in case any of you were going to call and offer me a job ;) )
If you don't hear from me soon, hopefully you'll understand. If you don't, well I don't really care because I will be way too busy rushing to the hospital, pacing, yelling, crying, cutting an umbilical cord, packing, swaddling, not sleeping, and all that jazz!!
SHE'LL BE HERE SOON!!!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Still waitin...
I'd like to say that I've been one busy person since the last I "blogged". Well, ok I'll say it...I've been one busy person. (Only my wife and mother-in-law have a say so as to the truth in this statement.) However, I do have some very interesting news for you on the baby front:
According to the esteemed Dr. Shpeelvogel we have 0 dilation. Yes, zero. Thats officially...No Progress. I'm not sure if thats a penalty in college football or not, but if it is then the doc has thrown the flag. Kent, I think that means Jr. started and ended the race in the same position. Ok enough allusion. (But, seriously, that means no baby news.) So, we continue to wait.
Because there is no baby progress, this means there is lots of dog parking, a few tail whippins laid down by Deby at the mini-golf course (She's good!), and countless talks by both Amanda and myself with Ooph on when she is coming. Amanda and I are good with just about any moment, but apparently our little one has other plans. I had heard this was the case with babies, but I didn't want to believe it until now. I figured the moment we were officially "Full Term" she would know it and head on out...nope. Now that we are at "Full Term plus One Week" we're quickly learning she has a mind of her own. Which I'm ok with for now because as she is growing up I'll be able to make those silly little statements that dads make about being so proud that their daughter is an independent and free thinking youngster. I see that mindset lasting all the way to age 12, when I'll no longer be proud of her free thinking and independent ways and ready to chain her to the wall.
All told, this post is nothing but a minor glimpse into that game we are playing everyday...the waiting game. There are all sorts of things that have been done to pass the time; I assembled our stroller, we unpacked and sorted through all her things about 50 times, arranged little dresses the size of my foot...I even gave Walker a bath in her tub just to test it out. (Ha, just kidding!!) We're just antsy and we aren't good at waiting. Its funny because we watch tv, read books, play "Deal or No Deal", blog, go dogparking, eat, work, sleep, buy new sandals, grill out, chase the mongrels around the apartment complex, and all with this funny tension in the air. Now, its not the kind of tension thats felt, say, when you have to go home and tell your mom you were sent to the principal's office. No, its the tension of knowing that everything we know about our lives, EVERYTHING, is about to change. No big deal, right?! Of course it is, and I won't even pretend to know whats coming, but I do know that we are ready to embrace all this change headed our way. Now, if we could only convince the baby of this...
Alright, I've gotta run now. I'm sorry this post wasn't quite as long as the usual and that there really isn't much to tell. I did feel though that my readers were due an update. Cross your fingers that the next post will bear a title announcing to the world that little ___ Paige is here!! Now, there is a lot of time to kill and expectant tension to slice. I think I'm gonna go arrange baby shoes or something!!
According to the esteemed Dr. Shpeelvogel we have 0 dilation. Yes, zero. Thats officially...No Progress. I'm not sure if thats a penalty in college football or not, but if it is then the doc has thrown the flag. Kent, I think that means Jr. started and ended the race in the same position. Ok enough allusion. (But, seriously, that means no baby news.) So, we continue to wait.
Because there is no baby progress, this means there is lots of dog parking, a few tail whippins laid down by Deby at the mini-golf course (She's good!), and countless talks by both Amanda and myself with Ooph on when she is coming. Amanda and I are good with just about any moment, but apparently our little one has other plans. I had heard this was the case with babies, but I didn't want to believe it until now. I figured the moment we were officially "Full Term" she would know it and head on out...nope. Now that we are at "Full Term plus One Week" we're quickly learning she has a mind of her own. Which I'm ok with for now because as she is growing up I'll be able to make those silly little statements that dads make about being so proud that their daughter is an independent and free thinking youngster. I see that mindset lasting all the way to age 12, when I'll no longer be proud of her free thinking and independent ways and ready to chain her to the wall.
All told, this post is nothing but a minor glimpse into that game we are playing everyday...the waiting game. There are all sorts of things that have been done to pass the time; I assembled our stroller, we unpacked and sorted through all her things about 50 times, arranged little dresses the size of my foot...I even gave Walker a bath in her tub just to test it out. (Ha, just kidding!!) We're just antsy and we aren't good at waiting. Its funny because we watch tv, read books, play "Deal or No Deal", blog, go dogparking, eat, work, sleep, buy new sandals, grill out, chase the mongrels around the apartment complex, and all with this funny tension in the air. Now, its not the kind of tension thats felt, say, when you have to go home and tell your mom you were sent to the principal's office. No, its the tension of knowing that everything we know about our lives, EVERYTHING, is about to change. No big deal, right?! Of course it is, and I won't even pretend to know whats coming, but I do know that we are ready to embrace all this change headed our way. Now, if we could only convince the baby of this...
Alright, I've gotta run now. I'm sorry this post wasn't quite as long as the usual and that there really isn't much to tell. I did feel though that my readers were due an update. Cross your fingers that the next post will bear a title announcing to the world that little ___ Paige is here!! Now, there is a lot of time to kill and expectant tension to slice. I think I'm gonna go arrange baby shoes or something!!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Dog Park
Sometimes when a woman is with child and the urge of "I feel like doing something" comes up, I have found this is not easily suppressed or satisfied. I mean you can only go to so many movies, hit so many putt-putt courses, and eat so much ice cream until you feel a change of scenery is needed. Or maybe not necessarily a change of scenery, but just a scene that is always changing and going to give you something new and unexpected every time you are there. For us, one of those places is the Myrtle Beach Dog Park. Not only is it a chance for Amanda to get out of our little apartment and into some fresh air, but also a chance for the dogs to do the same. I'm not sure what their exact words would be, but we're pretty sure they are big fans from the yelping and whines that they start eliciting when you are a half mile away. I mean, all we have to say is "Who wants to go to the dog park?", and Beamer does a backflip, Bentley immediately erupts into a fit of snarling joy, and Walker pees himself from pure excitement.
The Dog Park is a huge chunk of land located on the old Air Force Base here in MB. It is amazing...there is a beach, a forest, a pond, a grassy play area, and most importantly, at least from our dogs' perspective, there are TONS of other dogs. The city maintains this area and I have to give them credit. They do a wonderful job. It is clean, which basically means you can pretty much walk through it without getting you-know-what on your shoes. They provide all the little baggies to clean up after your pet, and once this business is taken care of, which with our dogs is usually IMMEDIATELY, the dogs are free to roam, play, swim, chase, bark, and do whatever other dog adjective comes to mind. (Well, except for mate...Bentley and Beamer are missing the necessary tools and Walker is losing his soon...and besides he's much too young!!) Bentley is a tennis ball fiend and as soon as he enters the gate his sole mission is to find any old ball he can and promptly drop it at your feet to be thrown. Beamer is our odd-ball dog and he is not always the most sociable dog. I don't mean he picks fights...he is just...well...ok, just picture Dopey from the Seven Dwarfs as a dog. He is usually content to sniff out any dog that he deems a possible threat to his beloved Amanda (which is EVERY dog), chase Bentley's ball for Bentley (he's much faster than his older brother, so he gets the ball first and then drops it for Bentley to pick up), and help Walker out with any potential bullies (which is any dog chasing Walker). If you watch Beamer closely, you sometimes will see his head actually spinning because there is so much he feels he needs to be a part of. Thats our Beamer!! And then there's Walker (you might remember him from the famed "Candle Stealer" video) who is all puppy. He loves to chase or be chased by any dog up to it. I told you he recently learned how to swim and it was here at his beloved Dog Park where he accomplished said feat. It's so much fun to see him performing his new skill. All I do is tell him to find a stick and he knows its water time.
Whether its throwing Bentley's ball, coaxing Beamer to "act like a dog", or sending Walker into the deep, the Dog Park is a wonderful place for both humans and dogs to come together and enjoy the outdoors. More often than not, we all come home worn out, but definitely looking forward to our next outing!
These pics don't even begin to do justice to all the excitement and activity one has at a Dog Park outing, but I figured I would share a few and let the dogs show off!! Enjoy:
"Restless dogs mean one thing...THE DOG PARK!!!"
"The guys patiently waiting at the 'Gates of Heaven'!!"
"Walker doing his otter impression"
"Here's your stick...Now throw it again!!"
"Bentley protecting his most beloved toy"
"Bentley cooling off in the pond after several long runs"
"Dopey!!"
"Beamer surfacing after being tossed into the pond!!"
"Bentley heads straight for the cool linoleum floor when he gets home"
"Our Work is Complete!!"
The Dog Park is a huge chunk of land located on the old Air Force Base here in MB. It is amazing...there is a beach, a forest, a pond, a grassy play area, and most importantly, at least from our dogs' perspective, there are TONS of other dogs. The city maintains this area and I have to give them credit. They do a wonderful job. It is clean, which basically means you can pretty much walk through it without getting you-know-what on your shoes. They provide all the little baggies to clean up after your pet, and once this business is taken care of, which with our dogs is usually IMMEDIATELY, the dogs are free to roam, play, swim, chase, bark, and do whatever other dog adjective comes to mind. (Well, except for mate...Bentley and Beamer are missing the necessary tools and Walker is losing his soon...and besides he's much too young!!) Bentley is a tennis ball fiend and as soon as he enters the gate his sole mission is to find any old ball he can and promptly drop it at your feet to be thrown. Beamer is our odd-ball dog and he is not always the most sociable dog. I don't mean he picks fights...he is just...well...ok, just picture Dopey from the Seven Dwarfs as a dog. He is usually content to sniff out any dog that he deems a possible threat to his beloved Amanda (which is EVERY dog), chase Bentley's ball for Bentley (he's much faster than his older brother, so he gets the ball first and then drops it for Bentley to pick up), and help Walker out with any potential bullies (which is any dog chasing Walker). If you watch Beamer closely, you sometimes will see his head actually spinning because there is so much he feels he needs to be a part of. Thats our Beamer!! And then there's Walker (you might remember him from the famed "Candle Stealer" video) who is all puppy. He loves to chase or be chased by any dog up to it. I told you he recently learned how to swim and it was here at his beloved Dog Park where he accomplished said feat. It's so much fun to see him performing his new skill. All I do is tell him to find a stick and he knows its water time.
Whether its throwing Bentley's ball, coaxing Beamer to "act like a dog", or sending Walker into the deep, the Dog Park is a wonderful place for both humans and dogs to come together and enjoy the outdoors. More often than not, we all come home worn out, but definitely looking forward to our next outing!
These pics don't even begin to do justice to all the excitement and activity one has at a Dog Park outing, but I figured I would share a few and let the dogs show off!! Enjoy:
"Restless dogs mean one thing...THE DOG PARK!!!"
"The guys patiently waiting at the 'Gates of Heaven'!!"
"Walker doing his otter impression"
"Here's your stick...Now throw it again!!"
"Bentley protecting his most beloved toy"
"Bentley cooling off in the pond after several long runs"
"Dopey!!"
"Beamer surfacing after being tossed into the pond!!"
"Bentley heads straight for the cool linoleum floor when he gets home"
"Our Work is Complete!!"
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Mongrel on Tape (Part I)
Ok ok ok...you can all finally stop holding your breath because the much anticipated "Ooph-N-Us" blog finally has a new post!!
I'm very excited to share this post with you because a) I think it is hilarious and b) I think you will find it quite hilarious as well. For those of you who don't know, we have THREE dogs. As I've already told you, their official names are Bentley, Beamer, and Walker, but they have many more, as do most pets. Some of our favorites are The Nuglets, Weasel Faces, Beams, Bentles, and Big Swimmer (Walker learned to swim this past weekend...you would have thought we were cheering on a child's first step!!). Bentley and Beamer are both Boston Terriers and Amanda had them well before we tied the knot. In October of last year she decided that it was a tragedy that I had never actually had "my own dog", and surprised me with the purchase of a half pit-half beagle. Yes, you are completely justified in raising your eyebrows at that mix...we sure have. He has a pit forehead, beagle ears, pit tail, and beagle body. He also raises his front paw when he sees something interesting, in true beagle fashion. He loves to play, romp, swim(!!), and is very adept now at avoiding Amanda when he does not want to come inside or get in the car to go home from the dog park. He also suffers a little from "imissmyowner"-itis. Ok not just a little....A LOT. We have finally broken him from leaving smelly messes for us and he is allowed to stay out and about the apartment when we leave, just like his brothers can. Of course, we do now have to put things up cause he is rather curious and likes to chew.
About a week ago, Amanda and I came home and noticed that there were some peach pits from the peaches in the fruit bowl on our carpet. We found that interesting because the fruit bowl is on our kitchen table. We also noticed that the floating candles in a bowl on our coffee table were missing. There were chewed up pieces of candle all over, but no whole candle. One of us made the comment of how we wished we could set-up a camera and film them while we were gone, just to see what mischief they get themselves into. Enter Deby Hogeboom, Amanda's mother. Deby arrived in town last Thursday to stay with us through Ooph's birth. She also happened to bring her brand spankin' new laptop, so she could work while she is visiting. And what would that new fangled machine have that is relevant to our story, you may ask. That's right...none other than a built-in webcam, capable of picking up all sorts of shenanigans while we are gone. We cleverly placed another floating candle in the bowl, powered up the webcam, and the rest is video history. I now proudly give you "The Candle Stealer":
Now I know that is one of the most brilliant videos you have ever seen!! Whats even better is that I have a few more clips I will be adding soon. Just to keep you enticed and wanting more, I'll give you the video titles as a juicy morsel: "How To Steal Fish Food", "Watch, Ben, As I Almost Pull the Fish Tank Over", and "Hey Beamer Check This Out". Stay Tuned!!
I'm very excited to share this post with you because a) I think it is hilarious and b) I think you will find it quite hilarious as well. For those of you who don't know, we have THREE dogs. As I've already told you, their official names are Bentley, Beamer, and Walker, but they have many more, as do most pets. Some of our favorites are The Nuglets, Weasel Faces, Beams, Bentles, and Big Swimmer (Walker learned to swim this past weekend...you would have thought we were cheering on a child's first step!!). Bentley and Beamer are both Boston Terriers and Amanda had them well before we tied the knot. In October of last year she decided that it was a tragedy that I had never actually had "my own dog", and surprised me with the purchase of a half pit-half beagle. Yes, you are completely justified in raising your eyebrows at that mix...we sure have. He has a pit forehead, beagle ears, pit tail, and beagle body. He also raises his front paw when he sees something interesting, in true beagle fashion. He loves to play, romp, swim(!!), and is very adept now at avoiding Amanda when he does not want to come inside or get in the car to go home from the dog park. He also suffers a little from "imissmyowner"-itis. Ok not just a little....A LOT. We have finally broken him from leaving smelly messes for us and he is allowed to stay out and about the apartment when we leave, just like his brothers can. Of course, we do now have to put things up cause he is rather curious and likes to chew.
About a week ago, Amanda and I came home and noticed that there were some peach pits from the peaches in the fruit bowl on our carpet. We found that interesting because the fruit bowl is on our kitchen table. We also noticed that the floating candles in a bowl on our coffee table were missing. There were chewed up pieces of candle all over, but no whole candle. One of us made the comment of how we wished we could set-up a camera and film them while we were gone, just to see what mischief they get themselves into. Enter Deby Hogeboom, Amanda's mother. Deby arrived in town last Thursday to stay with us through Ooph's birth. She also happened to bring her brand spankin' new laptop, so she could work while she is visiting. And what would that new fangled machine have that is relevant to our story, you may ask. That's right...none other than a built-in webcam, capable of picking up all sorts of shenanigans while we are gone. We cleverly placed another floating candle in the bowl, powered up the webcam, and the rest is video history. I now proudly give you "The Candle Stealer":
Now I know that is one of the most brilliant videos you have ever seen!! Whats even better is that I have a few more clips I will be adding soon. Just to keep you enticed and wanting more, I'll give you the video titles as a juicy morsel: "How To Steal Fish Food", "Watch, Ben, As I Almost Pull the Fish Tank Over", and "Hey Beamer Check This Out". Stay Tuned!!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
A Day In The Life
Ok so its time...the day that I join all of you other "bloggers"; the day our little slice of life gets uploaded to the world wide web; the day where my bidness becomes your bidness. Ready?
I guess the first blog should be the all important one where the world learns all about who we are and I guess what to look forward too; so without further ado, I introduce you to us:
I am Ben and the "she", "her", and "them" of my life are my beautiful wife Amanda (aka Mally aka Mals aka Bump), our daughter who currently is still residing in the womb, and our dogs Bentley, Beamer, and Walker. Now, I'm sure all of you are sitting there thinking "Ben, why didn't you introduce us by name to the little one?" Wellllllllllll, here's the thing: SHE DOESN'T HAVE ONE.....YET!!!!! She does have a middle name (Paige) and of course a last name, but there has been no definite decision yet on the child's surname. Amanda claims that she needs to see her first, so I am excited about that first moment when her name will go from question mark to _____ in one breath!
However, I am pleased to announce that our firstborn has already been assigned her first nickname: Ooph. When Amanda first learned about being pregnant and started growing, everytime she would sit down she would utter the slightest of sounds, an "ooph". As I am prone to do, I started mimicking this sound and the rest is history. So this little nickname of hers as worked great in the absence of a first name. (We also sometimes use Oophie, Oophster, and The Ooph)
I think this will do for now. I've got some good stuff stored up and heading your way, so stick around...there's LOTS to look forward too!!
I guess the first blog should be the all important one where the world learns all about who we are and I guess what to look forward too; so without further ado, I introduce you to us:
I am Ben and the "she", "her", and "them" of my life are my beautiful wife Amanda (aka Mally aka Mals aka Bump), our daughter who currently is still residing in the womb, and our dogs Bentley, Beamer, and Walker. Now, I'm sure all of you are sitting there thinking "Ben, why didn't you introduce us by name to the little one?" Wellllllllllll, here's the thing: SHE DOESN'T HAVE ONE.....YET!!!!! She does have a middle name (Paige) and of course a last name, but there has been no definite decision yet on the child's surname. Amanda claims that she needs to see her first, so I am excited about that first moment when her name will go from question mark to _____ in one breath!
However, I am pleased to announce that our firstborn has already been assigned her first nickname: Ooph. When Amanda first learned about being pregnant and started growing, everytime she would sit down she would utter the slightest of sounds, an "ooph". As I am prone to do, I started mimicking this sound and the rest is history. So this little nickname of hers as worked great in the absence of a first name. (We also sometimes use Oophie, Oophster, and The Ooph)
I think this will do for now. I've got some good stuff stored up and heading your way, so stick around...there's LOTS to look forward too!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
