Playing Outside

Last Sunday we took David to the baseball field by our house to run around. He had a lot of fun but it was obvious he wasn't used to the grass. He stumbled a lot but according to the tee-shirt he's just doing his own stunts!

Microsoft

A little less than 2 years ago, Microsoft created this product called the XBOX 360 and rushed it out to market before any other game system so that they could be first and more people would buy it. They decided to skip the whole quality control step of manufacturing, and the result was a defective system. Some estimates say that 33% (yes, that's one in three) will break and need to be replaced. When the box finally goes bad, three red lights flash in a ring. This has fondly become known to the lay public as the "Red Ring of Death".

Here is my story with the RROD.

August 20th - I decide to play Halo 2 to relax and blow some stuff up. The game system freezes. I turn it off, and turn it back on, and am overjoyed to see the RROD. I go online and go through their troubleshooting system, which has some enlightening suggestions to fix defective hardware (it's the unplug it and plug it back in type of advice).

That done, I call customer support. There I get to talk to Max. Let me correct that - I get to have Max talk to me. He tells me to unplug it and plug it back in again. After loudly stating "technical support" and all the variations thereof into what Microsoft thinks is a "voice recognition" program, I eventually get to talk to the Indian guy that speaks a deliteful version of english that makes it so we can barely communicate. After going through the whole process, he informs me that their server is down in an homage to the XBOX system, and that I should call back tomorrow.

August 21st - I call back. I unplug the system and plug it in again. Much to my surprise, it still doesn't work. Eventually, Indian guy gets on the phone and sends me a prepaid box to stick my broken xbox in to mail to them.

August 24th - I get the prepaid box, put my functionally challenged XBOX in it, and take it to UPS.

August 30th - My XBox arrives at the texas border, to be sent across the border where an outsourced repair worker opens it up to take a look.

September 3rd - they decided it's broken

September 13th - they decided to send me a new one. Microsoft does this endearing thing where instead of sending you a new one, they superglue some pieces together from old ones and then put a brand new manufacturing date. According to this, mine was manufactured the week my original one broke. Why it took ten days to ship it? They had to give it a little extra love

September 18th - the XBOX arrives. I plug it in. I turn it on. RROD

I call Max back. He is delightful as always, and suggests I unplug it and plug it back in. Then I get through to Steve. Here's a question - if you were an indian guy and were going to make up an american sounding name, wouldn't you pick something interesting, like "My name is Captain America"?

He informs me that he is sorry that my XBOX is broken (their screen prompts tell them to always apologize at the begining of the conversation, because it will make us feel better, and, of course, it works perfectly). I inform him that I'm glad that I have had the privilege of seeing another XBOX system, and look forward to another one weeks from now.

Actually, that wasn't how it went at all. Why the F%CK can't they check their F%CKING systems before they F%CKING send them out, and if they F%CKING send out a defective one, why the F%CK do I have to F%CKING wait for them to F%CKING get the second F%CKING broken one back and dick around with it again before they F%CKING send me a third, likely F%CKING broken one?

The best part - they have a policy that they keep sending you "refurbished" machines unless your third one breaks. As you could easily google online if you wanted to waste your time too, my experience is far from abnormal.

Please - Friends don't let their friends buy XBOX 360's.

Interesting Choice of Words:

So David has been slow to say any real words. He says mama and dada and sometimes we'll hear a kee (kitty) but we aren't convinced he really understands what he says. He knows the words milk, up, mama, dada, kitty, keys but he doesn't say them.

When David is a cranky butt the Doc will show him all the pictures we have hanging and say the words on them. Recently he repeated one of those words and now says it all the time. We finally caught it on film!

Hard to Handle Now...

Now that David is a pro at walking it's all he wants to do. He used to be so easy to take anywhere. Now it's a project. He doesn't want to stay in his stroller when we go shopping or in the highchair when we go out to eat. He wants to explore.

Oy Vey!!

Last night we went to a really nice Italian restaurant in center city and he just wasn't his normal well behaved self. He was fussy trying to wiggle his way out of the chair. It wasn't until we gave him the crayons that he settled down. I wish I had thought of it earlier but usually he tries to eat them. Check out his masterpiece below.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

We took David to his first Red Sox game this weekend. Unfortunately it wasn't at Fenway Park. That will have to wait until we move back to Boston. The Sox played the Orioles this weekend so we headed to Baltimore to see them play at Camden Yards. It's a really nice ballpark and the fact that there were so many Sox fans at the game it sorta felt like we were at Fenway!



Sunday night was disappointing as we watched Dice K walk in two runs and then let up a grand slam to a rookie who'd been 0 for 8. But yesterday's game, despite the heat, was awesome! Not only did our seats have a much better view of the park, but we got to see Beckett pitch and Papalbon go for the save.




David was great considering how long he had to sit and how hot it was. It was funny to watch him clap when the fans cheered, although sometimes at the wrong team, it was still cute! He also enjoyed dancing to the music they played in between innings.

Who Needs Toys When You Have a Flip Flop

Sorry to everyone who bought David a toy for his birthday. He would much rather play with my car keys, cell phone, TV remote and my flip flop. I almost died when he actually picked up my shoe and put it in his mouth. Ick!




Thankfully there are times when he will sit quietly and play with his toys. He loves them all. But here's what I want to know - why do children's toys have to be so annoying for the parents. The songs, the sounds, the noise, noise, noise. I go to work singing the songs form his toys or hearing the sayings. Maybe I shouldn't complain about flip flop....at least it doesn't make any noise!

28 - Not So Bad

First let me start off by saying - the Doc totally made up for what is known as the Mother's Day Debacle of 2007. We had a fabulous long weekend birthday celebration. He had to do a day float shift on Saturday and Sunday but he was home by mid afternoon so we were still able to celebrate.

Saturday: David and I went shopping at my favorite store New York & Company. They were having a really awesome sale. David as always was on his best behavior in the store. He loves to look at himself in the mirror of the dressing room.

After we shopped we headed to the food court for some Chic Fil A (best chicken sandwich ever). David loves the waffle fries. After we ate we headed home to meet the Doc. We hung out for a while and went for a walk. It was so nice outside.

The best part of the day was an email saying that Charlie got the job to handle the SSAR phone to coordinate admissions on Labor Day. He got to be at home (just had to have access to a computer) and he made 50 bucks and hour. It was from 8am to 8pm so that's $600 big ones!

Sunday: Since Charlie was going to work on Monday and had to be able to access the computer we changed our plans to have my birthday dinner on Sunday after he was done with work. He got home about 1:30pm and we headed out to center city to get burgers at Five Guys.

They must have known I was celebrating my birthday because it was the BEST burger I have had there. It was juicy with just the right amount of melted cheese, mayo and pickles! YUM! After we ate we walked over to Love Park to let David loose! He thought it was so cool to be able to explore and watch the fountain.



After David went to bed - the Doc went to Cold Stone Creamery to get ice creams (in lieu of birthday cake). While we ate our ice creams we finished our DVD of Heroes. Loved it and would highly recommend it!

Monday: David and I did more shopping - this time at Old Navy (see the post below) where I got David some fall clothes and a some Tee's for me. We both got gift cards for our birthdays! Then I went to the grocery store came home and picked up some lunch. The Doc sat on the couch and made 50 bucks and hour! It was awesome!

I opened my presents that he wrapped while I was out and got my TiVo! I can't wait until it arrives. It's taking FOREVER to ship. I want to check it out. It's such a fun gift. He also got me a new photo album so that I can continue David's second year!

Tuesday: Best day of the year! Had to work so that is why we celebrated before! Gotta love it when your birthday falls on (or around) a Holiday weekend!

Mom's Bad Purchase

Pam went on a shopping binge a few days ago with birthday money and decided to buy David some more PJs. Here is a set that she got cause she liked the "sound sleeper" on it. I guess she was so enamored with the words that she forgot to look at the rest of the PJs.

This is our child in his spandex pjs. We couldn't stop laughing. I actually shed a few tears. At least David is too young to understand that while he was laughing WITH us, we were laughing AT him. Our laughter got him so excited, running up and down the hallway squealing in delight, that we couldn't help laughing harder.



(Pam would like to defend herself by saying that the clothes were in a box and she couldn't really get a good sense of them. Typical - wanders around the store touching the same damn thing like five times but never takes a closer look.)

The David Boogie

Direct TV offers XM Radio music through the television. I found a station that plays kids songs. When David and I get home at the end of the day I will put on the music in the background while he plays.

He loves music and loves to dance. Check out what we like to call the "David Boogie".

A Birthday Bash & 100 Degrees

Thank you to all who came out and suffered what was probably the most hazy, hot and humid day of the entire summer to help us celebrate David's first birthday!

We had a great time - sweat and all! I guess that is what you have to expect when you have an August Birthday!


Cooling off with some fruit salad


Fenway Park Cake


David eating his birthday cupcake (compliments of his backseat buddy Steph)

David's One Year Portraits!

Two weeks ago we went to Target (yes they have a portrait studio in some locations) to get our first family professional pictures done. I think they came out OK. I wish it weren't so hot because my face is blotchy and red and my hair is frizzy. Oh well, like I said they're alright.

We had to get the picture of David eating the baseball - well because it's totally David!

He's Growing!

At David's 9 month check up he was in the 10th percentile for his height and weight. He was our little Pee Wee not even fitting into the 9 month cloths.

Today he is pretty much on track. Check out David's 12 Month Stats:

Height: 29 1/2 inches (between 25% and 50%)
Weight: 20 lbs (15%)
Head: 18.5 cm (between 50% and 75%)

He even fits in 12 month clothes! I was disappointed that the cute PJ's I had been getting David from Carter's stop at 9 months. They sell footie's in 12 months but they were pretty lame so we decided to upgrade David to the two piece PJ's. He is so freakin' cute in his new PJ's - I don't miss the old ones at all! The pants are just a touch long but otherwise they fit perfect!

Learning Bad Habits

As David grows up, we've started to notice more habits that remind us of dear old mom. The most obvious is that he eats EXACTLY like she does. You can get some sense of it in this video. When David eats, one hand goes in the mouth while the other searches for more food, he chews with his mouth open (one of my favorite habits that he shares with the missus), and if there is no food left for him to grab, he gets upset - even when his mouth is already full!

Just for a full sense of things, this video was taken while he was working on his second cup of yogurt after he had already downed a bowl of cherioes and a cup of milk.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID!

This is our big boy playing with his favorite toy - a birthday gift from his buddy Maddie. He loves to bounce it all around the room and chase it as it rolls. He goes for his one year check up on Monday and we'll find out just how much bigger he has grown.



Happy First Birthday!

David's First Year in Video!

One year ago at this time we were at the hospital perparing for our little guys arrival. At this point I was feeling pretty good (I had gotten the epidural two hours earlier)! The Doc was eating his chinese food in front of me while I enjoyed a nice large cup of ice chips. Mmmmm...ice chips.

So if you enjoyed the picture slide show then you're gonna love this video montage!

David's First Year!

This year flew by! I can't believe in just three days our little guy is going to be one! I put together this slide show of our favorite pictures over the last year.



*Disclaimer - This video is LONG! But it's pictures of David so it's totally worth your time!!

It's Been Five Years...

Five years ago today the Doc and I said "I Do". It's kinda weird to think that we've been married for that long already. Stephie is in town this weekend and she took us out for dinner to one of our favorite places - El Azteca. We all celebrated with Margaritas - the best in town!

We came back put the little man to bed and ate our Cold Stone Creamery! It was really nice and relaxing and we finished the evening off with Monk and Psych . As a gift to ourselves the Doc and I are going to replace our old tube TV (that he's had since college and is dying) with a nice 27" LCD flat screen!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Dancing and...

Check out this new video - and if you watch it really closely you can see David's latest feat.

I am Back!

So I have been offline pretty much since my last post because I was reading Harry Potter! I didn't want to accidentally read something online about the book so I stayed away from the internet and radio! I am finished and all I will say was it was a fitting finish!

I never finished our Weekend Adventures with the Mailloux's. David and Maddie got along great and played together. David was a little rough and tumble but Maddie fought right back - it was really cute!

While the Doc had to work on Saturday Ben, Robyn and I took a trip out to the Lancaster Outlets about an hour and a half away). We did some shopping and had lunch with Robyn's Aunt and Uncle. We have been trying to get David to use a sippy cup. I think watching Maddie do "Big Girl" stuff motivated David because all of a sudden he wanted his sippy cup!

Mmmm...yummy lemonade!

After we got back we drove out to University City and had dinner at one of our favorite places Sitar India. They have a really good buffet and all you can eat vegetable somosas! We gave David some more chicken and he really enjoyed it. We also found out that he loves blueberry's. Maddie was so nice to share her with David. We also learned that we should taste the food before we give David a try after he spit out a chick pea that was in a sauce labeled HOT!!

On Sunday we decided to head out to Baltimore and take the kids to the National Aquarium. It was a lot of fun. We stopped on the way to eat some breakfast at the Waffle House. I had never been to one but heard they were pretty good. David loved the Doc's chocolate chip waffle.

When we got to the Aquarium we had to check the stroller's and in exchange they provided us with a back pack type carrier for David. He didn't really like it at first having never been in one but then he got used to it and had a good time banging on Daddy's head!

David and Maddie check out the fish

Looking over Daddy's shoulder

More Fish!

Shhhh!

After the Aquarium we walked over to the ESPN Zone for dinner. It was pretty good food and of course it was nice to see the end of the Red Sox game. After dinner Maddie practiced being a big sister by pushing David in his stroller.

David's in LOVE!

So Maddie, Ben and Robyn are here visiting and arrived Friday night. David was really excited to see her. Check out his bold move as he pummels Maddie and tries to give her a love bite!


Hey wait! Come back here!

At the Diner

Today we ventured out to one of our favorite places to get a milk shake - Nifty Fifty's. They also have really great burgers and fries. It's a great place to take the kid because it's loud and music is playing and there are lots of other families there.

Check out David in his Nifty Fifty hat:


Now that David eats regular food we can order off the menu for him. We ordered him a hot dog on a toasted bun. This kid is not picky and he'll eat anything out in front of him!


This is just David being David. He's so silly 95% of the time. He is constantly cracking us up!

Chicken Curry...Mmm Yummy!

Tonight for dinner we ordered Indian take out. There is a pretty good place we like to eat at called Sitar India in University City. We order the same thing every time. Two orders of Vegetable Samosas, two orders of Garlic Naan, a Shrimp Curry and a Chicken Curry and depending on our mood we'll order mild or medium. Their medium is really spicy so lately we've just stuck with the mild.

Rather than cook something separate for David we decided to let him try some of the Doc's chicken. He didn't seem to mind the flavor because he ate every last piece. He especially liked the Naan.

11 Months!

Today David is 11 months old and that means that one month from today he'll be one! That is just crazy! Anyway enjoy some of his latest pictures:

Here is David enjoying a tubby!


Here is David enjoying a nice chunk of Italian Bread with his Pasta E Fagioli.

Trouble is His Middle Name:

David's latest milestone is being a trouble maker. This kid just gets into everything. He can now climb a few stairs, go into the trash, grab the cat's tails (they REALLY don't like him much) and his latest trick relates to the dishwasher. This is his "but Mom, I wanna help you" face:



Yup that is David climbing onto the dishwasher. He found his prize - a Gladware container.

Happy 4th of July!

Today it was just me and the kid so we just hung out at home. Just to be festive I put him in his Lil Firecracker onesie that I got for him at Old Navy. I made a cake for fun and of course David loved it. Hope your fourth was a little more eventful than ours!