Toddler

Tod·dler (tdlr) n.

1. One who toddles, especially a young child learning to walk.

2. A size of clothing for children between the ages of about one and three years.

Today we decided to change Ella's crib into a "toddler bed" which basically means we took the front of it off and installed a separate little thingy which has a much lower frame and a hole in the frame where Ella can come and go from her bed as she pleases. Not my idea, believe me. I had the pleasure of being the first to try and get her to go to sleep in her new toddler bed. Upon reaching bedtime, Ella happily ran into her room and closed the door, which had me thinking things might go quite smoothly. Well, she hopped into bed and flopped down. Super! Then she promptly sprung up and jumped out of bed and into my lap. Then back into bed. Then back into my lap. Over and over. For an hour.

"I am going to KILL Angela for suggesting this and then leaving me to deal with it myself!" I thought.

Finally, I just picked her up and told her to lay her head on my shoulder, which she did, and she fell asleep. I put her down in her "toddler bed" and all has been quiet since. That was about 2 hours ago...we'll see how it goes! I anticipate being woken up by Ella smacking me in the head at around 3 am, her all bright eyed and bushy tailed, myself again professing hatred for the suggestion of allowing her such freedom at such a tender young age. *SIGH* I guess we had to do it at some point.

OK, here's some photos/video.

Gymnast in the making?

Alexa and Ella eyeing up the same blue balloon


Ella settled for a white one.


A budding Sarah McLachlan fan.

*WARNING* - The following video is now officially the cutest thing ever. Just wanted to let you know before you indulge in its splendor.

Dr. Doolittle?

January Beach Day?

As the unseasonably warm weather creeps its way to the area, we decided to take Ella for a walk on the beach. Below are the cutest pics/video ever of us frolicking around, and Ella showing mad love for her mom and pops. Tomorrow I am heading out for a nice leisurely hour long run on the boardwalk in 50 degree weather. Tuesday is meant to hit 60! Greenhouse effect anyone?

Obligatory posed shot with daddy...

...and with mommy.

Soccer! With a pink ball! Yippee!

More soccer fun!

Showing love for pops.

And for mom. Look at that sly eye on her...!



How could I resist some video of the frolicking?

Happy New Year!!!

Welcome to the first post of 2008! Today we got up, did the usual morning routine (i.e. Angela up with Ella, Daddy asleep until Ella walks in and starts smacking him in the head saying "Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi." It's like a cartoon or something.), I hit the gym for a while, and then we had a nap!! By "we" I mean all 5 of us (Ella, Angela, Ainsley, Silvio and I). It was AWESOME. Then we got up, went and saw Susan and Dave and finally met their adorable daughter Eden. Pictures attached! We went straight from there over to Dr. Niesenbaum's place for a New Year's Day Party, where we overindulged in delightful food. Ella behaved exceedingly well, probably because of the presence of doggies at both venues. We headed home, got Ella bathed and in bed, then watched the newest installment of Biggest Loser (couples edition!). All in all, a superb way to start the new year. Here's hoping that 2008 is filled with happiness and wonder for all of us - appreciate each day, because no matter what...life is beautiful.

Suzie and Eden

Look! How friggin' cute! I think she looks exactly like Susan's mom.

Angela, Ella and my nephew, Joey. The best dog EVER.

Eden, meet Ella. Ella, say hi to Eden.

Mighty Mite-y!

On a veterinary-related topic, today at work I saw a little puppy for his first vet visit. He is a cute miniature schnauzer, and he had a dry patch of skin by his tail, very scaly. I decided to have a look under the microscope at the scaly-debris, in the hopes of finding a cause for the problem. Oh, did I ever find a cause:

Cheyletiella mites!

Close-up view of the head and mouthparts!

We don't often get such a great specimen, neither Angela or myself had actually gotten a positive diagnosis of Cheyletiellosis since vet school! These mites are surface mites (as evidenced by their long legs) which can be positively identified by their nice "waist" at the middle, and they also have a "fingerprint" appearance which doesn't show up in these photos but was very obvious under the microscope. This infestation can be quite itchy! Now that we got the diagnosis, its just a matter of a special shampoo and it should clear up nicely - all in a days work! Since it was such a rare occurrence, I had to take pics with my cell phone and post them here! Enjoy!!!! :)

PS -> If any of my readers remember the case of the Airdale terrier who had the uterine infection back a year or so ago, a bit of a sad update - she just passed away a couple of days ago at home, of old age (presumably). But we got an extra year and a half out of her, so I still feel quite accomplished at that!

Merry Christmas!!!

Ah yes, it's that time of year again - time for sharing, caring, giving...and RALPHIE! The annual tradition continues...BEST MOVIE EVER. This year, Ella is more coherent, so I can begin her education in all things Ralphie. Angela is not too pleased about this, however some things are too important to argue. Ralphie shall live on indefinitely. Amen.


So, we awoke at about 5am via our alarm...er, Ella crying. There was no getting her back to sleep, so I turned on Ralphie and let the present giving begin. I got a SWEET new GPS watch for running as well as some Dick's Sporting Goods gift cards, new weight lifting gloves, some hand wraps (for boxing), and some other assorted goodies! Angela got tickets to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, a new webcam (to chat with her folks back in the UK) which also has a microphone and should theoretically work well with our new computer operating system, Shrek the Third on DVD, some kitchen stuff and some giftcards to Target and Gap. Of course, this day belongs primarily to Ella now, who received a new Rose Petal Cottage (this HUGE house-thingy), and a zillion other toys. This year Ella is much more appreciative of her toys than last year, however she's not quite there as far as knowing what the hell her gifts actually are. For example, she got a Beauty and the Beast tea set, which she is continuously unpacking and re-packing. She got some dominoes with animals on them which she promptly put into her Rose Petal Oven. Luckily, the oven doesn't actually heat up or else we would have to call the Rose Petal Insurance company to put in a claim when the cottage burns to the ground. It looks like a splendid day out, so hopefully we will go for a little walk later. I will go to the gym despite slipping on the hardwood floor yesterday and landing on my left femur with all of my weight (yes, it friggin HURTS). We will then get cooking our Christmas dinner, which will include Ham, grilled veggies and steamed broccoli. Most of all, I will enjoy my time with my family, even if Ella is battling another ear infection and teething. And so, for your viewing pleasure, the photos/videos!

Ella in her most peaceful form.

Trying on Mommy's gloves!

Playing on her new bouncy toy thingy from Auntie Mel and Uncle Dan

Entering the cottage for the first time

I think she likes it...

MMMM. LOVE the smell of freshly baked dominoes!

Sharing some tea with daddy.


Kisses with daddy!


Cracking up at Daddy's pain.


Christmas Morning!

Flying With The Owls

Today was the annual "Fly With The Owls" race in Lynbrook, NY - it is 4 miles long. I was aiming for 32 minutes (an average of 8 minutes/mile), but ended up finishing in 32:25. Not too shabby considering it was like 32 degrees out. Next up - gonna try and hit up a 5k next Saturday if mom can watch Ella for me for an hour or 2!

Ella's New Class Pic

I wonder if any of these kids or their teacher could appear any more bored if they tried....

Running Ninja

This past Sunday, I was signed up to run a 4-mile race in Lynbrook. So I started suiting up...

...and posing like an idiot. Then I added all my layers, and became...

...the Running Ninja! I got all ready to go, hopped in the car and started driving to the race. I was sliding all over the road, but figured, if I dropped dead running, at least my body would be well preserved in the snow and ice. Just as I was skidding to a halt at a red light (OK, I slid through the light into the middle of the junction, but noone was around, so it didn't matter, right?), I got a text message from X-tina telling me it was postponed. WHEW. Off home I went to run my 4 miles in the gym instead. :) We'll see what Mother Nature throws at us next Sunday!

Next up, I was going through my closet and found my old Fat Suit, so I decided it was time for a new installment of Fat Suit Picture-Time! Here's the original picture which inspired me to lose some poundage:

And here I am in the suit today:

Pretty cool, eh? Here are some more random pictures:

While daddy sleeps, the reindeer play...

OK, now seriously, how cute is this kid?

Tree-Time!

Our annual tradition is to get our Christmas Tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. So, after I dropped Michelle off at the airport, we went to get the tree!

Ella and I shopping.

Playing with lights!

More fun with electrical wires.

Psychod-ella-ic! My god, I am way too cheesy.

Finished product (with flash)...

...and without flash.

Thanksgiving Fun!

We had a HUGE meal for thanksgiving dinner - I, of course, cooked WAY too much stuff - an 18lb turkey for 6 people (one of which cannot ingest poultry), a ton of mashed potatoes, stuffing, veggies, etc etc. We have so many leftovers...which is my favorite part of the whole thing...! Here's some photos of the event, along with Ella on the beach in the morning. This weekend we get our Christmas Tree! Should be a pleasure trying to keep Ella from pulling it down...

Staring out to sea...

Those shoes are unreal.

Ella's first shell.

Gobble, Gobble everyone!

Happy Thanksgving!

Happenings in the LBC

Last week, I organized an informal LBHS Class of 94 Reunion, since we never had a 10 year get together. We met up at a local bar, Sutton Place, and had a few drinks, reminisced, and showed each other pics of our kids. HOLY SHIT did I feel old. Here are a couple of photos, courtesy of Dhanraj:




Today I ran the Long Beach 10k Turkey Trot - it didn't go near as well as last week's 10k, I finished in 54:24, nearly 2 minutes slower than last week, but whatever. I know excuses are like assholes (everyone's got one!), but I got a major stitch in my right side from mile 2 that did not go away until the end. That hampered me quite a bit, but like I said...whatever. Last year, when I was warming up, I noticed Erik from one of my favorite shows, The Biggest Loser, was there. That was awesome. This year, I noticed someone running around with a Biggest Loser T-Shirt on, and I was like, "Who IS that?" It turned out to be Jim, one of the twin brothers who was on the show this season! I said hi to him and his wife, congratulated him and wished him luck on the race. When I finished, Angela came running to say hi, and I said "Jim from The Biggest Loser is here running!" Just as I said that, his wife walked past, and we got to talking a bit, and when Jim finished, Angela snapped a photo of us. He was a super nice guy, and it made my crappy finishing time a lot easier to swallow. Here's some pics!

Crap time compared to last week...oh well!

Jim, myself and Ella

Florida, etc...

Just got back from our jaunt to Florida! Ella did fairly well on the flights, as long as no stranger came anywhere in her line of sight. We kept a steady supply of snacks and Wonder Pets on DVD (thanks to dad's portable dvd player!), which made her happy throughout. She did not, however, nap. While in FLA, Ella had a great time with Nanny and Poppy, Carl and Rachel, and Sunny the cat. We went swimming, to several malls, and out to eat...and that's about all there is to do in FLA with a 16 month old. Not old enough for Disney just yet. So, here's a couple of pics:

In the pool!

Us with Nanny and Poppy

A vet in the making?

Tomorrow I run another 10k in the cold and possibly rainy weather. Hopefully I don't get sick, although I am already nursing a scratchy throat. All in the name of "fitness." Or should I say "insanity."

Rockville Centre 10k Run

Just got back, finished in a PR (personal record) time of 52:27 - over a minute better than my last race in April. Now I am aiming to beat that time next week in the Long Beach Turkey Trot 10k...! We'll see what happens. Off to FLA tomorrow to see Nanny and Poppy, Carl and Rach, very exciting...as long as Ella cooperates of course. We are going equipped with a portable DVD player and 100 minutes of Wonder Pets on DVD. Fingers crossed...

Jets...

Today's Jets game was actually competitive for a while - as the game went into overtime, I decided the Jets needed me. And so, I dressed my daughter and myself in Jets jerseys. Here's the proof:A double-dose of Chad Pennington.

Happy moments...

...alas, the Jets fell to 1-8 as the Redskins defeated them in overtime. The happiness quickly faded. Ella asked for a beer to drown her sorrows, but I declined her request due to the lack of alcoholic beverages in my house. Now that I think about it, maybe "BAAAAAAAAAAABOOOOOOOO" didn't mean "Beer, please, father," perhaps it meant something totally different, like "Listen big hairy man with bald head and oversized green shirt, get this huge scratchy matching dress off me!!!"
Ella is recovering well from her first ever ear infection. She actually developed it in both ears, the poor thing! We noticed a few days ago that she was really cranky and developed a bit of a cold (again) - she then proceeded to rip at her ears and slam her head into the ground. Oh, and she had 101.7 F fever. At that point, we called the doctors, she was brought in immediately and diagnosed. She now is on Amoxicillin and loving it (seriously - this baby could not take medicine any better. She even sucks down her liquid multi-vitamin [which smells like beef-stock] like it was liquid deliciousness!), and is back to her old self. Still battling the sniffles, but she is a trooper.