Pip's wishlist, now updated

To include his GET account...

The rest of the wishlist is the same, though. View it here. 

Looks like a great christmas list to me

From Wired, of all places. The five greatest toys of all time.

Pip's wishlist

It has officially arrived.

Farewell, old friend

Rest in peace, Elliott James Cat, 19(93)-2011

With much sadness, Sky and I had Elliott put to sleep this morning. He has been in a gradual decline the last few months which picked up speed just recently. As of this morning he had shown no interest in eating or drinking for well over a week, he was so weak he couldn't stand or even pick up his head, and was clearly suffering.

Elliott had been with us almost as long as Sky and I have been officially cohabiting, coming home with us from the shelter in the fall of 2000, not long after Sky moved out here to join me. He was an definitely part of our family. "Meow" and "cat" were some of Peregrine's first sounds and he loved snuggling face-first into Elliott and patting him...let's say "vigorously". Despite the indignity of such behavior, Elliott was always well-behaved and very tolerant. He will be missed. All he ever wanted was lots of love, a warm lap, and a sweater to drool on, though the occasional high-speed lap around the house didn't hurt anything.

Farewell, old friend!

It has been a while

Some pics. Stories hopefully this weekend.

17.1

Brief recap of Stehkin visit

I believe I promised to do so, so here's a brief-ish rundown of the Labor Day festivities:

Stehekin is a tiny town located at the top of Lake Chelan, and you can't get there by car, only by ferry, float plane, or hike. Sky's dad and stepmom have a house they have built up there, and we love to visit every chance we get. Peregrine made his first visit for about a week when he was 3 weeks old, with Grandma Biddy and ourselves. We thought we'd take advantage of the long weekend to get away for a bit, and were joined by our friends Sarah and Eric and Scout, with whom we went to the Methow Valley last winter. 

We left Friday afternoon to head over Steven's Pass on Highway 2 to Chelan, WA, located the bottom end of Lake Chelan. The ferry only goes up-lake in the morning, but we also can't rely on having a non-stop three-hour car ride with a one-year-old in a car seat, so we went over Friday and camped that night at 25-Mile Creek State Park, which is a nice little campground on the shore of Lake Chelan. Setting up in the dark was not terribly fun, but it was better than the alternative. 

We were in Stehekin from Saturday through Tuesday, and had a great time. I don't think I have a long enough nap time for Peregrine to recap the whole thing, so I'll grab the highlights:

- Wow, there were a lot of mosquitoes. I have never seen so many mosquitoes in Washington State, much less Stehekin. They were ferocious. That was an unpleasant surprise. I came home looking like I had been used as a pincushion. It was astounding. 

- We (and by "we" I mean Eric and Sky) cleaned out the flue for the wood stove. This was perhaps a messier proposition than they were prepared for. Ultimately, it went well, but it resulted in creosote all over lots of things all weekend. Including babies. Creosote is also quite sticky. This was fun!

- Quite a bit of hiking and walking around in the valley. Since the babies have to endure sitting in their packs on the trail, we tried to keep it to manageable journeys but still managed to do about 7 miles of the Rainbow Loop trail which goes up from the valley floor, as well as quick hike to Rainbow Falls and also a short ways up Agnes Creek. Lots of beautiful hiking up there, you can pretty much get to whatever you might want to see, and some of the views are just stupendous. 

- Enjoyed lots of good food which we packed in with us for minimal prep in the cabin (cooking resources being somewhat at a premium). Duck ragu, asian hoisin-garlic pulled pork, tasty cheeses and olives...let me tell you, if you're going to head into the woods, it's a good idea to go with other foodies. We did not lack for delicious eating. 

- It took Peregrine a couple meals to learn how to defend his plate from Scout, but by the end of the weekend he was picking off her olive pieces when she wasn't paying close enough attention. 

- Peregrine and Scout both think very highly of not having to ride in a carseat, even at only 15-20 mph, and Peregrine loves to stick his head out the window like a dog. Very cute. Not having a carseat makes momma's job a lot more complicated, though, and both moms began to recognize some of the virtue of having something else to hold a squirming one year old as you're driving along. 

- There are bears up there, both black and supposedly grizz. We saw signs of them in both tree markings and scat. Right by the cabin. That had us a little worried, but we never saw any bears. 

- Neither baby burned themselves on the wood stove! Both of them understood it was hot and managed to avoid it. 

- We had two "cutest-ever" moments this trip. They both took place at Stehekin Ranch, where we had our last dinner (they have a restaurant-type meal every night). The first was the sweetest hug you ever did see, where Peregrine walked up to Scout with arms wide open and they leaned in for a hug. Pip even did his little pat pat motion and they had a little kiss. It was so sweet it made your teeth hurt! They repeated this a few minutes later. I can't even begin to describe how cute this was. 

  This was after Scout had tried to hug Peregrine earlier that day only to be rebuffed by a hand waving and "no" from him. (Saying "no" is something he learned just last week, we think from day care, and he managed to teach Scout over the weekend.)

  Later that same evening we were walking around the Ranch looking at the horses and ponies after dinner. There was some laundry drying on the line next to the field, and Peregrine and Scout thought it was the BEST THING EVER to chase each other around and tackle the laundry. I don't think we've ever seen Peregrine play like that, and Eric and Sarah said the same thing about Scout. They just ran and ran and laughed and laughed and flopped through the laundry over and over. They were clearly playing with each-other in and around the wash, which was also a first from our perspective. They also would have been perfectly happy to continue for an hour or more, except they were getting tired and falling down more and more often, so we unfortunately had to cut them short a bit. But, I tell you, they were in absolute bliss, and it cracked up the parents just to watch. 

All told it was a great weekend of fun and relaxing. It wasn't until the last day that we were all feeling that we were beginning to acclimate to the slowed-down pace of Stehekin and we wished we could have stayed for a full week, but, well, them's the breaks, I suppose. We very much enjoyed what we had and look forward to more in the future!

More Stehekin Pics

We had our big SLR on the trip, so didn't have as many 'candid' moments, nor did we take it with us on the hikes and such. However, Sarah and Eric had their point-and-shoot with all the time, and got quite a number of great pictures which they have kindly shared. So...round 2, Stehekin pics!

Stehekin 2

Other pics

A few other pics from the last couple of weeks. Some from around the house, some from visits with Grandma Pam, and some from Peregrine's first trip to the Evergreen State Fair with Momma, Auntie Lys, and Cousin Lana.
Stories to follow!

15.1

Labor day weekend pics: Stehekin

First batch of pictures from our long weekend in Stehekin with Sarah, Eric, and Scout.

Stehekin 2011

Stories and more photos to come!

Comings, goings, and what-have-you's

It has seemed like pretty much nonstop activity since we returned from our vacation. The weeks are busy, the weekends are busy, it's hard to keep track of it all!

Let's see...

The same weekend that Taj's friend Chris and fiancee Kathy were in town, Sky's co-student Valerie and husband Nick and 5-month-old daughter Layla stopped by for a visit. Mostly we just hung out and visited, and dressed the babies up in dinosaur costumes for fun. We also went to the farmer's market that weekend. In addition to the aforementioned baseball game. And, no, everyone, he has not yet been to a Sounders game but it is on our list. If we can just get a free weekend...

The weekend before that we met the McWethy-Morrison-Rogers clan for a camping trip up at Larrabee State Park, about an hour north of us on the Puget Sound. We had a couple camp sites for a couple nights and all hung out and...well, camped. Dave and Pam brought the boat over so we got a bit of fishing in, we went for some walks, enjoyed playing around with all the cousins, relaxed in front of the fire, made some s'mores, etc. Two nights didn't quite seem long enough, but we had a really nice time. Peregrine definitely enjoys camping, though he did take a couple pretty serious diggers. The weather cooperated, it was not too hot and not too cool, and it didn't rain. The only down side was the train. It turns out Larrabee State Park is gorgeous and cool and right on the water...and a major freight track runs right through the middle of it. You can throw a stone from pretty much any of the campsites and hit the passing trains if you want. As it turns out, that's not as bothersome as you might think - you kind of get used to it - but many of the adults didn't have the most restful sleep. (The kids all slept fine, of course. Actually, so did I!) On the plus side, it made the impact of nearby Campground Yahoos pale by comparison. We didn't even really notice if there were any late night partiers!

Let's see...last weekend was our Anniversary, so we celebrated by dropping Peregrine off at Lys & Billy's for the evening, then headed out to Teatro Zinzanni for dinner and a show, and to the Pan Pacific Hotel for a night of as-much-luxury-as-we-can-afford. (it's actually a very nice hotel). Teatro Zinzanni is a lot of fun, it's a three- to four-hour live dinner theater, with comedy, music, professional caliber cirque du soleil-style acrobatics (aerialists, balance acts, juggling, etc.), and occasional involuntary audience participation, accompanied by a five course fancy dinner. I think we both thought the show was outstanding, a lot of fun across the board, and we both thought the meal was only OK. It's definitely an experience, though, and I think we would go back (they change the show/performance every few months). Sunday afternoon we headed back to Snoqualmie Ridge to pick up Peregrine and ended up staying for lunch and just hanging out with the Morrisons for a while. It was a great weekend. 

As far as the little fellow goes, he's just great. He keeps getting bigger, and I swear he's learning even faster now that he's in day care with other kids. He has a great time at the montessori school, though he still doesn't like being left there (pretty much as soon as we're out of sight, he calms down and starts having fun!). He's walking along like a pro, only sometimes smashing his head into the ground with his excitement over something. He's really using his signs a lot, for "more", "please", "milk", "food", and "all done". He has joined that with a burgeoning vocabulary of "uh un" ("pick me up please"), "on" (for things that are turned on as well  as things that are "on" his head), "cuck" for cracker, "ball", "truck", and he has words for light, surprise, uh-oh, and "ok ok ok ok". This last week he started saying "ma ma" which is just about the cutest thing ever. His car and airplane sounds can't be beat. So, you know, he's just really cruising along. And still pooping on the potty, though he does also occasionally go in his sleep or whatever. And he loves to dance by rocking side to side, still (if not even more than before!)

Anyway, it seems busy busy. And I'm sure, people for whom this is being written, that you don't really care about any of that and probably want to see pictures. So here you go...it's not many, but there are a few.

14.1

pics from the game

Just a few, taken by Jason (as we neglected to bring our camera). Thanks, Jason! Note: despite his lack of a smile in these pictures, Peregrine really did have a great time. He thought it was just a blast. His favorite activity of the whole night was picking other peoples' discarded peanut shells off the concrete floor and sucking the salt off of them. What could possible be better?

Firsts!

Went to the Red Sox/Mariners game last night with many friends from the Boston days. Peregrine's first baseball game, and while he didn't so much watch baseball (though, really, does anyone?) he had a great time. Also, it turns out this was Sky's first professional sporting event ever. She also had a great time - a far better time than she was expecting, actually. Lots of fun!

A new car!

Our trusty 2003 Hyundai Elantra GT (hatchback) has become somewhat less trusty, and with 120,000 miles on the clock all the warranties have expired. For the past few months we've been researching a car purchase. Much deliberation and many test drives have taken place, but this weekend we selected and purchased our new car. It's a 2011 Mazda3s Grand Touring (hatchback). We got it in "Graphite Mica." We looked at bigger cars like the Mazda5 and RAV4 and more economical cars like the Fit or the new focus, but the Mazda3s was just the right blend of size, space, control, and fun. Also, I think we just really like hatchbacks.

Peregrine thinks it's great, and we're teaching him how to say "zoom zoom."

Pics

Quite a trip we had to Pennsylvania and Ohio. We visited Emmaus, seeing cousins Willow and Elliot as well as Uncle Ziad and Auntie Amy. Grandpa Bruce, Grandma Biddy, and Auntie Katja also made the drive for the 4th. Lots of fun had by all. We drove across PA and camped along the way. Pip LOVES camping, as it turns out. Drove to Ohio to visit new cousin Reijer and cousin Aram, Uncle Niall and Auntie Liesa. Then we drove back for a bit more hanging out in Emmaus, and then we flew home!

At some point if I get motivated I'll try to write about it all, but for now here's a quick smattering of photos.

13.1 PA/OH

No more potatoes

Over the last few weeks, Peregrine has been diligently taking one or two steps more before touching the wall. He still does quite a bit of 'bear walking' on his hands-and-feet, and no crawling, and was mostly comfortable walking around holding on to a finger, errant pant leg, piece of furniture, or the like.

On Saturday late morning, we all went out for brunch. It was long, tumultuous affair which isn't actually the point of the post. The point: nearing the end of brunch, Poppa and Pip went outside to walk around a bit while Momma worked on actually eating. We were out on the sidewalk, with Pip walking as normal holding on to my index finger. And then I just took my finger away.

And he just kept walking. And walking.

He walked nearly the full length of the block back to the restaurant, without pausing or falling down. Then Momma had finished brunch and came outside and he walked back down the block. Then we turned around and he walked some more. He was clearly quite pleased with himself. He really just didn't want to stop walking. It was pretty neat.

Later that day we went out for wonton noodle soup. In the restaurant, we set him down and off he went like a windup toy! Down the hallway to the bathrooms, touch the door, back down to us, then out and around the tables, then repeat. He was clearly having a good time and getting cocky - starting to swing his arms and everything. Fortunately, the phone Billy gave me takes video.

While it's not high resolution, it's at least "proof," if you will, that he has graduated from potato-school.



Things are liable to get a little more interesting around the house, now. He's standing himself up and just wandering off. Combined with how tall he is getting, we're becoming more aware of how many things we leave out on our side tables, which, it turns out, are just within his grasp.

He did some more practice on Sunday (on our hike) and today as well. Exciting times!

stats

Pip had his one year checkup today. Perfectly clean bill of health. Vital statistics, for those of you keeping track at home:

Head circumference: 47 cm (that's big)
Weight: 20.95 lb (that's moderate)
Height: 31.5" (0.8m)

He shot up like a weed this last measurement period - he's in the 95th percentile on height now.

Happy birthday, Peregrine!

Peregrine's first birthday was yesterday, and he celebrated it in style. We had a gathering of some local family and friends, gifts, pizza, beverages, and, of course, a big cake. Oh, and no afternoon nap. But who wouhld want to nap on their birthday! Pip also managed to get just the slightest of sunburns from *gasp* the sun, making its first appearance since...hmm...2007? That's what it feels like, anyway.
Peregrine had a lot of fun playing with his cousins James and Lana, and friends Anuk and Emmy. He also got to see his whole host of grandparents in one day - Grandpa Ben, Grandma Myra, Grandpa Dave, and Gramma Pam in person, and Grandpa Bruce, Grandma Biddy, and los abuelos via Skype. It was a very full day for him!
Our thanks to everyone for the wonderful gifts, thanks to everyone who stopped by to enjoy the weather and wish our sweet boy a happy birthday!

1y

The Magic Walking Potato

So Peregrine has really enjoyed furniture walking for a few months now. He's very good at walking, but really doesn't like doing it on his own - he'll hunt down your finger or pant leg or what-have-you if try to trick him into walking under his own power.
When he's playing, though, he'll sometimes forget himself and stand without bracing himself on anything for awhile. Tonight, for the first time, he was so enraptured with a potato we had given him that he 'accidentally' walked clear across the kitchen. He did it repeatedly. Don't get me wrong: it's not far, but there's no mistaking it was quite genuinely intentional and without any support - except the potato. If he didn't have the potato in his hand, he was unwilling to take a single step without a finger, arm, or pant leg to hold on to. With the potato? A nigh-unstoppable juggernaut of bipedal motion. As such, I have christened it the Magic Walking Potato. And, I happened to get it on video!
So, for your viewing pleasure, Peregrine and the Magic Walking Potato:

Pics from Portland

Here

Pics from Portland

First trip on the train, exploring Portland

Grandma Biddy came into town...hmm...two Tuesdays ago, for a week or so. Sky had a conference/workshop to attend in Portland, and the original plan had been for Grandma to accompany her to take care of Pip while she was in class. Papa managed to get the days off as well, though, so all four of us headed down to Portland for a long weekend. We left Thursday morning, catching the Amtrak from Everett all the way down to Portland and didn't come back until Monday night.
The first two days Papa had to do some work while Mama was in class, so Grandma Biddy and Peregrine got to spend most of those two days together (except for meals and some time walking around and such). We mostly just all relaxed at the hotel by the airport.

Saturday afternoon we left the conference hotel and headed to downtown Portland for a couple more days as tourists. We toured around on the MAX system, took Peregrine for his first swim in a swimming pool, ate some really excellent food, explored some boutique-y shops, wandered around a gorgeous Chinese garden, and just generally yucked it up. Monday afternoon, back on to the train and a nice easy ride up to Everett! It was a very nice trip, though it of course didn't seem long enough. 

Sky and I have spent quite a bit of time exploring the Oregon coast, but this is the first time we spent any time in Portland. I think it's a fair bet we'll be trying to spend some more time there. For one thing, there are like a million tasty looking food carts, and I pretty much can't resist that. 

Now, if only we could find more time...

and some pics

Don't miss the text post, below, though.

10.2

Norovirus (WARNING - poop stories)

So, last+ week (the weekend of the 23rd) we really got Peregrine out and about a bunch. He went to the Children's Museum, out for the Easter Egg Hunt in the nearby Park, had a visit with his cousins James and Lana (and Uncle Billy and Aunt Lys), and just generally whooped it up.
As it turns out, all that socializing has a down side. This is...hmmm...probably "not news" for any parent other than a new one.
So, starting on Saturday afternoon, Peregrine had diarrhea. Lots of it. Then on Saturday evening he vomited. A bunch. Projectile-like. I only recall vaguely due to fatigue, but I'm pretty sure we had to change his sheets four times on Easter-eve. And there was a commensurate level of laundry washing. Saturday night/Sunday he had a fever and was generally unhappy.
Fortunately his vomiting stopped after that one Mr. Creosote-like incident, and his fever subsided. He was back to (mostly) normal on Monday. His diarrhea, however, stayed with us. For a boy who usually poos once every two days, the switch to twice or thrice daily diarrhea has not been fun.
He was a trooper, though. After that first night, he didn't seem to care very much about it, in fact he hardly let it break his stride. He'd just be trucking along doing his thing and you'd hear a *BOOM* in his pants - much like a car backfiring - followed usually by a noxious smell and, well, perhaps other issues requiring a HAZMAT suit (depending on how well his diaper had been sealed). Needless to say we switched to disposables this last week. On Tuesday it still wasn't showing signs of abating so we called the pediatrician who said there's a bit of an epidemic (my words, not his) of 'norovirus' going around, which is apparently an awful lot like what people get on cruise ships. Just a nasty gut bug. He mentioned it could last up to a week or more (Sky saw him on call yesterday and he said some cases have been going two weeks). He mentioned that the hospitals are full of kids right now on IVs as they're so dehydrated. From crapping so much. (that last bit was just for you, Amy.)
Fortunately, Pippers stayed interested in eating and drinking and nursing, so aside from switching him over to the world-famous BRAT diet for a week, and getting his first drinks of pedialyte just in case (of which he didn't think too highly) we haven't had to worry about that. He really didn't like pedialyte, though. Also, has anyone else figured out that's pretty much kool-aid with a pinch of salt? Wait, that's not fair...kool-aid has less sugar, I think.
I've been on tenterhooks all weekend as his last bout was Friday about dinner time! We made it over 48 hours with no incidents so it looks like things are finally (hopefully) back to normal. Well, ok, I fed him some sauteed spinach this afternoon and that perhaps moved things around a bit more than usual, but that's my own fault - and nothing like what's been going on the last week. Tonight we grilled in the warm 'summer' evening and he wolfed down korean short ribs like they were going out of style - he clearly wanted some protein after a week of applesauce and rice gruel.

That's the skinny on the last two weekends. So here's to hoping he's fully on the mend, at least until he's exposed to the next thing that's "all the rage" with the kids these days!

pics

just a few, assorted, from the last month or so.

10.1

Fell Off the Blog

Well, We've fallen off the blog.  But are going to make a concerted effort to keep you all updated from here on out.  I will try to do weekly posts as Taj is very busy.  Unfortunately as you all know I am a bit of a Luddite. 

 

So Peregrine's big news is that he has two teeth sitting right under the skin.  His two upper front teeth.  I figure that they should break through the skin by Easter and he will look just like a little rabbit!   

 

He is doing lots of furniture walking, and has done some independent standing.  No crawling yet.  Though Taj did get him to tummy scoot across the bed room two days ago.  He also loves to swing at the park.  He gets an incredibly serious look on his face and just takes it all in.

You wouldn't think he was happy (At least I didn't) until you stop swinging him or make the sign for "get out".  Then he screams!  His will is developing....and it seems to be Rogerian.  Ufdah.

 

Pictures to follow soon. 

Some pics

I took some awfully cute pictures in the last couple weeks...thought I'd share.

8.2

Update 26FEB

It has been a busy month around here. Grandma Bridget has been out or a brief visit, we have a new regular nanny (Maia) for Mondays and Fridays, and Peregrine is really enjoying walking around the house on fingers (and the cooler, as you can see below, if you haven't yet).

In addition to all of that, last weekend we took a couple days off and joined our friends Eric and Sarah and baby Scout at a cabin in the Methow valley or a weekend of relaxing, eating, and cross country skiing. The Methow is famous around this area for some absurd number of sunny days (340 or something) but also a huge network of groomed cross-country trails of varying difficulties (with lots of nice flat easy ones, too). Sky and I have been out a few times, but this was the first time we rented a cabin and stayed with friends.

It was a great weekend, Pip seemed to enjoy his carrying pack though we did occasionally ski longer than perhaps we should (resulting in one-or-more baby breakdowns from too much time in the carrier). The kelty carrier we received from Uncle Niall and Aunt Liesa worked wonderfully, Eric had Scout mostly in a front-carry bjorn which wasn't quite as great but did OK. Eric and Sarah did a great job skiing even though it's not entirely their thing. The snow was fast and a bit icy, but we were on gentle trails so it was pretty nice overall (plenty of glide, not quite so much kick).

We took turns creating hot breakfasts, noshing throughout the day on fine cheeses, crackers, cured meats, olives, and cooking great dinners (washed down with some wine). It was a nice big two-bedroom cabin perched on a hillside, plenty of space, and Peregrine and Scout got to hang out and play (sometimes chasing Persia the Andalusian Shepherd around the house, to her chagrin). Evenings were spent playing some games in front of the stove. It was pretty much an idyllic weekend, couldn't ask for much more than that.

The week was fine, but on Thursday night Peregrine woke up every hour or so fussy and then yesterday a fever set in which he's had more or less since. He's just not feeling so hot right now which is a little sad. We're hoping it'll break soon and he'll get back to his smiley self!

8.1

Some cooler walking time

Peregrine's a bit under the weather right now, he has a little bit of a fever and "general malaise." :(

However, the last few weeks he's been doing increasing furniture/finger walking. Not a lot of time right now since he needs constant tending, but you can watch him (slowly) stroll around the kitchen with his cooler!

just a couple pictures

7.1

Pics from the last couple months

Yeah, we've been slacking off in the pictures department. What with the holidays and all, well, you know. The Munson clan has a variety of pictures up in various guises - you can see Peregrine, Sky, and Taj as well as lots of different Munsons, Brissetts, and Klyns here, here, and here (OK, that last one isn't up yet. Geez, Z, where's your online archive?).

As to what few pictures we've accumulated ourselves, on our own camera, well, those are found at our picasa site below. Note, no christmas shots. Still snagging those from others.

Month 6.1

Basketballs...who knew?

They're the funniest thing ever, apparently, at least when your cousins are around. Uncle Niall got Pip to crack up with these things. Papa was out for a ski or something, but the it's good stuff.
(this was in Duluth at Christmas)

Video

Christmas In Minnesota

Peregrine's first Christmas was great! He thoroughly enjoyed all the hustle and bustle of the Munson Mother Ship as did his parents. In particular he liked the basketball game (video to follow once I have learned from Taj how to upload it) and Nerf guns! He loved watching Elliot, Aram, and the other boys - Taj, Niall, Bruce, and Ziad - shooting each other mercilessly. His mother was sure he would be mortally wounded and may have responded in a knee-jerk fashion trying to keep him "safe" from rapidly moving projectiles...but Peregrine laughed and chortled
at the site of the quickly moving objects. It seemed the wilder the boys got, the more excited
Peregrine became....a prelude of what is to come? We shall see.

Taj and I enjoyed skiing, family, and beautiful snow. Of note this Munson Christmas was that Taj, Pip, and I all camped in the garage. Yes camped, in a tent, in the garage. It was actually quite palatial - replete with a queen sized air mattress, crib, and carpet. Oh my. We should have taken a picture. Well we will up load photos and videos as soon as my next class "blogging for Luddites" is held.