A few more pictures from Friday

The picture from the top of Friday's post took a little work (LT wasn't the only runaway).

LT combining two of his favorite activities: checking stuff out and climbing on stuff.

LT at the DNC (day 5)

From left to right: Z, Sofi, LT and Mia.
For some reason I thought today was the final day of the DNC so I went to the DAC this morning hoping that Obama might show again. No such luck and the rest of downtown was pretty much dead most of the day. I guess that's a good thing because when I foolishly let the scooter run out of gas today on my way home not too many people saw me abandon it and walk to the bus stop.

Later in the day I got some gas and Kari took me to pick up the scooter on our way to meet some friends at a little place near Commons Park just outside of downtown.

Albert was one of the lucky 80,000 people who got to see the historic acceptance speech last night at [Invesco Field at] Mile High. In this picture Z is showing of his muscles, encouraged by his dad, while the two of them sport their new Obama gear.

Anna and Steve got to see the speech as well and Mia spent the *whole* night with Anna's parents.

LT decided he'd pick up not one but two beer bottles.

And pole dance with Mia.

Then with Sofi.

Apparntly all that partying made him hungry 'cause when the cheeseburgers and fries came, he was all over it. And yes, for the record, he is eating ketchup. Any of you who know how much I detest tomatoes will be as surprised by this as I am (he also likes raw tomatoes and red sauce on pasta!).

Ketchup and fries were a popular item.

After dinner everyone took turns racing around in Sofi's wagon - the picture is a little blurry because they were going so fast! I heard after the fact that Shawn was a little concerned with my wagon driving skills but all I can say in my defense is that they were having fun and they are still alive so what else can you ask?

LT had so much fun he just wanted to hang out around the wagon after we were done racing.

Another official post

We already had the official post announcing that LT has finally caught up to his little friends and is now walking in earnest. But that post only had a video on it and I wanted to include a couple pictures just in case we do another blog book because I'm pretty sure video will transfer to print very well.

LT at the DNC (day 4)

Kari and I workout at the DAC and it was reported that Obama was spotted there working out in the early morning last time he was in town. We figured that meant he might do the same this week so either Kari or I have been going in the mornings just in case. Today was Kari's turn (she usually goes to spin on Thursday mornings) but she got some kind of stomach bug last night and was too sick to go this morning. Well, you can probably guess what happened. The Denver Post ran a short story about Obama using some of the cardio machines and playing a little basketball at the DAC this morning.

LT pictured here in his Obama Kid shirt with his sick mom in the background.

An Official Post

Bri and I have struggled with whether LT actually "walks" or not. Does their first step count, or when they take two, or when they run across the room? I don't know, but I think we both agree that he's walking now. This isn't a very good video of his skills, but it gets the point across. He's pretty stable, able to go from sitting to standing via a squat up and get himself across the room. He's been watching his buds walk for weeks or months now, so I guess the skills have been perfected in his head before they manifested themselves physically. It also amazes me that everyday he gets faster, stronger, and more stable. Kids are pretty incredible with how quickly they learn new skills.

LT at the DNC (day 1)

(note: this is a photo of a mural or banner hanging on the side of a building on 18th between Chapma and Stout) It's now the evening of the first night of the DNC in Denver. We're at home (in bed before 8!) watching the news coverage. Federico Peña was just on being interviewed and Kari said, "that guy used to be my neighbor when I was growing up. Isn't that crazy? He used to give out apples for Halloween and I hated it!" We're really tuned into politics...


Last night LT was getting into the sprit with the DNC donkey his grandma gave him. The donkey has a little DNC shirt on with a sticker on the back that says "proudly assembled in the USA." However, the tag on the donkey says, "made in China." I guess it means that the stuffed animal was actually manufactured in China where the workers are paid about 50 cents/hr and the little shirt was quickly put on the animal in the USA for $6.55/hr. I'm not sure what to make of that exactly but I don't think it really counts as "keeping jobs at home."

My whole office is working remotely this week in an attempt to avoid the craziness of downtown (I make just slightly more than $6.55/hr though I have a hard time convincing people I'm worth it). Curiosity got the better of me, however, and I was downtown at The Market at 6 am this morning. Not much happening yet at that time of day so after a few cups of coffee and some work I headed to the gym. Last time Barack was in Denver he was spotted on a treadmill at the DAC so I thought it was worth a shot. No luck. After working out I took the scooter down Colfax to meet with Peter and discuss some work stuff (unfortunately I have to actually work during all this too - that $6.55/hr doesn't earn itself you know!).

Then I headed back downtown to meet up with LT, Mia, Z and their mommas to take in some of the action. LT wore his shades so he'd look cool just in case he ran into one of Barack's daughters.

This was the only shot I got of all six of the together.

We didn't see any big name politicians (other than Abe Lincoln, of course) or celebrities but I did spot a few religious zealots.

All in all I was kind of disappointed because I was expecting more crazies and dirty hippies causing trouble downtown. I can only guess that the patrols that Peter photographed the night before (see picture below) beat them all up and took 'em to 'Gitmo on the Platte'.



This photo courtesy of motyka.org from this post from yesterday.*


I saw a few hybrid Tahoes around which I suppose is better than the full on Suburban but apparently this particular convention goer is taking 'going green' a little more seriously than others.



* and by 'courtesy of' what I really mean is that I stole** the picture.

** and by 'stole' what I really mean is that I stole it.

New Kicks at Tenn St.

As mentioned in a previous blog, LT, Hailie and I frequent Tenn. St. Coffee in the early morning hours.

LT found the hole in the table and was able to watch his cheerios fall to the ground through the hole.

On Thursday, LT got his first pair of shoes (Bri will disagree, but let me explain. LT has had a few other pairs of shoes, but was never fitted properly for them. He also wasn't walking before and so we needed some "good" shoes that fit exactly. So, yes, this is his first pair of fitted good shoes). We went to Little Feet in Cherry Creek as suggested by Shawn (Zack's mom). She sold shoes to many stores and boutiques around the country and believes this is the best kids shoe store (after my experience, I have to agree). He sported his new kicks to Tenn. St on Friday. They are pretty cute little shoes.LT was interested in the olympics section to see how David Oliver had done. He was a graduate of East High School (where Brian went full time and I went half time).

No biting

When LT gets overtired, is hungry, or teething, he bites my shoulders, arms, legs, and it hurts! I have tried various suggestions, having no luck stopping him(with the exception of biting him back or hurting him in anyway as has been suggested by some). However, when he does it and catches me off guard, I sometimes loudly tell him, "NO!" The other day, I was putting LT down for a nap and he bit me. I said, "NO!, No biting". Poor Hailie is super sensitive. Brian said when I yelled, she climbed onto his lap (self portrait above). Poor baby girl, she doesn't quite understand that when I raise my voice, it isn't always at her.
*** Her other brother gets in trouble often and every time I raise my voice and tell Bo, "NO", she also hides or gets afraid.

How many strange things can happen before 8:30 AM?

I tried to let Bri sleep in this morning. I got up when LT woke up at 6:15 and took Bowen and Landon on a run. When we returned there was a firetruck in front of our house (the old folks across the street have frequent visits by the firemen.) I am not sure if LT or Bo loved the truck more, but it was sure excitement none-the-less. Bri came out of the house to see the action too (my attempts at letting him sleep in always fail.)

Soon after the firetruck left, LT, Bri, Hailie and I headed to Tenn St. Coffee for some morning beverages (Bo isn't allowed there, he gets into too many fights). This is one of Landon, Hailie and my favorite early morning activities. I learned a few weeks ago that my attempts at reading the newspaper at home usually fail. However, when I take LT and Hailie to Tenn St, they are both entertained enough that I manage to drink my coffee while it is still hot and read the paper! Landon is learning to give Hailie treats (Tenn St. provides these for pups), and Hailie is learning to wait for her treat. After many attempts, today was relatively successful with the treat exchange.

LT sitting like a little/big boy in a big chair waiting for his snacks.

About 20 minutes into our morning coffee, Bri saw a group of people headed down Tennyson St. Our first thoughts (given that the Democratic National convention is starting in Denver tomorrow), was that this was a group of protesters. However, we were wrong. This was a pilgrimage up to the Mother Cabrini Shrine on Lookout Mountain (quite a long distance from where we were). Definitely something we don't see everyday, but a pretty cool experience.
After the pilgrimage had passed, LT returned to his busy self of climbing onto the chairs, tables and all over mom.
All this happened before LT's nap #1 at 8:30.

Got Soy?

Renee had an eye appointment a few days ago and so Sofi came to play. She is transitioning to only soy milk and brought her sippy cup full. LT doesn't drink anything but mama milk and water (despite my attempts at trying various milk products including rice milk, almond milk, cows milk and soy milk). However, SOFI'S soy milk was a huge hit. Here she is politely asking for her milk back, while LT chugs most of it.


Once she got it, she took it everywhere with her, until...

LT stole it back again. How's he gonna get the girls with a face like this?

Tuning my bike

LT lost the tiny key that goes into Bri's file cabinet. That was his old favorite thing to do before bedtime (putting the tiny key into a tiny keyhole over and over again). However, it didn't take long for him to find a new bedtime routine of putting small things into small holes. He now uses a little hex wrench to tune up his new bike. Neither Bri or I thought he would be able to get the wrench in, but LT managed to do it pretty quickly.

Does the Sway go with Rap?

Apparently LT thinks so (guess he takes after both his parents with the poor dancing skills).

Landon [and] the Lion

LT and I met some of his friends at the zoo on Sunday afternoon. Kari said she was 'zooed out' so it was just the me and the little guy on this adventure. I enjoy doing things on my own with LT and we usually do just fine and have a good time. However there's always that lingering sense that we're operating without a safety net - if things start to go south, we don't have mom there to save us.

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your perspective) that's just an observation and not foreshadowing a major daddy and LT meltdown to come later in this blog. Although I will admit that Kari instant messaged me to politely reminded us that we "could do whatever [we] wanted" but that it would "probably be better if [we] were home by 5" for dinner, bath time, and night nights.

We pulled into the garage at 5:05.


LT and J-Faz up close and personal with a lion.

Z and LT checking out some different lions.

Pictures don't make sound but if they could, this picture would sound like Sarah yelling at Eric for helping Joss sit on the rail. I can't remember if this was just before or just after Eric nearly let Joss get eaten by one of those wild killer peacocks that roam around the zoo.


Pointing at some animal he thought was cool - a giraffe I think.


Presumably LT figured out that Eric is a troublemaker and is making every effort to avoid him.

push bikes for babies? maybe we are a little crazy...

On Friday Peter (the alleged architect of the tofuspiracy) sent me a YouTube video featuring an 18 month old riding a bike and I became instantly obsessed with getting LT a bike. But not a bike like I had when I was a kid - apparently there's this newish thing called balance bikes or push bikes. They don't have pedals and they don't have training wheels either. The idea is that the kid powers the bike "Flintstones" style with his feet and eventually learns to balance and glide on the bike. Once that skill is mastered and they get a little bigger they can make the switch to a real pedal bike without ever needed training wheels. That's what all the marketing materials say anyway - so maybe I'm just a sucker but it doesn't seem too far fetched.

I can still remember taking the training wheels of of my first bike - what am awful experience it was. My dad holding the seat and slowly pushing me forward until I said I was ready. Then he'd let go and I'd coast forward, maybe take a pedal or two, and then CRASH! It was a rite of passage that all kids went though but I'd be happy if we could spare LT from it. That, and the fact that these little bikes just look like so much fun, was enough for me to convince myself that my 14 month old (who doesn't even walk yet) needed, *needed* a bike.

Kari was not as convinced at first but that didn't deter me from researching push bikes all weekend. I looked at LIKEaBIKE (the "original" from Germany and far and away the most expensive), PV Mini Glider, Strider, Skuut, and others. I was leaning towards getting the Strider because it looked like it was the smallest. But I was hesitant to order online because it's pretty hard to tell what the bikes are really like from a few pictures and reviews by other parents (nearly all the reviews were positive about the push bike concept but everyone had their own opinion about the best bike).

Coincidently, last night I noticed our BOB stroller had a flat tire - I guess it's not really all that much of a coincidence because it gets flats all the time (my only complaint about the thing). The fourth hole in that particular tube proved to be too much for my tire changing skills and we didn't have any extra tubes. So today Kari took LT to Wheat Ridge Cyclery to get some spare tubes for the BOB which is were she saw it - what would soon be LT's new bike. We'd shared similar childhood war stories about taking the training wheels off and she was starting to see the wisdom (if you can call it that) in getting our little guy a bike. But once she saw one at Wheat Ridge, she was more obsessed than me (you may have seen this play out via our facebook status updates).

Right after I was done with work we made a family trip back to Wheat Ridge and...


after talking LT out of the bikes in the two to four thousand dollar price range...


and a little test walk/ride....


We bought LT his first bike! It's built by Specialized and it was a little more expensive than the Strider (though still way less than the LIKEaBIKE). It seemed worth the little extra cost to be able to see and feel what we were buying. Some of the reviews of the Strider said that parts of that bike seemed cheaply made and might not last. I don't know if that's true but I had no way to find out. I could however go see the Specialized bike and feels like a real bike - a miniature bike, sure, but a real and well constructed miniature bike. I guess time will tell but, right now, I'm happy with the purchase.

Honestly, it's still too big for him to use on his own - so maybe we are a little crazy for buying our 14 month old a bike. But it won't be long before he's big enough and, in the mean time, he seems to like the bike even if he can't quite use it the traditional way (see video below).

Another beer please, but hold the watermelon

On Thursday night we went to Billy's Inn to celebrate Kari's dad's Birthday (his name is Bill so it seemed like an appropriate destination!). Not even a year ago Billy's was a complete dump, however, it has been completely remodeled and the *new* Billy's has been getting rave reviews from powerful groups like the Highlands Mommies. This was our first visit to Billy's and I'm not sure it was quite as good as all the hype around it but I guess that's to be expected when expectations are so high. While it's not the "best place ever" as some of the early reviews might have suggested, it is a pretty solid place, a good addition to the neighborhood, and I wouldn't be surprised if we end up as frequent customers.



LT likes to put things in other things. And he's pretty darn fast too. I've pulled more than a few little toys out of my coffee while LT watched with a look of self satisfaction. While dining at Billy's I let my guard down for just a second and he sneaked a chuck of watermelon into my beer. I've had lemons and limes in beer and even an occasional orange but I can't say that watermelon is a delicacy that I'll be looking to enjoy again anytime soon.


The little guy helped Papa celebrate in style.




Landon's drinking on his own skills have improved a lot recently. The only problem is that he usually likes to drink water from his baby bottle or from his Sigg bottle - both of which have tops where the water comes out of the middle of the top. He seems to have made the assumption that water comes out of the middle of all cups and bottles which isn't always a successful strategy. He tried to drink from the middle of the little cup they gave him at Billy's but the hole was on the side and he poured water all over himself. In the picture below, he looks a little upset and perplexed by the situation but it it wasn't long before he was right back at it and he didn't stop until the cup was empty and he was completely soaked. He was so wet we had to strip him down and he went home in just a diaper.