Tiffany

September 25th, our anniversary …. Danny decides to walk! :)  We went to Miami for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary - PJ planned a weekend excursion to the Biltmore (couples massage, night out at Coco Walk, brunch) - and Danny spent the weekend with Grampa Brad and Grandma Lyn.  By Sunday when we returned to pick up Danny, he was walking from room to room!  Sooner than I expected, our little guy is walking at 12.5 mths!

Guess what that means …. Danny can now change daycares and start the one we’ve been waiting for (as they don’t take them until 13mths OR when they walk).  Danny came to work with me on Friday and did great as I had a meeting to lead of 15 people!  After the meeting we went to visit Bobbi Noonan (the new daycare) - everyone was sooooo sweet and welcoming!  Danny’s spot has been saved for him for months now, and they were excited for him to start!  They showed him his tub to put his stuff, his bed, and his board of crafts.  I thanked them for showing us around and they asked if he could stay the rest of the day - we compromised and stayed for lunch.  The other exciting thing about Bobbi Noonan is they provide all the food (snacks, lunch, milk, etc.), and all the food is no-sugar added.  So, Danny sat down with the rest of the kids, they said grace, and then they got their food: green beans, sliced tomatos, fish sticks, bread and whole milk.  Danny ate it up!  They then got the kids cleaned up and ready for a nap.  The other really cool thing about this childcare facility is it’s a learning facility not just a daycare/sitter like the one he’s in now.  Basically, there are 16 kids in his class - 1 teacher to 5 kids - the kids rotate classrooms (that are attached) throughout the day as each teacher teaches the kids something different (language, counting, reading) and then the kids all get together for outside time (playground all to themselves) and snacks/lunch.  I could go on and on - needless to say, I am super excited to start Danny here!  And, the BEST part is, it’s right down the road from our house, so I can take him too!

(Hi AnnMarie)
What else can I tell you … We are off to Ohio again this week.  This time for our friends, Chad and Melissa’s wedding.  Danny is going to LOVE seeing Mimi and Big Dog (my parents) again!  And then they come down in 2 weeks after that!

Work is good - very busy planning my event, ZOObilee: A Bear Affair!  I’ll post a link when it’s up on our site.  PJ’s work is good too.  Bailey is still a work in progress - he had another episide with his ears - so the vet is now treating him for airborn allergies (shots and pills).

Halloween, my favorite holiday, is right around the corner!  Danny is going to be a tiger ( http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/fh500/toolbox.cfm?cm_lid=16&pgid=fh500&tool=vLarger ) .  This also means that FALL is here - my favorite season of the year!  I guess this means it’s time to buy a new pair (or two) of cute boots - you can still wear knee high boots in Florida, right?

That’s all for now - stay tuned for pics from our trip this week!

A Birthday fun filled weekend in Dayton, Ohio!  Starting with Danny’s first trip on an airplane - he did fabulous - mommy on the otherhand was a nervous wreck!

Tuesday morning, 5am, car is packed, PJ is in the car waiting for me to wake up Danny (at the last minute) and change his diaper and go …. I go to pick him up and he is soaked with sweat.  I didn’t even have to turn on the lights to see the rash all over his body either.  Freaking out, I dropped some Tylenol in his mouth, changed his diaper and clothes and he went right back to sleep in the car.  The fever and rash came and went throughout the week we were in Ohio - roseola i guess.  He was a little more tired, but other than that, it didn’t phase him.

We had a busy week of activities - each day was packed hour by hour.  We got to see all of our family and friends.

Danny’s birthday was on Saturday, 9/15/07.  The lucky little guy had TWO parties.  Starting with my parents at noon (with fabulous italian beef sandwiches, sweet potato fries, and an adorable dog cake/cupcakes).  Here is a winning picture of the birthday boy:

 

Off to his second party with his little buddies at Uncle Bob/Aunt Andi & Cousin Will’s house at 5pm - a BBQ party!  Danny had a blast with his friends!

I could go on and on about our trip, however it would take me pages upon pages - between a visit to the Zoo, rides on the farm in the gator, trips to everyones house, Danny’s lunch at Thai9, etc. etc.  All I can say is, we had a very momentous trip!  Good thing is … we’ll be back again in October!

As for Danny … one year older and wiser! (look for a blog about Danny’s development later this week when he goes to the doc for his 1yr appt.)

**Bailey also had a nice vacation at home alone with his sitter, Sasha!

It’s August!

Time flies when you’re having fun (or something like that).  Ok, everyone is bugging me for an update to my blog, so here we go ….

Danny is doing fabulous!  He’s now saying “Dada, daddy, dad” and looking/speaking directly to PJ - AND - saying “Mama, mom” and looking/speaking directly to me!  Occasionally he’ll say “Bee” for Bailey - usually when we are sitting at the table, and he holds out a piece of chicken to throw on the floor for Bailey.  Yes, he’s discovered that trick!  Daycare is fabulous now.  We put a deposit on a daycare that is closer to our house - so we could split the task of taking/picking Danny up.  But now we don’t think we want to move him out of his current daycare because he loves it there.  And PJ assures me he doesn’t mind taking AND picking him up everyday (occasionally i like to take Fridays).  Danny’s getting his 5th tooth - an “i” tooth - so, he’s been a little cranky.  He’s eating EVERYTHING under the sun now and he’s on whole milk instead of formula!  Breakfast is usually melon/bananas + scrambled eggs/french toast + milk.  He gets a morning snack of fruit (grapes/apples) + juice.  Lunch at noon is diced meat and noodles or something like that.  Afternoon snack of cheese and fruit and milk.  And dinner is a meat/vegetable/milk.  Danny is also trying his best to walk.

Danny LOVES the pool:

PJ is doing well too.  He loves his job.  Still playing World of Warcraft on occasion.

My job is keeping me VERY busy.  But I love it too.  The Zoo is growing by the second.  The latest addition was Leopard Rock.  Our first ever Members Only Event proved to be a huge success.  And we have set a date for our first ever signature event, ZOObilee: A Bear Affair, 2/22/08.  I am also investigating starting a Travel Program at the Zoo - our first trip might be to Alaska to see bears - tying everything to our new exhibit, Black Bear Hammock, set to open in 2008.  So, lots of stuff to keep me busy!

Our house is Bonita is wonderful - the gated community we are in ROCKS - the pool is open and slowly everything else is opening as well (car wash, p.o., bank, salon, etc.).

Bailey is doing ok.  We have been shelling out some $$ trying to figure out why he is so lethargic.  I think we’re done for awhile now, since all tests are coming back negative.  His EKG is still showing low dips, and the vet is concerened - but he’s still living a fine life.  My parents dogs just died (from old age) within 2 weeks of each other - kinda sad.

Not much else to tell.  Looking forward to our first return trip to Dayton.  I’m sure it will be sad to see our home (which is still for sale).

We miss our friends, but luckily we have been fortunate to meet some lovely people here!  OH, and can’t forget, Gina & Alex, who just moved here from Dayton - so excited to have friends make the same move!

Hopefully I’ll keep this up!  Look forward to hearing from everyone!

Danny’s first girlfriend … Sophia (aka: Sonya):

“Daniil, milaya moya.  You help Comrade Sophie get green card, da?”

They are inseparable at daycare.  They sit next to each other to eat and share their food (and sippy cups).  They chase each other around the room.  If one is in their crib, the other crawls up and plays peek-a-boo.  And of course they’ve had a few spats … last week Danny threw an apple bit at Sofia - this week Sophia bit Danny’s finger (of course, that was inevitable when Danny put his finger in her mouth), Danny started crying and Sophia cried too, haha!  The instructors think it’s cute - they have tried to separate them, but to no avail, they always get back together!

Sophia turned one last month - Danny got her a fridge magnent that says “PURPLE COW” (I guess it was funny at the time).  Here they are resting after cake on the couch:

We have decided to keep Danny at the daycare he’s at now.  He loves the kids there, loves the instructors, and is all around happy - how can a mother disrupt that?  But above all, how can we separate Danny and Sofia?

Danny and Sophia (and moms, Tiff & Anna) start swim classes next weekend at the YMCA.  A new story to tell I’m sure!  Stay tuned ……

No, I’m not pregnant again … this is to report that Danny is 9mths old!

Danny had his 9mth checkup last week!  He is 20.5 lbs & 27.5 inches long.  He actually lost a little weight since his 6mth apt., but since he’s getting taller and more active that is to be expected.  Danny went from the 95th percentile to 60th percentile.

Danny is eating a variety of foods now.  Usually something like this:

6am Breakfast: 4 oz formula + 1/2 jar fruits + 1/2 jar yogurt

10am: 6 oz formula + snack of diced fruits (mom cuts up daily)

12am: 1 jar of fruit/granola

2:30pm: 6 oz formula + snack of diced fruits

6:30pm Dinner: 4 oz formula + (2) 1/2 jars of Stage 3 foods + vegetables [or when mom cooks or we go out: cut up steamed green beans, diced baked potato, grilled/baked chicken/turkey/beef].

When we go out or meet friends for breakfast/lunch/dinner - we’ll dice up real food for Danny.  I’ve noticed though that most Kids Menu’s have JUNK on it (mac n’ cheese, fries, breaded chicken nuggets, hotdogs, etc.)  So, I usually get something good for myself and cut up half of it to share with Danny.  Why don’t these restaurants get on the “healthy food” kick?!

We bought Danny his first set of shoes this weekend.  I’ve read many different things about this - coming to the conclusion that shoes don’t help a baby walk any better.  But, as he’s beginning to walk more, the shoes will protect his feet.  The last time I went to STRIDE RITE was with my parents about 20 years ago, haha!

All is well with work - both PJ and I are enjoying what we do.

We are planning a trip home in September for Danny’s 1 yr birthday - September 11-17.  Look forward to seeing all our family and friends!  Not looking forward to seeing our house still for sale!

I’ll write more when I can … thanks for checking in!

I am LONG overdue for a blog … I appologize to my loyal fans!

We have been in Naples for about 10 weeks now.  I absolutely LOVE my job - it’s almost not a job to me because I’m living my dream!  Not many people can say that about their life between 8am and 5pm, but I can honestly say this is it.  After this (not anytime soon), I can say that I’m at the top of my game - I have achieved what I have longed for, and my ultimate career goals of building a Development program for a Zoo, and succeeding at it.

PJ started his job yesterday, so I’m not sure he can really say much except that it’s good to be back in the workforce!

Danny started daycare last Wednesday.  Rough at first, because he’s been with daddy 100% of the time for the past 3 months - so, he’s going through some separation anxiety.  But the daycare is wonderful (even though it’s a bit out of the way), and is offering Danny great socialization and infant care.

Danny has 2 bottom teeth now.  He’s a very oral child and puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.  I’m just hoping the parents of that little girl they put next to him at the daycare doesn’t complain about the teeth marks Danny has left in her arm.  How do you teach a 7mth old “NO BITING”!?!?

The ear tubes seem to be working … Danny is doing great with balance and hearing.  He goes back to the doctor in June to test his hearing.  Danny is able to sit on his own - which is a huge relief that we don’t have to put him in his swing all the time.  He’s able to play on the floor … and chew on the dog who likes to lay with him.

I have always heard that ‘mothers’ are excellent multi-taskers … I’m finding that out!  My days are full - starting out at 5:30am when Danny gets up, bathing and feeding him and getting him ready to go to “school” - PJ leaves at 6:50am with Danny, and I get ready for the day and take the dog to doggie daycare (oh yeah, that story will come next), getting myself out the door by 7:30am - I usually come home first with the dog by 6pm - PJ arrives home with Danny around 6:30pm. - I feed Danny while PJ fixes dinner - 7pm we take a family walk - 8pm sharp, Danny goes right to bed.  It’s like clockwork!

Ok, so about doggie daycare … http://www.ruffnitdoggiedaycare.com/ … Kelly, the wife of the Director of the Zoo started this amazing place for dogs!  Bailey just LOVES it there - well, I pretend that he does.  He does come home exhausted.  And since he also has been home with PJ 100% of the day the past 3 months, he isn’t the best with holding his bladder or being alone.

We move in 2 weeks to a single family home in a gated community in Bonita Springs, just minutes north of Naples.  It will be wonderful to finally have space to put all our belongings, and not be right on top of each other.

That’s it for now … I’ll leave you with an adorable picture of Danny … come back soon - I promise to write when I can!

We left for the hospital yesterday morning at 6:15am.  At 7am, the very sweet staff of docs and nurses started prepping Danny for his ten minute nap/surgery.  Ten minutes was all it took, and Danny did great!  Waking up from the anesthesia was a bit rough - Danny was disoriented and feeling the pressure and awkwardness in his ears - so, he wasn’t very happy about that - poor little guy.  It was about 8am now - we gave him a bottle (as he hadn’t eaten since 11pm the night before) - buckled him up and drove home.  He went right back to sleep in the car.  Gave him another bottle when we got home and he and daddy slept for a couple hours.

By 2pm, Danny was 100% back to himself!

The doctor says that his hearing will greatly improve, as it was a little under average.  We go back in 3 weeks for a check up and hearing test.  They even say that his balance (sitting up) will improve too, due to the drainage of all that fluid in his ears.

Needless to say, this surgery was greatly needed!  And Danny will be a much happier baby!

Danny turned 6 months on March 15th!

Today, we went for his 6mth check-up … The doctor said he looks good, and funny enough his ears are looking great (his “pre-op” appointment for the ear tubes is this afternoon - so we’ll see what they say).

His vitals were:

Height: 26in - - 60%

Head Circum: 46cm - - 95%

Weight: 20lbs - - 95%

Danny got 4 shots (including the flu shot, even though it’s the end of the season) & some sweet syrupy stuff.  The shots are never fun - but the little guy was a trooper! :)  Too bad we can’t give him a lolli-pop for being such a brave little boy - heck, my dad fed me chocolate covered strawberries at that age!

Like I said earlier - Danny’s pre-op is this afternoon and he gets the Ear Tubes on Monday morning.

It’s been 2.5 weeks now, since we made the big move to Southwest Florida - Naples to be exact.

We started our journey at 12:00am midnight leaving Bobby’s house in Cincinnati and making it to Uncle Brian’s house in Atlanta by 8am.  We had a wonderful time in Atlanta, seeing family and relaxing for a couple days.  We again left at midnight from Atlanta, and made it to Naples by 10am the next morning. Danny did fantastic in the car - basically slept the entire way, except to wake up around 7am for a stretch and bottle.  Bailey did well too in the passengers seat, helping Tiff navigate.

The first week was definitely a rough transition.  - moving from a 2 story + basement home with a backyard for Bailey to run … to a 3 bedroom small apartment.   The apartment is clean and nice, and about 10 minutes east of downtown/beach.  However, 1/4 of our stuff fits in the apartment - the rest is in a garage.  And taking Bailey out to pee/poop on a leash has worn off very quickly!  The weather is beautiful though, and we take walks ALL the time!

A few friends of my family (who live in the area) have taken us under their wing - showing us around Naples.  And my girlfriend from HS, Jeannine, has been incredibly helpful to us!  We also have made it over once to Miami - which was a nice get-a-way to see PJ’s family.  Miami is right accross 41 - only 1.5 hrs away.

We already have a couple favorite restaurants (Mama Mia’s, Grouper n’ Chips, Michelbob’s Ribs) - but are also getting back into the groove of things and enjoying cooking.  The only drawback (which PJ is still upset over) - is we can’t use our grill in the apartment complex.  So, in order to grill, they have grilling stations around the complex.

I started my job last monday - 1.5 weeks ago.  The people here are so kind and I feel so comfortable here.  Minor little infrastructure issues, but the Zoo is fantastic and I look forward to seeing it grow!

PJ had a job interview last week and really felt good about it - just a waiting game now.

Danny saw a pediatrician down here last week, as he is still having ear issues - sure enough, the doctor said he had an ear infection.  So, this week we saw a ENT Specialist to talk about tubes.  Danny is scheduled to get the tubes in his ears on March 26th. 

This weekend we are getting together with a couple our age that just moved here last October from Pittsburg - we’re going to finally spend some time at the beach!

Phew - that was quite an update!  I’ll keep up on this blog more often now that we have internet.  So - keep checking back to hear more about our adventures in SW Florida!

Danny needs your vote!

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