Xavier's First Ladybug Release
Greetings to all.
Sunday, Rebecca bought Xavier a bag of 1500 Ladybugs. The weather all week has not made scheduling a release convenient. However, we had a break late yesterday morning. After the early ER trip, this was a nice treat.
A mesh bag served as the container for the Ladybugs. All week, they have been just hanging out in the bag, not too active. After all, the temperatures were cool.
That changed the moment I handed the bag over to Xavier to examine. The bugs seemed to know freedom was at hand! A Ladybug army 1500 strong raced to the top of the bag.
The sudden activity startled Xavier, who handed the bag back to Dad. We set the bag on top a small clump of I-dont-know-whats planted by the house's previous owner. This proved a solution Xavier found acceptable. He could observe safely from afar.
The release excited Xavier. He watched intently as the Ladybugs marched out of the bag and onto the plants. He took it all in from several different angles, getting closer to the bag with every re-positioning.
Eventually, curiosity took over; he just had to touch one of those little red crawly things. That led to needing to handle the bag.
Peering down through the top of the bag as more and more Ladybugs marched did not produce the results Xavier had imagined. The beetles crawled over his hands and onto his shirt, something Xavier did not like at all!
He tried shaking out the bag, then he dropped it and ran for cover between Dad's legs. When he looked down at the sidewalk and saw two beetles walking toward him, he felt the need to distance himself further. I've never seen Xavier get so flustered by anything.
Still fascinated, Xavier did creep closer to the plant we replaced the bag upon. With some moral support from Mom, he found the courage to almost touch one of the Ladybugs again.
All in all, a fun thirty minutes. And, it turned out to be a shared family moment; even Lena got involved.
I know that over the next few hours, I pulled up one pant leg or the other to discover a Ladybug crawling there. Apparently, Dad was not as careful as Xavier to keep the bugs at bay.
Xavier's Second Trip to the Emergency Room
Greetings to everyone.
This morning started out in an unusual fashion.
Rebecca, who has had the crud all week (the same crud everyone else is getting), fell asleep on the couch last night. She was in such a deep sleep, I left her there, adding only one more blanket to keep her warm. She slept there all night and didn't move. Unusual.
Xavier began loudly yelling "Dad!" just before 5:00 AM; he wanted out of his crib. He sleeps until 6:30 or 7:00 of late. Unusual.
Until Xavier began yelling "Dad!", I was sleeping and may have made it past 6:00 if left alone. Even after getting up and moving around, I still wanted to return to the sheets. Normally, I'm awake between four and five, and once up, I'm up for the day. Unusual.
As time marked the passage of 7:00 into 7:01, Rebecca and I noted "It's only seven o'clock? It feels like an entire day has passed us by." Unusual.
After breakfast, while Xavier dragged his Hot Wheels tower and track around the house and rolled cars down it, Dad returned to bed. Unusual.
Crash! Despondent crying! Xavier not being consoled except to a constant, quiet whimper, even with a bottle. Bleeding gash behind right ear. Swelling. Purple right ear lobe. Unusual.
Cleaning up the wound (not an easy task with an uncooperative, squirmy boy), looked like it might need two stitches. In fact, only some medical tape and glue were the solution. But a trip to the ER before 8:00 in the morning on a Saturday? Unusual.
A Helmet for Building Sand Castles
Greetings to everyone.
One of things Xavier scored last Saturday was a kit of sandbox toys: sieves, hoes and molds. Most of the molds, which double as buckets, create parts of a castle.
All this week, Xavier has used these buckets/molds to carry around his Hot Wheels, and to pour his Hot Wheels from one bucket to another. Tonight, he imagined a different use for the largest bucket. He spent a good amount of time running or crawling around the house, wearing the bucket in various configurations.
His antics made me laugh. First, it was just plain funny to watch him blindly navigate the house with a bucket on his head. Most of the time, the bucket completely covered his face; all he could see was his feet.
Second, I thought of a scene from the 1989 movie "Parenthood" where one of the mothers explains to an in-law "He likes to butt things with his head" after her son rams a wall wearing a bucket. The in-law's response was a dry "How proud you must be."
For the record, I am proud.
Xavier Helps in the Garden
Hello to everyone.
This year we had a patch of lawn (which did not do so well last year) cut out and decent soil tilled in. Rebecca likes to garden, and now we have a nicely sized "starter" one.
Aunt Chelle stayed the night (giving Rebecca and me a night out after Xavier's birthday guests departed). Today, the two sisters took Xavier and went shopping at a local nursery.
Though the weather threatened rain (and eventually followed through with its threat), Rebecca wasted little time getting some of her new purchased in the ground. When the wire towers went up, Xavier decided to get involved. With Mom as a spotter, he climbed the tower.
One of the items Rebecca picked up was a package of Lady Bugs. These insects are always fun, and fun to release. Rebecca thought Xavier would really like it (especially since he has discovered sow bugs and likes playing with them). Xavier did not know what to make of the bag of crawling bugs; it took him a while to work the courage to get close enough to watch them crawl around.
We have not yet released the Lady Bugs. We're waiting for a break in the weather and, therefore, allowing for more interesting beetles when we set them free.
A Second Birthday Celebration
Greetings to everyone.
We had planned to keep it simple this year. Only have a couple of people over to celebrate Xavier's birthday. Just immediate family and friends close enough to be family. It grew a little bigger than it looked on paper, and a little more complicated.
First, we chose graduation weekend. We didn't know; we never thought about it. Two parties drove down from Fort Collins and another from Colorado Springs. The traffic in all directions did not support a soothing drive.
Second, the weather threatened mischief. Fortunately, it behaved until long after the party ended.
Third, Friday near noon, Xavier stabbed himself in the eye with a fork. The trip to the doctor's office took the rest of the afternoon, the very afternoon Rebecca planned to finish cleaning up the house.
Though the weather had us keeping watch on it, we set up tables on the patio. We grilled burgers and dogs. Xavier had a pack of kids to run around the yard with, most of whom were years older than he, but that did not stop him from having a good time.
After cleaning up the lunch plates, the home-made ice cream (which Xavier helped turn) was brought out and the Minion Army assembled for the festivities. Hiding in the back-right, one special Minion having two yellow candles on top its head. After singing "Happy Birthday," Xavier blew out his candles (with help from Mom and the breeze), then pulled his Minion apart.
After each guest ate their Minion and had some ice cream, the wind began threatening some rain. We all moved inside to let Xavier "have at" the gifts others had brought for him.
Xavier has been opening gifts all week. We started on Thursday (yes, the day after his birthday; it's been a very full week) with the tricycle. Friday, Xavier opened presents from his Aunt Kathy, Grandma Penny and Grandpa Danny. Saturday, Xavier's guests blessed him with more gifts. We should have let Aunt Chelle's present be the last one Xavier opened.
Everything else took a back seat when Xavier torn away the paper and saw a set of five off-road Hot Wheel cars. His mouth made a its tiny "Cheerio" O shape, his eyes lit up and he said "Ooooo!" His new Hot Wheels stole the day from that point on.
Better Than a Stick in the Eye?
Greetings to everyone.
It has been one busy week so far, and the week is far from over.
Today started with me working from home so Rebecca could go to a doctor's appointment without Xavier in tow. As I worked, Xavier pushed his new tricycle around and played at squirreling away various items in a little satchel attached to the frame.
When Rebecca came home, we decided to take Xavier to the park and let him try out his tricycle along the river. We were just a few minutes from leaving. Rebecca was in the kitchen. I was in the office. Xavier was in a room between the two of us, playing with his tricycle.
Then the screeching squeal cracked through the air. Rebecca was closer and got to Xavier quickly. We saw only this: Xavier collapsed in a fetal ball on the floor, screaming in pain unlike we've heard from him before. In one hand a fork he sneaked off a table. His other hand was pressed tight to his left eye.
Three stab wounds: two in his eyelid and one in his sclera (white of his eye). Examination suggested everything was superficial, so Rebecca called Dr. Abbey's office. They concurred with us, but thought it prudent to get Xavier in for an exam anyway. Off to Westminster Rebecca and Xavier went.
Xavier poked his sclera, but missed his cornea. The doctor prescribed eye ointment to guard against infection (oh, the fun of administering that to a freakishly strong, uncooperative, wriggly boy three times a day!). The rest of the day, Xavier had orange stain under his eye (the stain was used to dye his eye and make scratches and damage show up better).
Thank God nothing more serious; this was scary enough. And, thank God Rebecca noticed the poke to the sclera; it is only visible when Xavier looks all the way to the right.
The one nice thing to come from this was another weigh-in. Xavier weighed in at 19.1 pounds. At least that is something!
Two Year Checkup
Greetings to everyone.
Today was Xavier's two-year checkup. Last week, Rebecca began tensing up about it. She was dreading hearing another lecture about Xavier's weight and being told he needs to eat more, etc. and yada, yada. You could tell she was steeling herself for such a tongue lashing. Xavier's eating has been off the last few weeks due to new teeth and a cold. His chest was looking more bony. What else was the doctor going to say other than "he needs to eat more."
As always, God is good! No lecture and nothing to make Rebecca feel like an "inadequate mother" because of Xavier's languid weight gain.
When the nurse called Xavier back, she weighed him, but this time not on a baby scale. No, he got to stand on a big-boy scale. After removing his shoes, Xavier stood still, fascinated by height-measuring part of the scale. Meanwhile the electronic readout fluctuated between two numbers. Before the appointment, Rebecca was hoping Xavier would weigh in be close to 18 pounds; I was voting for 19 pounds.
The number first jumped and held steady at 18.8 pounds. It moved to 19 point something, then back down to 18.7. There it wavered, holding more steady at 18.8 more than 18.7 (in my opinion). I lobbied the nurse to record 18.8. Alas, his official weight today was 18.7 pounds (18 pounds 11 ounces). Glory to God! (note, he got another unscheduled weight check Friday, but that's a whole other story!)
So, in three months (since his last weight check), Xavier put on one and a half pounds. He is supposed to be adding a third to a half pound a month according to the doctors. Xavier cranked it up, putting on one and a half pounds. The comment on Xavier's chart concerning his weight is <1st percentile (CDC). Less than the first percentile! Xavier is off the charts, but still tracking with his own chart!
The height measuring rule on the scale did not go low enough to measure Xavier's height, so we had to use the roll-out mat rule instead. Xavier gained three quarters of an inch in height, now at 31.5 inches! This puts Xavier in the 3rd percentile for height.
Everything else about him looks fine. His "bony chest" interestingly is due to something called "asymmetric chest development." Dr. Abbey gave the technical term also, but after the fourth word, my mind dropped it like a slippery, wiggly eel. Nothing to worry about on this; it's a mild case, but does make Xavier look a little more bony than he is.
He got his final Hepatitis A shot today, which he was not all to happy about, but he survived nicely.
Xavier was very active and chatty today for Dr. Abbey. And he took part of a bottle while we consulted with the doctor. Dr. Abbey said he would like to see Xavier in six months (generally it's a year for the next physical), but he wants an interim weight check and exam.
All told, this was a great exam and a good report. As many problems we have getting Xavier to eat and the amount of work we have to put in, we did not think to have so good a report. Thank you, Jesus!
Xavier Turns Two
Greetings to everyone and Happy Birthday, Xavier!
Ever wonder where Minions come from? They are made out of, interestingly, Twinkies. Who knew?
It took several days to assemble these Minions. First came baking the cupcake pants, and frosting them. Then the creation of Minion bodies. In the end, a Minion army for Xavier to command.
These are Xavier's birthday cakes this year. You can see the very satisfied "Gru" grinning over her handiwork in the lab in preparation for Xavier's party this Saturday.
Xavier's "big gift" this year was a tricycle. You can see from his expression how excited he was to get it! It's got locking rear wheels, parental steering control, foot rest, cup holder and canopy. After a few test drives around the room, we decided to ditch the cup holder railing and canopy.
Wednesday was a busy day for us all, so little time to celebrate. Saturday is coming, and that's "the big day" for celebrating. We let Xavier have this toy ahead of time.
Xavier the Handy Man
Greetings to everyone.
With Rebecca in Cheyenne this weekend, Xavier and Dad decided to do some male bonding with power tools. We had a to-do list; Rebecca purchased some bookshelves and one of them did not stand up well on the uneven floor the bookcase was intended to occupy. Those who have visited our house may know well the floor I just described.
Our original plan was to install a fitted stabilizer board across the front. So, with this plan in mind, Xavier and I found a nice piece of scrap of lumber suitable for the task in our scrap lumber pile. A fairly smooth piece of 1x6 pine; not warped, more than long enough to do the job. It's only flaw was it needed some sanding.
Rather than hand sand (way too much work), it was easier to open a path to the surface planer. Xavier helped (by making it more difficult for me to move stuff around as he explored the barn) as I pulled stuff out to get to the surface planer and the table saw. Excited by the table saw, and especially the sight of the planer, Xavier eagerly helped me set up both the table saw and planer. After that, I put him in the house, made the cuts and planes, then let him back outside. He instantly found the plane shavings and played in the pile while I set up a work bench to finish the stretcher.
While I put away the power tools, Xavier thought he would start finishing the stretcher. He climbed up the work bench to explore the vise portion of the table and how it held the stretcher on its edge.
After a trip to Home Depot to pick up some stain and some adjustable feet, we came home and finished the job. Rebecca was so excited to come home and be able to unpack a bunch of boxes.