Another First Haircut

Nope, Gabe did not get two first haircuts. Ruthie finally got her first- at three years and eight months old. With dry hair, her hair is about 2-3 inches shorter than when wet, so it just doesn't look super long. But, I promised the hairdresser that I wouldn't wait that long before bringing her in for haircut number two!

First Haircut

At 19 months it was time for Gabe's first haircut. He was getting enough boogies caught in his hair and enough comments beginning with "She..." It was time.

Little Artist

If you are wondering what's in this picture, ask no more. Ruthie made it very clear what each part of the picture is and, as soon as you read this, I'm sure you, too, will say, "That is exactly what it is!"

In the middle is the princess. She is flying her kite in the sky. On the ground, she is holding a pear. And, next to her is, of course, a seal playing with a ball.

You see it now, don't you!

"That is exactly what it is!!"

Ruthie, you continue to amaze us with all the incredible talents you exhibit at such a young age.

Just Another Ski Day

Okay, it's not really "JUST" another ski day. Today was Ruthie's very first ski lesson. She spent half the day in ski school learning to go up the magic carpet by herself, to stand on her skis, to get herself down the mountain, and to wedge herself to a stop. This video is a testament to the fact that Ruthie did indeed learn some things. In fact, it's very possible that by the time I ever get back on the slopes, Ruthie will be able to out-ski me!

Crazy Weather

Hello, hello
From Colorado
Where we are outside playing in the snow
with Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Joe.

We're dressed up in our big snowsuits
Our mittens and scarves and big ol' boots.

Making snow angels and a big snow chair
And having snow dripping all down our hair.

Eating only the snow that's white
Not black, or yellow, or brown- that's right!

And when we're cold, going in to get cozy
By drinking hot chocolate to warm our toesies.

So, hello, hello
From Colorado
Where we are now watching the falling snow
Inside with Mommy, Daddy and Uncle Joe.

Remembering Hirschel

Hirschel Bandel
July 18, 2002- July 24, 2009


Sometimes it's just too hard to put all your memories of a loved one into words. All I'm going to say is "Hirsch, you were truly a good dog. You were loyal and loving and kind. We couldn't have asked for any more."

We're gonna miss you, Big H.

Solomon

Call us crazy. A seven year old (Hirsch), a three year old (Ruthie), a two year old (Gertie), a 15 month old (Gabe), and now a two month old (Solomon).

If you don't already know, Hirschel was diagnosed in late May with Hemangiosarcoma. It's a very grim diagnosis for any dog, but it's especially tough for an incredible dog who deserves to live twice as long as he will get to.

In the meantime, Jon and I talked about getting another puppy while Hirsch was still with us. We thought it might give Hirsch a little rejuvenation before he leaves us (and the puppy would have a great role model of a well behaved, low key dog). We also thought it might be a better transition for Gertie (who has never been the "only" dog) and for us (it would feel less like we were "replacing" Hirsch after he's gone). With all of that as well as the little bit of time off we still have before school starts, we knew it was the right time.

Solomon (nee Skipper) was born 8 weeks ago to Kona and Doc, and was a bit of a runt in the litter of seven. He was sad to leave his family, but he has adjusted very quickly to his new home and surroundings and seems very content here.

What's great is how much Ruthie adores him. She's never really been that into either Hirschel or Gertie, but she loves this puppy. She still thinks his name should be Cutie Pie! Gabe and Gertie have always been a dynamic duo, so now Ruthie and Sol/Solly/Solomon/Cutie Pie can join the club.

Welcome to the family, little guy!

Three and One

Time to catch up.

Ruthie at three: What can I say- Ruthie is a little spitfire. She is an independent little girl who knows what she wants and tries every trick in the book to get it! She amazes us in so many ways. Her language and vocabulary is exceptional and she will hold a conversation with you all day long. Her favorite color is purple. She loves princesses. Her favorite is Ariel and then comes Belle, and when she grows up she wants to be a purple mermaid. She only wears dresses. Her favorite letter is R. She looks for R's in words and she can even write it.


I would say her favorite activity is jumping. She loves to jump on her bed, in Gabe's crib, on the couches, from one couch to another, on two feet, on one foot, from one foot to the other, up and down, side to side, in a circle.... You get the point!

Here are some recent fun Ruthie stories...

1. Boo-dee-uh. Recently in the car. R-"Mommy, will you play the Boo-dee-uh song?" J- "What's the Boo-dee-uh song? (You should know that Ruthie is not hugely into the radio, so I often turn off the music). R- "You know, it's on the car tv." J- "Oh, it's on the radio?" R- "Yeah, the radio." J- "Okay, but I have no idea what the Boo-dee-ah song is." (At this point it occurred to me that maybe it's a song on one of the CD's that we NEVER listen to!) I start flipping through tracks on the first CD and it takes Ruthie just seconds of hearing the starting notes to say "No. That's not it." Track 6 music starts- R- "Mommy, this is the one!" (Sure Ruthie, whatever!) Then the words start. "Boom-dee-ada, Boom-dee-ada, boom-dee-ada, boom-dee-ay..." R- "See Mommy, I told you. It's the Boo-dee-uh song!"

2. Ruthie's first curse word. Ruthie and I were building towers with her blocks when hers fell down. R- "Dammit!" J- "Ruthie, what did you just say?" R- "Dammit, my tower fell down." J- "Sweetie, that's not a word we should use. Can you say it another way?" R- "Jeez, Mom, my tower fell down."

3. Hamiwee-Famiwee. For her bedtime reading one night, Ruthie picked one of Gabe's storybooks about Hemophilia. We really haven't talked to Ruthie much about it yet so I decided to use it as an opprtunity. J- "Ruthie, do you know what Hemophilia is?" R- "Uh-uh." J- "It's when your body bleeds differently than most people. Gabe has Hemophilia." R- "You know what, Mommy?" J- "What, Ruthie?" R- "Mommy, I have Hamiwee-Famiwee, too."

Gabe at one: Gabe is quite the ham. The best ways to make him laugh are to hold him upside-down or to count to three. His favorite game is Peek-A-Boo. He will put anything in his mouth and do his best to eat it before I find it. His preferred position is on his belly- crawling around and finding trouble. On his birthday, he had seven teeth. Now he's up to eight front teeth and one molar. Words we're sure he's said are Dada, daddy, mama, and Hirsch. With lots of hardwork in weekly PT, he is now sitting and standing on his own. At his one-year checkup, he weighed in at 18.8 lbs (3rd %) and measured at 57%. He is a super happy kid with a super infectious smile.

Our Little Boy is 1.

It really doesn't feel like Gabe is one year old today. Maybe it's because he's the baby and he's not supposed to grow up. Maybe it's because he still seems so little since Ruthie seems so big. Or, maybe it's because he wasn't supposed to turn one for another five weeks.

April 21, 2008 was such a whirlwind of a day. I woke up that morning with a couple of very clear signs that he was ready to arrive. Of course, it was 5 weeks too early, so I chose to semi-ignore the signs and go about my day. But, I went to work very nervous and remained in that state all day long. Immediately after school, Jon and I drove to the doctor's office for some word of something. The nurse who checked me said this, "You are 75% effaced, but you're not at all dilated. Don't worry. Go home. You may have no more than a week, but that baby won't come tonight." Jon was very relieved to hear that and kept reassuring me that we still had some time, but I knew that she was wrong. I knew that Gabe was coming that night.

As soon as we got home the nesting began. Okay, it wasn't actual cleaning- more of quickly putting together a bag for the hospital, writing instructions for Ruthie and the dogs. Just in case I was right. At 11:00, Jon went to bed. He thought I should go to bed, too, but I just couldn't. Not yet.

It was about 11:15 when I felt the first contraction. The next one came right about 11:20 (If you remember with Ruthie, I don't have long drawn out labors). That's when I called our friend Anne and said I might need her to come over. Then I said I'd wait a little bit longer and that I'd call her back if I was sure. At 11:30 I called her back. Two more contractions had come- strong and exactly 5 minutes apart. I was sure.

Then I went to wake up Jon. He wasn't very happy, saying it was too soon and he was sleeping. I said, "This baby is coming right now," and another contraction racked my body. Jon got the point!

The next 20 minutes were a little chaotic. I had my car keys and I was ready to go but Jon really wanted to drive his car. Fine. However, he could not find the keys. A contraction came- no keys. Another contraction came- no keys. Next contraction- still no keys. Timing these contractions, the 5 minutes is long gone. Now we're down to three. I think I actually started crying at this point, telling Jon that he could either take the keys to my car or I was driving myself. Again, he got the point. Anne hadn't yet made it over, but there was no time to waste. We locked our sleeping Ruthie in the house and threw the keys in the mailbox!

Now, this is the part where Jon always starts his version of the story- he really likes this part. This is where he gets to tell how he sped down the dark, empty streets running red light after red light!

I have no idea what time we actually got to the hospital- I just know it was sometime after midnight. It was then that I discovered the horrors of having not yet gotten in my pre-registration and I started crying fit #2. The "nurse" at the check-in looked like a teenager and didn't seem to care at all that I'd had a very fast first labor and that my contractions were down to 2 minutes apart. I begged her to get me upstairs but instead I was directed to pee in a cup. Seriously. Then, I had to endure question after question after question- which seemed to take forever since I would stop mid-word to breathe through a contraction.

Finally, after what seemed like forever later, a nurse came downstairs. I explained to her that my first delivery was fast and that I was not dilated at 3:30 that afternoon. When she checked, I was dilated to a 6. She got me upstairs immediately.

After that, it was all so fast. On the table, meet the nurses and doctors, eat a few ice chips, push a few times. And then there was Gabe. One nurse said that I got to the delivery room at 1:20am. She said the total time I was in there until Gabe came was 22 minutes.

It was April 22nd, 1:42am.

Happy birthday, Gabe!

Passing on the Torch

Isn't it every daddy's dream to pass on his greatest passion to his children in the hopes that they have the same, if not stronger, passion? You know that passion- the one of conquering mountains by easing through knee-deep powder, dropping off crazy-high cornices, and jumping off rocks into soft, white snow. Wait. You mean that isn't every guy's passion?

Well, it's definitely Jon's and today he lived and breathed his very dream. That's right. Today we took Ruthie skiing for the very first time.

Jon's love for the sport began 35 years ago and still remains his one true love today (okay, it's at least a three-way tie between skiing, me, and the kids!). He's been looking forward to taking Ruthie skiing since they day she was born. With her 3rd birthday just behind us, and Ruthie's talk for the last 6 months of wanting skis and ski boots, we knew she was ready. So, with her very own new equipment in tow, it was up to the mountains we headed.

Even with all her talk, we weren't sure whether she would really like skiing or not but she did give us some inklings as the day progressed. The first clue that she might actually enjoy herself was when I woke her up in the morning and she said "I'm ready to ski!" She helped Jon pack the car, she didn't complain about the long ride, and she even helped Gabe put on his snow clothes. And it was when she was finally on the mountain that she let out her true feelings. The "WHEEEE's" and "This is fun" and "Let's do it again, Daddy!" were definitely giveaways but it was the one moment on her way down the hill when she said, "Daddy, I really like skiing," that Jon knew the torch was being passed.

Gabey and the Tramp

Okay, so it's not exactly two dogs slurping spaghetti at an Italian restaurant, but it's just as sweet!

#3

Happy Birthday to our beautiful Ruthie.

Ruthie's Painting

Between art teacher dad and doodling mom, of course we would love it if our children develop some artistic skills. As Ruthie's grown older and bigger, we've let her experiment with some different "mediums" to see if anything would grab an interest. She's made pictures with pencils, never really enjoyed crayons, sometimes still pulls out the MagnaDoodle... but her current love is with watercolor paints.

The following video shows one of Ruthie's paintings from start to finish. I think it starts rather Matisse-esque, then takes a little Picasso-esque twist, and ends looking very Ruthie-esque! With it, however, comes the following disclaimer: The following video doesn't embarrass me, and I hope it doesn't embarrass you... enjoy it and laugh with it!

A New Year

Happy New Year!!!
Love, Jon, Jen, Ruthie and Gabe