Today we got a new book in the mail from Grandma Linda. It was one of the Christmas gifts that she sent for Desmond. I told her before hand that we were wanting books that he could chew on, because frankly he likes to stick stuff in his mouth. So, Grandma gave him two books. One is called Fuzzy bee and friends, and the other is Barnyard Bath. Melissa started reading the Barnyard Bath book to him right before we got him ready for bed. This was his reaction, and boy is it a good one.
It was Desmond’s first Christmas, and he woke up bright and early even though we fed him late last night hoping he’d sleep in. (Guess we’d better get used to early Christmas mornings.) We had a yummy bacon and eggs breakfast and a delicious turkey, stuffing, and potatoes with gravy dinner. Due to the piles of snow outside, our plans to visit family changed so we enjoyed a quiet Christmas at home - just the three of us. We all caught naps during the day and watched White Christmas.
Desmond was just as cute as could be and enjoyed playing with the wrapping paper. By the end of the day he was all tuckered out and fell asleep drinking his bedtime bottle while Mommy hummed “All is Well.” Merry Christmas!
Melissa and I use Picasa to sort all of our digital pictures. It’s a pretty good image cataloging program. One of the cool features that Picasa has is a button at the bottom that says “BlogThis!”. It’s pretty handy. All you have to do is select a photo or multiple photos and hit the “BlogThis!” button. It will then copy the images up to blogger and create a new post based on those images. Well, recently Melissa and I switched to using Windows Live Writer to create our blog posts. Sure, we could use Blogger’s interface, but honestly I can’t stand it, and Windows Live Writer has a pretty slick interface. Also, it will hook up to most of the major blogging engines (Blogger, WordPress, Typepad, etc).
Well, the only problem is that I could not find a button for Picasa that would open the images in Windows Live Writer. Bummer! So, I decided to make my own. It was a fun project. I’ve never made a Windows installer file before, so it took a bit of learning, but here is the final product. If you use Picasa and Windows Live Writer and would like to have a button in Picasa for creating blog posts in Live Writer, then click the below link. I copied the button into the Live Writer Gallery, so that everyone can create blog posts easily from Picasa.
Also, if you download this and find it useful please leave a comment on this post. It would be nice to know if people find this plugin helpful. Thanks.
We're having our first real cold snap in Portland. This is when I really don't like this old 1906 house we're living in. The oil to run the furnace is expensive and with no insulation and drafty single-pane windows, it could run non-stop during this below freezing weather. We turn on the space heaters and curtain off the living room to keep it warmish. (We're up to 66 degrees right now. Whoohoo!) Plastic is up on the windows, and we definitely keep the closet doors closed. Our bedroom closet was 34 degrees last night! We have to pull out what we want to wear the night before so we don't have to turn into an ice cube getting dressed in the morning. Speaking of ice... here are a couple pictures of our kitchen window this morning. Yep. Ice on the inside. Good grief! I don't even want to think about all the mold problems this moisture creates. Friends like the chilled glasses from the cupboards, though. We're moving in three weeks. Yay for dry windows and warm closets! Time to make some hot chocolate.
I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that it's December! With the upcoming move and trying to wrap up work, I don't feel like I have time to get into the "Christmas spirit". Christmas stuff just becomes one more thing on the to-do list. We put up a <gasp> fake tree! It was easier and much quicker than going to chop down our own like we usually do. I also ordered all my family gifts online so I didn't have to leave the house and fight the crowds with a teething baby. The presents will come to me. Hurray!
This was Desmond's first Thanksgiving! We spent it in Albany with my parents. We've started him on a few solids, and I saved the sweet potatoes specifically for Thanksgiving. Davin was trying to tell him they were yucky, but he actually liked them. I am so thankful for my family and the gift of a son!
Desmond is four months old now, and at his check up earlier this week he was 26.5 inches long and weighed 20 lbs 3.5 oz. We need a new car seat for our big boy!
I just finished reading a very good book by Dr. Sears called The Vaccine Book. I have heard some scary things about vaccines and growing up my family had the philosophy of going natural as much as possible before seeking medical intervention. I don't want to overreact and not protect Desmond from diseases, but I also don't want to blindly accept everything the doctor wants to inject into his body. I want to know the actual risks so I can make an informed decision. This is such an emotional topic for most people that it's hard to find objective information. Dr. Sears did a great job of researching and presenting the facts on both sides. It's worth the $12 to get this book.
The main question I want to know is, "Does the risk of getting the disease and then having a serious complication outweigh the risk of a serious vaccine side effect?" The answer is that no one knows for sure, and it varies depending on which disease we're talking about. I have a lot of thinking to do, and I'm going to give Davin a good book to read on his commute to work.
Some of the things I learned:
Great Grandma Munger-Johnson came to see Desmond the other day. It was also her first time meeting Davin. I'm not going to go into the whole long story, but it is amazing how an innocent baby can unknowingly bring families back together.
We love our new Ergo! Well, new to us. A friend helped me get this on Craigslist. I was never fast enough on my own, since these things get snatched up the hour they're posted. I usually carry Desmond on the front, but here he is piggy-back riding it with Daddy. When he's fussy and nothing else seems to be working, we suit up and go for a walk. Des actually fell asleep on this walk, but woke up when I got out the camera.
On Sunday we had a dedication service for Desmond. My parents, brother, and grandparents were able to make it to celebrate with us. I was thinking about what it meant to dedicate my son to the Lord. Even though He's God and I'm just a mommy, it's hard for me to really hand over control of Demsond's life. I know I'm really not in control anyway, but I so desperately want to protect him from anything that would hurt him.
Desmond's been working on sitting. He can do it for a few seconds on his own... without the Boppy. Usually he ends up folded in half fussing because his tummy is getting squished. But this has also led to the discovery of his feet. Yesterday he rolled over for the first time (from his tummy to his back). Mobility has begun!
8:00 pm - Change Desmond into his pajamas, swaddle, feed him, and put him down for the night.
9:00 pm - Relish the quietness! Tidy up the house, watch some TV, and try to go to bed before 11!
11:30 pm - Drifting off to sleep thankful for my wonderful family and hoping Desmond doesn't move a muscle until 6:30.
<?php
/**********************************************************/
/* The username/password used to login to Google Calendar */
/* */
/* This is the only part you should have to edit in this */
/* script. */
/**********************************************************/
$google_username = '???';
$google_password = '???';
/**************************************************************************/
/* Include Zend framework and load libraries, used to interact with Gdata */
/* Get the Zend framework at http://framework.zend.com/download */
/**************************************************************************/
require_once 'Zend/Loader.php';
Zend_Loader::loadClass('Zend_Gdata');
Zend_Loader::loadClass('Zend_Gdata_AuthSub');
Zend_Loader::loadClass('Zend_Gdata_ClientLogin');
Zend_Loader::loadClass('Zend_Gdata_Calendar');
/******************/
/* Login to Gdata */
/******************/
$authService = Zend_Gdata_Calendar::AUTH_SERVICE_NAME;
$httpClient = Zend_Gdata_ClientLogin::getHttpClient($google_username, $google_password, $authService);
/***********************************************************************/
/* Replaces [link:url]Text[/link] with a properly formatted anchor tag */
/* The url must have the http:// or https:// at the front */
/* */
/* Params: */
/* $text - String of text */
/***********************************************************************/
function createLink($text) {
$pattern1 = '/\[\/link\]/';
$pattern2 = '/(\[link:)([^\]]*)(\])/';
$replacement1 = '</a>';
$replacement2 = '<a href="$2" target="_blank">';
$text = preg_replace($pattern1 , $replacement1, $text);
$text = preg_replace($pattern2 , $replacement2, $text);
return $text;
}
/*****************************************************************************************/
/* Replaces [email:email address]Text[/email] with a properly formatted email anchor tag */
/* */
/* Params: */
/* $text - String of text */
/*****************************************************************************************/
function createEmail($text) {
$pattern1 = '/\[\/email\]/';
$pattern2 = '/(\[email:)([^\]]*)(\])/';
$replacement1 = '</a>';
$replacement2 = '<a href="mailto:$2">';
$text = preg_replace($pattern1 , $replacement1, $text);
$text = preg_replace($pattern2 , $replacement2, $text);
return $text;
}
/*****************************************************/
/* Replaces line breaks in the text with <br /> tags */
/* */
/* Params: */
/* $text - String of text */
/*****************************************************/
function createLineBreaks($text) {
$text = str_replace("\n", "<br />", $text);
return $text;
}
/*****************************************************************/
/* This function applies the formatting functions defined above. */
/* */
/* Params: */
/* $text - String of text */
/*****************************************************************/
function formatText($text) {
$text = createLink($text);
$text = createEmail($text);
$text = createLineBreaks($text);
return $text;
}
/*****************************************************************/
/* This function formats the date/time shown to the user. */
/* */
/* Params: */
/* $start - Starting date/time */
/* $end - Ending date/time */
/*****************************************************************/
function formatDate($start, $end) {
if (date("H:i:s", $start) == "00:00:00" && date("H:i:s", $end) == "00:00:00") //All day event
{
$end = $end - 1; //For all day events the end day is one greater than it really is
if(date("M j, Y", $start) == date("M j, Y", $end)) //Single day all day event
{
$date = date("M j, Y", $start);
}
else //All day event spanning multiple days
{
if (date("Y", $start) == date("Y", $end))
{
if (date("M", $start) == date("M", $end)) //All day event spanning multiple days in same month
{
$date = date("M j", $start) . " - " . date("j, Y", $end);
}
else //All day event spanning multiple months
{
$date = date("M j", $start) . " - " . date("M j, Y", $end);
}
}
else // All day event spanning multiple years
{
$date = date("M j, Y", $start) . " - " . date("M j, Y", $end);
}
}
}
else //Time range event
{
if(date("M j, Y", $start) == date("M j, Y", $end)) //Single day range event
{
$date = date("M j, Y (g:i a", $start) . " - " . date("g:i a)", $end);
}
else //Range event spanning multiple days
{
if (date("Y", $start) == date("Y", $end))
{
if (date("M", $start) == date("M", $end)) //Range event spanning multiple days in same month
{
$date = date("M j (g:i a)", $start) . " - " . date("M j (g:i a), Y", $end);
}
else //Range event spanning multiple months
{
$date = date("M j (g:i a)", $start) . " - " . date("M j (g:i a), Y", $end);
}
}
else //Range event spanning multiple years
{
$date = date("M j, Y (g:i a)", $start) . " - " . date("M j, Y (g:i a)", $end);
}
}
}
return $date;
}
/******************************************************************/
/* Create a definition list of the events in human-readable form. */
/* You can use CSS to style the list. */
/* */
/* Params: */
/* $client - GData $httpClient created above */
/* $feed - The GData feed to read */
/******************************************************************/
function listEvents($client, $feed)
{
$gdataCal = new Zend_Gdata_Calendar($client);
$eventFeed = $gdataCal->getCalendarEventFeed($feed);
$html = $html . "<dl>\n";
foreach ($eventFeed as $event)
{
foreach ($event->when as $when)
{
$start = strtotime($when->startTime);
$end = strtotime($when->endTime);
}
$date = formatDate($start, $end);
foreach ($event->where as $where)
{
$location = $where->valueString;
}
$title = $event->title->text;
if ($location != "")
{
$title = "<a href=\"" . $location . "\" target=\"_blank\">" . $title . "</a>";
}
$content = formatText($event->content->text);
$html = $html . " <dt><span class=\"eventdate\">" . $date . "</span><span class=\"eventtitle\"> - " . $title . "</span></dd>\n";
$html = $html . " <dd><span class=\"eventcontent\">" . $content . quot;</span></dd>\n";
}
$html = $html . "</dl>\n";
return $html;
}
?>
<html>
<body>
<?php
Echo listEvents($httpClient, "http://www.google.com/calendar/feeds/yourfeedhere");
?>
</body>
</html>
s our Little Pumpkin snoozin' with the pumpkins. Isn't he cute?
We also went to see the "Squishing of the Squash" with the elephants at the zoo. Desmond slept through it and missed the whole thing. Maybe he'll see it next year.
I love the peacefulness of the nursery when the sun is beginning to shine through the blue curtains and Desmond is still snuggled in his crib. We love that blanket Nana made. This is him sleeping that one morning when I had to wake him up after 12 hours so we could get to church on time.
After a long, fun day celebrating Addison's second birthday... he's deep in meditation.
"Don't tell Mommy I gave you Pepsi. Ack! She caught us!"
Working on strengthening those muscles. Yeay for tummy time!
I'm a Disney fan just like my folks.
Time to get back in shape! I'm glad I was doing Baby Boot Camp when I was still pregnant, but now it's time to really kick it into gear and loose this extra weight. Gina does a great job putting together fun but "kickin' my booty" workouts. I also enjoy meeting other moms and swapping baby stories. It's good to realize I'm not alone!
Here is Demond in a couple sweaters that I made for him. With the cooler days, it's time to pull them out. Thankfully they fit!
We have a boy who really likes to move! I never thought I'd use a swing because I didn't want to have it become the automatic babysitter. However, I also need to get other things done during my day such as eating and showering, and Desmond wants to constantly be held and in motion. Swinging him in his car seat always calms him down, but Davin's arms won't last long with this big boy, and I sure can't keep it up for very long. So we bought a swing. It gives me just a little time to get other things done. I'm also thinking about when I go back to work. This may be a lifesaver.
We were trying to get a good family photo the other day. It took quite a few takes, but this ended up being my favorite shot because it makes me laugh. Desmond sneezed right as the timer went off and this is the face we got. Any good captions ideas?
Des really likes to eat and he hates any interruptions during feedings even if he has to burp. He always has his hands up by his face which gets in the way of getting the food to his mouth, but he's also managed to hold hos own bottle a few times. Here he is with his big gulp... (4 oz)
Still not so sure about the whole bath thing.
Step away from the diaper!
Just about ready to start "talking."
In the zone...
You know I'm cute.
Full tummy... yeah...
Falling asleep makes me happy!