Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
A Dingo Almost Ate My Baby!
Saturday morning, we were feeling chipper after all three having such a delicious, uninterrupted night's rest (thank you, Kim West and Dr. Ferber!). The air outside was not too muggy and we were catching a break in the endless rain that has poured this whole month. Plus, we were out of coffee. All combined to a perfect excuse for going out to try a new coffee shop that has opened up in a nearby strip center.
We arrived to find just a few customers hanging out and plenty of open tables. As is our routine, Mama chose a spot and began to set-up Samson's special chair, while Daddy and The Boy went to the counter to order.
The choice of a table at any restaurant we frequent is based upon 4 factors, in this order of priority:
Eventually, a young (25ish) hipster guy sat down at the next table with his leashed, boxer buddy. We struck up a chat and learned that he had recently moved down from Cape Cod to join the Austin music scene. The dog was a well-mannered adoptee acquired from a policeman who was leaving town for extended training.
From out of no where, this other humongous dog bounded up to the boxer's table. This was an 90+ lb chocolate lab, not on a leash and still in possession of two giant testicles. Though labs are known to be friendly, this one quickly took the opportunity to challenge the boxer (who was neutered). The boxer was patient at first, but when the lab became more assertive and tried to get into first the face of the musician and then our faces, the boxer started to bark & lunge, and the musician was struggling to keep control of him to prevent a fang-filled brawl. Of course, no one was there to control the other dog... where in the heck was the owner of this dog?!
Finally, we see this 60ish looking, well-dressed man (he's wearing slacks, a button down, and dress shoes at 9am on Saturday morning) come waltzing across the parking lot from the bank 50 yards away. He doesn't seem in any sort of hurry, not the least bit worried about the fact that his large dog is off leash, snarling & barking, and about to attack the public. I shout, "Sir, is this your dog? Please come get your dog and put him on a leash!" The man keeps strolling toward the dog and the lab decides to lope off in the opposite direction.
At that point, we think, "Whew! That was weird!" and relax a bit. We start talking with the boxer guy again and before we know it, rabid brown dog is back! Here comes upper-crust- CEO-dude, again in no hurry, and I'm shouting, "Sir, please control your animal! He should be on a leash!" to which he replies, "I'm trying!"
Well, it didn't look like he was trying very hard.... Maybe he had some sort of physical ailment that prevented him from running, or something, but there is really no excuse for not having that dog on a leash!
Interestingly, Samson was completely calm during the whole scene; I guess he figured if we weren't worried, he shouldn't be, either.
When the incident began, Brian grabbed Samson and held him high between us, away from where the dogs were. Afterward, it occurred to us that the smartest thing to have done would have probably been to immediately go inside the coffee shop, but in the moment, we were sort of stunned, like "Where in the world did this other dog come from? If we try to leave our table, will he get more aggressive?" Of all the things we had prepared and educated ourselves about in order to protect Samson from harm, attacks by wild dogs in a suburban strip mall was not one.
Needless to say, the musician decided to take his dog, get in the car, and get out of there. We soon packed up, too.
Now we're wondering about whether to invest in some sort of canine repellent. Suggestions, anyone?
And I guess we need to add #5 to the restaurant table requirements list: shielded from vicious animal assaults.
We arrived to find just a few customers hanging out and plenty of open tables. As is our routine, Mama chose a spot and began to set-up Samson's special chair, while Daddy and The Boy went to the counter to order.
The choice of a table at any restaurant we frequent is based upon 4 factors, in this order of priority:
- Will the table be safe & stable with Samson's chair attached?
- Is there enough space so that parents' stuff will be accessible to them but not to baby?
- Are we positioned to be least annoying to everyone else if baby should have a meltdown and/or begin flinging slobbery objects or wet food?
- Are interesting faces, lights, fans, traffic, or other baby entertainments within view?
Eventually, a young (25ish) hipster guy sat down at the next table with his leashed, boxer buddy. We struck up a chat and learned that he had recently moved down from Cape Cod to join the Austin music scene. The dog was a well-mannered adoptee acquired from a policeman who was leaving town for extended training.
From out of no where, this other humongous dog bounded up to the boxer's table. This was an 90+ lb chocolate lab, not on a leash and still in possession of two giant testicles. Though labs are known to be friendly, this one quickly took the opportunity to challenge the boxer (who was neutered). The boxer was patient at first, but when the lab became more assertive and tried to get into first the face of the musician and then our faces, the boxer started to bark & lunge, and the musician was struggling to keep control of him to prevent a fang-filled brawl. Of course, no one was there to control the other dog... where in the heck was the owner of this dog?!
Finally, we see this 60ish looking, well-dressed man (he's wearing slacks, a button down, and dress shoes at 9am on Saturday morning) come waltzing across the parking lot from the bank 50 yards away. He doesn't seem in any sort of hurry, not the least bit worried about the fact that his large dog is off leash, snarling & barking, and about to attack the public. I shout, "Sir, is this your dog? Please come get your dog and put him on a leash!" The man keeps strolling toward the dog and the lab decides to lope off in the opposite direction.
At that point, we think, "Whew! That was weird!" and relax a bit. We start talking with the boxer guy again and before we know it, rabid brown dog is back! Here comes upper-crust- CEO-dude, again in no hurry, and I'm shouting, "Sir, please control your animal! He should be on a leash!" to which he replies, "I'm trying!"
Well, it didn't look like he was trying very hard.... Maybe he had some sort of physical ailment that prevented him from running, or something, but there is really no excuse for not having that dog on a leash!
Interestingly, Samson was completely calm during the whole scene; I guess he figured if we weren't worried, he shouldn't be, either.
When the incident began, Brian grabbed Samson and held him high between us, away from where the dogs were. Afterward, it occurred to us that the smartest thing to have done would have probably been to immediately go inside the coffee shop, but in the moment, we were sort of stunned, like "Where in the world did this other dog come from? If we try to leave our table, will he get more aggressive?" Of all the things we had prepared and educated ourselves about in order to protect Samson from harm, attacks by wild dogs in a suburban strip mall was not one.
Needless to say, the musician decided to take his dog, get in the car, and get out of there. We soon packed up, too.
Now we're wondering about whether to invest in some sort of canine repellent. Suggestions, anyone?
And I guess we need to add #5 to the restaurant table requirements list: shielded from vicious animal assaults.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Sweet Dreams & Finger Foods at Last
It's official. Samson finally sleeps through the night! We're on Day 13 of sleep coaching (you can read the gory details from the beginning here) and for the past 5 nights, he has made it from bedtime to morning (around 5:30 or 6a) without a peep. Best of all, Mama and Daddy are now getting 6 or 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep, with 2 0r 3 hours of grown-up time in the evening after Samson hits the crib. On the horizon, we can see a date night out while Samson hangs with a sitter or Grandma & PawPaw....
This morning, we felt so chipper and well-rested that Daddy suggested we go out for breakfast. The family made a quick trip over to the Original Pancake House for a very tasty meal. After his usual cereal and pureed fruit, Samson got to try his first finger food that is also eaten by non-babies: fluffy, yeasty buttermilk pancake - yum! Watching Samson work so hard to get the few floppy morsels from the table to his mouth was more entertainment than any variety show. After he had his fill of pancake, Samson enjoyed 10 minutes of quietly playing with his chewy green spoon while Mama and Daddy read the paper. We hate to brag, but Samson was clearly the most well-behaved baby in the joint!
Now that he's on the verge of mobility, it's time to purge the house of Samson's outgrown baby gear. Mama has become a Craiglist selling demon, already pulling in $200 for things we can't use anymore. The things we can't sell will go to charity and the kids resale shops.
One more thing.... The new bathroom in the finished attic above the garage is almost complete! Soon we'll have space & privacy for our overnight guests. Samson says he can't wait for Grandma and PawPaw to come stay for the weekend and spoil him rotten.
This morning, we felt so chipper and well-rested that Daddy suggested we go out for breakfast. The family made a quick trip over to the Original Pancake House for a very tasty meal. After his usual cereal and pureed fruit, Samson got to try his first finger food that is also eaten by non-babies: fluffy, yeasty buttermilk pancake - yum! Watching Samson work so hard to get the few floppy morsels from the table to his mouth was more entertainment than any variety show. After he had his fill of pancake, Samson enjoyed 10 minutes of quietly playing with his chewy green spoon while Mama and Daddy read the paper. We hate to brag, but Samson was clearly the most well-behaved baby in the joint!
Now that he's on the verge of mobility, it's time to purge the house of Samson's outgrown baby gear. Mama has become a Craiglist selling demon, already pulling in $200 for things we can't use anymore. The things we can't sell will go to charity and the kids resale shops.
One more thing.... The new bathroom in the finished attic above the garage is almost complete! Soon we'll have space & privacy for our overnight guests. Samson says he can't wait for Grandma and PawPaw to come stay for the weekend and spoil him rotten.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Action Samson
Last weekend, PawPaw helped us hang Samson's first swing. Thanks, PawPaw!
And this week, Samson had his first trip on Daddy's shoulders. He's growing so fast.
And this week, Samson had his first trip on Daddy's shoulders. He's growing so fast.
Goodnight
For all the well-meaning people (and you know who you are) who persist at inquiring about Samson's sleep habits, we finally have something to celebrate. On Tuesday, July 10th, Samson slept for 9 hours straight! That's a record for the baby who had never slept more than 3 hours without waking. We're not out of the woods yet (see daily 4:30am wakeup scream), but our big boy is well on his way to sleeping through the night.
Mama and Daddy had decided that after Samson's 9 month check-up, if he were given a clean bill of health, we would be ready to start sleep coaching in order to move him out of the family bed and into his own crib, as well as to put an end to the all night Dairy Queen. Though we loved having him so close at night, we were just exhausted (especially Mama, the human pacifier) and we needed to have more uninterrupted sleep. Plus, we wanted Samson to get more sleep and to have the skills he'd need to be able to go to sleep when Mama and Daddy are out during naptime or for the evening and need to use a sitter.
To prepare, we read every sleep expert book we could get our hands on and talked to everyone we know with young children about how their kids sleep and what they did/do to help everyone in the family get enough rest. We decided to implement a modified version of the Sleep Lady Shuffle to teach Samson to fall asleep on his own, without nursing or being walked.
Samson has been sleeping in his crib for 6 nights now. Way to go, Samsonite!
As I type, Daddy and I are in our room on our computers, keeping an eye on Samson snoozing on our TV. That's right, we have a night-vision camera on the crib which can be quickly connected to any TV in the house. Thanks for the tip on a supercool baby product, Turners!
Mama and Daddy had decided that after Samson's 9 month check-up, if he were given a clean bill of health, we would be ready to start sleep coaching in order to move him out of the family bed and into his own crib, as well as to put an end to the all night Dairy Queen. Though we loved having him so close at night, we were just exhausted (especially Mama, the human pacifier) and we needed to have more uninterrupted sleep. Plus, we wanted Samson to get more sleep and to have the skills he'd need to be able to go to sleep when Mama and Daddy are out during naptime or for the evening and need to use a sitter.
To prepare, we read every sleep expert book we could get our hands on and talked to everyone we know with young children about how their kids sleep and what they did/do to help everyone in the family get enough rest. We decided to implement a modified version of the Sleep Lady Shuffle to teach Samson to fall asleep on his own, without nursing or being walked.
Samson has been sleeping in his crib for 6 nights now. Way to go, Samsonite!
As I type, Daddy and I are in our room on our computers, keeping an eye on Samson snoozing on our TV. That's right, we have a night-vision camera on the crib which can be quickly connected to any TV in the house. Thanks for the tip on a supercool baby product, Turners!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Family Self-Portrait
Samson has become so accustomed to the camera, he knows to smile as soon as the red light shines. What a ham!
Can you see all four teeth?
Sorry about the lack of recent posts, dear readers. We've been super busy at the Hobbit Hole this summer and Mama hasn't had much time to write. We promise to get back on track this month....
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