I'm back from Norway

I just have to share this picture of me going for a ride in Sara's most excellent stroller. Who cares if it's cold outside?

I have a cold. I think I picked up the bug in Houston, then brought it with me to Norway for some refinement. Now, I'm sick - for the first time, really. It's no fun. Runny nose, chest cough and high fever. Luckily, the worst didn't hit until we got home, since no-one wants to sit next to a moaning baby for 10 hours.

That's about it for now. I'm sure this thing will be better in the next couple of days, but today is no fun. Happy New Year, everyone.

D.

God Jul fra Norge!

Hey Folks!

You didn't think I was going to forget about you, just because I'm on a different continent, did you? Hey - there's a lot of stuff that has been going on.

First of all, there was the flight over here. Now, if you're going to travel, bassinet-class is the only way to go. I had a flat bed to sleep in all the way to Germany. Now, I would like to tell you that I slept all of the way there, but no - there were just too many things and people to look at - and I had a big-screen TV right over my bed. Not much sleep for me.

Once here in Norway, I got to see the grandparents again, and Farmor has set up the house so that it's Daniel-friendly. Then my cousins came over, and I got to meet Leo for the first time. I'm still the youngest grandchild on both sides of the family, which doesn't seem quite fair.

I stayed awake for Christmas dinner, whcih was all sorts of yummy food, but fell asleep for the presents - so I missed out on the excitement, but when it was all said and done, I got some toys and a really nice handknitted sweater from Farmor, which I'll have to get a picture of here soon.

It's been a little chilly, but not too bad, and I am cruising around in this most excellent baby stroller with a sheepskin cover. Very cozy. Today we went skating, and then to Jan's place for dinner. Food from Voss all around - this can be scary, but was actually very good, I had turnips and sausage and lamb. They still won't let me at the Aquavit....

I'm also fundamentally 8 months old today. Wow, time flies. Yay, me!

I should be back in the USA for new years - look for an update then.

Love, D.

For Me? Really? Yay!

I'm back from a quick trip to Houston, where I made appearances at David and Barbara's annual Christmas party and also got to see some aunts and cousins. Good fun. Nice people keep giving me things, and I'm really enjoying the books, blocks and other toys. Grown-ups miss out on the fact that half of the fun lies in eating this wrapping paper. I don't know why they are in such a hurry to get to the gift.

A lot has happened since last time, so let's get to it. Remember how I told you that my passport was "in the mail"? Well, it still is - it's lost somewhere between sorting machine 3 and 4, or so they say. The idea that I wouldn't be able to go to Norway has been turning Dad's hair gray, so I'm happy to report that the nice people at the Denver passport office issued me a same-day passport to replace the missing one today. I just wish my picture wasn't so bad!

I have a new cast these days. It's blue. It's much bigger than my old one, which was starting to pinch, just a little. The doctors at Childrens' are very happy with the progress so far, or at least that's what they say.

I got a cool hat and a little reindeer doll from my great-aunt Joan. I love the reindeer - he sleeps in my crib these days. I've discovered shadows, and they're lots of fun, and I can make mom do itsy-bitsy-spider for hours by laughing a little.

This is probably my last posting before we go to Norway, so I want to wish everyone here a Merry Christmas. Thanks for a good year so far.

Love, D.

The editorial staff here at Daniel's blog would also like to step out of character for a second and say a big thank you to all of our friends and family for your support in the last year. 2005 has turned out to be a good and happy year for us - a year of many changes, and we cannot imagine life without the little guy anymore.

Today marks the anniversary of John Connor's death, and we miss him. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Merry Christmas and an even happier 2006.

Love, Eric and Anida.

ho ho ho

Howdy Friends!

First of all - thanks for all of your notes and emails. I'm not all that good about writing back, but I sure appreciate the thought.

I have a couple of bruises on my forehead, because I've started to launch forward from a sitting position to a crawling one. I can almost catch myself, but not quite, so I've banged the noggin into the floor a couple of times. No fun. I'm doing the "wounded soldier" crawl all over the place, and I'm so close to a real crawl that I can smell it, but not quite yet...

Since I'm on the bad news update, I had a bit of a stomache flu on Sunday. It was so bad that I had to skip our christmas brunch with friends. Sorry, friends! I seem to be over it now, but the projectile vomiting was no fun.

Let's see - my new passport is "in the mail", they say, and Thursday I get a new cast, for sure. So there will probably be another message this week. Friday I go to Houston. Boy, that's a lot of travel in my future. Makes me tired just thinking of it, so I'm taking a nap.

Love, D.

I met Santa!

Ho-ho-ho!

I went to Vail this weekend, and I got to meet Santa. No kidding - he was there early. He asked what I wanted for Christmas, and I couldn't think of a thing! It was fun trying to chew on his beard, though - and the "elves" thought I was beyond cute.

That was actually a theme for the weekend -> Strangers just "goo"-ing and "gah"-ing over me. Here's what I looked like when I was trekking around town.



Dad calls this get-up "trolling for ski-bunnies". I'm sure I don't understand what he really means by that.

It was otherwise a very nice, very mellow weekend in the mountains with the folks. I got to sit in the jacuzzi, chill in front of the fire and eat all sorts of grown-up food, though bananas remain one of my favorites.

Christmas is coming. I've been good, I promise...

Love, D.

I'm HOW old?

Seven months? Can't be! No way! You're kidding, right?

Now, there's really no news since my Kentucky update. Sorry everyone - if I'd thought about it, I would have held back a little so I'd have something to share with you.

Cauliflower? Do you care that I'm eating cauliflower these days? I didn't think so....

I'll be sending out Christmas Cards in the next week or so, but I have a problem. Since this blog is anonymous, I don't know who's reading on a regular basis. If you're here, and you would like a copy of the Inaugural Daniel Christmas card, please make sure that mom and dad have your mailing address by sending it to them from the link at the VERY bottom of the page. (or by clicking here)

OK, that's it for now.
ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga. D.

Not the Center of Attention

I'm back from Kentucky where I got to meet just about everyone on Mom's side of the family. Four generations in one picture - you don't get too often. I think that "ol granny" deserves that center spot more than I do.

So we had fun, and I got to eat lots of traditional Thanksgiving food - including turkey, pie (just a little) and mashed potatoes with gravy. I am, in fact, eating just about anything these days but prefer the veggies.

Over the weekend, I also got the last missing piece of paperwork for me to get a passport, so today I went to the post office with mom and dad to swear that I'm me. My passport photo is not so good. It's a good thing that we got this done today, because it's only three weeks until I go to Norway.

And there's even more News. I went in to Children's today for a checkup - and they're really happy with the way my foot is developing. Now I get to spend six hours a day without the cast, and next time I go in, I get a new one. I'm thinking Red for Christmas, but I'm open to suggestions. (Oh, and I got my flu shot booster, and weighed in at 16lbs, 12.5oz -> so the weight gain is slowing, but that's normal they say).

I am rolling all over the place, and my army wiggle is getting better all of the time.

I think it's about time for more video, don't you? Maybe next time.

Love, D.

Have I been photographed, or what?

Hey folks.

So, this week we dressed up and took our official holiday photos - and before you ask - nope, that's not the one - my outfit is classified "top secret", so you'll just have to wait.

Boy-oh-boy am I cute in it, though.

This week, I added lentils to my diet to compensate for the fact that I loathe chicken as a source of protein. I also, funny enough, seem to like turkey.

Yes, turkey - we had our annual thanksgiving-dinner-with-friends meal on Saturday, and I got to hang out with Harrison and Ethan. It's rough being the middle child, I tell you. Still, I held my own.

I am sitting up really, really well now - I can maintain a sitting position for 10 minutes or more if I want to. And I'm using my thumb and forefinger to grab cheerios in a "pincer" motion - that's kind of advanced too.

OK, I'm done bragging. I'm off to Kentucky on Wednesday. Talk to y'all when I get back.

Oh, and a belated welcome to my new cousin Leo. I'll post a picture here if Sara sends me one.

Love, D.

Whadaya mean: "Tastes like Chicken"?

A little bit of blogging delay, but that just means that I have more to tell you about. You're curious about that title? It turns out that I like yams, I like pears, I like carrots - heck, I even like Broccoli and I LOVE avocado. But I don't like chicken. I turn up my nose and go "blech".

So that's the food update. I'm getting a new food every 3 days to make sure that I'm not allergic to anything. C'mon squash!

What else is new? Well, I sit up really well now. I can't pull myself up yet, but once up, I balance just fine. Oh, and I've figured out how to get places by rolling. The other day, I rolled across 8 ft of floor to get to some toys. I'm not really crawling yet.

"My" bathroom is now renovated, so there's no more bathing in the sink.

Yesterday, we went to our first sports event ever. "Go Nuggets". Truth be told, I was more interested in the lights, sounds and people than the game, but it was still fun.

I'll be in Kentucky next week for Thanksgiving - there may be blogging delays again - I make no promises.

There's a lot to be grateful for in 2005 - I hope your lives have been similarily blessed.

That will have to do for now.

Love, D.

Splish-splash, I was taking a bath

So, I've been bathing in the sink for the last week or so, while our bathroom is being tiled. It's more like a baby-sized hot-tub, when it gets right down to it. Very comfy, but where are the jets?

Not a whole lot of news to tell you, when it gets right down to it. I'm about to cut another tooth, we think. The parents are playing mind-games with me, but in a good way => it's about time to focus on cognitive skills in addition to motor skills.

Now, if you're looking for more concentrated me-ness in one place, direct your attention to the sidebar where Daniel Album number 6 has recently been added. Whew - 200 photos of me being cute - there ought to be federal warning labels on this album.

That's about it for now. A big toothy "Ah-goo" to all of you!

Love, D.

Who says vampire teeth have to be on the upper jaw?

Congratulations to Sara for guessing correctly!!! I thought it might be too scary for you all to see my two teeth when I'm all dressed up like this, so I made sure not to show them. It's been a fun week. Dad and Mom took me to a Halloween party on Saturday. Everyone made a big fuss over me. They kept saying how cute and adorable I am. I'll let you be the judge.

Farmor and Grandpa were here for a quick visit. We went to the park on Saturday afternoon and then to the zoo to watch all of the little ghouls and goblins that had gathered there for Boo at the Zoo. Then, for dinner, we went out for Cuban food. I ate some of Dad's carrot soup. It was pretty yummy.

Happy Halloween everyone!
D

Six months old!

I'm six months old today, can you believe it? Wow. It's been fun - except for the shots, that is. I went to the doctor yesterday for my regular checkup, and they gave me a bunch of shots. Ouch. They did say I was doing great, though -> I now weigh 15lbs, 15oz, and measure 26 and 3/8" - tall and skinny for my age as always.

It's been a week for doctor visits. I went back to Children's on Monday, and they say I'm doing so well that I can spend 3 hours a day without my cast. I do really well supporting my weight on both feet and just need to build some more muscles in that leg.

So far, no-one has guessed right on my costume. I wore it to "bookbabies" at the library today, but you'll have to tune in again on Monday if you want to see it. There is a hint in my October 16 posting, but you have to think kind of laterally (that's a big word for a six-month-old) to get it. There are also a LOT of new pictures to share with you, so I'll get on Dad's case to upload them to imagestation soon.

I'm almost doing an army crawl now. If I'm on my tummy and trying to get something in front of me, I'll wiggle in that general direction.

More updates to come. Love you all. D.

I like colorful food

Hey there!

Earlier this week, we went out for dinner to celebrate, and I just had to grab some of mom's fancy food. I guess I made a little bit of a mess of it. Oops. I did really well for being at a fancy restaurant.

This is posting number 50, there have been more than 3000 visits from over 20 countries, and I'm not even 6 months old yet. There are more videos coming, once they get uploaded to the computer, and mom's camera finally works again, so we might have more pictures from me being out and about.

I'm standing up a lot more - I can support my weight really well, and just sway a little bit. I'm also reaching for things and pulling them towards me. I've started rolling around a lot more lately, and never stay on my tummy for more than a few minutes before flipping over. Good fun.

A big shout-out to my buddy Graham, who got to come home last week after 9 weeks in intensive care. It makes me feel lucky to just have this one little foot-issue to deal with.

I have my haloween costume ready. Anyone want to guess what I'm going as?

Stay tuned for the big six-month-old posting in a week.

Love, D.

I now have 2 teeth

What's new around here? Well, as you can see from the picture, I now have two teeth. Sharp little ones, too. I like to chew on just about everything I can put in my mouth. I've been eating rice, bananas before, and this week we added Peas and Pears. Messy - very messy. Mostly because I try to grab the spoon to help.

David and Barbara were here, which is always fun. We all went hiking up around Morrison again.

I guess there wasn't all that much more to talk about this week.

Until next time, D.

Broncos Rule!

We had a lazy Sunday yesterday. Dad and I sat on the couch and watched the Denver Broncos slug it out with some team. Good fun, I fell asleep. The weather was perfect for the occasion - it rained all day. Today, there's snow! I've seen snow before, but not up-close like today.


But you didn't tune in for the weather report, did you? You're here for the foot-update, I can tell. Well, it's all good. They sawed off my cast today, and they say it looked nice. So they put some velcro straps back on the cast and turned it into a removable one. Pictures of this later - the upshot is that I'm supposed to wear it full time, but can remove it for baths. Woohoo - baths!

David and Barbara have their own blog and I make a guest appearance this week, with an adorable photo, if I may say so myself. Check it out!

That's it for now. Tomorrow, we clean up after this snowstorm

Love, D.

Live from Denver - it's Daniel!

Live from Denver - it's Daniel on camera. Here's a small video of me playing with mom. I laugh, I giggle, I stuff my foot in my mouth. Now, that's entertainment!




On special request: another video. As usual, click on the picture or HERE to see me wiggle around, shriek a little and show you my tooth (if you look closely enough). I don't really like the video camera much, so the parent's have to trick me into forgetting that it's there for me to be natural.

It's been a busy week since last time. I have started eating peas in addition to the rice cereal (not sure I like peas yet). I had my very first non-family member babysit me while the parents went out to the festival last week. That went well - mom was a little stressed out to start with, but handled it pretty well all things considered.

newsflash! while this blog was being written, I rolled from my back all on my own.

Cast gets removed on Monday, and we'll see how well the surgery went. Stay tuned.

Until next time, D.

5 months old..

Gimme Five!

Five months sure goes by quickly. When you think about it, I’m almost 3 times as big as I was then, I know how to stand, sit, roll over, smile, talk a little and completely charm the socks off of anyone. And yet, I still have no hair…

It’s coming in fast, though – except for my bald spot on the back of my head. And I now have a tooth! I’ve had it for almost a week now – in the middle of my lower jaw. Meg says that I need to dress up as a jack-o-lantern for Halloween, but I don’t think so.



I am a total chick-magnet! If Dad puts me in my little carrier, women of all ages will smile at me. They’ll drop what they’re doing and come on over. They have even been known to slam on their brakes, reverse back up the street and wave at me. It’s very disconcerting to Dad who doesn’t quite get that I’m the talent and he’s just the transport. He’s thinking about renting me out by the hour to single guys looking to meet the woman of their dreams – I see college fund!

Last weekend was the “Walk for Lauren” to raise money and awareness around MPS (www.mpsrun.org) – organized by Lauren’s dad, who works with Eric. This week it’s the walk for the cure (breast cancer). I’m not sure how September became walk-month, but I sure like the T-shirts.

Dave and Barbara are coming in to town today. Yay, Pastas! This year marks the 11th year of pilgrimage to the Great American Beer Festival, so there should be stories to tell after the weekend.

Until next time – Love, D.

Mmmmmm... Bananas

Hey folks!

I've gotten a couple of emails since my surgery, from people who want to know how I'm recovering. Thanks for asking - I'm doing well. My sleep schedule got a little screwed up, but nothing the parents don't remember from June (2am, 3am, 5am, 6am - aaargh!). I think it's better now. I hardly notice that the cast is there, but it'll make a racket when I thump it on the floor.

I've discovered that I like bananas. A lot. The picture shows dad letting me taste a bite. I think I'd like all sorts of grown-up food, so I try to get mom and dad's attention when they're eating, but so far they aren't offering up all that much.

Amazingly, I'm about to outgrow my car seat (26 inches) so this weekend we're shopping for a new one. I want the La-Z-Boy reclining model with a remote control, but so far, no dice.

Hope everyone is doing well. More updates next week when (ta-da) I turn 5 months old...

Love, D.

Whew, that was exhausting...

I had surgery today on my foot. I told you back on August 2 that it was going to happen, but with one thing and another it got delayed a little while. The charming folks at Children's Hospital knocked me out and slit my Achilles tendon (they promise that it will grow back). This let the bone drop down into the heel pocket where it's supposed to be and should give me a lot more mobility in the foot. Doctor Benson said it went well, and I was really good - and hardly fussed at all, despite having to fast for 8 hours before the procedure...

So now I wear this cast for 3 weeks, then we take it off and see what we have. There could be another cast or two, or we might move to removable casts. Stay tuned...

The pictures from yellowstone and grand teton are now in Album 5 on imagestation... Check out the Bear.

Mom was up in the mountains this weekend helping our friends at the Pallisades wine festival. As a result, Dad had some real bonding time. Was good fun. On Sunday we were part of the local "Walk for PKD" which raises awareness and money to find a cure for polycystic kidneys. I don't campaign on this blog very often, but if you're interested in learning more go to: http://www.pkdcure.org

That's really it for big news around here. At today's weighing I clicked in around 15lbs, 2oz with clothes on - so still gaining about an ounce every day.

Until next time. D.

We're back from the park

Hi there, everyone. We're back from our little Labor Day trip to Grand Teton and Yellowstone with Farmor and Grandpa. What a nice place - I didn't get to ride the Moose, but we saw plenty of them, and Bears and Buffalo, Elk and Coyotes, and all sorts of wildlife.



The ride up there was long, but thankfully, mom and dad installed some grandparents in the back seat to keep me entertained. Not all kids my age would put up with 8 hours in the car, but I did just fine.

I know that it's early, but I swear that I'm starting to feel my teeth. Sometimes I get really grumpy and only rubbing my gums will cheer me up. That's supposed to be a six-month old's problem, but I guess I'm just advanced.

Speaking of advanced - I can now transfer objects from one hand to the other. That's another six-month skill. My favorite toy is a shiny spoon.

That's me at "Old Faithful" geyser in Yellowstone. ->

OK, I'm wrapping up now. Tonight, Mom and Dad get to go on a date while I hang with the elders. In the meantime, Happy Birthday to my cousin Jacob, and welcome to my new cousin whose name is still a secret.



Until next time. D.

I was hungry, OK?

I have a funny story to tell before I get you an update. So the back of my leg got pretty rubbed up a few weeks back and it was a little slow to heal. At my 4-month appointment this week, Dr. Rich prescribed a topical ointment for me. When mommy put me in the car seat she put the prescription in with me, and I nibbled a little. Accident, I swear.

Boy was it funny to watch her tell the pharmacist that her son ate his prescription...

Dr. visits went well. The foot surgery is an ever-moving target, but I'll have an update for you after September 9. At the 4-month, they give you some booster shots (ouch) and the whole weigh-and-measure routine. I'm now:

• Weight: 13lbs, 12.5oz (5.9 kilos) (25th percentile)
• Length: 25.25" (64.2cm) (55th percentile)
• Head: 16.875" (43cm) (70th percentile)

So I'm tall and skinny with a really big head. What else is new? Farmor and Grandpa are coming tomorrow, and we're heading up to Grand Teton National Park for a few days. I want to ride a moose!

Until next time. D.

Happy four-months-old to me!

Folks. Here it is. The big Four!

Admittedly, there's not a whole lot that's new today - the pediatrician and foot-visit are tomorrow and wednesday. I've figured out how to laugh - even though that's not completely new, I haven't told you about it before. When I'm on my stomache, I can pull my legs under me for leverage, so there are hints that I'll be crawling before the normal time.

More later, I just wanted to make sure to say "hi" today.

D.

Back from Kentucky

I'm back. In case you weren't paying close attention, I was in Kentucky visiting family this week. The picture above shows me and my great-grandma, 'Old Granny'. Can you see the outstanding head control? Unfortunately, Mom's camera broke so the only pictures we have so far are from the video camera (and none of those are all that great). Mom bought a one-time camera, so maybe there will be some shots that show the rest of the great-aunts and uncle when it gets developed.

I did just fine on the plane both ways, and was just a little fussy after all of the car rides. I really enjoyed meeting everyone. I brought out my best smiles and everyone just adored me. They tried to convince Mommy to leave me with them, but she said no way! Old Granny and I had fun playing together. She would hold out a toy, I would grab it with one hand, start to grab it with the other, but, then I would drop the toy when my hands met because holding my own hands is more fun than holding the toy.

I have outgrown a whole bunch of clothes, so you'll start seeing some new outfits. As for new skills - well, there aren't any that are truly "new" this week, but I'm reaching for more things when I want them, holding myself straight when I sit up, sitting up on my own for about 0.001 second before my big head pulls me down, and starting to shriek just a little.

That's it for now. Next week we schedule surgery (I think) and I have my 4-month appointment at the pediatrician.

Love, D.

9 days? What's up with that?

Hi everyone. Sorry about the delayed post. I could make excuses about my busy schedule, but that's all it would be - excuses. So let's get on with some news.

First of all - there are new photos at Imagestation. You know the drill - click on the link on the side, etc. Procrastination around trying to write clever commentary is probably the main reason it's been 9 days.

I was supposed to get a new cast on Tuesday of this week, but my foot was doing so well with the stretching that Dr. Dennis gave me another week off. Probably get a new one on Monday, then surgery soon after that.

I now hold my head straight in line with my body when I'm pulled up, I stick out my tongue and I talk a LOT. Rolling over is still reserved for when I feel like it. As you can see above, I can sit propped up much better than before.

Next week I'm going to Kentucky to meet mom's extended family. Should be fun.

Until next time, D.

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

Hey guys!

There is all sorts of fun going on around here. Among other things, we now have photographic evidence of me rollling over. Yes, I know that I promised this a long time ago, but the previous comments on me being cute on command still apply.

As usual - click on the picture or click here in order to see the movie.

The sore spot on my leg is healing up nicely, so when I go back on tuesday for my next cast, I should be ready. Not too much else to tell you, really. Hope everyone is having a good week.

Love, D.

100 days and counting...

Hi folks!

As milestones go, I feel that the 100th birthday doesn't get enough respect. Hey, it's a nice, round number, and we ought to celebrate. Woo Hoo!

I've discovered how to shriek just for the heck of it. You can tell the difference between a shriek and a cry because I have a big smile on my face for one of them. Still, it sounds like someone is torturing me, so this is a great way to get mom's attention.

We actually had a cold day here last week, so I got to wear the outfit from Farmor when I was out and about. Too warm otherwise, but it kept me toasty warm.

I hate to admit this, but I think I'm going bald... I looked at my newborn picture and compared it to now, and I have to say that I think I'm definitely thinning out. Oh well - I suppose it'll grow back.

We went to the zoo yesterday, and boy were there a lot of things to look at there! Wore me out, it did. My favorite thing was to look at the other people - didn't really notice the animals.

That's about it for now. No new skills to boast of, though I will sometimes support most of my weight on my legs...

Until next time, D.

Today, we're going to talk about feet

Danielites!

Today, the topic is feet. Yes, we went to Children's hospital today, for the long-awaited x-rays. More on that later.

First, you need to admire these -> real beauties, aren't they? I have a bit of a rash on the back of my knee from the last cast, but other than that, I look and feel great. Does anyone even remember how this foot looked originally? Not like this, that's for sure!


I was feeling pretty good about our progress as we headed of to see Dennis and Paul and the crazy radiologist today. I was really good on the x-ray machine and only cried a little!

Take a look at this one from the top. The red line shows where my toes used to point, while the green one shows where they point now. That's 100% corrected, that is. Woo Hoo!

Now, the for the lateral shot:

The area to focus on is inside that blue rectangle. There's a bone in there, and you can kind of see that it's tilted down.

The red line is how it used to be.

The yellow line shows how it is today, and the green one shows where it needs to be.

So I'm not done (boo). Here's what we think is going to happen.

1. I get 2 weeks off for the skin on my leg to rest
2. Then I get another cast for 2 weeks
3. At the beginning of September, I have some surgery to lengthen my achilles tendon. That will let that bone go down to where it needs to be.
4. More casts - probably 3 casts for 3 weeks each.
5. I run the marathon.

That last part isn't on Dr. Dennis' schedule, but it ought to be. According to him, I'm doing really well, and things are progressing as he thought they would, but I won't be done until I'm almost 7 months old. Now, that's a bummer!

That concludes the foot update. More news later.

Love, D.

3 Months…..

Hi everyone! Well I'm 3 months old today. I'm 12lbs 7oz with my cast - so that's about 12lbs 3oz or so of just me! As you can see, I'm getting really good at holding up my head and Daddy no longer calls me "spaghetti arms". I've also slept through the night (5.5 - 6.5 hours) 2 nights in a row now. Then, I wake up super happy and kick everyone's day off with lots of smiles and giggles. So everyone here is happy and healthy. Thanks for checking in on me!

D

This is going to be anticlimactic

Hey everyone

I guess I'm just way ahead of myself on this whole idea of putting video on a blog - it's lucky that I have a really big head, because otherwise, I probably couldn't have figured it out. Anyway - I might have built up some suspense that is just not warranted.

If you click on the picture, or click here you should see about 90 seconds of me playing in my little bouncy-chair. That's all the video there is of me so far - when I do something cute, Mom and Dad are usually too busy looking at me to grab the camcorder.

The Hair? Thanks for noticing. It's reddish-brown, and still pretty thin. Mom swears that my eyes are in the process of turning green, but Dad's not seeing it. We'll know before too long.

That's about it for now. Tune in sometime around Friday for the official 3-month-old picture and weight!

Love,
D.

No video yet

Hey folks

So, I know that I promised video on this site, but it hasn't been as easy as it might seem. In theory, the video is available here, but as of right now, it's not working - not sure why. There were many other issues that I don't want to bore you with. "Real soon now" - how does that sound?

There are some fun updates, though - today I spit out my pacifier, picked it up and put it back in my mouth and repeated that trick 4 more times. I'm also grasping my hands and grabbing for other objects. I don't really like rolling over yet, but I can do it if I have to.

I hope everyone is doing well. It's been a while since I heard from some of you. Shoot me a line.

Love, D.

Feelin' hot hot hot

Danielites!

I would have written sooner, but my keyboard melted. OK, not really, but Denver is experiencing an all-time temperature high. It has not been this hot in 127 years (really). So truth be told, I have no excuses.

The cast, yes, well - it's white. Secretly I was hoping that they'd just say "Oh, look - I think you're done" but they didn't do that. I have to wear this lump for another 2 weeks. BUT, on August 2, I get my long-awaited x-ray and they'll tell me what's next. There could be some minor surgery to lengthen my achilles tendon - there's no way to know until we see the x-ray.

There has been a confirmed sighting of me turning over onto my back, and I'm growing out of my 0-3 month clothes, so there are some changes going on around here.

A big shout-out to Zoe Hekneby who was born this morning at 3am. She looks like she's going to be cute. Can I call "dibs"? 8lbs 12 oz? I was six weeks old before I weighed that much! Looking forward to meeting you in person - come on over to my crib, baby!

Once Dad figures out how to use his new camcorder, there will be video here. Stay tuned.

Until next time.

D

The Pastas are here!

Barbara and Dave have been keeping me entertained all weekend long. Especially Dave, who sat and made funny faces at me all the way up the mountains and back. Yay, Pastas! We played disc golf with me on Mom's chest. That didn't work so well, so we sat out the last 16-or-so holes.

I have a new skill - I rolled over from my stomache to my back yesterday. Dad's the only person that saw me do it, so we need another confirmed sighting, but it happened - it really did. I don't really like being on my stomache, so I guess I might have been a little mad at the time. Oh well - it's progress. I also know how to grab my un-cast foot.

Tuesday I get a new cast after keeping this blue one for 2 weeks. Ought to be fun.

That's about all to report from here. Hope everyone is doing well.

Until next time, D.

Balloons!

Hey guys!

Mom came up with a fun game to help improve my motor skills. She tied a balloon to my hand so that I could see a big effect when I waved it. That was fun.

I'm stuffing all of my fingers in my mouth now, and this morning, I grabbed my own foot. Talk about progress! I'm also doing crunches all day long, so I'll have abs of steel when I grow up.

I'm off the tea, and there's something else new too -> I'm still wearing last week's cast. That's right - remember how I said that we'd see if I could keep it for 2 weeks? So far, so good.

I'm smiling a lot now, and gurgling up a storm. I still don't like tummy-time all that much, but my arms and back are clearly getting stronger. The pasta's are off camping in the mountains, and tomorrow I go to a BBQ.

That's about all for now. Hope everyone is doing great.

Love, D.

Sleeping in on a Saturday...

Good Morning! So sleepy. The Pasta's are visiting from Houston, and they're total night-owls. So I'm sleeping in this morning. Big Yawn.

Can you believe that I'm more than 10 weeks old now? Time just flies. Earlier this week, baby Harrison was born, and I went to the hospital to see him. 6lbs 12oz -> but boy, did he look tiny compared to me! That really helped Dad realize how much I've grown. No official weighing lately, but I'd be surprised if it's much different than 11lbs.

My cough is almost gone, so I'm feeling a lot better.

There are about 45 new pictures in imagestation album #4. You should check them out when you get a chance. Nothing you haven't seen before, but just more of it.

That's about it for now. I'm going to continue my lazy weekend. Hope everyone is having a good day!

Until next time,
D.

It's new-cast day again!

Truth be told, I'm just using the new cast thing as an excuse to post something again. But, for the record - it's Blue. We're getting towards the end of these casts, and the nice folks at Children's have asked me to see it I can wear this one for 2 weeks instead of one. We'll see - the last one chafed my knee a bit.

I have my first chest cold - when I cough, I sound like I've been smoking for 50 years. Nothing to be done about it except wait it out. Called the Dr. on Monday to make sure that the parent's shouldn't be doing anything else, and he said "hide the cigarettes". Such a comedian. I'm pretty impressed that he called me back on July 4. Yay, Dr. Rich!




So, what did I do on the 4th? Not a lot, really. I went for a walk in my stroller, chilled with a bottle of 2005 Enfamil, and then we went to see fireworks with Doug, Meg and Ethan. Turns out I'm not really into the whole fireworks thing yet - I fell asleep.

Swing, Swing, Swing...

Ethan has generously lent me his swing, and this thing is most excellent. It swings in multiple directions, has a psychedelic lamp and flying fish. Who are the mad scientists at Fisher-Price, and what is their obsession with fish? Still, the parents are amused.

I had a little bit of a fever after my shots, and combined with the heatwave here in Denver, I was sluggish for a day or two, but my appetite is back now. We went over to the local arts festival, and I was a huge hit with the crowd. They all wanted to know where my "other sock" was - silly adults - haven't they ever seen a kid with a cast before?

My hair is growing in, my eyelashes are fully formed, but still no eyebrows. The parents now believe that my acne came from the moisturizing lotion I got after baths. Since the lotion went away, so did the zits, and I'm cleaning up nicely. My back, legs and neck muscles are really strong - going to work on my arms which are a bit puny.

Have a great July 4th weekend.

Love, D.

Hey! I'm Back...

Hey there! This is the longest I have gone without posting for a while. Hope you're still here.

As you can see, I went to Houston. Those are my cousins - Chloe, Brayden and Kayla holding me in the picture. I had a good trip. Got to see the family with Babe, aunt Teresa, aunt Erin and uncle Byron in addition to the kids. Also got together with the Pasta's. Yo, Pastas! Yo, Houston!

(Sorry, still no cowboy hat. Thanks for asking, though)

I travel really well. Mom didn't have any troubles with me at all. This is a good thing. The humidity in Houston caused my cast to bother me a bit, but once mom took it off, all was good.

Today marks another milestone - my 2 month appointment at the pediatrician. I got weighed (10lbs, 3oz) and measured (22 and 5/8"). I'm at the 20th percentile for weight, 50th for height and 25th for head size. I'm catching up, though - I've gained 65 ounces in 60 days. The Doctors are happy with my progress.

I also got a new cast (white) and a bunch of shots today. I put up with it pretty well, but I'm sleepy today.

That's about all from Denver. How's everyone doing? Did you know that in addition to adding comments to this post, you can email me by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page?

Until next time. D...

New Photos at Imagestation

I'm still in Houston (more about that in a later post), but I wanted to let you know that there is a new photo album linked in over on the right-hand side of the blog.

D

Howdy Partner

I'm all dressed up and ready to go. Mommy and I are off to Houston today. As you can see, I’m wearing my western outfit so that I’ll fit in. It’s a little big for me still, but I hear everything in Texas is big, so I don’t think that will be a problem.

My cast is white this week. The doctor seems more and more pleased with my progress every week. AND, more importantly, I’m over half way done! Woo hoo!

Talk to y’all when I get back! Take care now, ya hear!

Daniel

A lot of new things are happening

This was a pretty eventful weekend. I went on my first vacation with Mom, Dad, Grandpa and Farmor. We rented a cabin up in the mountains for the weekend and had a good time. I had my first overnight stay and my first hike (You can tell that I'm in the picture from the red-casted leg hanging from the baby bjorn).

Also, I went for a long car ride, went over 12,000 feet and saw a bunch of wildlife.

So, whew! I'm exhausted. But I was really, really good. So good, in fact, that I'm going on tour next week. Mom is taking me to visit family and friends in Texas, while Dad is stuck going on a business trip. So there might not be an update for a few days, but hang tight, Danielites.

Until next time,
D

Farmor was here (and other updates)

Danielites! This is a delayed posting, but I wanted to let you know that Farmor (literally: "Fathers Mother" in Norwegian) and Grandpa have been visiting. She came with me to Childrens' Hospital this week and saw me get a new cast (the red one).

All week long, but particularly this weekend, the grandparents did the night-time feedings, so mom and dad got to sleep. Very popular move, that.

A couple of updates: I'm now drinking a Fennel-based tea for my stomache, and that's working wonderfully (thanks Aunt Sara). My acne is better, but we're now thinking it's an allergy to my bath products, rather than the starchy shirts.

Oh, and the exciting news is that I'm talking more. OK, so I mostly coo, but sometimes I break out a full "Ah-goo" which at 2 syllables isn't half bad!

I'm sure there is more, and I'm sure I'm forgetting what it is right now. Hope that everyone had a wonderful week since last time.

Love, D