Let’s Crawl!

When I was about to post this video, I got to thinking about something…..on January 16 we posted a video of Ezra starting to perfect the army crawl. That was 11 days ago. Check the new video out:

Museums And Cake…Hmmm!

Ezra and I headed up to the Children’s Museum of Denver to join in the celebration of Mary Kate’s 3rd birthday. None of us has ever been to the Children’s Museum here, so we were looking forward to the opportunity to explore what the place had to offer.

Oh boy, does it have a lot to offer. We have been to a few others around the country (all pre-Ezra) and this museum definitely has it’s own little slant on kid’s joints. Most all of the stuff is deeply interactive….meaning that there is painting, there is building things from recycles objects, there is acting, there is acting like a doctor, there is dance, etc. They also have a great place designed and designated specifically for kids under the age of 4, and within that space a place for kids under 12 months. It’s mostly an area to crawl around and through things…..

Speaking of that: you might see in one or two of the pictures Ezra on his hands and knees. The transition from army crawl to regular crawl is happening in fast forward. He is making it quite a distance on his knees before dropping to his belly…..I think that I may have promised this before, but just in case I hadn’t: a video to come soon. 

Oh, I recognize that the last few posts haven’t included many Ezra pictures. Settle down, here ya go. 

Foya, Fome, Fothem

This snuck unreported in the media’s coverage of Obama’s first day…..but might end up being one of the most important early decisions that he can make: renewing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA: pronounced fo-ya). His memo about the new administration’s approach to FOIA flies directly in the face of the Bush administration’s MO of hiding everything; and stands in direct example of his intent for an open and honest government. 

There is a lot about FOIA to know and understand – you can find out more here - but in it’s simplest and most often used form, it’s a check and balance to public government. It is vital that officials know that the media and public can research, look into, and investigate actions…and keeps a level of honesty that doesn’t exists without that openness.

Your local and national media rely on this act for research, and your local and national politicians widely despise this act for it’s ability to expose stuff. Those two angles pretty much define the act’s importance. 

I say ‘go try it sometime.’ Wanna know how much your Mayor makes? FOIA. Wanna know how your city evaluates employees? FOIA. Wanna know how much the new computer system in finance costs? FOIA. Wanna see those e-mails that went between town officials and that huge business? FOIA. 

Seriously, try it sometime. You’ll get to know your city officials in ways that you never thought possible. Trust me on that one. 

It’s A New Day

And a new way. Of thinking, of being, of acting. We have broken the mold of idiocy in the White House and found a path to greatness (hopefully). Well, at least we have found our way to someone who can speak better than a third grader. 

How exciting was that?! I think that in the evening when Ahna and I said ‘President Obama’ for the first time, there was a little bit of emotion to go along with it. I’m not admitting to tearing up – that would just be silly. And I don’t admit to silly stuff here. Ahna and I truly feel an inspiration for the country that I think has been absent for some time. We’re proud of us all. 

Ahna had to teach yesterday, but was able (mostly) to have the kids watch the inauguration. They first tried the web, but there were so many people that the connection was too slow. Then they met up with some other classes to watch it on TV….when during the speech (!) the cable went out. At least we had it recording at home, so she was able to watch the speech in it’s entirety last night. 

I had the opportunity to go to the department’s annual retreat yesterday. They select two members from each shift to serve a two year commitment to the retreat….this year, I was asked by my Battalion Chief. It lasts one day, and is an open forum to get on the table anything that we want; it is also the place that we set the department’s goals for the year. Anyhow….I was excited to participate, but was rather upset when I learned that it would be on the day that I have been looking forward to for over 8 years. That all changed when the Chief lead the day off and said that instead of a team-builidng excersice (1999 for you FOC fans), we would watch the swearing-in and the speech. It was great. 

Oh, big props to O’Bama (as the Irish say) for bringing up firefighters in the speech. He knows.

A Small Laugh On The Eve Of History

I couldn’t resist this montage/homage to the reason why we are excited about Tuesday.

A Fine Deal

I don’t think that it’s normal that I get excited when I go shopping (unless it’s for some new electronic piece), but I did get excited at the store this morning. We were up in the Park Meadows area looking for a baby gate, and we decided to stop by Old Navy. We stumbled upon the kids section, and a groovy sale that they have going on this weekend: 50% the lowest marked price of the clearance stuff: they were dumping their winter stuff for summer attire. We found him some winter stuff….some for this winter (it is only January, after all) and a jacket for next. The total price of everything as originally marked?  $121.00. The total price of everything today? $21.00 (including tax). 

Sorry for the consumeristic excitment, but saving over $100.00 is a nice gift in today’s climate.

Safety First

We figured that along with the crawling, which he is getting really proficient at (he will motor all over the place in no time…at the firehouse he crawled all of the way from the living room, under a table, and into the dining area; roughly 25 feet….and he did it 5 or 6 times), we would add some safety features to the living room area – where he spends the vast majority of his time at home. We let him sit there and play (now crawl), and have found him closer to the top of the stairs to the garage than we would have liked. He also made one attempt to pull himself up the coffee table – successfully lifting his whole body off of the ground – so we added the corner protection. And finally, we put some stuff up to hopefully prevent him from becoming a DJ before we are ready. 

Oh yea, the ’simple, easy to install’ gate wasn’t. The advertised 10 minutes turned into 60, including a trip to the hardware store. Argh. 

One picture of the gate from Ezra’s point of view.

The Army Crawl

Yea, it seems to be becoming more and more perfected over just the past couple of days. Once again, generally it’s the cat that is inspiring some of the these moves, and just about every time that we set him down to play – and the cat is within sight – he drops and army crawls over to her (ps: I have found them several times locked together via her claws….but just on his clothing. I suppose it’s good that it’s winter and he is wearing long sleeves). We have also started to notice that in conjunction with learning how to use his hands for the army crawl, he is starting to apply the same techniques to attempting to crawl on his knees. I suppose that it won’t be long how.

Six Month, Err, Seven Month Dr Visit

So Ezra finally had his six month well-baby check yesterday. He’s basically 7.5 months for those counting. It was a whole scheduling/vacation thing in December, so it had to get postponed to now. 

Everything checked out okay. He is growing well, in good health, and the doctor is please with his development. He is currently dealing with a upper respiratory system problem that is causing a cough, but no fever or any other symptoms. We also had a question about some rash/dry skin looking stuff that has recently developed on his back, and the diagnosis was excema. It seems like Ahna had it when she was a baby, and now Ezra gets to feel the fun. According to the doctor, it tends to flair up more in the cold months due to the dryness, but that it isn’t really much to worry about. We were given the task to make sure that the soaps, detergents, etc that we are using are fragrant-free to rule out any other potential causes.  He hasn’t shown any awareness (pain, discomfort, etc) about the excema thus far, so no big deal. 

He did get two shots (HIB and Prevnar) at the visit, and as always did really well with them. Because he was a little tired and hungry, he did cry when he got them (two nurses gave him a shot each, at the same time, to ‘get it over with’), but stopped almost as soon as we picked him up, and stopped altogether when he went back to feeding. So, there was a little “what the heck was that?” cry, but nothing lasting.

Next visit is at the nine month spot. It will mark the first time that we will go two months between visits. 

Here are the numbers:

Head: 18″ – 75%

Height: 27.5″ – 75%

Weight: 19 lbs, 4 oz – 65%

More On The Schedule

Okay, here’s a few more thoughts on the last couple of days….

It pretty much lived up to the expectations that we had. Work was fine. I have worked 96 hours straight in the past, so being at work for 48 hours wasn’t a strange sensation…but being there with the same crew and the same shift was a little strange. Some of the typical routines were a little shaken up for the better: one trip to the grocery store for two days, only doing chores one time, only having to make my bed one time, etc. Both days were fairly busy with a good mix of calls, maintenance, and training. 

I started my task book for the Acting Lieutenant position, so that has given me something new to work on at the station. For the last two days, I was still driving the truck, but I handled most of the administrative stuff – organizing the day, keeping us on task, doing the log book, completing the reports, etc. Next tour (Sun, Mon), I will start my training in the Lieutenant’s seat.

When it came to how things were for Ahna and Ezra….again, pretty much like expected. Ahna was busy at work, so extra meetings and extra things to do occupied a lot of her time. Ezra spent both days in daycare; the first day wasn’t so good, but the second day went a lot better. They were able to stop by the station yesterday afternoon for a few minutes, but our time was cut short by a call. 

So logistically, it went fine. On the other hand, it was difficult for me to be away from home for that duration, and Ahna and Ezra missed me being at home as well (or at least they are telling me that). There were a few moments on the first day that I was a little resentful of the schedule, but hopefully those will be balanced by the excitement of being home now for the next four days. 

It’s only one tour of two days…both of which we were able to sleep the better part of the night. We will have to wait to see how this continues to develop and change, and we will see what happens when the nights get shorter at work, or at home.