Out of their Minds Design

New Feature! The Jukebox!

Alright I can’t say how often I’ll be able to update this, but I wanted to let you all know about a feature I’m putting together for the site. I’m calling it the jukebox, but a more accurate term on the web these days is a “soundboard.” I’ll be adding or changing this from time to time, I think. For now you can click the link below, but in the future you’ll be able to find the jukebox in the menu to the right under “pages.”

It’s a series of buttons with sounds attached to each, you just have to click and enjoy. Don’t forget to turn on your speakers, and turn up the volume a bit. (Note for very slow connections: the sounds themselves load PER CLICK. So you’ll have to click, wait, and listen.)

Here’s the new feature!

Image Potpourri

These are from all over the place, partially because I don’t download Melissa’s camera enough. I went to get some pictures off of it and discovered a few gems I had missed! But before we get to those, I wanted to show you this great image taken on his class picture day…

I got rid of a little drool, but otherwise this is how it showed up out of the camera. I think it is a nice shot, and I like Ian’s look. He looks kind of dapper and cocky at the same time “Hey ladies, go for a spin in my wagon?” Taken around October 20.See this image larger.

And then there’s this one… See this image larger.

Under less shaky circumstances, this is a perfect shot… but I had to share anyway because it is a cute one! (This is one of the shots from Melissa’s camera taken back on September 1st. See this image larger.

Another good one from Ma’s camera around that same date, you can never get too much peek-a-boo, even when you know the boo is coming! See this image larger.

Ian pauses to catch his breath and laugh while running from crawling Gramma Barb! See this image larger.

The rest of these are taken from our annual trip down the farm from which we are sold a half-share of vegetables every Wednesday. This event happened on the 18th of October.
Love this shot of Ma… she’s so beautiful! I like the way their outfits kind of work together as well. See this image larger.

Ian carefully eyeballs the coming terrain on our “go grab a pumpkin” hay-ride, while Ma and Da pose for a quick family self-portrait. See this image larger.

This will give you an idea of what the even is like… long rows of tables and a barn with lots of food… and something you can’t tell from this picture — it gets dark quick. There’s also a cool band called the Blue Water Ramblers that plays folksy music that had Ian swaying around and tapping his toes. Lots of Obama bumper stickers, and hybrid cars. See this image larger.

Happily swinging along! Something I want to point out that happened several times during this event: Ian is still such a… innocent, sharing little boy. I mean, he was walking up to kids a year or two older than him and offering them toys so they could play together. Most kind of shied away from Ian, kind of scared by how happy the company of other kids makes him. He’s a very social boy! I admit I walked out of there with mixed feelings — are we hurting him keeping him out of daycare two days a week? How soon should we be talking about a little brother or sister? See this image larger.

Automatic Tears

I can’t speak for the fairer gender, but a guy goes through a mental checklist before letting himself cry. The guy does not reveal this checklist, under almost any circumstances, as it may label him as untrue. The checklist is long but it goes something like this: Am I alone? Is there a camera present? Are judgmental people of any kind present? Is it dark out? What are the context of these tears I may or may not cry? Could I potentially downgrade from full-blown waterworks to more of a “teary eyed” reaction? And that list goes on, like I said… and at the bottom of the list it says “All clear? Ok, cry.” I found a way to circumvent that, or to be more precise, Ian did.

“Bye bye, Daddy.”

High-pitched, but not fast; he was sincere, but not sad. Without any kind of warning, his first real use of “daddy” along with his farewell skipped the whole list above and hit the bottom line. If Melissa told me that she had to duck out of the way of actual projectile tears squirting from the ducts in my eyes, I wouldn’t be surprised. It was as immediate as it was automatic on my part. These little milestones are traveling at us all at a million miles per hour…

Grandma Sue Brings the Florida Sunshine, Part III

The next day, Gma Sue, Ian and I went to another cider mill, mostly because of a slide that is just perfect for him. Nice big stairs with rails, not too far up, and not too steep a slope. If it weren’t for the creepy girl that followed Ian around and tried to get in all of our pictures, we’d have been in good shape. See this image larger.

Almost to the slide part! “Pssst, Gramma Suuuue, is creepy girl behind me?” See this image larger.

“Woohoo, get that camera off of there, Da, it’s sliding time!” See this image larger.

If I didn’t mention it before, Ian can clearly say pumpkin. Little girl in background — “I’m watching yooooou.” See this image larger.

I admit to manipulating this image… Gma Sue was looking up in one, Ian in the other, so I smooshed them together. Can you tell? Nice picture, end result! See this image larger.

When you end up playing with the bike rack, it must be time to go! If Ian looks a little sad here it is because he knows Gma Sue had to fly home the next day. We all had a great time show Sue how much Ian had changed!See this image larger.

Other noteworthy things that happened during the trip.

On the way out of the cider mill parking lot, a dog in the next car howled at us a few times. Over the course of the next week he both barked and howled whenever we asked him what a dog says. He also howled at the moon a couple times; very cute too, his eyes crinkle up, his lips pucker into a little “o” and he extends his face up and out at 45°, like a wolf howls.

I wrapped one of Ian’s blankets over my shoulders, and Ian ran over and hugged me. I said to somebody, either Melissa or Gma Sue “that’s just because of the blanket.” As if to prove me exactly wrong, Ian pulled the blanket off of me, dropped it in a pile, and came back and hugged me. He’s getting a lot more into spontaneous hugs. He’s truly a great kid.

Ian has said his own name before, I think, but he’s much closer to being able to say it now, more regular about saying it, and in the proper context. “Who’s that?” I’ll ask, pointing at a picture of him. “EEN!”

Grandma Sue Brings the Florida Sunshine, Part II

Later that same day, Ian and Gma Sue colored a picture in a coloring book. This was kind of funny because I told Ian to “stand right there, hold this, look at Grandma Sue… and smile.” He listened to his Da quite nicely, and Gma Sue pulled off a wonderful shot! See this image larger.

Directly after the last shot, perhaps a better smile? They’re all good! See this image larger.

October 12th, Gma Sue wanted to go out and experience a little bit of fall while the weather was warming up, so we went to a nearby cider mill. They had animals to pet, and some other fun things to do. Ian found this toddler-sized tricycle and was immediately enamored… See this image larger.

…until Ian spotted something else to check out… (I like his confidence here, he’s walking like he owns the place!) See this image larger.

This was some kind of OSHA dis-approved fun-ride for kids involving a bouncy tow behind a three-wheeler bounding over the trench-like farmland around the mill… Ian and Ma went together and had a good time! Melissa mentioned that while he was interested for a bit, watching the scenery flying by, he got bored enough to swivel the cow’s head a few times and say “mooo!” See this image larger.

Here there was a wide-open field filled with pumpkins, and Ian sped up to run free like a greyhound unleashed. There were three really solid thuds during the trip, as Ian’s feet found the old pumpkin vines in the dusty soil; his hat saved him from minor injuries, just a note to self. See this image larger.

“Woman allegedly adopts pumpkin as her egg, attempts to hatch. Details at 11.” See this image larger.

At dinner one night, Ian used a to-go box to show us all what he would look like as an extra in a Flash Gordon re-make. See this image larger.

Grandma Sue Brings the Florida Sunshine, Part I

Hi all, sorry about the delay on the updates! The good news is that I’m starting all kinds of fun stuff, more info to follow…

So at first we figured that Grandma Sue couldn’t have picked a worse week to visit, when Ian started throwing up all over the place. He was still very good, almost casual, about it, however, so it wasn’t too bad. It also wasn’t very long before he was healthy and in fine spirits. On top of this the sun came out and stayed out for the majority of her visit, and it warmed up very nice.

Without further ado, here’s how it went!

Ian, Ma and Da all look up Gma Sue’s flight itinerary on their laptops. “Yup, she’ll be here soon!” When she got into town, I took her to pick up Ian… he was very excited to see us! Ian and Ma and I had rehearsed the word “Sue” before her arrival, but we weren’t sure how it would stick. Well a few moments after we were hanging out, Ian suddenly seemed to put it all together. “SOO!” See this image larger.

The 12th of October, still not feeling great at this point, Ian and Da consider something on the television. The thinker, and thinker jr., I guess! A funny moment — Ian whined until Gramma Sue handed over the television remote, and Ian matter-of-factly put it where it belonged… in Da’s lap. See this image larger.

Later that day he was ready for some fresh air. Here Ian explains where thar be treasure. See this image larger.

Ian shows me how to use the wagon appropriately. See this image larger.

“Add a 1/4 garden shovel of cocoa and stir vigorously.” See this image larger.

We aren’t the kind of people to put our kid on a leash. Apparently we reserve that honor for our cat only. Here Ian takes off like a shot, putter and wedge in tow. See this image larger.

“Ah you’ve brought me my drink, this cruise ship has all the amenities!” See this image larger.

A brief pause for a picture moment. See this image larger.

He’s pointing at a plane and saying the word “plane” here. See this image larger.

Peek-a-boo! What else has this kid said? Cow, moo, car, meow, dog, bark, plane, sheep, bah, Barb, Chris, e-i-e-i-o, moo, bird, and borrowing from his parent’s political agenda – clapped his hands… “O-ba-ma.” See this image larger.

Farewell Jerry

Yesterday we lost Jerry Thiebert. Jerry was Grampa Dave’s best friend as far back as I can remember. We spent many a weekend in my childhood visiting the Thiebert home, out in a rural area on the east side of Michigan. I don’t even remember the name of the town, but I could tell you how to get there and I also remember the construction of their garage, grabbing lightning bugs out of the sky, the steps up to their door, and that their yard was a great place to play. My dad and Jerry had the kind of friendship I find enviable and have referenced often when talking to the best of my friends. Jerry was quick witted and even more quick with a smile and laugh, and from the perspective of the little boy I was — I kind of saw my dad and Jerry as each other’s side kick; neither taking the spotlight from the other — two Robins that didn’t need a Batman. Jerry succumbed to cancer that he’d been fighting for years, having fought it long enough to get a glimpse of his new grandchild. While I didn’t stay all that close to Jerry or his kids over the years, I can say with certainty that the world wakes up this morning minus one of the good guys. Our condolences to Jerry’s family – he will be missed.

Rough Roads

I know that from the title you probably think we’re talking about the economy, which apparently did its absolute worst today. No, instead it has been Ian’s latest cold, and accompanying ear infection. I’ll warn you in advance, this blog entry is graphic in its description.

I took him to the doctor’s office on Wednesday and the pediatrician there (Dr. Benitez, for my own personal notes) was horrible. She couldn’t seem to understand how old Ian is. “If I geev you a freeze pohp can I check yor cheest?” she asked, twice. “It’ll be better if you just check him, he doesn’t understand what a freeze pop is, and doesn’t get the deal.” I replied for Ian. “But I don’t want to make him cry.” “You should probably just try.”

Neither Ian or I could understand her very well. She seemed to treat him like he was a 3-4 year old. And I personally think that if she’s worried about making kids cry she’s in the wrong line of work. Also, at this point I’ve already had it with her.

Anyway… so there were other things like this where she just didn’t get it, I could tell. She offers up a prescription for Omnicef. It says in his chart and I’d already told the nurse that he had had a reaction to Omnicef. Instead she tells me that her other choice is Amoxycillan, but she doesn’t think that’s going to work, so something perhaps in the strength of Augmentan. “But it might cause diarrhea, so if it geets bad, cawr me.” “Bad?” “Yes, ear infections are bad bec-” “I get that, what constitutes bad diarrhea? I mean, it is already a bad-” (I was going to say, it’s diarrhea, that’s bad already right? If diarrhea = unfriendly diapers and unhappy babies… then what’s bad diarrhea? Diaper blow-out? Eyes crossing? Instant dehydration?) She comes back to me with something about why diarrhea is bad… you know that it can sit in his diaper and form a rash, completely missing my point. At this point I’m starting to think I’m talking to McCain’s running mate, so I give up.

Well, it turns out Augmentan is the drug that caused Ian to get really ill when we were in Ohio for Thanksgiving last year. I’m assuming it was right next to Omnicef on the chart on a list entitled “Oh. My. God. Don’t give this to Ian.” Sadly I didn’t remember the name. Melissa remembered, but too late. Besides, when she remembered, he had been taking it for a few days and was apparently fine.

All day today he threw up all over the place.

He’s been an awesome trooper about the whole thing. Having fun between clean-ups and whatnot. But I’ve had three half-days of work and it’s been a busy week — this day in particular has me seeing red. I feel bad for Gramma Sue who just showed up here a day ago in time for the barf fountain, and to see me at my worst. Hopefully all will be well by tomorrow. More details about Gramma Sue’s visit in a less colorful entry to follow.

More Every Day

Just this morning (October 4th, 2008) Ian seemed to get a little more intelligent overnight. For example, he said “water” in context. He wanted more “wahder” in his “cup.” (We gave him a normal plastic glass, not a baby cup or sippy just to see what he’d do. He got drenched, but he had the right idea.)

He also requested books by title. Think about that. “Guuna Moon” for Goodnight Moon and “Bahn!” for The Big Red Barn.

We then were trying to be gentle with the kitty near a window upstairs when he heard a sound outside. “Plane!” he ventured correctly, and excitedly looked for a hand to grab. (He then guided Ma by hand to his intended destination, as mentioned previously.) He had to go outside and see the plane, urgently!

October 6th now (adding this to the earlier entry) and Ian’s added quite a few more words to his vocabulary. I think a bit of it had to do with the exciting 4-panel foam floor that we bought for Ian to play on. Within moments it had become a slide, a tumbling mat, a hiding “box,” a tunnel, a wall, etc. While we were messing with this I said “look it is a slide!” and he said “Suh-lide!” When he said that I said “Cool!” and he said the same… “Coo!” He also said water, carrot, woooow, and in regards to a visit we’ve been prepping him for for the last several days… he said “Sue!” She’s got a great name for how he’s able to form his mouth so far, it sounds very clear. He also said “day” for Dave. We’re trying to get him to say everybody’s name, but give him a little time, please. 🙂

EDIT -> October 7th, showing Ian a few more photos from the trip (actually showing him this blog!) he suddenly freaked out and started saying “caar!” again. He’s still missing his cousins! I can’t wait to see the look on his face next month when I can put him in the car and say we’re going to visit Connor and Kaylee!

Ian’s really sick this week. Had to go to the doctor and is on antibiotics at the moment. His right ear appears to be bugging him as well.

Extended Weekend with the Kunzes 2008, Part IV

On the 29th Ben and Mel took us to an indoor waterpark that they had been to previously, and we had a blast! We all want to thank them for taking the time and effort to show us a great time while we were there! Here’s some pictures from that leg of the visit, but please read on after the images, as I’ve got some other fun details to share.

When we arrived at the water park, Ian showed a little trepidation about actually entering said water. See this image larger.

But when Ian saw Connor and his school pal Cale having such a good time, he had to try! See this image larger.

The only way he’d truly have the courage to try such a feat, would be in the arms of his Ma. And so they slid down, I got about three pictures, and the lifeguard on duty promptly told us that we could not have two people go down a slide as a group. Soooo he didn’t really try again too many times. See this image larger.

But that didn’t stop him from having a blast! There’s a great big structure with water buckets that fill and drop on your head, and spray guns, and kid pressure-controlled mini geysers… See this image larger.

Here’s Ian and Ma on the structure pausing for a brief picture. He looks like he might be happy to me, am I right? I couldn’t get too many pictures because there is such a network of dripping water flying all over the place that it was dangerous to bring a camera into the fray. See this image larger.

Back in the hotel rooms… Don’t forget, I told you Kaylee would get Ian back for the butt-pushing and the open palm face mashing… here she traps him in the stroller arms and takes him for a walk. All in good fun! 🙂 See this image larger.

Our rooms were adjoining, with a door that opened between the two of them. The little ones had such fun running between the rooms, circling around and running back! It was around this time that Kaylee really got Ian back… after being told to hug him, she did so, and then quickly maneuvered Ian into a belly down horsey ride maneuver and smacked him around a little. He deserved it, and it was expertly done! See this image larger.

In a surprising show of generosity, Connor gave part of his train set for Ian to use back at home. (I say surprising, because I think the level of maturity that Connor showed in being so kind is very rare for his age… what a nice cousin!) Ian displayed complete amazement at Connor’s train set and to this day still gets excited if you tell him we’re going home to play with his trains. He even says “Choo-Choo!” or “Toot Toot!” when you mention “train.” See this image larger.

MORE STORIES FROM THE TRIP – A lot of very cool things happened on or around the trip…

• Ian can now say “sssues” (shoes) “ssirt” (shirt) and “socks” and surprised everybody with “dumptruck” out of nowhere. (You can probably guess from the pictures in previous entries around the time he said it!)

• As I mentioned before, he pointed at Ben and said “Ben.” Aside from his classmates and Melissa and myself, Ben was the first person he named correctly without being told just prior.

• The morning we left the hotel, Ian awoke in his zipped-up tent… (You can see the tent in the image above.) I awoke to hear an un-zipping sound and see his little head peep up and look around. Then he stood up like a newly hatched bird, and looked around blankly until he spotted us! It was neat to see him wake up this way, when his typical wake-up involves being stuck in a crib.

• How good of a time did Ian have, part I: After the arduous 5-6 hour journey home, we played for awhile and Ian suddenly started saying “Baak.” I thought perhaps he wanted a bike ride, but I had my suspicions about what he meant. When he followed up the statement by grabbing my hand, dragging me to the garage and saying “caar” as he pointed at Melissa’s Prius, my suspicions were correct. Ian wanted us to go back to Ohio in the car!!! Why specifically? Read on.

• How good of a time did Ian have, part II: I believe that Ian loved seeing his cousins more than he let on during the trip. Not that he was in anyway unhappy during the trip, I just don’t think he expressed his happiness plainly. Here at home we started going through pictures on my computer and he pointed at the screen, unprovoked and said “CONRR!” (Connor) and “KAYEE!!” (Kaylee) whenever a picture had either of the two displayed. This has gone on for about a week, and you can tell he’s looking forward to seeing them again… I’m not saying that to be mushy or like “Mr. Happy Family Blogger!” Ian genuinely wants to spend more time with them, you can hear it in his voice and see it on his face.

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