Hello Abigail!!
It’s Daddy, and I am on my way to San Antonio, Texas for a couple of days. Even though I have never been to San Antonio before, I am not that excited about the trip as I will be away from you for a couple of days. My trip did not start off that well, as Daddy missed his direct flight from Cincinnati to San Antonio. I had downloaded my flight information to my Blackberry (phone, that Mommy refers to as a Crackberry), but it downloaded incorrectly. My phone said 2:05, but my flight was actually at 1:05. It was unfortunate as Daddy thought he was on time. I ate lunch at my desk. I could have easily left for the airport. When I left, I drove at a normal speed and talked to Mommy on the phone. I expected to see my co workers at the airport, but I did not see anyone. I tried to do my self log on, but the computer blocked me out as the machine said I had missed the cutoff time. I talked to a nice man at the Delta counter named Jim, but he was not able to help me. I talked to my co worker Kim on the phone and she said the plane was just boarding. Jim gave me my boarding pass and I ran to the gate. Of course I had to navigate security first. The nice people in the line let me skip to the front. Daddy is a fast runner, but in work shoes and a sport coat it is a little harder to run. I got to the gate and the plane was still there, but the gate door was closed, so the people would not let me on the plane. Daddy did all of that running for nothing. The airline people rebooked me on a flight through Houston. I got to Houston and had three hours before my next flight so I watched the Tampa Bay Rays play the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series for baseball. I talked to several people at the bar while watching the game and enjoying a couple of adult beverages. This is unusual for your Daddy as I don’t normally engage strangers in conversation. Abigail, you should not talk to strangers at all, because you never know if they are nice or not. One man was from California and one woman was from Connecticut. We talked about baseball and work. It made the time go by much faster as I waited for my plane.
I finally arrived in San Antonio safely. My coworkers were still at dinner, so I took a cab to the hotel and walked to the restaurant to join my coworkers. I figured I should go and be made fun of by my coworkers for missing my flight. They did a very good job of making fun of daddy. After dessert, we walked back to the hotel along the River Walk. The River Walk is a fun area of restaurants and bars in downtown San Antonio.
Daddy had two days of meetings in San Antonio with the Global Oral Care Professional Leadership Team (GOCPLT for short). It was a good two days of meetings, but it was not that exciting sitting in a 22nd floor conference room at the Hotel that had no windows. Daddy led two sessions of the meeting. My parts went pretty well. It was good to meet our Regional Leaders from Latin America, Europe and Asia. I enjoy meeting people in person that I work with primarily via email and phone. One session that Daddy co-led with Kim (Human Resources) was on “Where to Play” which means which countries we should focus on. We had a big map of the world and we played a game of Jeopardy (grandpa loves the real show on TV). It was a lot of fun and got people relaxed and engaged on the topic we were talking about.
The first night we had dinner at the Tower of Americas Chart House Restaurant. One small issue popped up with this choice of restaurant. It was at the top of the tower 75 floors up. Daddy does not like heights and was not sure about whether he wanted to go or not. The issue was that Daddy did not want to miss dinner after missing his flight and dinner the night before. Daddy made sure he did not look out the window in the elevator on the way up and I sat with my back to the window at the restaurant. The food was excellent, but the service was terrible. Daddy is glad he went as it was fun getting to know my co workers better.
The second day of the meeting was not as stressful for Daddy as all of my sessions were the first day. It was still a good meeting. We did not have formal dinner plans, so we decided to get Mexican food with a smaller group of team members. Blanca is from Mexico and wanted good Mexican food. The chips and salsa were fabulous, but the food was mediocre, it was like El Coyote in West Chester where Mommy and I ate on date night when Nana came to take care of you. At the end of the meal, two of the guys challenged me to a shot and I said of course. Daddy is always trying to dispel the myths that Finance guys are dull and boring. It does not take much to build street credibility, just a simple shot and these other guys say wow, he is not the stereotypical Finance guy.
The last day, the American Dental Association Convention was starting. Daddy went to a breakfast presentation my company was sponsoring. Jillian Michaels (Biggest Loser star) and a Dental Hygienist talked to 400 Hygienists on our behalf. I hope that these people will go back and recommend and sell our Power Brush products to their patients. After breakfast, Daddy went over to the convention floor and saw our Crest Oral-B booth. It was very cool. We have a live theatre presentation and lots of salespeople talking to dental professionals about our products. Daddy walked around the convention floor and looked at all of our competitors booths. It was fun and very informative seeing what our competitors were doing. Unfortunately, the convention was not very well attended. San Antonio was not as big a draw as Las Vegas, Orlando, or San Francisco. In addition, the economy is struggling and Texas was hit by Hurricane Ike, the same storm that later hit Ohio and caused so many people to lose power. Daddy went to a fancy dancy luncheon with a bunch of ADA bigwigs. Daddy was all dressed up with a suit on. We had a very nice meal. I talked to a former ADA President and a current board member.
We went to the airport. Daddy was not going to miss my flight home. I needed to make sure I got home to see you. I had a relatively uneventful flight home. I hopped in my car and headed home. I immediately called Mommy to see what you two were doing. I wanted to make sure I got home before you went to sleep for the night. Mommy said if I got right home I would be able to see you before you went night night. I was making good progress and then I ran into some bad traffic. I thought oh no, I am going to miss seeing my sweet Abigail before she goes to bed. Fortunately, I just made it home in time. I came right in and you smiled and raised your arms for me to pick you up. You are such a big girl and such a joy to your Daddy. I love you very much and was happy to be able to see you before you went to bed. I look forward to us going on vacation with Mommy, Grandma, Grandpa and Nana next week. Daddy will get to spend a whole week with you.
Sleep tight Abigail. I love you! Forever, Daddy.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Mommy and Trekker's Tail from "Hotlanta"
October 9, 2008
Abigail,
It’s me, Trekker. Mommy and I are on another trip, this time to Atlanta (that she calls “Hotlanta” and really thinks it’s funny.) Atlanta is in Georgia, a state you have been to, last October when you went on vacation to Hilton Head, South Carolina. You went to a different city named Savannah that time. Atlanta is a big city and is the capital of the state too. We have been sitting behind the one-way mirror listening to people talk about fiber supplements again. You will learn from Mommy sometimes all of the benefits of taking a fiber supplement! She is trying to develop really good ways to talk about her product, Metamucil. It is quite a challenge because Metamucil has been sold for almost 75 years (a very long time) and lots of people think about it in just one way. As I just said, there are lots of amazing reasons to take this product but it’s hard to convince people when the brand has only been known for one thing that most people don’t think they need. Anyway, we have been sitting in the back room again and Mommy is tried really hard to stay focused and to not eat too many M&Ms or other goodies that they had. She did a mediocre job at it There were not as many people here this time, just eight of us. That is just a few more than the number of kids in your room at school.
Uncle Greg, Aunt Rita and Mommy’s friend Heidi lives here in “Hotlanta” but we worked really late last night so we did not see her. Maybe next time we will have more time to visit.
The team had a minivan to drive again, so everyone just crammed into it to go from one place to the next. Mommy realized just how unhip she is during this trip. Actually, she knew that she was not hip, but being with her team reminds her of this. They are all a bit younger than she is and are much more involved in popular culture than she is. Mommy does not surf the internet or have a “Facebook” page and barely watches TV anymore and does not feel like she has time for reading about it to keep up. She will have to ask them to keep her updated so she can try to be a little more hip.
Mommy and I almost did not get to come home tonight! Mommy’s internet was not working so she was not able to use the normal online travel arranger for this trip. She called someone on the phone instead. Well, that person must have gotten confused when she made the flights and hotel arrangements because she had Mommy and I coming home on Wednesday, not Thursday like we should have. Neither Mommy nor I checked the itinerary to confirm the flight because it has always just been correct. Mommy kicked herself because she should have known that there was something wrong when she got the email from Delta saying that she could check in, but it was a day too early. Then when she checked into the hotel, they only had her reservation for one night. It was when Mommy went to the airport and they could not find her reservation that she realized what had happened. So we had to buy another ticket for jus the one way to get home! Mommy was really irritated because everyone flew from the Dayton airport to save money. But, we had to get home and we missed the original flight. But, we got home okay and drove home to get to bed. It was very late, we did not land until 10 pm and we did not get home until after 11 pm, that is 3+ hours past your bedtime. This weekend we are going to see Grandma and Grandpa in Toledo, then you are going to spend the night with them on Sunday night. It will be your first sleepover without Mommy or Daddy. Daddy is going to San Antonio, Texas (TX) on Monday so he won’t get to see you until Thursday night or Friday morning!
Abigail,
It’s me, Trekker. Mommy and I are on another trip, this time to Atlanta (that she calls “Hotlanta” and really thinks it’s funny.) Atlanta is in Georgia, a state you have been to, last October when you went on vacation to Hilton Head, South Carolina. You went to a different city named Savannah that time. Atlanta is a big city and is the capital of the state too. We have been sitting behind the one-way mirror listening to people talk about fiber supplements again. You will learn from Mommy sometimes all of the benefits of taking a fiber supplement! She is trying to develop really good ways to talk about her product, Metamucil. It is quite a challenge because Metamucil has been sold for almost 75 years (a very long time) and lots of people think about it in just one way. As I just said, there are lots of amazing reasons to take this product but it’s hard to convince people when the brand has only been known for one thing that most people don’t think they need. Anyway, we have been sitting in the back room again and Mommy is tried really hard to stay focused and to not eat too many M&Ms or other goodies that they had. She did a mediocre job at it There were not as many people here this time, just eight of us. That is just a few more than the number of kids in your room at school.
Uncle Greg, Aunt Rita and Mommy’s friend Heidi lives here in “Hotlanta” but we worked really late last night so we did not see her. Maybe next time we will have more time to visit.
The team had a minivan to drive again, so everyone just crammed into it to go from one place to the next. Mommy realized just how unhip she is during this trip. Actually, she knew that she was not hip, but being with her team reminds her of this. They are all a bit younger than she is and are much more involved in popular culture than she is. Mommy does not surf the internet or have a “Facebook” page and barely watches TV anymore and does not feel like she has time for reading about it to keep up. She will have to ask them to keep her updated so she can try to be a little more hip.
Mommy and I almost did not get to come home tonight! Mommy’s internet was not working so she was not able to use the normal online travel arranger for this trip. She called someone on the phone instead. Well, that person must have gotten confused when she made the flights and hotel arrangements because she had Mommy and I coming home on Wednesday, not Thursday like we should have. Neither Mommy nor I checked the itinerary to confirm the flight because it has always just been correct. Mommy kicked herself because she should have known that there was something wrong when she got the email from Delta saying that she could check in, but it was a day too early. Then when she checked into the hotel, they only had her reservation for one night. It was when Mommy went to the airport and they could not find her reservation that she realized what had happened. So we had to buy another ticket for jus the one way to get home! Mommy was really irritated because everyone flew from the Dayton airport to save money. But, we had to get home and we missed the original flight. But, we got home okay and drove home to get to bed. It was very late, we did not land until 10 pm and we did not get home until after 11 pm, that is 3+ hours past your bedtime. This weekend we are going to see Grandma and Grandpa in Toledo, then you are going to spend the night with them on Sunday night. It will be your first sleepover without Mommy or Daddy. Daddy is going to San Antonio, Texas (TX) on Monday so he won’t get to see you until Thursday night or Friday morning!
Mommy and Trekker's Tail from Philadelphia
October 1, 2008
Abigail –
It’s me, Trekker. Mommy and I are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA). You have never been to this state (technically speaking) but you were in Mommy’s belly when Mommy and Daddy went to visit in May, 2007. You visited a place called Brockway, where Papaw was born and raised. Great Grandmother Betty and many of Papaw’s family members live there still. Anyway, Philadelphia is on the other side of the state (and it is a big state), close to New York City, a place that Mommy and I traveled to before. We are here listening to people talk about fiber (again). This time, though, we are not sitting in the dark “back room” but everyone (all 30 people!) are in the “front room” with the people who came to talk about fiber. Mommy is even the one of the team members doing the interviewing, and it takes 3 hours to talk about all of this fiber! Can you believe that anyone can talk about fiber for that long? Mommy would tell you that there is actually much more to fiber than people realize, but that is for another day. It is fun to be in the front room talking directly to the people. It’s much easier to eat healthy when you are the one doing the interviews!
For this trip, we had to get up super early in the morning and we did not get to talk to you before we left. Don’t’ worry, though, Mommy rubbed your head and blew you a kiss before we left. She can’t reach all the way down into your bed anymore since you are such a big girl and they had to lower to its lowest level. This meant that she could not kiss you directly! We made it to the airport with no trouble because it was so early and everyone else was sleeping (which is what Mommy wished she was doing) and not driving on the roads. Lots of people from her team were on the same flight so it was fun hanging out at the airport before the flight. It did not take very long to fly to Philadelphia and Mommy amused herself by reading on the plane. Mommy misses reading. She is too tired at night to read and she does not travel very much to catch up on planes. I know, she does read stories to you, even though you get distracted halfway through most books. Someday maybe you two will have a bookclub where you both read and book and discuss it. I think that will be some time and you will need to be interested in a book for more than just a few minutes first.
Anyway, the whole gang arrived in Philadelphia and broke up into two mini-vans. One mini-van headed to the research facility and the other one headed to the hotel. We drove through the city on the way to the facility (Mommy did not go to the hotel first), it was really pretty. Many significant events for our country occurred in this city, including a famous scene in a Rocky movie. I am kidding, yes, there is a famous scene from that movie and the building with the steps are indeed there, but there are even more significant events that occurred there, from a very long time ago. The thing called the “Liberty Bell” is here too, something you will learn about in school someday. There is a cool river that runs along the city too and there were boaters in it and runners on the side of it. There were big, old trees lining the river and the city too. Mary Kate (also called “MK”), the newest member of Mommy’s brand team was the driver. She is actually a very good driver and follows directions well. I thought I would include that since someone named Jana had picked on MK about her driving at one time. We did not find any issues with her driving at all. We actually thought she did a fine job. When we arrived at the facility where the interviews took place, everyone got settled and got some lunch. Then it was arts and crafts time! We know that you love arts and crafts from everything you send home from school. We got to cut and glue and paste. We don’t usually get to cut and glue and paste, so it was something new and different for us.
Eventually, the group that went to the hotel arrived and we all “pre-briefed.” This is a fancy word for “going over the plan of action” as Nana would say. Although Nana usually makes a list and we did not make a list, it was already made by the two leaders, Nancy and Pam. Mommy actually worked with Pam lots of times when she worked at Iams and went places to talk about cats and dogs. She is really nice and good at leading projects like this. After the pre-briefing, everyone was broken up into teams and then we all sat at different tables so we could have conversations with people about fiber.
This probably does not sound as much fun as what you do at school every day, but it is actually really fun. Mommy loves working with her team and she also loves learning about new people. Since you are very good and saying “hi” these days, I think the people would enjoy talking to you too. We will have to figure out how to get “fiber” into your vocabulary sooner than later so you and Mommy can have some interesting talks.
After our three-hour discussion, we did a quick “debrief” (discussing what happened when we went through the plan of action we “pre-briefed”) to share with everyone what we all learned in our different discussion tables. It was not actually very quick, which is what happens when thirty people are sharing thoughts. Keep this in mind when you are working on teams, ok? At Mommy’s work, they call this sort of hindsight “key learnings.” We don’t know why they call them “key” because that is obvious and “learnings” is not a word. But, that is one of the many funny words that Mommy and Daddy learn at work.
After the long “quick” debrief, everyone was ready to go to the hotel! Mommy was pretty tired after her early morning and long day, but many of her team members where having a “night cap” at the hotel bar and that’s usually a great way to get to know your team so Mommy went down there. She did talk to Daddy for a little bit and heard about your day and an update about the landscaping project. Daddy has been doing lots of coordinating with the landscaper and we are getting closer to a final design. It will be very nice to have it finished. Anyway, Mommy had a really fun time talking to her team members and even though she stayed up too late, was glad that she spent time with them.
The next day we had another “pre-bried”, conducted another session with consumers, had another “debrief” with “key learnings and action steps” then headed to the airport. Even though everything was on time, Mommy did not get to see you that night because she got home after you went to bed. It was a very good trip for us but Mommy was glad to be home with you.
Abigail –
It’s me, Trekker. Mommy and I are in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA). You have never been to this state (technically speaking) but you were in Mommy’s belly when Mommy and Daddy went to visit in May, 2007. You visited a place called Brockway, where Papaw was born and raised. Great Grandmother Betty and many of Papaw’s family members live there still. Anyway, Philadelphia is on the other side of the state (and it is a big state), close to New York City, a place that Mommy and I traveled to before. We are here listening to people talk about fiber (again). This time, though, we are not sitting in the dark “back room” but everyone (all 30 people!) are in the “front room” with the people who came to talk about fiber. Mommy is even the one of the team members doing the interviewing, and it takes 3 hours to talk about all of this fiber! Can you believe that anyone can talk about fiber for that long? Mommy would tell you that there is actually much more to fiber than people realize, but that is for another day. It is fun to be in the front room talking directly to the people. It’s much easier to eat healthy when you are the one doing the interviews!
For this trip, we had to get up super early in the morning and we did not get to talk to you before we left. Don’t’ worry, though, Mommy rubbed your head and blew you a kiss before we left. She can’t reach all the way down into your bed anymore since you are such a big girl and they had to lower to its lowest level. This meant that she could not kiss you directly! We made it to the airport with no trouble because it was so early and everyone else was sleeping (which is what Mommy wished she was doing) and not driving on the roads. Lots of people from her team were on the same flight so it was fun hanging out at the airport before the flight. It did not take very long to fly to Philadelphia and Mommy amused herself by reading on the plane. Mommy misses reading. She is too tired at night to read and she does not travel very much to catch up on planes. I know, she does read stories to you, even though you get distracted halfway through most books. Someday maybe you two will have a bookclub where you both read and book and discuss it. I think that will be some time and you will need to be interested in a book for more than just a few minutes first.
Anyway, the whole gang arrived in Philadelphia and broke up into two mini-vans. One mini-van headed to the research facility and the other one headed to the hotel. We drove through the city on the way to the facility (Mommy did not go to the hotel first), it was really pretty. Many significant events for our country occurred in this city, including a famous scene in a Rocky movie. I am kidding, yes, there is a famous scene from that movie and the building with the steps are indeed there, but there are even more significant events that occurred there, from a very long time ago. The thing called the “Liberty Bell” is here too, something you will learn about in school someday. There is a cool river that runs along the city too and there were boaters in it and runners on the side of it. There were big, old trees lining the river and the city too. Mary Kate (also called “MK”), the newest member of Mommy’s brand team was the driver. She is actually a very good driver and follows directions well. I thought I would include that since someone named Jana had picked on MK about her driving at one time. We did not find any issues with her driving at all. We actually thought she did a fine job. When we arrived at the facility where the interviews took place, everyone got settled and got some lunch. Then it was arts and crafts time! We know that you love arts and crafts from everything you send home from school. We got to cut and glue and paste. We don’t usually get to cut and glue and paste, so it was something new and different for us.
Eventually, the group that went to the hotel arrived and we all “pre-briefed.” This is a fancy word for “going over the plan of action” as Nana would say. Although Nana usually makes a list and we did not make a list, it was already made by the two leaders, Nancy and Pam. Mommy actually worked with Pam lots of times when she worked at Iams and went places to talk about cats and dogs. She is really nice and good at leading projects like this. After the pre-briefing, everyone was broken up into teams and then we all sat at different tables so we could have conversations with people about fiber.
This probably does not sound as much fun as what you do at school every day, but it is actually really fun. Mommy loves working with her team and she also loves learning about new people. Since you are very good and saying “hi” these days, I think the people would enjoy talking to you too. We will have to figure out how to get “fiber” into your vocabulary sooner than later so you and Mommy can have some interesting talks.
After our three-hour discussion, we did a quick “debrief” (discussing what happened when we went through the plan of action we “pre-briefed”) to share with everyone what we all learned in our different discussion tables. It was not actually very quick, which is what happens when thirty people are sharing thoughts. Keep this in mind when you are working on teams, ok? At Mommy’s work, they call this sort of hindsight “key learnings.” We don’t know why they call them “key” because that is obvious and “learnings” is not a word. But, that is one of the many funny words that Mommy and Daddy learn at work.
After the long “quick” debrief, everyone was ready to go to the hotel! Mommy was pretty tired after her early morning and long day, but many of her team members where having a “night cap” at the hotel bar and that’s usually a great way to get to know your team so Mommy went down there. She did talk to Daddy for a little bit and heard about your day and an update about the landscaping project. Daddy has been doing lots of coordinating with the landscaper and we are getting closer to a final design. It will be very nice to have it finished. Anyway, Mommy had a really fun time talking to her team members and even though she stayed up too late, was glad that she spent time with them.
The next day we had another “pre-bried”, conducted another session with consumers, had another “debrief” with “key learnings and action steps” then headed to the airport. Even though everything was on time, Mommy did not get to see you that night because she got home after you went to bed. It was a very good trip for us but Mommy was glad to be home with you.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Abigail is growing and growing!
You might be wondering what I am up to lately. Well, I am walking all by myself. I can go across the room, especially if people clap for me when I get to the other side. I can stand and bend down and pick up toys and stand up again. I can say “kitty cat” and know that this is used for Mr. Fancy Pants and Bella. I often yell this from across the room then squeal with delight and walk (or crawl because I am still faster at crawling than walking) to see them. Mr. FP will let me pet him, especially when he is in the kitchen waiting for a treat. I can get close to Bella, as close as anyone can, but I usually get pretty excited and squeal and she runs away.
I can climb onto the leather chair and love to bring a book with me to sit and turn the pages and point. I love to shake things, especially my milk bottle so I can see the milk squirt out. I am great at throwing and picking up balls. We play ball in our family room floor all of the time. Mommy and Daddy often bounce the plastic ball back and forth and I throw other balls around the room. Sometimes my throws go backwards and sometimes I swing plastic things, so be careful when you come over to play. I gave Mommy a fat lip last weekend when I was swinging a plastic toy.
I like stories but you better read fast and let me flip the pages when I want. I will pull books out of one of the book baskets and put it in front of you and grunt (my sign that I would like you to read it). But like I said, you better be on your game and be prepared that you might not get to the end of the story, even if you like the book. Or you might be reading it to yourself like Mommy does when she likes the end of the book. For those of you who know Mommy, you should not be surprised to know that it is hard to keep my attention. I am often on to another project before you really understand what I want from the last one.
I like to climb the stairs by crawling and I like to walk back down them. I need you to hold my hands on the way down and you better be good at walking backwards fast because I walk down like big kids do, one foot on one step.
That about covers most of my adventures lately. If you can think of other adventures that I forgot, please send me a note and let me know.
I can climb onto the leather chair and love to bring a book with me to sit and turn the pages and point. I love to shake things, especially my milk bottle so I can see the milk squirt out. I am great at throwing and picking up balls. We play ball in our family room floor all of the time. Mommy and Daddy often bounce the plastic ball back and forth and I throw other balls around the room. Sometimes my throws go backwards and sometimes I swing plastic things, so be careful when you come over to play. I gave Mommy a fat lip last weekend when I was swinging a plastic toy.
I like stories but you better read fast and let me flip the pages when I want. I will pull books out of one of the book baskets and put it in front of you and grunt (my sign that I would like you to read it). But like I said, you better be on your game and be prepared that you might not get to the end of the story, even if you like the book. Or you might be reading it to yourself like Mommy does when she likes the end of the book. For those of you who know Mommy, you should not be surprised to know that it is hard to keep my attention. I am often on to another project before you really understand what I want from the last one.
I like to climb the stairs by crawling and I like to walk back down them. I need you to hold my hands on the way down and you better be good at walking backwards fast because I walk down like big kids do, one foot on one step.
That about covers most of my adventures lately. If you can think of other adventures that I forgot, please send me a note and let me know.
Adventures with the garage door
Sunday you will never guess what happened. We got up early to go to church so we could meet Mommy’s friend Lisa and her husband Joey for brunch in Dayton. We were all ready to head out the door but when Daddy pressed the garage door button, nothing happened (unlike when we came home after the Ohio Hurricane and it did open). Actually, the garage door went up a little bit but then went immediately back down. He tried it again and it did the same thing. Mommy suggested that he pull “the red cord” to release the door so we could open it manually. But Daddy could not lift the door and we were not sure if there was some reason we could not lift the door or if it was just too heavy. I actually was not thinking about the door at this point, I was already in the car with the door open wondering why we were not moving.
Daddy got the garage door manual out and Mommy went to investigate further what might mechanically be wrong with the door. Mommy looked up and realized that the spring on the door was broken! But none of us were sure what this meant. I was out of the car but still wondering why we were not making more progress to the outside world. Mommy and Daddy shared some tense words as Daddy was ready the warning labels on the door and Mommy got out her tools and began further investigation on what she could do to open the door. Mommy then “encouraged” Daddy to go inside and look up repair services in the phone book. Daddy is good at following directions and is also good at looking in the phone book so he and I did that and left Mommy to her tools in the garage.
I think we need a list of things we learn, because we had more “learning” that day both about garage doors and our reminders of our blessings. After leaving messages for three emergency services and talking to two then calling our neighbors across the street (Dave and Sharon), we learned that 1) springs break all of the time, especially if you use your garage like a front door as we do, 2) you can open the door manually but need help lifting it as someone pushes the button and 3) we are very blessed. Why do I add that we are very blessed? We are blessed for many reasons, but on this day it was because we were not rushing off somewhere and could not get the door open. We were blessed because we could call repair services and if needed, could have gotten it fixed on a Sunday. We have great neighbors like Dave and Sharon who came over immediately to help. We have good friends like Lisa and Joey who understand such circumstances and are willing to change their plans to see us another time during the day. On Monday we got new springs for our garage door too!
Daddy got the garage door manual out and Mommy went to investigate further what might mechanically be wrong with the door. Mommy looked up and realized that the spring on the door was broken! But none of us were sure what this meant. I was out of the car but still wondering why we were not making more progress to the outside world. Mommy and Daddy shared some tense words as Daddy was ready the warning labels on the door and Mommy got out her tools and began further investigation on what she could do to open the door. Mommy then “encouraged” Daddy to go inside and look up repair services in the phone book. Daddy is good at following directions and is also good at looking in the phone book so he and I did that and left Mommy to her tools in the garage.
I think we need a list of things we learn, because we had more “learning” that day both about garage doors and our reminders of our blessings. After leaving messages for three emergency services and talking to two then calling our neighbors across the street (Dave and Sharon), we learned that 1) springs break all of the time, especially if you use your garage like a front door as we do, 2) you can open the door manually but need help lifting it as someone pushes the button and 3) we are very blessed. Why do I add that we are very blessed? We are blessed for many reasons, but on this day it was because we were not rushing off somewhere and could not get the door open. We were blessed because we could call repair services and if needed, could have gotten it fixed on a Sunday. We have great neighbors like Dave and Sharon who came over immediately to help. We have good friends like Lisa and Joey who understand such circumstances and are willing to change their plans to see us another time during the day. On Monday we got new springs for our garage door too!
Mommy & Daddy Have Date Night
I got to see Nana again this past weekend! She came to visit me while Mommy and Daddy had “date night.” I am not sure what “date night” is but I don’t really care because I got to hang out with Nana. We went for a walk (not me walking on my own just yet, I was in the stroller), I swung in my swing and we played with my toys. Nana even helped me learn the word for “nose” and “mouth.” I can point to it when someone asks me to. Unless, of course, I am distracted by something more interesting then I just ignore the request.
On Saturday night I had trouble sleeping again. Do you know where this is headed? Luckily “data night’ was over at 8 pm and did not include any extra glasses of wine so Mommy had enough sleep when I summoned her with my cries at 1:30 am. I was coughing and crying and screaming and Mommy and Daddy thought I had croop again. At first I only wanted her to stand and hold me, but eventually she let me lay down with her in the spare bedroom. She piled pillows all around us and she sat up to sleep, looking kinda like a queen in the big chair. She tried to get me to lay on her chest and sleep. Have I mentioned that I have a hard time getting comfortable and constantly change positions? Well, it was not the most restful night for either of us. I did not have croop, though, so that was good.
On Saturday night I had trouble sleeping again. Do you know where this is headed? Luckily “data night’ was over at 8 pm and did not include any extra glasses of wine so Mommy had enough sleep when I summoned her with my cries at 1:30 am. I was coughing and crying and screaming and Mommy and Daddy thought I had croop again. At first I only wanted her to stand and hold me, but eventually she let me lay down with her in the spare bedroom. She piled pillows all around us and she sat up to sleep, looking kinda like a queen in the big chair. She tried to get me to lay on her chest and sleep. Have I mentioned that I have a hard time getting comfortable and constantly change positions? Well, it was not the most restful night for either of us. I did not have croop, though, so that was good.
Mommy's Friend Colleen
Mommy did have sad news that week. Her friend Colleen’s dad died, so Mommy went to the visitation on Monday night in Dayton. Mommy has known her friend Colleen since high school and Colleen and her parents were a big part of why Mommy had such a good high school experience. When Mommy played volleyball and basketball, Colleen’s parents welcomed everyone over to their house to play games and have slumber parties. They enjoyed good, clean fun and the experience was a good influence on Mommy. Colleen’s dad was one of those guys who was larger than life and was loved completely by his family and many friends. Mommy said that his visitation was calming and peaceful, partly because people stood and told such poignant and funny stories, but also because the power was still out (from the big storm) and it was done in candle light by the end of the night. They are a Catholic family and said the rosary together as a tribute to him, and in the candlelight it was awe inspiring. It brought a greater sense that God was truly in the room. Please pray for Colleen and her family because grief comes in waves because it is too much to take in at one time so we know they will need continued support.
Girl's Weekend
Daddy went on his annual golf trip so Mommy and I were on our own for a weekend. You know what we did? Just like last year, Mommy called Kristy and Teresa and we had a sleepover! This time Teresa and Anna came to visit us. We met Kristy, Colin and Patrick at the zoo since we just got our zoo pass. It was so much fun to ride the carousel for the very first time. I rode on a horse that did not go up and down and Mommy stood right next to me the whole time. Mommy learned the hard way that I am not a fan of things that go up and down on their own so luckily she did not have a screaming child at the zoo. I got to pet a billy goat, hear a lion roar (for real!) and watch a Manatee eat lettuce. I did not understand how they can grow lettuce under water, but the zookeeper was not there to ask. The last animals we saw were the giraffes, they were getting ready to go to their “bedrooms” and the zookeeper said we all had to stay away from the windows of their bedrooms because it is scary for the giraffes and they would not go in if we did. I thought that made a lot of sense because I would be scared if someone was looking into my bedroom when I was ready to walk into it.
That night Kristy, Teresa, Anna and I made dinner and played and played! After Anna and I went to bed, Kristy, Teresa and Mommy stayed up (too late) and enjoyed (a little more than usual) wine. For reasons I cannot explain but Mommy wishes that I could, I woke up at 2 am and cried and cried and would not go back to sleep. I wanted Mommy to stand and hold me. Did I mention that Mommy was up late and maybe had a little wine? Mommy was not in the mood to stand and hold me. But Mommy did not want me to wake up Kristy, Teresa and Anna so she stood and swayed with me. Finally she brought me into her bed (there was room since Daddy was not there and Fancy and Bella are not interested in being on the bed when I am there). When we woke up at 7 the next morning, Mommy and I were like twins with our red eyes. Kristy went home (even though she still did not have power from the storm) then Teresa, Anna, Mommy and I went for a walk. It was fun getting back to the neighborhood walks, just like Mommy and I did last year when she did not go to work and I did not go to school. After our walk, Teresa and Anna went home and guess what Mommy and I did? We took a nap.
After our much needed nap, we had a good lunch together. My biggest meal is lunch and I am a good eater. I can eat peas and chicken nuggets and Mommy still feeds me Gerber stage 3 fruits with a spoon. I have tried to use the spoon by myself sometimes but I really just like to pound the spoon into the bowl and fling whatever jumps onto the spoon into the air. What a fun game! After lunch Mommy and I headed to Dayton to see Nana. We went to Babies-R-Us to buy me some sleepers because I am getting too tall for the ones I have right now. Mommy bought me a few outfits too, even though Grandma was going to be my personal shopper in Toledo and we were going with Nana to Goodwill to find some things. I did get a really cool jean jacket so I can be hip like Mommy (or so she likes to say). But guess what we found at Goodwill? A jean jacket that only cost $1.69 and was just the right size. Nana is always so proud when we find good deals at her “GWs.” Because we got such a good deal, we made a second trip to Babies-R-Us to return the first one we bought. Then we all headed to Sam’s for a trip through taster day, much like what we do at Costco. What a busy day, it was good that Mommy and I had a nap. We made a quick stop by Nana’s house to see her puppy dogs, Lilly and Gizmo, then were off to Papaw’s house for Sunday supper with Uncle Robbie, Aunt Jeannie, my cousin Michael and Uncle David. We were celebrating Uncle Robbie’s birthday that was on Friday. I had already signed and mailed a card to him so this time I just was there for the singing. Papaw went all out and made his famous roast beef along with cooked carrots, mashed potatoes and angel food cake for dessert (angel food cake is Papaw’s favorite). I was getting a bit tired by this point so as soon as dinner was over Mommy and I headed back home to get ready for our week.
Daddy got home that Sunday night but I did not get to see him because I was already sleeping. I was so excited to see him the next morning! I laughed and giggled and pounded his shoulder with delight.
That night Kristy, Teresa, Anna and I made dinner and played and played! After Anna and I went to bed, Kristy, Teresa and Mommy stayed up (too late) and enjoyed (a little more than usual) wine. For reasons I cannot explain but Mommy wishes that I could, I woke up at 2 am and cried and cried and would not go back to sleep. I wanted Mommy to stand and hold me. Did I mention that Mommy was up late and maybe had a little wine? Mommy was not in the mood to stand and hold me. But Mommy did not want me to wake up Kristy, Teresa and Anna so she stood and swayed with me. Finally she brought me into her bed (there was room since Daddy was not there and Fancy and Bella are not interested in being on the bed when I am there). When we woke up at 7 the next morning, Mommy and I were like twins with our red eyes. Kristy went home (even though she still did not have power from the storm) then Teresa, Anna, Mommy and I went for a walk. It was fun getting back to the neighborhood walks, just like Mommy and I did last year when she did not go to work and I did not go to school. After our walk, Teresa and Anna went home and guess what Mommy and I did? We took a nap.
After our much needed nap, we had a good lunch together. My biggest meal is lunch and I am a good eater. I can eat peas and chicken nuggets and Mommy still feeds me Gerber stage 3 fruits with a spoon. I have tried to use the spoon by myself sometimes but I really just like to pound the spoon into the bowl and fling whatever jumps onto the spoon into the air. What a fun game! After lunch Mommy and I headed to Dayton to see Nana. We went to Babies-R-Us to buy me some sleepers because I am getting too tall for the ones I have right now. Mommy bought me a few outfits too, even though Grandma was going to be my personal shopper in Toledo and we were going with Nana to Goodwill to find some things. I did get a really cool jean jacket so I can be hip like Mommy (or so she likes to say). But guess what we found at Goodwill? A jean jacket that only cost $1.69 and was just the right size. Nana is always so proud when we find good deals at her “GWs.” Because we got such a good deal, we made a second trip to Babies-R-Us to return the first one we bought. Then we all headed to Sam’s for a trip through taster day, much like what we do at Costco. What a busy day, it was good that Mommy and I had a nap. We made a quick stop by Nana’s house to see her puppy dogs, Lilly and Gizmo, then were off to Papaw’s house for Sunday supper with Uncle Robbie, Aunt Jeannie, my cousin Michael and Uncle David. We were celebrating Uncle Robbie’s birthday that was on Friday. I had already signed and mailed a card to him so this time I just was there for the singing. Papaw went all out and made his famous roast beef along with cooked carrots, mashed potatoes and angel food cake for dessert (angel food cake is Papaw’s favorite). I was getting a bit tired by this point so as soon as dinner was over Mommy and I headed back home to get ready for our week.
Daddy got home that Sunday night but I did not get to see him because I was already sleeping. I was so excited to see him the next morning! I laughed and giggled and pounded his shoulder with delight.
Abigail's Tubes
I got my tubes! Actually, Mommy and Daddy tell me that I got tubes, but what I got was another trip to the doctor with lots of strange people examining me like my other doctor does. Don’t they get it that I don’t like that stuff? And Daddy and Mommy take me to a place that they do this! But, the doctor said he got the fluid out of my ears and I don’t have to take the medication every day anymore. Even though I like the taste of the medicine, I don’t like how it makes my belly feel so I guess these tubes are better. At my physical therapy appointment after I got my tubes I had made progress too! I was at 95% of the full range of motion (this means that I can hold my head up almost straight). Daddy takes me to physical therapy and gets very sad when I don’t show progress so it was fantastic that I showed such progress.
Mr. Fancy Pants
I do have some sad news. Mr. Fancy Pants (our kitty cat – a word I can say pretty well now) is sick. Mommy took him to a new doctor and found out that he has congestive heart failure, which is what was causing his coughing. He is on a new medicine that he has to take two times a day. He does not seem to mind the pill because we hide it in wet food. Bella makes out in this deal because she gets a treat every time Mr. FP does. He is breathing much better now and seems more active, so Mommy is happy that she switched his doctor. We don’t know how long we will have Mr. FP, but Mommy said that we will just enjoy every day we do have. I can help with that because I like to have a good time every day and I love Mr. Fancy Pants. He even lets me pet him.
The Ohio Hurricane
Well, you know that my blog is called “The Amazing Adventures of Little Miss Sunshine” and I have to tell you, the adventures keep coming! They come so fast that it’s hard writing them down for you before the next one happens.
My last note was the day I came home from Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Toledo. We finished the note in the car (Mommy is pretty good at typing on the computer so I have her do it while Daddy drives). Anyway, the wind seemed really strong on the highway! Daddy was holding onto the wheel with two hands; he often just holds on with his wrist and Mommy asks him to be careful – meaning please hold on with two hands – but this time he put two hands on the wheel all by himself. Mommy and I were actually pretending that we did not notice all of the cars on the highway swaying in and out of lanes. Daddy gets pretty stressed while driving to Toledo and it’s best if we just pretend he is by himself. Back to the point. Daddy’s friend Paul called and said that he and his son Ryan (my friend who we go out to dinner with but who I have not seen in awhile because we are all so busy) were coming back from the Bengal’s game and there was a power outage in Cincinnati. We live in Cincinnati! Then Mommy’s friend Kelly called and said that the power was out at the mall by our house. Kelly was in town for the weekend with her daughter Zoe for Zoe’s birthday. We were going to try to see them but with the power outages and the crazy wind, Kelly and Zoe were going straight to the airport in Dayton. We were glad when we finally got off the highway because it was windy and scary and I bet that Daddy’s arms were getting so tired. He said that it felt like the wind was going to blow the “SUV” (van) over. But when we got off the highway, there were traffic lights out and trees down on the ground everywhere. There were even trees in the street so we had to drive on the wrong side of the road to get around them.
When we got home, we expected that our power would be out too. Many of our neighbors were standing outside and their trees were laying in their yard too. And it was still windy! But Daddy pressed the button for the garage door and it opened! How lucky for us! The only tree that fell down in our yard was one of the ones we are having cut down and it fell six feet from our new fence. Our new fence did not fall and was not damaged either. Our roof was not damaged and we did not lose any of our siding. We learned over the next two weeks just how lucky we were. We found out through the news (because we did have TV), that we experienced 75 mile per hour winds due to the hurricane Ike that hit Texas and came up through the middle of the country. I guess technically speaking, we had our first hurricane. We could call it the “Ohio Hurricane” even though it went through Kentucky too. The crazy thing is that no one could predict it or track it because there were no clouds or rain, just wind. Really strong wind.
Mommy’s friend Kelly called us back later in the evening to tell us that her flight was canceled and she could not get out until Monday morning and asked if they could spend the night. Oh we love slumber parties so of course welcomed them to our house. I got to stay up a little later than usual (my bedtime is 8 pm these days). Zoe was so nice and fun and played and played with me. I was still mainly crawling so she crawled on the floor with me and even let me play with her stuffed animal named Wrinkles.
The next day we were not sure if school would be open or if Mommy and Daddy’s work would have power either because the TV said that over on million (lots and lots) of houses in the Kentucky and Ohio area were out of power. But our luck continued as school and work had power and were open! Kelly and Zoe went to the airport and we went on our merry way, just like any other day. But we were part of the 10% of houses that did not lose power! And even our satellite for our TV worked, and it usually does not work during storms. It’s like we were living in a bubble. A happy bubble with power and hot water and TV to watch the weather reports. Our friends like Paul and Gail and Kristy did not have power, so they came over to our house to shower, store food and do laundry during the week. Can you believe that they did not have power for over a week?
My last note was the day I came home from Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Toledo. We finished the note in the car (Mommy is pretty good at typing on the computer so I have her do it while Daddy drives). Anyway, the wind seemed really strong on the highway! Daddy was holding onto the wheel with two hands; he often just holds on with his wrist and Mommy asks him to be careful – meaning please hold on with two hands – but this time he put two hands on the wheel all by himself. Mommy and I were actually pretending that we did not notice all of the cars on the highway swaying in and out of lanes. Daddy gets pretty stressed while driving to Toledo and it’s best if we just pretend he is by himself. Back to the point. Daddy’s friend Paul called and said that he and his son Ryan (my friend who we go out to dinner with but who I have not seen in awhile because we are all so busy) were coming back from the Bengal’s game and there was a power outage in Cincinnati. We live in Cincinnati! Then Mommy’s friend Kelly called and said that the power was out at the mall by our house. Kelly was in town for the weekend with her daughter Zoe for Zoe’s birthday. We were going to try to see them but with the power outages and the crazy wind, Kelly and Zoe were going straight to the airport in Dayton. We were glad when we finally got off the highway because it was windy and scary and I bet that Daddy’s arms were getting so tired. He said that it felt like the wind was going to blow the “SUV” (van) over. But when we got off the highway, there were traffic lights out and trees down on the ground everywhere. There were even trees in the street so we had to drive on the wrong side of the road to get around them.
When we got home, we expected that our power would be out too. Many of our neighbors were standing outside and their trees were laying in their yard too. And it was still windy! But Daddy pressed the button for the garage door and it opened! How lucky for us! The only tree that fell down in our yard was one of the ones we are having cut down and it fell six feet from our new fence. Our new fence did not fall and was not damaged either. Our roof was not damaged and we did not lose any of our siding. We learned over the next two weeks just how lucky we were. We found out through the news (because we did have TV), that we experienced 75 mile per hour winds due to the hurricane Ike that hit Texas and came up through the middle of the country. I guess technically speaking, we had our first hurricane. We could call it the “Ohio Hurricane” even though it went through Kentucky too. The crazy thing is that no one could predict it or track it because there were no clouds or rain, just wind. Really strong wind.
Mommy’s friend Kelly called us back later in the evening to tell us that her flight was canceled and she could not get out until Monday morning and asked if they could spend the night. Oh we love slumber parties so of course welcomed them to our house. I got to stay up a little later than usual (my bedtime is 8 pm these days). Zoe was so nice and fun and played and played with me. I was still mainly crawling so she crawled on the floor with me and even let me play with her stuffed animal named Wrinkles.
The next day we were not sure if school would be open or if Mommy and Daddy’s work would have power either because the TV said that over on million (lots and lots) of houses in the Kentucky and Ohio area were out of power. But our luck continued as school and work had power and were open! Kelly and Zoe went to the airport and we went on our merry way, just like any other day. But we were part of the 10% of houses that did not lose power! And even our satellite for our TV worked, and it usually does not work during storms. It’s like we were living in a bubble. A happy bubble with power and hot water and TV to watch the weather reports. Our friends like Paul and Gail and Kristy did not have power, so they came over to our house to shower, store food and do laundry during the week. Can you believe that they did not have power for over a week?
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