Every Baby is Supposed to be a Pumpkin

There are laws, immutable and eternal, on top of which the foundations of the universe are constructed. These laws - gravity, conservation of matter, Kristin the hottest hottie - bound all creation. One of the greatest of these laws is: Every child is to be a pumpkin on their first Halloween.

And Clara is obedient to and conforms with these laws.

We found the perfect costume at Target, of course. A long-sleeved black onesie and pair of black pants underneath completed the look. The outfit had a built-in hood and was thick enough to kept her warm on the cool, but not cold, evening.

Feeling that we didn't need to collect a ton of candy (Clara couldn't eat the majority of it as we are keeping her off dairy until her first birthday) and knowing that any candy brought in the house would be eaten by us (also not a good thing) we decided that we would only go to one house: David & Bonnie's. We walked over with an adorable little pumpkin (picture at right) who wasn't quite sure about having something over her head.

Clara told me that she wanted to say "Trick or treat!", so we dropped her on the doorstep and rang the doorbell. Michael answered and invited her in. He showed her his favorite new toy, the container of flour his mother was using to make rolls.

She asked him why he wasn't in his costume. His Daddy helped him put on his costume so we could take a picture of the adorable babies.

The picture didn't really turn out. At first Clara wouldn't sit still. Then Michael wanted to show that he could be equally uncooperative as Clara. In the end we opted for solo pictures of Clara, which really turned out well.

Michael was a gentleman and walked Clara to the door, thanking her for coming over to visit. Bonnie gave Clara her lone piece of candy and we headed home.
At home, we gave Clara the eye thing that Bonnie gave us and let her experiment. Into her mouth it went, plastic covering and all. Before she could choke, and I be labeled a bad parent, I unwrapped the candy. She had no interest. I even took a bite to show her it was food and she still wouldn't eat it. Next time I'll just leave the wrapper on.

Blog, Interrupted

I was reading the blogs tonight and came across one that wouldn't load. Shaming with a screen shot below.Someone needs a more reliable service provider.

Clara Helps Hang Gate

Tonight I hung the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs between the second and third floors (farewell dreaded pressure-mounted gate). I was able to install the gate without having to resort to family's or friend's skills. I am becoming such the handyman that I hear Kristin is going to buy me a tool belt for Christmas.

Let me clarify one point: I did have a little help from the family, Clara. Kristin was on hand to play photo journalist and document Clara's assistance.

Okay, I'm here. We can begin.

Bring it back a little this way.

Here, let me see the manual.

I certify this screw lead free!

Now Clara has full range of the middle floor without the pain of the pressure mounted gate (may it die a painful death). Kristin says the second floor looks like a jail. Jail, giant play pen. Same thing, right?

My Blue Dress

Today I wore my blue dress to church. Mommy took a picture of me in the dress. I am holding her rose from some crazy party she went to last night.

Let Me Clue You In

Tonight was David & Bonnie's annual Halloween Party! Each year they throw a huge party with games, great food, costumes, and this year, a murder mystery. "Deception and murder are not appropriate for children." read the invite, so we arranged to have Rachel come and babysit.

When Rachel arrived Kristin and I each filled her in on the important things: Kristin, Clara; I, the Wii. We took our goodies, piled in the car, and drove the four blocks to the party. (It doesn't get any more American than that.) As I was dropping off Kristin and the treats I split out my pants so I had to run home and change. An alternate title for this post is A Requiem For A Suit, as the damage is irreparable.

The theme this year was Clue. (Read all about last year's Harry Halloween.) Due to the size of the group, Kristin and I were assigned non-standard characters. Kristin was Madame Rose, a Hungarian clairvoyant, and I was Señor Naranja, a Latino business man. Kristin pulled our costumes together. For my costume, I had suggested that I go fake baking, but Kristin is so vehemently opposed to the practice, and said she would leave me if I did, that I had to settle for liquid foundation and mascara in the eyebrows. The stuff was nasty, but the effect amazing. All suspects and Mansion staff pictured below in their fineries.

L to R: Ms. Lavender (Amy), Professor Plum (Spencer), Ms. Scarlett (Julie), Monsieur Brunette (Bruce), Maid (Bonnie), Butler (David), Ms. Peach (Tiffany), Mr. Green (Aaron), Señor Naranja (Oliver), Madame Rose (Kristin)

After everyone arrived, the murder mystery began. Clues and a map of the mansion were handed out. There was a prize for the winner, so everyone jumped in, making notes, exchanging clues, until finally Señor Naranja yelled, "I think I've got it. I know the weapon and am pretty sure on the suspect. Ms. Lavender in the Dining Room with the poison." WRONG. Ms. Peach quickly piped up, "I know the suspect and am pretty sure on the weapon. Ms. Peach in the Dining Room with the pipe." WRONG. Mr. Green then put two and two together and said, "Ms. Peach in the Dining Room with the poison." CORRECT! Luckily, Ms. Peach and Mr. Green (pictured together at right) were going home together, so they got to share the prize.

Our sleuthing left us hungered, so we tackled the food. Everyone was to bring a dish, with instructions to include mystery ingredients and, if possible, monkey brains. ("And monkey brains, though popular in Cantonese cuisine, are not often to be found in Washington, D.C.") There was a perfect balance of sweet and savory even though no one knew what the others were bringing. The table:Starting at the top:

• Dry ice punch (Maid & Butler): anything is better with dry ice, yet even without this delicious punch would have stood on its own.
• Chips w/ homemade salsas (Maid & Butler): for the majority of my life I have not enjoyed guacamole, but really liked this stuff.
• Bruschetta (Maid & Butler): you can never go wrong pairing a sweet apple with strong cheese; toasted on French bread made for a nice savory treat
• Pumpkin Spice Caramels (Ms. Scarlett & Monsieur Brunette): Pumpkin as the secret ingredient, and a perfect blend of Penzey's spices, made these one of my favorite treats. (Someone stole the two I brought home.)
• Pomegranate and Goodness Salad (Maid & Butler): a sweet and tart treat; mmmm cool whip.
• Bloody Fingers (Ms. Peach & Mr. Green): an almond dyed red made a perfect fingernail; right up there in the best-effect department with the dry ice.
• Spider Monkey Brains (Ms. Scarlett & Monsiuer Brunette): not only were their spiders on this inventive dessert, but inside as well; where one finds a brain mold is a question best left unanswered.
• Seventh Deadly Weapon Cookies (Señor Naranja & Madame Rose): the mystery of these treats? Cake mix cookies!
• Better for a Boddy Brownies (Señor Naranja & Madame Rose): Madame Rose gets the credit for the name; Señor Naranja on the idea: brownies with spinach in them.
• Crackers & Shrimp Cocktail (Ms. Lavender & Professor Plum, pictured right): I couldn't stop eating this one; very delicious.

(The following was overheard After sampling the spidered treat, "Is that what we ate?")

And there was a prize! Everyone voted and top prize went to the Spider Monkey Brains brought by Monsieur Brown and Ms. Scarlett (pictured left). Runner up was the dry ice punch by the Butler and the Maid.

After gorging ourselves we continued the tradition by playing Halloweengo. To play all you need is bingo cards with Clue terms, a pile of candy corn, one Clue DVD, and a bunch of candy bars. Start with Wadsworth's explanation and put a candy corn on each item as it rolls off Wadsworth's tongue. At five in a row yell "Halloweengo!", pick a candy bar from the pile (or steal from someone else), clear your board, and keep going. If you wanted to steal, you had to remember who had the desired bar, as everyone tended to keep their selections hidden. As in years past, the Almond Joy flew from person to person before finally resting with {I can't remember who - let me know via e-mail and I'll update this!). In the end, I got my Twix and Snickers, so I was a happy boy.

As the party was winding down, David broke out the leftover dry ice and asked if we wanted to play. Um, of course. After the boys had their fill the ladies even got in on the fun. I especially love David's face in the first quadrant. I also captured some video of the ladies "pulling a Macbeth", as Julie put it.

{VIDEO GOES HERE; uploading with Google}

Mad props out to the Maid and the Butler for yet another memorable Halloween party. Make sure to check out Julie's and Amy's reports. I leave you with two pictures of our hosts. Enjoy!

Adventures at Wegmans

Ingredients:
1 Father
1 Daughter
1 Shopping List
1 Wegmans

Directions:
Mix.

We needed some ingredients for the dish we are taking to Bonnie & David's annual Halloween party tonight. So we followed the aforementioned recipe, leaving Mommy home to bond with her Sims.

The store was mobbed, as it is every Saturday. We collected a cart, I put the germ guard in, and we started on our way. We picked up samples, looked around, didn't see the train, and started to get fussy in the cake mix aisle. As the fuss was kicking off I received a phone call from David. "We see your car in the parking lot." We have the uncanny habit of being at the same place at the same time. (Exhibit B: dinner at same restaurant at same time last night.)

The Beans continued to fuss, so I found a sample of an apple and let her go to town. (When recounting our adventures to Kristin she asked why I didn't dig into the snacks in the diaper bag. Oops.) Bonnie helped me get the right type of cocoa powder and David told me that the Robek's across the street was having a grand opening with free smoothies. Michael and Clara made eyes at each other.

At Robek's I asked if Clara could get a free smoothie. The woman behind the counter said, "Well, she is a person, so I don't see why not!" Upgrading from free small to large was only $1, so Clara and I brought two large smoothies home to go with lunch. Clara's smoothie had dairy in it, so she was nice and shared it with Mommy.

I'd definitely like to do that recipe again.

Lip Smacking Good

Sometimes I feel a bit like Dave Letterman, when he does his Stupid Pet or Stupid Human Tricks, when I write one of these posts. Then I remember that Clara is the only reason most people read the blog, so here is my New Clara Trick of the day.

Clara has started smacking her lips. A cross between a smacking sound and a kissing sound, she will most often make the noise when she hears someone else making the sound. For example, on Wednesday afternoon Kristin and Clara picked me up from the bus stop. I gave Kristin three loud kisses on the cheek when I got in the car. (I know, TMI. But it is germane to the story.) Clara, in her rear facing car seat and unable to see us, hears the noise and makes three smacking sounds in response. Kristin and I started laughing. I grabbed Kristin's arm and planted three ones noisily: three quick smacks came in reply.

It is incredibly cute when she is crawling around and making the noise. We finally caught it on video. Enjoy!

Sense Memory

It is a curious thing to spend ones adult life in the same place as ones childhood. Sights, scents, and sounds entirely common place trigger thoughts from the deepest recesses of the mind. As I drove home yesterday, and again this morning walking to the bus stop, I had such an experience.

I took the car to work yesterday. On the way home, I took a different route (bad move; it took over an hour; but that's another post). As I sat in traffic I caught a glimpse of a home backing the road. A sliding glass door showed a dark family room; the overcast evening light wasn't sufficient to light the room. It called to mind fall afternoons at the BBHOL, coming home to an empty house and seeing everything still and quiet before I turned the lights on.

This morning on the way to the bus stop drizzling rain fell. Pacific Northwesterners would mock me, and she does, but I pulled out my umbrella attempting to keep my glasses dry. As I walked the four or five blocks to meet the bus, I recalled a picture of me, my younger sister, and my younger brother. It was the first day of school and the sky was overcast and gray. Each is wearing a backpack and I wore a white sweat shirt. Drizzling rain fell on us, but we didn't have umbrellas.

It is nice to have fall here. Cool days and chilly nights, warm apple cider and roasted apples. And making new memories on Clara's first Halloween.

Steps in the Right Direction

As I boarded the Metro car to head home the other day, I noticed that something was different. No glass to the left. More space for standing to the right. No crowding around the doors. Looks like Metro is retooling the inside of its rail cars again!

Taking away seats to make more room for people to stand is always okay by me. Metro has more problems with over crowding than with discomfort. The new configurations feature more handholds for the vertically challenged - a primary complaint regarding last year's attempted reconfiguration - and a mid-car sign that tells you the next stop and on which side the doors will open. Said sign eats into my headroom, but is nice too have.

The real question is: did Metro go far enough? My initial assessment was "no." We need more standing room. It's not like ridership is anticipated to decrease anytime soon. But I will be happy with what we have now: A step in the right direction.

Waiting for the Google gods to IMAP my Gmail (UPDATED)

Yesterday Google dropped a little piece of news on us: Google is rolling out IMAP support to all Gmail accounts. (Check out the previous link for the announcement and this link for descriptions of IMAP, how to enable your Gmail account, and how to set up your mobile device or desktop program.)

This is BIG NEWS. Why you might ask? Because this may address my single complaint about Gmail: I can't apply labels on the run. I like to read my personal e-mail while on the bus and train. I can access my Gmail through the app I've downloaded to my BlackBerry or via the built in Web browser. You can read conversations, archive, delete, reply, forward, do everything EXCEPT apply labels. I am a heavy labels user. This has long been a frustration.

With IMAP, you can apply labels on the run.

Once I heard the news, I immediately logged into my Gmail account hoping to see this:
Instead, I saw this:Notice the lack of "/IMAP" after POP in my screen shot?

And now, I wait. Wait for the moment when the Google gods will flip a little switch and my gmail account will be IMAP-able.

I'm not very good at waiting.

UPDATE: I was getting more and more antsy, so I logged into Clara's e-mail address (she has one so she can author posts on the blog) and found that HER account was IMAPable. The injustice. So, I decided to test the waters. Turns out the waters are not so sweet.

The set-up was easy enough, I followed the instructions on Google, and was able to get Clara's Gmail account on my BlackBerry. However, the folder/label functionality, which is the whole reason I want to use Gmail IMAP, doesn't work! Also, every e-mail sent to Clara also shows up in my main inbox. I want segregation of messages. It did not do what I had hoped it would.

I found a post that confirms my suspicions: Gmail IMAP is not ready for BlackBerry. And the search for a tool that allows me to apply labels from my BlackBerry continues.

Climb Every Mountain (UPDATED)

For the past few weeks the family room couches have been Clara's favorite place to play. She'll sometimes just stand next to one of them and whine until one of us lifts her up onto the seat. And on occasion she would attempt to use me as a stepstool to get herself up instead. Once on the couch she can play for minutes (the ten-month-old equivalent of hours) before attempting to get off by sliding down headfirst.

Yesterday our world changed dramatically.

Clara and I were sitting playing with blocks on the floor when she spotted the TV remote on the couch. She crawled over, stood up, threw her right leg up onto the couch, and climbed right on up. I pulled her down and let her try again. Same results. Later in the afternoon I tried to get it on video, but a cranky baby is less willing to try and try again before melting down. So instead I have video of Clara standing with her head buried in the couch cushions, sobbing after one unsuccessful attempt.

And we arrive at this morning. I left Clara in the family room to play with her toys while I made her breakfast. After about two minutes I heard a strange noise and looked out to see what was going on. There she was, lounging on the couch, watching TV. I tried to get a picture, but as soon as she saw me she stood up and started laughing.

It seems like Clara is determined not to let us get comfortable with her level of mobility before she makes the next leap. Tomorrow...walking??

UPDATE: Now with video!

On Communication

I was reading a post on my cousin Brig-ham's blog, and started to write a comment in reply. Mid-rant I realized this is something I'd like to pose to our greater blog-reading public. So, please. Read Brig's post. Read my reply below. Comment.

In response to this post:
A few months back I drove a group of six young men to the temple. Conversation was in full swing when one of the boys mentioned something happening in an adjacent car full of girls. Turns out he was participating in two conversations: the first in my car, and the second via text messages. On a related note I heard the following stat today: Did you know that the number of text messages sent and received every day exceeds the total population of the planet?

We are raising a generation of people who do not know how to have face-to-face, real-time verbal communication. We text, we instant message, we put comments on blogs, post to Facebook/MySpace pages, but we never stop and talk. When do we sit down and discuss life? When do we discuss ideas? Where is our human interaction? Are we becoming a society where courtship is replaced by asynchronous comments, true intimacy by imitation?

It's All About the Wii

At this point most of our regular readers know that I love my Wii. I am not a game console guy, have never had the inkling to buy a PlayStation, Xbox or any other system, and don't really like first person shooters. When people talk about waiting in line for game systems I have been known to mock. In fact, when they announced the name of the new Nintendo console would be "Wii" I openly questioned if those crazy marketing people knew what they were doing.

Turns out they did.

Check out this article at Ad Age. Ad Age recently voted Nintendo Marketer of the Year for the roll-out of the Wii and the DS. They built the console with the soccer mom as the target audience, ignoring the traditional gamer (young males). A brilliant strategy excellently executed.

This ties in with a point I made about The Sims a few years back. Something you might not know about Kristin and I is that we are HUGE Sims fans. We purchased all seven of the original Sims expansion packs and have purchased the majority for The Sims 2. In our pre-Clara days we used to play Sims on our computers (individual computers, Oliver's key to a successful marriage) for hours at a time. One Saturday we played for fourteen hours straight.

The Sims is the top selling PC game of all time. This is largely in part due to the fact that the game was adopted by non-traditional gamers, namely girls older players. It is interesting that both The Sims and the Wii found the success outside the traditional gamer demographic. A person far more insightful than I would be able to say what this evolution in computer and console usership means about society as a whole. Is it that the wider public is more accepting of electronic entertainment? That marketers and product designers have increased sophistication? That society is lazier and doesn't want to leave the house?

I'm not sure. But I do know that both scored well with our household and that if you're thinking of buying a Wii, stop by. I'd love to give you a tour. Just be prepared to hear "Wii would like to play."

Full-Time Mom, Part-Time Dad

This morning I had the chance to be a full-time Dad for a few hours. "Full-time Dad," you ask. "When aren't you Clara's father?" I'm always Clara's father, but I work during the day and leave child care to my wife, which makes me a part-time Dad. I carry a full-time job - 40+ hours a week - and am a Dad nights and weekends. I wish that I could be a full-time Dad, being with Clara all day every day, but Kristin and I made a decision that one of us would be a full-time parent, and she won. So she gets to stay home and off to the office I trudge.

I had a fun time this morning, but it was not without its frustrations and difficulties. Clara is now willing to play by herself, banging Duplo blocks together, chewing on animal finger puppets, pushing her little car around, turning the pages of her board books, but she preferred that I kept close by as she played. Each time I walked over to the computer to play a game or went to the pantry to look for some food, I would hear the sound of kneels crawling across the carpet then the hardwood floor. A little face would peer around corners asking with a look, "Daddy? Where did you go?"

When nap time came, I struggled for an hour and was only able to get four ounces down. Ask Kristin, but I just can't hit the window. And she only slept for thrity minutes after I was done feeding her. I had hoped she would sleep longer to aid in the healing process.

Two of us sat looking out the front windows as Kristin pulled into the driveway after church. She didn't see us, so we crawled over to the railing to watch Kristin come up the stairs. Even as she is upstairs with Kristin napping right now I miss her. We had so much fun wrestling, playing with toys and making sounds at each other. I must confess. It is much easier to sit at a desk and write e-mails and or sit and talk in meetings. I was exhausted after three hours. But I had a glorious time. And I will miss her tomorrow.

Renewing Faith

Kristin had a very interesting church experience today; it was Clara-free. Not wanting to share Clara's germs, I stayed home with the little one and Kristin went to church solo. Everyone is dying to know what it was like. Did she remember how to listen during church? Was anything interesting said? To provide you, our blog-reading public, with the answers to these and many other questions I bring you, your favorite segment and mine, an interview with Kristin!

Large Plates Interviewer: Kristin, is it true you went to church alone today?
KRISTIN: Yes.

To be painfully clear: No Oliver? No Clara?
Yes.

Did you feel naked walking into the chapel without a diaper bag and child in tow?
No. I was fully clothed.

Did you sit in the center section, fifth row, left hand side of the pew?
Uh-huh.

Did you miss sitting next to your cute husband?
Of course.

So you sat in Sacrament Meeting, not having to wrestle anyone, and had the opportunity to listen? (I'll let you decide if she usually wrestles with Oliver or with Clara.)
Yes.

Did you listen?
Yes.

What did you hear?
Talks about following the Prophet and geocaching.

Did anyone ask about your adorable husband and daughter?
Yes.

Did you catch any false doctrine?
Sigh. Yes, but I can't put it on the blog.

How was Relief Society sans-child? Was it hard to pay attention when you knew you'd have to stay in there the whole time and didn't have an excuse to get out of a boring lesson?
No, it wasn't hard because it wasn't a boring lesson.

What was the most interesting thing you heard?
Most *interesting* thing? I don't know. {slurps Jello.} {Shrugs.}
{Interviewer decides to move on.}

Anything else you'd like to tell your blog-reading public?
Stay in school. Don't do drugs.

Oh, what a revelation!

Friday Night.
Carnegie Hall
J. K. Rowling taking fan questions.
One young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love."

"Dumbledore is gay," the author responded to gasps and applause.

Read the entire article here.

Clara Update: The Fever Has Broken

Great news! This morning Clara woke up without her fever. The downside of this, of course, is that she thinks she's 100% better. So on with full-energy Clara. Nothing is stopping her now.

The rash is still there, and appears to be spreading. Still mainly on her trunk and face. We're keeping an eye on it. It doesn't look too scary. My protective wife will raise the alarm should it get any worse.

Thanks for the well wish, one and all. She seems to definitely be on the mend. Will update if status changes.

Clara Update: Fever & Rash

Today the fever continued. Kristin called the doctor's office. They said that if the fever is still around tomorrow morning, to call and come in. Also, she's getting a rash. We're told this is quite common with viral fevers and not to be too concerned. So, let's hope the fever breaks soon...

Dix, Diez, Zehn, Ten

Ten months. We'll be celebrating a birthday in just two months. Crazy, crazy.

We bring you a bit of a different type of update this month. I think I'll dispense with the standard "she's doing this and that now" and fill you in on some of Clara's exploits during the last thirty days instead. She has:

Become a proficient stair climber. In fact, if I were to let her, she would climb up the stairs all day long. If the gate is down for some reason, she'll notice within two minutes and book it straight for the stairs before I can get there to block the way. Going back down is still a challenge; she still thinks headfirst is the way to go. She's discovered that if she puts her hands out in front of her she can slide headfirst off the sofa and catch herself on the way down, but somehow I don't think that will work as well on the staircase.



Discovered the joys of boy's toys...and clothing. One night at Bruce and Julie's place, Clara began to explore Colter's costume box and proceeded to crawl all over the house with one of his light sabers. She also somehow managed to trash not only the outfit she was wearing, but also her spare clothes from the diaper bag. Thank you, Colter-man, for the loan of not only your toys, but also your baby clothes.



Purchased a new winter hat. But only time will tell if she'll ever leave it on her head long enough for it to keep her warm.



Managed to trap herself under the laundry basket. I swear I did not stage this.




Developed a serious love of plastic containers. Like mother, like daughter.



Discovered a new way to tell us she's done eating. If she happens to not be wearing a bib for some reason, she'll try to pull her shirt off instead.



Eaten spaghetti with tomato sauce for the first time. Up to this point I had only given her plain noodles to pick up on her own. We got brave one night, stripped her down, and let her eat...then promptly carried her up to the bath.



Discovered the supreme joy of toilet paper. And the fun sound produced by pounding on the toilet seat. I am apparently no longer allowed to use the restroom by myself.



Made her first trip to the ER. Fun for all involved. See previous post. I can't talk about it again.



And since I can't resist, here are a few other as-yet-undocumented things she's doing: making kissing sounds and fish-lips, giving mom and dad hugs and kisses (when she's in the mood), "singing" while she bangs on the piano keys , pushing the kitchen chairs all over the room and yelling when she gets stuck, and just generally exploring every nook and cranny of the house, emptying drawers as she goes.

Is there really such a thing as having a completely baby-proof house? My ten-month-old is trying to prove that it's impossible.

Baby's Milestones

There are certain milestones every parent looks forward to: baby's first smile, first laugh, first words, first step. And there are others they don't: first tantrum, first fall, the terrible twos. And there are those that are unexpected, like baby's first trip to the ER.

Tuesday afternoon, Clara woke from her nap with a fever of 103.5º. A call to the doctor's office resulted in Tylenol every four hours and a trip to the doctor the next morning. Overnight, Clara was wide awake from midnight to 2am, until she and I both fell asleep in the rocking chair. At 4am, I brought her into our bedroom. She slept for another half hour, then woke up - WIDE AWAKE - and crawled around the bed until 5am, when Oliver took her into the nursery and got her to fall asleep again. At 6am she was up for the day. Neither mother nor father nor baby slept much that night.

On Wednesday, things seemed to be stable until Clara woke from her afternoon nap. A temperature of 105.5º sent me to the phone again to call the doctor's office, then on to the ER at their request. Oliver met us there shortly, thanks to a coworker giving him a ride from the office to the hospital.

For the next seven and a half hours, Clara was poked, prodded, probed, and pricked. They ended up taking blood, checking for a UTI (clear there), pumping her full of saline so they could collect a sample to check for the UTI, which meant putting in an IV, giving her a round of antibiotics via said IV, failing the first two sticks for the IV (thirty minutes of screaming there), and four nurses before they could get the catheter in (more screaming here). At one point she had a ball of gauze taped to her left hand (where they had first attempted the IV), a ball of gauze taped to her left midarm (where they had attempted the IV the second time), and her entire right hand immobilzed on a little board and wrapped in gauze where they finally got the IV in. So sad we didn't have the camera to get a picture of this. When we left, a little after midnight, her fever was down to 100.5º.

Needless to say, seven and a half hours in the ER is not fun. You know it took a little longer than it should have when multiple hospital staff members say, "Thanks for your patience." Once Clara had the IV in, was getting fluids, and the motrin kicked in, she was much more herself. The said to expect the fever to last for a few more days.

When we got home at 12:30a, everyone was in dire need of rest. We documented a very wasted Clara for posterity (see picture at right) and crashed in bed. Clara slept until 6am. At that point I brought her in bed with us, and we all slept until 9:30am. (That was the latest we've slept in since she's been born.) Oliver is taking the day off and we have another appointment with the doctor this afternoon.

Thanks to Holly for driving Oliver to the hospital, to Bruce for bringing us dinner in the form of a pint of Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie, and to those of you who have called to check up on Clara.

Before & After

MEANT TO POST ON 10/13/2007 3:39 PM

The title of this post has been our theme this weekend. We had a long list of things to take care of, and we did most of it. Check out below for pictures of all the afters. (Unfortunately, someone didn't think of taking befores.)

The Front Yard

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We're not big gardeners. I *occasionally* will stop, before walking in the house, and pull the weeds in front of the house. Well, it got to the point where occasion did not strike my fancy enough for the HOA, and we received a polite letter informing us that we were being fined $30 and had to clean up in front of the house. Kristin started on the front; I join her about half way into the process. One of the little shrubs provided me with an experience that means I am now ready to be a General Authority.

The small shrub was planted by our builder in the middle of winter. It never really had a chance, but tenaciously put down roots and attempted to grow each year. In soil that was more rock and clay than a decent growing medium, it grew bit by bit, aching for the moment when it, too, could be a big plant, beautifying our home for all to see.

Yet too many years of unpruned growth had resulted in a wild appearance. As I approached it with shears, ready to cut it back to the stub in hopes of proper regrowth, I heard a voice in my head. "Why do you cut me so? I want to be big and tall." As I sat there for a moment, reflecting on my feelings for the plant, I realized something. I hate that plant. It's a miserable little thing. I'm not going to prune it, I'm going to rip it out of the ground and throw it away. And that is what I did.

Now that's a talk I'd love to hear in General Conference.

The Back Yard & Fence

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Sadly, the $30 fine was not the only one. We also got a $40 fine for our backyard's impersonation of the Amazon and the broken gate. So, I broke out the weedeater and rake and headed into the backyard.

An hour and two rechargeable batteries later, my weedeater was dead. The grass was so long and dense that I was only able to clear a third of the yard. After dethatching the rest of it, and starting a blister or two, I filled a 55-gallon black garbage bag with grass and turned my attentions to the gate. I needed some tools, so I went and collected my toolbox and Clara, who had been sitting in her stroller watching Mommy working in the front yard, paused in mediation to channel my brother Matthew, and pounded away until the gate latched.

I proudly sat back on my heels with the gate closed. I fixed something! Who'd of thunk?

The Basement

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Less of a story here, and more of the pictures. Everything was moved last night, Kristin and I reshelved* the books today. I think it turned out well.

The Middle Floor

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As Kristin mentioned here, there is no such thing as a completely baby-proofed house, but the new configuration of the middle floor is definitely much more baby friendly. One positive side effect is that Kristin is using her brown chair more. I still remember that day those chairs were delivered, walking in the house and finding my little Kristin girl fast asleep in her chair.
*Did you know that reshelf/reshelve/reshelved do not appear in the dictionary? I searched m-w.com, define:WORD on Google, and dictionary.com with the same outcome: no results found. The irony. A word made popular by millions of library signs - "Please do not reshelf books" - isn't actually a word. To quote Colter, "Go fig."

Very Large Mammals

While getting dressed this morning I heard a strange noise. A transcript of what transpired next:

OLIVER: "Lovey, what is that sound?"

KRISTIN: "Clara is pushing a chair around the kitchen. Why? What did you think it was?"

OLIVER: "It sounds like humpback whales mating."

KRISTIN: laughter

Little Clara is getting closer to walking each passing day. Of course, whenever I see her doing something that may lead to walking I push her down. Let her wait until fourteen months to walk.

Besides, isn't that the job of the white male? To keep people down?

Turning Our Lives Upside-Down

Tonight as David, Bruce, Aaron, Spencer, and I were standing around, after moving the three bookcases and one of the brown chairs and ottoman downstairs, David commented that everything that once was on the middle floor is now on the first floor and vice versa. I took a quick mental inventory and realized that he was correct.

Original First Floor Inventory

• Two black leather couches
• One TV cabinet
• One end table that matches the TV cabinet

Original Second Floor Inventory

• Three bookcases
• Two brown leather chairs and ottomans
• One dining room table and six matching chairs
• One piano

We had to move the TV and couches upstairs earlier this year as it was too cold in the basement for newborn Clara. To make room, the dining room table and chairs went downstairs.

In the past few weeks, Clara has discovered the bookcases, which necessitated their move to the first floor. One chair and ottoman went down with them.

Current First Floor Inventory

• Three bookcases
• One brown leather chair and ottoman
• One dining room table and six matching chairs
• One Ikea bookcase-type thing to hold toys

Current Second Floor Inventory

• Two black leather couches
• One TV cabinet
• One end table that matches the TV cabinet
• One brown leather chair and ottoman
• One piano

It sort of surprised me that I, the king of noticing things, did not notice this sooner. Then it dawned on me why it was so painfully (note the choice of word here) obvious to David: he had been there to help move everything up and down. I don't blame him for noticing.

Shouts Out also to Bruce, Brigham, Parker, Aaron, and Spencer for lending muscle to the rearranging efforts.

Welcome To: Spencer & Amy

Occassionally in life you meet someone that you think, "Hey, they could be pretty cool." Then you start to hang out and think, "Hey, they are pretty cool." Then you find out they have a blog and you think, "Rock on."

And that brings us to Spencer & Amy. New to our ward, she's a Georgia girl and he's a Utah boy. He has a BlackBerry and has embraced BlackBerry Messenger. She maintains the blog.

So welcome, Spencer & Amy.
Readers of the blog: Go! Give pageviews! Read their blog.

Cliché Alert

You know those things, small and common place, that provide endless amusement and pleasure? It's that feeling of fall finally arriving, of breaking out the turtlenecks, of chilly gusts of wind. It's the joy of introducing someone to Feist, of hearing 1234 for the 1,234th time. And it's the joy of watching the reactions of passersby as they check out the girl walking in front of you, in a tube skirt that's almost quite long enough and requires a tug every few steps, and knowing that they are thinking the same thing you are...

Does she know she looks like a working girl?

Bath Time

Tuesday night, while getting Clara ready for her bath, I noticed that she needed a diaper change. I left the water running in the bathroom and took her into the nursery to change her. She didn't need a new diaper, as she was about to get in the tub, so when I finished I turned her onto her belly and said, "All done!"

She quickly got into crawling position and headed for the door, her bare little bottom disappearing around the edge of the door frame. I jumped up and made it to the hall in time to see her head into the bathroom. Passing Kristin in the hall she quipped, "You're living dangerously." Once in the bathroom Clara crawled to the tub's edge and quickly pulled herself to a standing position.

I so enjoy seeing her take off with such determination, her delight in bathtime, and her smile as she reaches her goal.

Sweeney Todd

It doesn't get any crazier than a Tim Burton movie starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. And if you're in the mood for dark/crazy, wander on over to Yahoo!Movies and check out the trailer for the upcoming Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.A film adaptation of the Sondheim musical, the movie is set for release on December 21st. The palette looks classic Burton - every imaginable shade of black, grey, brown gray, and white - with creep intensity from Helena. The two main characters appear to be wearing a pound of make-up each.The villan, Judge Turpin, is played by Alan Rickman. He appears a number of times in the trailer and looks perfect for the part. Check out the raised eyebrow and expression in the screen cap.As my coworker Diana put it (by the way thanks for sending me the link!), Sweeney Todd isn't a favorite musical, but anything Burton is guaranteed to be done well and is therefore worth a viewing. If anyone is interested in accompanying me, post a comment and let me know. Kristin doesn't do musicals. Otherwise I'll go this one alone.