Coming Soon…

the newest Salty Dog!  We are so very excited for Shannon, Mark & Sandy, who will welcome a new addition to the their family on 29 December or so. We are not sure what else we can say, except how happy we are for them, and that they have several babysitters waiting in the wings! We also hope we can somehow help with their new wee one in as many ways as they have lovingly helped with ours over the years.

We love you guys and many, many congratulations!!

Mother’s Day

was just awesome.  From breakfast in bed, to Thai for lunch, an afternoon at the park, and did I mention the special treats?  Caitlin was ailing (translation: is 10 years old and likes to sleep in), but Kelsey and Nicholas were happy to help Peter make breakfast (including an emergency trip to the grocery store for suddenly missing ingredients).   Kelsey ate her breakfast next to me, and it was a sweet way to start the day.

Once Cait woke up, they were both extremely impatient for me to open my gifts.  Peter bought me several DVDs (including a favorite from which this quote comes:  "There's no crying in baseball!"), a new Kellerman novel (my fun reads), and a plant to brighten the windowsill.  The girls had hand-made cards, a cookie (from the Farmers' Market), and a coupon book (from Kelsey) with such classics as "I will walk home with you every day!".  Well, since only one of us has the car keys, and that person is against driving when the walk home from school is only 9 minutes long  (don't get me started on this topic, it ain't pretty).

We had to hurry up and have lunch at our favorite Thai restaurant in Danville (yes, the town that is home to "Sully" Sullenberger), hit Costco (technically this is when I received the above book) and then off to a new park in Danville, Sycamore Valley Park.  All of the parks here seem to have several different age levels for the structures, and they are all different, so each park can be a new adventure. 

Look Ma, no cavities!

Which is exactly what Nicholas meant yesterday when he said, "Hey, ya, medoo bedoo!".  Well, that is vaguely reminiscent of his speech.  His first dental appointment was yesterday and he passed with flying colors.  His teeth are in great shape, gums look good, two year molars are on the way, and he managed to impress the dentist and the hygienist with his eating habits. 

What could it be?  It could be the lack of juice (their eyes lit up), "Really, he doesn't drink juice?!"

Nope, not a drop.  He can slurp down a Mango lassie (yogurt & mango) and have the occasional Jamba Juice Pomegranate smoothie (we share), but he does not drink juice on any sort of regular basis.  Only water and his milk of choice.  I (personally) don't see any reason to give it to him.  None of my kids like juice, and frankly, given how they like water, why start a bad trend?

I was then explaining how he eats fruits in natural form, like apples.  He started gnawing on them at 9 months or so (biting one Pete was eating), and kept going.  He can now eat half a regular-sized apple in one sitting (yes, skin and all).  It's a natural toothbrush of sorts, and he is getting the benefits without the sugar.  Needless to say, the dentist was thrilled and both she and the hygienist immediately wondered why they didn't think of it before.  Far better than diced apples, as he never bites off more than he can chew and thus, not so much choking hazard.

Then again, we didn't really ponder it, just sort of happened.  Sure glad it did, though, as always helps to have a positive dental visit (makes up for the flailing and screaming in my ear).  Oh, and the flailing would be the reason we don't have pictures of him in the chair.  I waited til we were finished as the iPhone camera doesn't like movement, and my still camera battery was dead.  So, you will have to be satisfied with the little guy enjoying the waiting room post-visit (and "brushing his teeth").  Oh, and I just thought the last picture was too cute…it's his new 'grinny' face, and he loves to snort with laughter when he squinches up his nose.

Recognize anyone?

Anyone who has visited recently knows that Nicholas has a very heavy schedule of, you know, baby things.  Eating, sleeping, occasional playgroup and a weekly "can't miss" Kindermusik class with Miss Lindsay (it's not just a Southen thing anymore) of Eastbay Kindermusik.

Miss Lindsay is apparently the Mary Poppins of the East Bay.  I love music and sing loudly to my 80's pop hits when I am 1000% sure no one (okay, cat excepted) is within driving distance.  Miss Lindsay is pretty much the complete opposite.  Actually, she reminds me of Caitlin, as I think they would both sing their way through their day if they could.

She is very good at what she does, though, and what I thought might be a one time course has turned into a regular gig for us.  Even Grandpa Kirk stopped by a class and helped toss the parachute.  The only issue thus far was that Nicholas happened to (occasionally) decide to take his nap 5 minutes before class started. 

Miss Lindsay, however, offers a generous make-up policy and three weeks ago let Nicholas make up his Tuesday class on a Friday.  Little did we know  a photographer would be there shooting pictures for the website.  Now Master Nicholas can be seen in all of his cuteness here, and here.  And what does he think of the class (other than it helping his smug little mug get splashed across the 'net)? 

Absolutely loves it.  Claps, sings, shouts, smacks (the drum) and hugs (he is known as Mr. Congeniality) his way through it.  We sing to him a lot at home (A LOT), so I wouldn't call it necessary…but he just digs it.  So, find yourself in the East Bay for a while, and have a toddler?  Look up Miss Lindsay and the Kindermusik class, I doubt you will regret it.