Grays and Ike update

After Hurricane Ike, the Grays got their power back in 5 days. However, they did not have internet or cable for 15 days! I guess, technically, you CAN survive without internet or tv. :) Anyway, now that they are reconnected with the cyberworld, we have pictures from the hurricane. For more photos and some videos, check out their blog: http://ikedoesthegrays.blogspot.com/



view coming on to their property


downed branches by the front of their house

15 Months Old

Yesterday Dax had his 15-month check-up with Dr. Petropoulos. He is 31 inches tall (50th percentile - yay!), but only 19 lbs 12 oz (2nd percentile - boo!). She said he was doing great though, and she made some suggestions to help get more meat on this kid's bones. She also said it would be OK to leave him forward-facing in his car seat (kids are supposed to be 20 lbs before they can ride forward). Thank goodness, because he really likes it.

He got three vaccines - they are very hard on Mommy.

We also talked about some ways to encourage Dax to sleep past 5:15 in the morning (NOT Mommy's finest hour). And this morning, we tried something, and, believe it or not, it worked! We never picked him up, told him it was still time to sleep, and left the room. After 10 minutes Duane went in to comfort him and walked out again with Dax still sitting up in his crib. But, we didn't hear another peep out of him until 7:00am! It was a miracle! And, it gets better: Dax still took an hour-and-a-half morning nap! He was in a great mood after his nap, too. However, he fought his afternoon nap, so we'll see what the repercussions are. But I am hopeful.

Dax also got another haircut. I was tired of fighting with the cowlicks, so I had the stylist use clippers all over. I couldn't believe how much hair she cut off! Duane really likes the new cut, but I'm torn. It's definitely easier, but it makes Dax look older. I may have her keep it a little longer on top next time. At least we know he's ready for his debut at an Aggie game :) All he needs is a white shirt and white pants to look like a yell leader.



Yeah, we explained that you're supposed to PEEL the banana before you eat it. He is crazy about bananas. He will eat 2 in a sitting. And at every meal, he signs that he wants one. I have to hide them because if he sees them, it's all over. Speaking of signs, here are some of the signs Dax reproduces unprovoked:
banana
eat
more
please

help (sometimes gets confused with "please")

milk
water (although it looks a lot like eat)
cheese (another very popular sign)
baby
dog
elephant (comes with the required "trumpet" sound)

He'll also mimic other signs, if we show him, and he understands a few others (like "bread" and "flower"). As for speaking, his most popular words are "dada" and "all done" (sounds like "ah dah"). He will carry on a "conversation" (with either us or with the dogs) in his babble. It's really funny to see him "tell" the dogs to get out of the front room (where they're not allowed), along with a wave of his arm to banish them back to the hallway. Today he did a pretty good version of "outside", but he usually just grabs my hand and drags me to the door and bangs on it when he wants to go out to play. Which is pretty often. Luckily the weather is cooling off a bit, so it's not so painful for Mom.

Trip to San Antonio

On Wednesday the Rioses came down from Maine for a quick visit to San Antonio. The big news is that Dax weighed more than 20 pounds, so he got to ride down there facing forward. We had a great time catching up with Ron, Mikaela, Katie, Nate, and Baba & Dzedo. Dax tried really hard to keep up with Nate (who is 4 years old). Dax had his first piano recital, too. He just took right to it. We loved that he was very precise with the keys he wanted to play, and that he used the whole keyboard, not just the keys in front of him. The other amazing part of the day was that Dax refused to take his afternoon nap, but he was completely delightful, even an hour after his bedtime. The Rioses bring out the best in everyone! We hope to see them again soon!


Riding forward-facing, like a big kid!


With Katie


Trying to keep up with Nate


Our little Mozart




Having a good time with Baba


With "Aunt" Kaela


We're so happy to have "Uncle" Ron home from Iraq!

Dentist Follow-up

On Tuesday we met Aunt Hollie and Payton at Zilker Park playscape. It was really big. And busy. And a little overwhelming at first. Dax just stood and watched everything going on for the first 10 minutes. Then, he just wanted to play with the rocks and sticks. Eventually, I was able to encourage him to climb on the firetruck and play on the slide. He had a good time.

In the afternoon, he had his follow-up appointment with the pediatric dentist. She was even able to get an x-ray! Not that Dax was pleased about that whole part. But he likes Dr. Dimick and recovered quickly. Dr. Dimick said everything looks great and that his tooth is nice and solid again. She even gave him a new toothbrush with a froggy on it. Dax really likes it and enjoys "brushing" his teeth himself. Mom likes that he doesn't bite her finger anymore, like when she used the fingerbrush.

Austin Children's Museum

Yesterday we met Aunt Hollie & Payton, as well as, friend Connor and his mommy, at the Austin Children's Museum. It was a lot of fun. Dax loved all the musical instruments, playing with the food in the kitchen, helping the animals in the pet clinic, and seeing the full size cow statue up-close and personal. There was a peg board that kept his attention for quite a while, too. Dax also enjoyed the sing-along and the Austin "Kiddie" Limits room with music stages and beach balls. We only saw about 1/3rd of the museum, so we definitely have to go back. We all ate lunch together at Jo's Coffee & Sandwich Shop (just a block away from the museum) and enjoyed a very yummy grilled cheese sandwich and milk through a straw.

After Dax's nap, we met friend Ethan at our neighborhood playground. We had lots of fun there, too. Especially, since we had amazing fall weather and it was only 76 degrees! We could get used to this!

Good News, Bad News

The Good News is that the Grays weathered Hurricane Ike fairly well. They have many downed trees on their property and a busted fence, but no injuries or structural damage. Power went out around 4am, but they have a generator that's keeping an a/c unit and the appliances going. I guess tonight they're drawing straws to see who gets to sleep closest to the air conditioner. :) The cool thing was that Direct TV added a channel that was simulcasting a local Houston news station, so we got all the same info that the Grays were (though they could only listen to it over the radio). We were totally addicted to watching all the coverage.

The Bad News is that Austin got not one single drop of rain. And we really could have used it. It was windy and overcast this morning, but that's it. Oh, well.

In other news, Dax is showing his imagination. He thinks it is fun to pretend that his stuffed animals are drinking from his sippy cup. He even smacks his lips as if he were drinking. Here's a clip.

Playin' Hookie

Today we were supposed to leave for Houston and then on to Galveston for a beach weekend. Well, Hurricane Ike changed those plans. In fact, if you look at the projected path, it goes RIGHT OVER the house we were going to rent. We'll see if the house is still there in a couple days. But, since Duane had taken today and tomorrow off work, we decided to make the most of it, and we went out on the boat. We had a great time. The lake was quiet and we got to drive around and enjoy the scenery. Dax really enjoyed driving the boat. And feeding the ducks. He thought they were funny, and they liked that he kept throwing them food. Who knew that ducks like raisens?


Dax loved "driving"


The ducks liked Dax


OH, and the other day, Grandma helped Dax improve on his summer day experience. She let Dax play in the splash pool, and then let him run around the backyard...completely NEKKID. I think that trumps tree climbing. He was quite the happy camper.

Summer Day

Dax had a busy morning. We went to the grocery store and saw one of his friends from Gymboree, so we talked and the boys laughed at each other. As usual, Dax made several new friends with the other shoppers. When we got home Dax learned a new sign...banana. It's a hard one, too. You hold your left index finger up and use your right hand to "peel" the finger. He's got it pretty close. And he definitely knows how to use it. Today for lunch he ate 2 1/4 bananas! I don't know if it's because he'd been eyeing them from the time we saw them at the grocery store, or if he enjoyed practicing his new sign, but I was amazed at how much he ate. After lunch we went out in the backyard because it was a gorgeous day (not even 90 degrees, sunny, low humidity, and breezy). Dax threw the ball for the dogs until they pooped out. Then he played in the sand box. Then he decided, "why not combine the dogs AND the sand box"? So, he put handfuls of sand on top of Badger while she just lay there. Trinity wasn't so accommodating - he had to chase her to put the sand on her.

We had a fun conversation with "cousin" Nate on the phone - today is his 4th birthday! It was also his first day of pre-school. He also seemed pretty excited about some friends coming over to play on his swing set. Happy Birthday, Nate!

Nate & Katie on 1st Day of School


After Dax's nap, our Summer Day continued. We played in the dirt in the front beds, climbed the tree in the front yard, talked with neighbor Ethan & his mom when they stopped as they were driving by, and we picked up sticks from the yard. Lots of sticks. In the backyard, Trinity found a very large stick that she and Dax played tug-o-war and chase with. We threw the ball for the dogs some more, played in the sand some more, and watched some ants on the patio. All in all, a little boy's ideal summer day.

Dax's First Astros Game

On Sunday, Dax went to his first Astros game (which was also his very first professional game of any sport). Duane's childhood neighbor and friend, Russell Ferrell, works for the Astros, so he was able to get us AMAZING seats right behind home plate. It was the first time for Dax and Russell to meet, too. The game was really fun, and the Astros won!


First Astros Game!


Whoa, that's a BIG baseball!


With Russell


View from our amazing seats


Baseball and ice cream - what a great day!