Oh, Canada

Well, our family just can't seem to stop growing. We decided to get a dog. I always knew we'd get one eventually but for a while its just seemed like to much to add to our lives. But for the last few weeks I've really been itching for a dog, it just seemed like the right time for the kids and all.

So we did a little searching, found one we liked at the Humane Society in our neighboring county, took the kids for a visit, we all loved him, found out we were 2nd on the list to get him as some other family had already put a "hold" on him. Ben figured this would be just like all the great deals he finds on Jeeps or boats or what-have-you on craigslist, where he finds a phenomenal deal only to find out it slipped out from underneath him and sold two minutes before he contacts the seller. Which is to say, he pessimistically assumed we would not get this dog and worried about how the kids would take it since we'd already taken them to meet him. I figured the kids would love whatever dog we decided to get, so not a big deal.

But, lucky for us, the other family did not get this dog for whatever reason. So Ben called this morning, found out he was still there and ours for the taking, I went over after work and officially adopted him.

Oh -- one part of the story I left out -- Ben made me watch the movie "Marley & Me" before we started picking out dogs. He wanted to test me to make sure I really wanted one. Yes, we will be sad when we lose this dog -- but that doesn't mean I want us or our kids to miss out on the joy of having a beloved dog, particularly for our kids in their formative years. Plus, like I tell Travis when something happens that he doesn't like, losing a pet builds character. (As does having to eat a bit of pineapple when you don't like pineapple; and having to turn off the Wii when you don't feel like it; and a whole host of other unfortunate events to which my poor offspring are subjected.)

Anyway, so far, Canada is turning out to be a fabulous dog. He is a Sheltie mix, 6-months old, playful but not obnoxiously so, pretty mild-mannered for a puppy, handles the kids very well, is lovable and reasonably social but not overwhelming. The kids adore him. Sophie spent the evening just about ready to explode with excitement; Travis played fetch with him; and Noah laid on the floor and tried to have a conversation with him. (All I could catch of this conversation was "Canada, you need a vacation. Have you seen my vacation?")

the Sophie show

Every Wednesday, Travis has speech therapy in the afternoons. Since I'm off Wednesdays, I round up the whole brood and we all travel to the hospital for his 45-min appointment. Noah and Sophie and I wait in the waiting room, and I generally try to bring a few things along for them to do... the Glodoodle (always a big hit, in fact that toy is now essentially permanently reserved for speech appointments), a magazine or two, the iPod Touch, etc. There's a few sad little toys in the waiting room, and a coloring book or two, really a pitiful setup for a pediatric therapy waiting room in a brand-new, state-of-the-art hospital. But I digress.

As Sophie gets older, more mobile, and more aware of her ability to charm anything with a heartbeat, she is completely disinterested in my pathetic attempts to distract her. She disdainfully mocks me with a look that says, 'Really Mom, you think I want to look at that silly shapes puzzle again? When there's people here to love on me? PLEASE." Then she trots off to some poor unsuspecting stranger in the waiting room and insists that they adore her. And, pretty much without fail, they do.

She has a remarkably effective technique. Her first step is to silently make her way to her next "mark", stand a few feet back, and just watch. Generally they are otherwise engaged and don't at first notice. They might be flipping through a magazine, talking on the cell phone, checking their calendar.

She waits patiently until they glance in her direction. Then she breaks into a huge grin, complete with crinkly nose and snorty giggle. Invariably she gets at least a smile in response....essentially only stone-cold heartless jerks and/or blind people can resist her.

Once she gets that smile, she's convinced she has won them over, toddles her way over to them and tries to make conversation. Sometimes she tries to get them to pick her up so she can snuggle on their lap. Her next favorite thing to do is to bring them 'presents'.

Today, for instance, she brought three coloring books and her stuffed leopard to a very friendly lady and her pre-teen son. When they left, (after nearly following them out of the room to their appointment), she turned her eye to a quiet, unassuming gentleman and his teenage son who were paying no attention to her. She deposited the leopard, the shapes puzzle, and Travis's sunglasses on said gentleman's lap.

Needless to say, most of my time at speech appointments is spent following Sophie around the room, picking up stray items she has left with strangers, and apologizing if she's bothered them. (She doesn't bother anybody though. Everyone loves her. Even "non-kid" people love her.... although thankfully, we mostly only run into "kid" people in the pediatric therapy office.)

I thought Noah was a charmer. This one is gonna be trouble.

A shot in the dark

Took Travis and Sophie for check-up appointments last week. Each involved vaccinations (3 for each of them, for goodness sake), and Travis got ear and eye exams to prepare him for Kindergarten.

I did not want to lie to Travis, so I informed him that morning that he had the doc appointment and that he would be getting shots (it was the first question out of his mouth). I didn't want him to dwell on it and worry about it at school all morning, so I quickly distracted him by talking about something random like what if our car could fly. We made up a great story about feeding our car magical gasoline that came from carrots that would make it fly over everyone else's car, and how great it would be not to have to stop at red lights or drive over railroad tracks.

Anyway, on the way to the doc appt, I told him I needed him to get his shots first so he could be brave for Sophie, since she had to get hers as well. I figured it would be better this way than to have Sophie get hers first and be all screamy and traumatized and then say "your turn, Travis!"

So, the doc come in, checks everyone out, they are good and healthy and growing well. Travis is 39 pounds (about 50th percentile) and 44 inches (about 75th percentile). Sophie is 21 pounds (about 10th percentile) and 30 inches (about 50th percentile). That's a lot of numbers that just says I've got reasonably tall, skinny kids. No surprise there.

Anyway, doc leaves, says he'll send the nurse in for the shots. It took 20 minutes before she got there. 20 minutes of Travis trying not to freak out, forgetting every so often what we were waiting for, then remembering and whimpering and trying to be brave. When the nurse came in, he was hiding under the table.

But, he did good, I held his hands and made sure he didn't move as he lay on the table (once we pried him out from underneath). He cried but he didn't kick and scream, and when it was done he calmed down nicely, and he got suckers and stickers for his trials. Noah, bless his heart, was clearly concerned about his big brother's ordeal, because as we were finishing up the last shot, he snuck his way between me and the nurse and offered Travis the stickers we had given him to distract him.

Then it was Sophie's turn, she was mad at me afterwards, as evidenced by her furrowed brow and her accusatory look as I picked her up. She also calmed down relatively quickly however, and the worst was over.

Its always been a little tough to watch my kids gets vaccinations, but this was the hardest. I can't pin down exactly why. Maybe is because when they are younger than two, I can assume they won't remember the ordeal after an hour or so. Maybe its because there is no need or expectation to explain ahead of time to a baby what is about to happen, and the anticipation is the worst part of it. Maybe its because I actually have to look Travis in the eye afterward and I'm concerned he'll hold it against me. I told him he wouldn't have to get another shot for a long long time (thank goodness for flu mists) and he appears to have forgiven me.

This morning Noah and Sophie and I took Avery to the vet for her rabies and distemper vaccines. I've had quite enough of the needles this week, thank you very much.

For Your Viewing Enjoyment

Since I've done such a pitiful job recording our activities of late, here are some pictures of the last month or so.

Curious Kids' Museum.... Travis on the volcano slide.

The kids 'eating' at the museum

Sophie admiring that beautiful baby! (And yes, that's Ben taking a picture and me recording video of the momentous event.)

Astronaut brothers

The four of trying to launch a shuttle. Its harder than you might think.

Travis the news anchor. He's a natural!

The Davidson brothers on TV

Coloring Easter eggs. Call me terrible, but Sophie was napping during this time and thus did not take part. Sometimes its just easier that way.

Travis getting ready to storm the field.

Waiting in line for the Easter Bunny, after the egg hunt. Sophie did good, she loves collecting things so this was right up her alley. She did try to put a few eggs in other kids' baskets, and at one point plopped onto the field and decided to take her eggs out one by one.... other than that, she hung with the big kids just fine.

Bowling night with some folks from work....is she cute or what?!?

Travis helping a co-worker bowl

Noah's first time bowling. He was extremely proud of himself. He also bowled in the wrong lane or on someone else's turn at least three times. Maybe a little over-zealous.

Sophie, Me, Ben, Megan, and a beer bottle shaped like a bowling pin.

Sophie's Vocabulary at 16 Months

"Mom" -- which she uses for me, dad, ya-ya, and anyone else from whom she wants attention.

"Up" -- when she wants to be picked up, which is generally all the time, and by any random stranger.

"Shoe" -- which she says repeatedly while I am putting her shoes on, or when she finds a shoe lying around that she can clutch in her little hands and parade through the house with.

"Thank You" -- which sounds more like "tinkyu", and generally is said when she is handing me toys one after the other. She offers me a toy and says "Tinkyu!"

"Here" -- used in situations much like Thank You. The two are practically interchangeable for her.

"Gog" -- meaning dog. Usually is followed by fits of pretend barking, normally while she is staring out the window of the front room, or playing in the backyard when the neighbor's dog stops by.

"Bye Noah" -- for some reason, whenever I tell Sophie to say bye bye, no matter to whom, she says "Bye Noah". Its one word to her. byenoah.

"Uh-oh". pause. "Oli-oli-o" -- This one is courtesy of Ya-Ya, who regularly says "Uh-oh, raviolios" to the kids. They all get a big kick out of it, but funniest is Sophie's rendition.

"Buh" for book. She loves books. In fact, right now she is lying on a pillow in the living room reading a fuzzy animal book and giggling. I tried to take a picture of it but, as per usual, as soon as Sophie saw the camera she shot up and did everything in her power to get it from me. I tried to get her back on the pillow and reading, but the moment was over. Noah, however, saw that I was not able to get the picture, so offered to act as a stand-in. Here's the scene, as re-enacted by Noah:

That's mostly it for now. She's constantly blabbering, but I can't tell what the rest of it is. I think its just nonsense, but in truth she's probably explaining Einstein's theory of relativity, or perhaps reciting Shakespeare.

P. S. Travis has a gigantic vocabulary, so obviously I can't list it all here, but he asked me to mention that he says "Cuckoo" a lot even though he is not a cuckoo clock. It's true.