Pork free cardio...

Pop's surgery went well and everything is on track. Triple bypass. Replaced some aorta. Decided not to replace the valve with piggy parts because it was working just fine (and I had so many swine jokes saved up). They may even move him out of ICU today if all goes well.

Thanksgiving indeed.

Waiting...

My dad went in for triple bypass sugery a couple hours ago... so we are just sitting around waiting. A few random thoughts to pass my time:

• He was in good spirits and joining in on the swine jokes this morning (he is getting some piggy parts put in his heart along with some veins harvested from elsewhere in his body).
• Apparently my nephew was worried about "Papa's broken heart" the other day. Ahhh.
• Hospitals don't feel strange to me anymore. I guess anything can be normal if you endure it enough.
• Thanksgiving plans for the Harrington clan are up in the air for now. Six grandkids might not be the best for the rest he needs.
• Toledo Hospital staff has been hanging holiday decorations all around us... it'd not even Thanksgiving.
• Everything's gonna be alright.

My little helper...

Alex loves to help in the kitchen. And by help, I mean stand and watch you work. I think she would rather watch me do dishes than play with any toy she has. There are times that the only threat/bribe that will work is the ability to stand and watch me chop onions.

Every time Michele or I go to the kitchen to do dishes, cook, make coffee, etc Alex is right behind us. She'll run to the dining nook and grab a chair and start noisily sliding it into the kitchen. "Dishes, dishes!", she says, regardless of the task at hand. I guess it's the little things that thrill them sometimes.

But, we have found out, a wooden dining chair is not the safest perch for little feet. She's fallen off, run over her toe, and almost tipped it over almost every day. So we finally broke down and did something about it. Thanks to a suggestion from our friend Megan, we got Alex a Learning Tower.

Call it a Christmas morning dry run. We assembled it after she went to sleep Friday. When she woke up Saturday morning we ushered her toward the kitchen and it took her about two seconds to figure out what it was for. She ran over and climbed up and made this face...


No more chair, no more peril, no more impending doom. This may be our best baby purchase yet.

Try and shrug it off...

I don't know if it is a growing spurt, normal two year old stuff, or the reckless abandon with which she throws herself at life, but Alex seems a little clumsy lately. In the last week she has:

• tripped on a shoelace and fallen face-first
• fallen off a chair
• pulled a chair down on top of herself
• slipped off a stepping stool
• tipped off the stairs
• hit herself in the face with a volleyball
• and fallen off the toilet

Not necessarily in that order... and not necessarily just once each.

I am always so proud that a hug, a kiss, and sometimes a little attention from BooBooBunny calm her quickly, but, seriously, she is going to have to slow it down.

UPDATE: to the bullets just from this morning...

• dropped a book on her toe
• stepped on a Lego-man named Pepe
• stood up, while under the table, banging her head (at least three seperate times)

Sheesh.

A tale with two tails...

The lion and the dragon were having a terrible feud. The only meaningful conversation that they could muster was screaming "MINE" at each other from across the room. They were really at each others throats...

Though they had once been very close, an argument over a car had driven them apart. They found that they couldn't even look at each other...

Finally, after being forced to break bread (grilled cheese) together, the lion and the dragon realized the error of their way. Cars are fun... but much more fun when you play together. A hand extended for a shake quickly became a long overdue embrace...

And then they co-authored a self help/relationship book with a focus on conflict resolution called "Roar Fire". They went on a national speaking tour...The end.

Happy Halloween!

Lellow Boon...

Alex is getting better with colors... but it's hard to tell. She knows them. I'm telling you she knows blue. She is familiar with purple. She has intimate knowledge of red. Orange is a seasonal favorite. But damned if she still doesn't say "lellow" every single time you ask her what color something is.

"What color is that car Alex?"
"Lellow."
"Alex... what color is it?"
"Lellow."
"Come on."
"Boo." (Blue)

See, she knows. She knows. But, while at first I think she was just repeating "color", which she pronounced at the time the same as "yellow", I'm pretty sure now she is a jokester. She has decided that it's funny to say yellow every time. Or it's her default. Or some combination thereof. But the point is, she knows.Yesterday we went to Trader Joe's. She loves Trader Joe's. Bread, cereal, bananas, and cheese are harvested there and these are a few of her favorite things. But above all this, there are balloons. She loves balloons. She loves to play with them, and she seems to love the responsibility built in to a toy that is ever trying to escape. As soon as we walk in the chorus of "boon, boon, boon" starts. But here's the thing... balloons come in colors.

When it comes time to check out, I head not for the shortest line, but for the line with yellow balloons. Not because it's her favorite, she tends not to care. No, I go there so that when the nice man/woman undoubtedly asks, "what color balloon would you like honey?" she can confidently say "LELLOW!", and everybody wins.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer...

Today was the walk that we have been nagging you about, and it was pretty cool. We got up early and dressed Alex in enough layers of pink to annoy My Pretty Pony..Then Robin managed to get up early and join us, even though she was out rocking a crazy (literally) concert last night...It was cold, but we were happy to be there for a little three mile walk with a huge group of excited people...
The walk started slow because there were thousands of people on small park paths. Luckily everyone was happy and cheering and smiling at Alex. Despite the cold, and not wanting to ride in the stroller, I think Alex had a good time people watching. We learned some timing and positioning lessons that we should be able to put to good use next year... wanna join us?

We got a bit of a late jump on the fund raising aspect of this fundraiser, but as ever our friends and families proved to be generous, caring, and understanding. We raised over $1700 in just a couple weeks and are so grateful to you all that we offer, as a token, this video of Alex dancing in the car on the way home from the walk...



Thank you and ROCK'N ROLL!!!