The morning did start off indoors, like all our mornings, but we got outside eventually… So let’s start off indoors too: last Christmas we bought Ian a cool book that came with extra parts that can be assembled like a robot in the story. I loved the look of this video and realized it was rife with opportunity for some special effects at the end. (So the last few seconds are my handiwork… I could have done a much better job, but I limited myself to making it passable.)

Video
Click here to see Ian building his bot with a special surprise at the end!

Of course I had to show this to Ian, because I figured he’d think it was, if nothing else, surprising… so we’re going to ignore the canon of chronological order and temporarily zoom forward to August 1st to see Ian’s reaction to the special effects. (If you listen carefully, you can hear the servos so you know when Ian’s seeing the movement.) It should also be noted that he’s seeing it much larger than what shows up here on the blog.

Video
Click here to see Ian react to the above video on August 1st.

Ok back to July 3rd, and we’re outside playin’! See this image larger.

Slip ‘N Slide didn’t quite work out as expected. It is really difficult to explain to a 4 year old that he needs to get velocity, and then land in a forward motion with an inflatable sled under your body. So I threw him. He loved it. See this image larger.

*Uh, you’re not going to throw ME, right Daddy?* See this image larger.

*And now for a wagon ride all the way around the block! Alright everybody pile in!* See this image larger.

*We’re a quarter of the way there… Walk the wagon time, everybody pile out, but hold hands.* See this image larger.

*Alright now is the part of the wagon ride where we ride our parents instead…* See this image larger.

*Ok nows the part of the wagon ride where we walk separately. Aaaand, we’re home!* See this image larger.

The sun sets on July 3rd… and it is as beautiful as the day was. See this image larger.

NEWS – Have you been wishing for a new banner or two? How about 111? Done. Feel free to keep hitting refresh if you want to see them all! 😉

June 27th, and it was a quiet day at home with Daddy… but was it really quiet? Probably not.

Picnic! See this image larger.

Video
Click here to see and hear Nina walking around in her favorite socks!

June 28th, and there’s more fun at home to be had this day, with Mommy! Child labor laws only apply if the kid gets paid, I think! 😉 See this image larger.

Based mostly on observation of Mommy or maybe Daddy, Ian ended up being pretty darn good with a vacuum! See this image larger.

Hi peanut! (This is a great shot, see it larger! -> ) See this image larger.

*And this is how you get out, Nina!* DOOMP. See this image larger.

*Daddy’s upside-down!* (Have I mentioned that Ian says the opposite of upside-down is side-up-right?) See this image larger.

They obviously had a lot of fun with the laundry basket. See this image larger.

The concept of the “stinky sock” has somehow become the pinnacle of hilarity around our home. You can see one floating in a pre-attack stance here. See this image larger.

*Hoooo boy that’s funny stuff!* See this image larger.

We start this entry at the DeVos Children’s Hospital on June 24th. This was the appointment with the non-sedated echocardiogram. They wanted to sedate Nina but Melissa made the bold call telling them they could probably get the results they needed during her nap. The tech was awesome, letting Melissa hop right up on the gurney with Nina to hold her until the nap set in, and Mommy’s instincts were right; Nina slept soundly and they got some great pictures. Even better, we got some great news that day, as you may recall. In essence, Nina’s not in any immediate danger, and we’re going to put off surgery for a year.

When the doctor was giving us feedback on Nina he expressed that he had had his doubts that she could hold still enough, but that he had been wrong. Very proud of Melissa for knowing Nina so well, and making a great call.

Finally, the cardiologist explained that he was going to show the images at a conference to get other doctor’s opinions of how she’s doing. Now, hopefully this won’t confuse anybody too much, but I’m going to go ahead and put the voice mail that we received on July 11th here in this entry, to keep that information together.

Audio
Click here to hear what our doctor had to report on July 11th, after the conference.

Here’s some videos from that visit!

Video
Click here to see Nina look at a bubble-wall and say “pop! pop!”

Video
Click here to see Nina play with a hospital room toy that has a little ambulance and police car on it… siren sound effect provided (with great skill!) from Nina.

After we got back from seeing the doctor, we picked up Ian…

Video
Click here to see Ian in an impossibly good mood! I wish we’d see more of these! (I notice the audio is out of sync with the video. Investigating.)

Scroll down and maybe even hit the “previous entries” button at the very bottom of the page if you haven’t been here in awhile, folks. Lots of entries in the last 24 hours.

June 12th, Ian eats something. I’ve run out of good captions for this other than “nom nom nom.” See this image larger.

Nina sucks on a fruit pouch. These are awesome for babies as it takes a lot of the “texture” issues some people have with fruits and turn it into… smoosh. See this image larger.

As an added bonus they are delicious. I’m told. These pictures were also taken because Nina transitioned to a booster seat from a high-chair! See this image larger.

*More?* See this image larger.

*Just a teeny bite of yours?* See this image larger.

June 13th… able to lift mid-sized vans with single heave-ho. See this image larger.

Nina’s walk is still a ways away from being perfectly stable, but there’s a confidence here that is hard to deny. She’s gaining speed, she’s gaining control, and she’s got an Elmo microwave and knows how to use it. See this image larger.

Yet more face-making. See this image larger.

Yet more face-making. See this image larger.

Yet more face-making. See this image larger.

Ballerina Nina strikes again! See this image larger.

*Where’s my car-keys?* See this image larger.

I wish I had known Ian was going to look genuinely happy in this shot, I would have stopped making faces. I wish kids could see how hard it is on a parent to be a parent… you have to be the tough guy, the stern one, for very good reasons. Kids reactions are to be sad or mad. You don’t always feel loved. When you do though, it’s the best feeling in the world. See this image larger.

Daddy loves his family so very, very much. See this image larger.

Hey buddy, let’s go to the park. See this image larger.

Yes, all three of us, Nina! See this image larger.

This park is great because they have distinct areas for different age groups. It does mean having to keep your attention carefully split, however. Nina looks adorable on equipment that’s right around the right size, for a change! See this image larger.

Nina minds the register. See this image larger.

Video
Click here to see Ian and Nina running the “General Store” in a local park. I’ve got videos of Ian doing this solo at a younger age – this is the first time the kids tackle it together. This video is rather large, so go pour yourself a cup of coffee while it loads, please.

One eventually gets a feel for what their kid can handle. I talked Ian over the tippy-top of this rock wall from across the park, and prayed that he didn’t bust an ankle. See this image larger.

Cheese. See this image larger.

*Let’s go home.* See this image larger.

Snack-time! See this image larger.

Little goofball… can you see her smile shining through? See this image larger.

Video
Click here to see and hear Nina being a chatterbox. If you thought some of the banter from the park was good, you’ll love this. Listen carefully for “little girl” which she says a couple times.

Video
Click here to see and hear the second part of the video above. Listen for “I’m all done now daddy, all done.” I’m pretty sure she also says something like “Daddy, I got this.” or maybe “all done.” The reassuring nod while she says that slays me. I’m not sure of some of the other things she says, but she’s doing great!