tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85299222024-03-12T20:20:31.396-07:00Tales from the GorgeGet the latest photos and ramblings from Corinne, Mike, and Anders living in the Columbia River Gorge.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.comBlogger523125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-33838431387615169842017-04-25T21:47:00.000-07:002017-04-25T21:47:25.819-07:00Name Contest Winners!Now that Oskar is 8+ months old, we figured that it was high time to announce the winners of our <a href="https://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/06/name-baby-sequel.html">Name the Baby: The Sequel Contest</a>!<br />
<br />
We asked for creative suggestions so that we would end up with something as cool as "Anders Rocket". We like unusual names, Scandinavian influences, vehicle/space/science themes, and something that could work as a codename (ala Rocket). Thankfully, you were all up to the task. Here were some of our favorites, with the submitter(s) listed!<br />
<br />
<b>FIRST NAME</b><br />
<b>Oskar</b><br />
<i>Julie H., Atif C.</i><br />
We obviously liked this name, since we used it. Oscar (with a 'c') is in the top 200 most popular boys names in the US, but we liked it well enough anyway. The 'k' in Oskar gives it both Scandinavian and German heritage, representing ancestry from both of our families. But it's still obvious how it should be pronounced (at least the American way). Oskar was actually the name of Corinne's grandfather who emigrated here from Norway. <br />
<br />
<b>BEST MAD SCIENTIST</b><br />
<b>Max Q</b><br />
<i>Tara W. & Jason R.</i><br />
This is an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Q">aerospace term</a> for the maximum dynamic pressure and also a great nerd super-hero (or super-villain) name.<br />
<br />
<b>Atlas Vems</b><br />
<i>Brian J.</i><br />
Vems is actually a Swedish name, but it can also represent <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_velocity">escape velocity</a>, i.e. V<sub>e</sub> (m/s). <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_(rocket_family)">Atlas</a> pairs well with that.<br />
<br />
<b>Sigurd Apogee</b><br />
<i>Kelly H.</i><br />
Sigurd is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigurd">hero from Norse mythology</a> (check), and Apogee is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsis">term from orbital mechanics</a> (check).<br />
<br />
<b>NAMES THAT MAKE AN 8 YEAR OLD LAUGH</b><br />
<b>Ragnar Poopypants</b><br />
<i>Dean C.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Baby McBabyFace / Baby McBoatFace</b><br />
<i>Marnie H., Dave S., Tabitha C.</i><br />
Every good online naming contest needs a good <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boaty_McBoatface">Boaty McBoatFace</a> entry.<br />
<br />
It's not actually that hard to make an 8 year old laugh, but those do it every time.<br />
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<b>NAME THAT MAKES A 45 YEAR OLD LAUGH</b><br />
<b>Lars Dumptruck</b><br />
<i>Marnie H.</i><br />
This one just reminds me of a Mad-Libs every time I hear it. "Scandinavian Name? Vehicle? Done."<br />
<br />
<b>MOST PROLIFIC SUBMITTERS</b><br />
<i>Tara W. & Jason R. (31)</i><br />
<i>Abby F. (33)</i><br />
We had a lot of great submissions, but these folks were the most prolific by quite a bit. Must be something about people who have lived in Denmark.<br />
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<b>BEST WORDPLAY</b><br />
<b>Will Ship Daly</b><br />
<i>Ben J. (with assist from Birgit M.)</i><br />
I've heard a lot of "Daly" jokes over the years, but as a name for someone who is the child of two software developer parents, this one is just too good. And ship is a vehicle!<br />
<br />
<b>Nice Moniker</b><br />
<i>Ben J.</i><br />
This one wasn't actually a name suggestion, but it just happens to be an anagram of the names Mike and Corinne. Pretty sweet.<br />
<br />
<b>LONGEST NAME</b><br />
<b>Breton Second Stage Lift Vehicle</b><br />
<i>Dr. Rat</i><br />
This one wins for the longest suggestion. But it's not much longer than the name we actually chose.<br />
<br />
<b>CLEVER BUT STILL PLAUSIBLE</b><br />
<b>Claus Copter</b><br />
<i>Atif C.</i><br />
Satisfies all of the criteria and does kinda roll off the tongue, no?<br />
<br />
<b>Soren Comet</b><br />
<i>Tara W. & Jason R.</i><br />
Get it? Soarin' Comet?<br />
<br />
<b>Otto Bus</b><br />
<i>Doris & George K.</i><br />
Otto => Auto. (I think I'd have a little bit of a hard time naming someone Bus, though.)<br />
<br />
<b>GRAND PRIZE</b><br />
<b>Eon</b><br />
<i>Tara W. & Jason R.</i><br />
We really liked the combination of short, kinda tech-y, kinda space-y, but not too specific. Since Oskar arrived on pretty much the same schedule that Anders did - that is, 3 weeks early - we didn't really have that much time to use it as a codename. But it stuck as a middle name. And Oskar Eon IS just as cool as Anders Rocket, and we think they sound great together.<br />
<br />
Believe it or not, Tara & Jason actually WON the previous name contest as well! Some people are just good at naming, I guess. (Although not everyone has the benefit of having an engineering degree AND living in a Scandinavian country.)<br />
<br />
We really had fun reading and considering all of the names suggested, and we were inspired by your collective creativity! Here was our final "Top 10" list of first names (in no particular order): <b>Alton</b>, <b>Apollo</b>, <b>Archer</b>, <b>Kai</b>, <b>Kell</b> or <b>Keld</b> (the d is silent), <b>Kelvin</b>, <b>Kian</b>, <b>Nils</b> or <b>Niels</b>, <b>Stig</b> (pronounced "Steeg"), ...and Oskar, of course. Our other finalists for middle name were: <b>Apollo</b>, <b>Comet</b>, <b>Lander</b>, <b>Mercury</b>, and <b>Jett</b>, but Eon was the odds-on favorite from the start.<br />
<br />
Thanks to everyone for all of the fun! Come visit us and meet <a href="https://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/06/name-baby-sequel.html">Oskar Eon Balto Ilvedson Daly</a> yourself!<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWK-ZnQEW1TJh2gi_0ZSkZWpMPArH7DJmqKKVlT3yIDhw_TnpYhxN_BS4cRNAguFO02Dm6VAbUgA2EMseW36nblOSfnXzlGt_XsmP9OIKC2QVfBh0zm8htHXP4uYo7OlqVi9u/s1600/17_IlvedsonDaly_6mo.-106.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWK-ZnQEW1TJh2gi_0ZSkZWpMPArH7DJmqKKVlT3yIDhw_TnpYhxN_BS4cRNAguFO02Dm6VAbUgA2EMseW36nblOSfnXzlGt_XsmP9OIKC2QVfBh0zm8htHXP4uYo7OlqVi9u/s400/17_IlvedsonDaly_6mo.-106.jpg" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
</div><br />
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- Mike, Corinne, Anders Rocket, and Oskar EonMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-35371794221593705962016-11-27T19:44:00.000-08:002017-01-08T14:26:00.097-08:0048/52 - ThanksgivingWe hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year, and we had a pretty good sized crew. Since some of the folks weren't arriving until late Thursday night or Friday morning, we shifted the big meal to Friday and took the opportunity to do some advance cooking the day before. We cooked TWO turkeys on Thursday — one right after the other. That left the oven available for everything else on the day of the meal, and they still tasted great reheated for the meal on Friday. (And you can't have too much leftover turkey, right? <a href="http://www.ilvedson.com/recipes/Turkey_and_Sweet_Potato_Hash.html">Turkey and Sweet Potato Hash!</a>)<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2e-1Y0qbhg1cp7wib6afLy-JzbkIO4mwivwiAtwT0I2_mAX4WeYVTUVgx0TUPzuBqV9kX7-Dsmq3Li5TZNqsiq6XoudJi8MqPcFRYqhLUhGgrzAFjqK4wTmfnty07ZQIJJn9R/s1600/IMG_4063.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2e-1Y0qbhg1cp7wib6afLy-JzbkIO4mwivwiAtwT0I2_mAX4WeYVTUVgx0TUPzuBqV9kX7-Dsmq3Li5TZNqsiq6XoudJi8MqPcFRYqhLUhGgrzAFjqK4wTmfnty07ZQIJJn9R/s400/IMG_4063.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Oskar napped through the entire meal, giving us an infant-free dining experience, something Corinne really appreciates!<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtXYCrQ7tgG1yiPxMxr7g6AanIU8wBl9JqEHizpMhYGG0n8MiQXIUbbPhCcKUD-V6ZFwvdu-nq8kOFpG9uYXmANrpfW74F9W3Co1gnifopYsQ4CaHGNRmqsQqpSv_lAfofVS5/s1600/7G2A3135.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtXYCrQ7tgG1yiPxMxr7g6AanIU8wBl9JqEHizpMhYGG0n8MiQXIUbbPhCcKUD-V6ZFwvdu-nq8kOFpG9uYXmANrpfW74F9W3Co1gnifopYsQ4CaHGNRmqsQqpSv_lAfofVS5/s400/7G2A3135.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The rest of the weekend was relaxing. Puzzles are often a part of our holiday get togethers with Corinne's family.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGXEgHo3EsqjamenI_v4R6KvvN5m24gGnCpzWmSpidY27CUP0CDzMVMsoV94TuwnMLiToyIuiXJXBdn7-3AvZ4ciJFW5ce_jh4YD0EcFgD0ti81eDa3tgRZ9sUEKJ-AJ3xyWT/s1600/7G2A3109.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGXEgHo3EsqjamenI_v4R6KvvN5m24gGnCpzWmSpidY27CUP0CDzMVMsoV94TuwnMLiToyIuiXJXBdn7-3AvZ4ciJFW5ce_jh4YD0EcFgD0ti81eDa3tgRZ9sUEKJ-AJ3xyWT/s400/7G2A3109.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Anders re-discovered puzzles this weekend, too! He hadn't done any puzzles in a couple of years and had several that he had never attempted, but over the weekend he built every one of his jigsaw puzzles. He said he had thought puzzles were boring without realizing that you just go up a level in difficulty.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eCevZPnzsj7YteTfd54z4M9ff5VVwQwoKycneDdfbRiNwVXIPYuRbbGNSkKXKbM8yRBKrI-M5IwPno4LIAqC2Qm7vh27QypK4lGwfSjeRPHIEmkyf-Dr6c482lcezyCCkGk6/s1600/7G2A3112.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eCevZPnzsj7YteTfd54z4M9ff5VVwQwoKycneDdfbRiNwVXIPYuRbbGNSkKXKbM8yRBKrI-M5IwPno4LIAqC2Qm7vh27QypK4lGwfSjeRPHIEmkyf-Dr6c482lcezyCCkGk6/s400/7G2A3112.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><br />
Happy Thanksgiving!<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZwlssOQuOO-7-7BiM-XXn2DpwTGFO2zw2lettV1nDR5yp1Pg8vRHG7iVWix5lIKOvIyKEiEGrzZDar_bUheuWWa5sAx0T0Xr33NUmQyiwcb2xuyxeo2zkiioN3TEWMnY8IWR/s1600/7G2A3188.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZwlssOQuOO-7-7BiM-XXn2DpwTGFO2zw2lettV1nDR5yp1Pg8vRHG7iVWix5lIKOvIyKEiEGrzZDar_bUheuWWa5sAx0T0Xr33NUmQyiwcb2xuyxeo2zkiioN3TEWMnY8IWR/s400/7G2A3188.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
- Mike, Corinne, Anders Rocket and Oskar EonMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-40104255089234310272016-10-30T09:09:00.000-07:002016-12-02T21:44:50.318-08:0044/52 - Hip Dysplasia, the End of SoccerThis past week, we got some disappointing medical news about Oskar. But let me back up a minute first.<br />
<br />
In the hospital, newborns get all sorts of screenings shortly after they are born. One of those screenings checks the joints to make sure that they are formed correctly and functional. When we were in the hospital with Oskar for the better part of week, we saw a number of different pediatricians. About half of those thought that they noticed a "click" or "pop" in Oskar's left hip. The doctors didn't seem to be overly concerned about it but did mention that we could followup with an orthopedist to be sure.<br />
<br />
Oskar was breech in utero, and breech babies to have a higher incidence of hip problems due to the way they are positioned. For comparison, here are Oskar (breech) and Anders (vertex, aka normal) and the default position of their legs.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCfc8dAg2a7fmIcw7m6zhj6JFY61-fEqA4zi7GNhBMixi3kKWuTAGe-0zsBfD6NAZfeFo_RKRk6hssEABohMDWyNRxcMiB9HxJNFXg_k4o1tb-NlDsRL3VHjxtWEF0JRPBkiS/s1600/IMG_3580.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCfc8dAg2a7fmIcw7m6zhj6JFY61-fEqA4zi7GNhBMixi3kKWuTAGe-0zsBfD6NAZfeFo_RKRk6hssEABohMDWyNRxcMiB9HxJNFXg_k4o1tb-NlDsRL3VHjxtWEF0JRPBkiS/s400/IMG_3580.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
Oskar...<br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0M_Bd71TejLx-4vfjOANccMbENEYHW8UIUS_YynN-dsBuljlYFM9Kgz0ikai7_BOMAW0Jpp4mrqfthNyaRtZwKxo1r8TzsqrkEoHEqPNww9uUknpHbk5YlcE5QBdR9gBBO4hq/s1600/IMG_0457.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0M_Bd71TejLx-4vfjOANccMbENEYHW8UIUS_YynN-dsBuljlYFM9Kgz0ikai7_BOMAW0Jpp4mrqfthNyaRtZwKxo1r8TzsqrkEoHEqPNww9uUknpHbk5YlcE5QBdR9gBBO4hq/s400/IMG_0457.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
...and Anders<br />
</div><br />
We got a recommendation for a pediatric orthopedist and scheduled an appointment. At the first appointment, Oskar wasn't terribly cooperative; he kept his legs tense, so the doctor couldn't get a good feel of his hip movement. The orthopedist also wasn't terribly concerned but recommended that we schedule an ultrasound just to be on the safe side.<br />
<br />
By now, I'm sure that you've guessed the outcome of the ultrasound. Oskar's left hip has <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_dysplasia">dysplasia</a></i>, a condition where the hip joint is not correctly formed. You can see the difference between the normal right (top) and dysplastic left (bottom).<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Hng8tmi94Kxgg5pFss8hLL9k5ngpvkGPtxTbHohjr9hSNxPl8KawFwNzT5OcN7K-T0Du-0sKytZzJFvlvWPpP3Mr8NWWd6B_p6T17uV2qmVY_QyIWd5qyukgKgTUdO9k5iu1/s1600/2016-11-02+10.49.32.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Hng8tmi94Kxgg5pFss8hLL9k5ngpvkGPtxTbHohjr9hSNxPl8KawFwNzT5OcN7K-T0Du-0sKytZzJFvlvWPpP3Mr8NWWd6B_p6T17uV2qmVY_QyIWd5qyukgKgTUdO9k5iu1/s400/2016-11-02+10.49.32.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
Hip ultrasound<br />
</div><br />
In Oskar's case, the malformation is relatively mild; the hip socket is shallow, but the ball is still in roughly the correct place. There are much more severe cases where the ball is completely dislocated from the socket. Nevertheless, without treatment it would likely result in serious hip problems later or an early hip replacement.<br />
<br />
The recommended treatment: Oskar is to wear a harness that keeps his leg at a slightly acute angle (<90°) from his torso. Since all of his bones are still soft and growing, the hope is that keeping the leg in this position will encourage the socket and ball to grow into the correct shape. Apparently this approach has a very high rate of success. If it doesn't work, then the alternative path involves surgery to correct the joint manually. In either case, the result should be a normal hip with no issues in the future.<br />
<br />
At the end of the appointment, the orthopedist put the harness on Oskar and showed us how to do it. Oskar will probably wear this for the next 2-3 months, taking it off only for baths. (In worse cases than ours, the harness is kept on at all times, with only sponge baths allowed!)<br />
<br />
We weren't mentally prepared for this scenario when we went to the appointment; we were merely dotting the i's and crossing the t's. The doctor warned us that the next several days probably wouldn't be easy. Babies often have a difficult time adjusting to the harness (justifiably!).<br />
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Here is a stock photo of the harness, followed by a photo of Oskar just a few hours after having it fitted. See if you can spot the main difference.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzYoSHTxQI8YtfnoB9ngKmNImptMiiKe9Bb6Zlxh460S9ZHPPfTnNQ9n8nLJYQpX7qDtaTBb1um21vJdF5GUfwPUDtU2qFOrK0Pk8NaLXZKjtdQAhHkDY8NlKr6NkNE2lq9Fd/s1600/pavlik_400.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzYoSHTxQI8YtfnoB9ngKmNImptMiiKe9Bb6Zlxh460S9ZHPPfTnNQ9n8nLJYQpX7qDtaTBb1um21vJdF5GUfwPUDtU2qFOrK0Pk8NaLXZKjtdQAhHkDY8NlKr6NkNE2lq9Fd/s400/pavlik_400.jpg" width="288" /></a><br />
Stock photo...<br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRq4XK2Pm4MgKoeo6XLBdfEAmaUCgv6050JyMf8RoGpeoSBWOIFQZ8bGYHZ39u7wo8t9SmQMDRgOcn_n6dYoo8XyHGyS8a306wfJVWWI5cFLarx-SzIi62LFr3Y4y4PBw0Vu4q/s1600/2016-10-24+14.36.13.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRq4XK2Pm4MgKoeo6XLBdfEAmaUCgv6050JyMf8RoGpeoSBWOIFQZ8bGYHZ39u7wo8t9SmQMDRgOcn_n6dYoo8XyHGyS8a306wfJVWWI5cFLarx-SzIi62LFr3Y4y4PBw0Vu4q/s400/2016-10-24+14.36.13.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
... and reality<br />
</div><br />
After we got over the initial shock of the situation, we had to try to move on with the rest of our day. We had lots of other things planned that day, including having our "new" car repaired. When the dealership sent us to the local Enterprise rental car for a loaner and all they had was trucks, that didn't add to our enjoyment of the day. And when the one-day repair was now stretching out to a second day, that wasn't so good either. But we made it home and tried to adjust.<br />
<br />
New parents are taught about purple crying, but we didn't experience it until the harness. Oskar loved to kick his legs, but with the harness he would go into a crying fit everytime he tried to move. Nursing sessions all started with crying. And naps were pretty poor. He was generally pretty irritable; it felt like we had lost a part of his personality. We had read about newly-harnessed babies only sleeping for 15 minutes at a time during the night. Fortunately for all of us, the harness didn't seem to affect Oskar's nighttime sleep. After about a week, things started to get better; he was crying less and smiling more. We put a onesie on under the harness to help prevent irritation from the harness, and we're learning how to change a diaper efficiently through and around the harness. Fun times.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWF7lQ4mTvwzzSiwuDlmvJwUis5Za4rGFMtC88YZzfqoHQzxNJSW1kzpYZE49MUzOP9ATv548VKqH0ukVsHllP8qxLHNDh1IW1S14SpC3J8zFmjTE88k3USdDxAUMfCjX2Cg4-/s1600/7G2A2238.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWF7lQ4mTvwzzSiwuDlmvJwUis5Za4rGFMtC88YZzfqoHQzxNJSW1kzpYZE49MUzOP9ATv548VKqH0ukVsHllP8qxLHNDh1IW1S14SpC3J8zFmjTE88k3USdDxAUMfCjX2Cg4-/s400/7G2A2238.JPG" width="344" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Since he wears the harness all the time, there are lots of clothes that he can't wear. Pants, for example. Or anything with legs, really. Donna made a couple of sleep sacks from some cool fabrics, to fill part of that wardrobe gap.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkvSEeZPIPzEjt0fHYtlcX0veT4x8WjvMMjRs6VXYPMdav0L32T9qAM1MrqTJN2GtpMiJzQaHnMXPApFrD7qao4vdrPsBm1DFAuUGbY3ZXN62ypy8qErCM0rQsTDHA9iRoI7u/s1600/2016-11-08+11.59.48.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkvSEeZPIPzEjt0fHYtlcX0veT4x8WjvMMjRs6VXYPMdav0L32T9qAM1MrqTJN2GtpMiJzQaHnMXPApFrD7qao4vdrPsBm1DFAuUGbY3ZXN62ypy8qErCM0rQsTDHA9iRoI7u/s400/2016-11-08+11.59.48.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The first follow-up is in early December, when we'll see how the hip is progressing. Wish us luck!<br />
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<hr><br />
In other news, Anders' 1st and 2nd grade soccer team had their last game this past week. Last year, Anders played like a ref: always near the ball but never interacting with it. This year he really engaged and loved playing, and the team was actually pretty decent! At this age, there is no keeper (aka goalie), no corner kicks, and they don't keep official score. But of course the kids kept score themselves anyway.<br />
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Anders picked up a few tips from watching all of those Olympic soccer games, primarily how to celebrate a goal (victory lap with arms in the air) and how to block the opponent during throw-ins. Sometimes he is paying more attention to blocking the opponent than receiving his own team's throw-ins, but he's learning.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnQ2a-Hs2y52ufRB-858gENLOap2e9MTmUtSx2BqPL3rb6kKtOz_gJCz9uOAMsYgkT9QRder32lDo2F7qHiv7eAa00HH2ScKP0GAU58pcjGUxta2tnlO8CZ3FHGAk_wRqnaT8/s1600/7G2A1175.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnQ2a-Hs2y52ufRB-858gENLOap2e9MTmUtSx2BqPL3rb6kKtOz_gJCz9uOAMsYgkT9QRder32lDo2F7qHiv7eAa00HH2ScKP0GAU58pcjGUxta2tnlO8CZ3FHGAk_wRqnaT8/s400/7G2A1175.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvllOYrx3tOZN338mCn7U3enucL2lCEgFGPej2pTxym0d3dHKouqn21k9UEEqK81eZ6je6uTFox7CKyqP4txk_gGFYJphZdjDdy3Aze2AKFbg3Ma_QHNjGYH9c-yK0iPiUdGc/s1600/7G2A1182.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvllOYrx3tOZN338mCn7U3enucL2lCEgFGPej2pTxym0d3dHKouqn21k9UEEqK81eZ6je6uTFox7CKyqP4txk_gGFYJphZdjDdy3Aze2AKFbg3Ma_QHNjGYH9c-yK0iPiUdGc/s400/7G2A1182.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
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They had a pretty rainy season, but only one game had to be rescheduled entirely. Mostly, they just got wet and had fun. As parents, we enjoyed the required downtime in the beautiful outdoors.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58g3UP3ejAaxK0B7K56BMY86NLT2vZPghO1AooUOAEW7Bqfj1p_JCAftkKy_1E_GgyaHIwbK897nBg67UYrSwQcNqJjyKo8duhqKXJh3ec_823in7Q73Pwjguu3wgOKrLbMr8/s1600/7G2A1552.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58g3UP3ejAaxK0B7K56BMY86NLT2vZPghO1AooUOAEW7Bqfj1p_JCAftkKy_1E_GgyaHIwbK897nBg67UYrSwQcNqJjyKo8duhqKXJh3ec_823in7Q73Pwjguu3wgOKrLbMr8/s400/7G2A1552.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzTnw3KKm4VroFyKONR3SdEBk9OpY1OTZB6V_YgfCQGoVAQjbHSjDTyHbCuqYdFBiieqU2FeadOVVnsjRSe4GN8nwiBNZhbvlyAqx_gGmYcVLA7b3In4Gp3tm16hCkJNc517-/s1600/7G2A1593.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyzTnw3KKm4VroFyKONR3SdEBk9OpY1OTZB6V_YgfCQGoVAQjbHSjDTyHbCuqYdFBiieqU2FeadOVVnsjRSe4GN8nwiBNZhbvlyAqx_gGmYcVLA7b3In4Gp3tm16hCkJNc517-/s400/7G2A1593.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
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They celebrated the end of the season with a pizza party in the park.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGte1N58qa_jTc_V_4clWnRBWXvS0GGRgBzQIyQpKeryNKV778nI4E0WynRqKuyTsFz_6nOU9x3sgbRIxQZAMdYOKqY6FCJeCcvoDw0C-c89dXdgSp9kdCDHiEaeRSwF2uyz-/s1600/7G2A2192.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGte1N58qa_jTc_V_4clWnRBWXvS0GGRgBzQIyQpKeryNKV778nI4E0WynRqKuyTsFz_6nOU9x3sgbRIxQZAMdYOKqY6FCJeCcvoDw0C-c89dXdgSp9kdCDHiEaeRSwF2uyz-/s400/7G2A2192.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
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A few days after the "last" game and end of season celebration, the rained-out game was rescheduled. Between the two teams, there were 4 kids from the same preschool class. Reunion!<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxe-rXJ-rD3-EM2a9G0O4wKmK8R12_mA_J0Cz2KE_VRjbkrdEKUlWQCGckKqiHsrP_11qvWOBCCBnQaQdcV6xWLZBYzcjX0x_9glOWOCc3txPbwm2iuJmmPc1VKrmIWFY0XRq/s1600/7G2A2969.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxe-rXJ-rD3-EM2a9G0O4wKmK8R12_mA_J0Cz2KE_VRjbkrdEKUlWQCGckKqiHsrP_11qvWOBCCBnQaQdcV6xWLZBYzcjX0x_9glOWOCc3txPbwm2iuJmmPc1VKrmIWFY0XRq/s400/7G2A2969.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Anders is already looking forward to next year.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ6CN9yMe-6_cFZYgkSBYg-6EbzNwGrjn-OpR8fbWWvmMD5gqoZR61ORofoo9JtZd4q8mndDldOaxY905Apz4o6WlTl4SmjZxIZsdKf797Quyc5VOK6w4R-dBljJNHUIlU6VRQ/s1600/7G2A2227.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ6CN9yMe-6_cFZYgkSBYg-6EbzNwGrjn-OpR8fbWWvmMD5gqoZR61ORofoo9JtZd4q8mndDldOaxY905Apz4o6WlTl4SmjZxIZsdKf797Quyc5VOK6w4R-dBljJNHUIlU6VRQ/s400/7G2A2227.JPG" width="267" height="400" /></a><br />
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- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and Oskar<br />
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-19571815658183328562016-08-21T15:59:00.000-07:002016-11-20T22:34:54.087-08:0034/52 - Olympic BabyOne of the benefits of Oskar arriving when he did is that we had an excuse to just sit and watch the Olympics! Starting about 5 years ago, we became "cord cutters" when we dropped all TV service in favor of Netflix on a Roku. So it took a little investigation to figure out how we could even watch the Olympics online. We subscribed to a streaming service (SlingTV) for the sole purpose of watching the Olympics, but none of the online-only options include the main NBC network. So we could only watch the "off brand" events that didn't make the cut for primetime NBC viewing: team handball, water polo, badminton, table tennis, soccer, etc. Nevertheless, it was pretty engaging and impressive to watch athletes at the top of their sport.<br />
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Anders was enraptured by the Olympics in general, regardless of the sport. For each event he watched, he had to choose which "side" he would root for, then he would act as if he had been rooting for that person/team all of his life. One day he looked at the event schedule and saw kayaking and canoeing for 5am the following day. He immediately decided that he would get up to watch it! And to our great surprise, he actually did. (This is the kid who has slept until 11am on Christmas morning and who struggles to get up by 7am to catch the school bus.) On that day, he watched the Olympics for 13 hours straight. Hey - it's the Olympics!<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-THijH6N_Xz9ywySQGlO5TAKd4YP-3c0MVerUoF3rvvy0lgFbuTY_lfDYMW5wDL-YWWWSaji7fk5pu_GvuPrGsHYGll6WUVwQM5QtQI0jlskPLpwEh2ydVsZYk9W-fvpIfn0/s1600/IMG_3745.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-THijH6N_Xz9ywySQGlO5TAKd4YP-3c0MVerUoF3rvvy0lgFbuTY_lfDYMW5wDL-YWWWSaji7fk5pu_GvuPrGsHYGll6WUVwQM5QtQI0jlskPLpwEh2ydVsZYk9W-fvpIfn0/s400/IMG_3745.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Anders and Grandma Donna made cheese crackers, since everyone knows that watching sports on TV is better with salty snacks.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsC6MSpd-buXmfMGz5Oit8DxYbOo5xPCwNrT52MynDoJHwr6CSnZQXPZu7HG10szaD7HykkBd7NXGZeFMJQleq7FIQI8BMYaJtBwJqsP4X3oujXJZctuE8CWPAcoz2BB2awAl/s1600/IMG_3750.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsC6MSpd-buXmfMGz5Oit8DxYbOo5xPCwNrT52MynDoJHwr6CSnZQXPZu7HG10szaD7HykkBd7NXGZeFMJQleq7FIQI8BMYaJtBwJqsP4X3oujXJZctuE8CWPAcoz2BB2awAl/s400/IMG_3750.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
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I think this was the first time that Anders was exposed to television commercials. Since most of what he has watched previously was educational programming of some sort, he interpreted them all as public service announcements. "We should get a Pizza Hut Big Flavor Dipper pizza. It comes with 4 sauces!" "Did you know that <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-henn/exxonmobil-takes-the-olym_b_11403480.html">ExxonMobil</a> makes cars go further with less?"<br />
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We had another full week of doctor appointments, including the 2 week checkups for both Oskar and Corinne. Both passed with flying colors. Oskar made it back up to his birth weight at just about the two week mark.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4kRxAd6n4T9SKaTnyRzFTcf_wVpfgVnrKHfx1Lp8paOP3s-R4SjBu-Af_ooHAHEGIxKfKQ3adSMNsf1G1SrCtnNWrJ4Twlfy4TlxqiPGD6V7rEfAsoLg_fcK1Ugz73OhA5Pa/s1600/IMG_3730.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl4kRxAd6n4T9SKaTnyRzFTcf_wVpfgVnrKHfx1Lp8paOP3s-R4SjBu-Af_ooHAHEGIxKfKQ3adSMNsf1G1SrCtnNWrJ4Twlfy4TlxqiPGD6V7rEfAsoLg_fcK1Ugz73OhA5Pa/s400/IMG_3730.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
Oskar and his "life-size" sock monkey, courtesy of Aunt 'Nita<br />
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While in Portland, we couldn't pass up another stop at Salt & Straw. I guess it's not every day that a newborn waits in the S&S line, so Oskar garnered quite a bit of attention. One boy asked if he was real. (We sometimes wondered that ourselves.)<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSStVGPPaLy5ahRE-k1gMd7-RP5OzZQGyOy34KVPI-1dMH71XvavahJshljdUb2QkUukwjfjf5xGWBgMVwRssExWCXEr3wZHrp0c7vuUhEFH1EuR0y8QoqKCvjnKm29qN5500-/s1600/2016-08-15+20.06.50.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSStVGPPaLy5ahRE-k1gMd7-RP5OzZQGyOy34KVPI-1dMH71XvavahJshljdUb2QkUukwjfjf5xGWBgMVwRssExWCXEr3wZHrp0c7vuUhEFH1EuR0y8QoqKCvjnKm29qN5500-/s400/2016-08-15+20.06.50.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
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After a week of Anders being able to spend time with Oskar, he is more excited about his little brother than he was before he was born.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IjYLqgZBLk5L7jOV3aNqQtJmxCAjMEkfPxO4sSypQk53uYMql-oBNaGz_lJzfmzKOT8ig5HMwRmyrX9J1Svwfl4l_dEKaGJK_K7aFyZBk9nbArpel36xjDVnu7P5dAZ17br5/s1600/7G2A9579.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IjYLqgZBLk5L7jOV3aNqQtJmxCAjMEkfPxO4sSypQk53uYMql-oBNaGz_lJzfmzKOT8ig5HMwRmyrX9J1Svwfl4l_dEKaGJK_K7aFyZBk9nbArpel36xjDVnu7P5dAZ17br5/s400/7G2A9579.JPG" width="267" height="400" /></a><br />
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Anytime he is around, he tries to give his brother kisses and tells him how cute he is. If we had any doubts about how Anders would handle no longer being the only child, they have now been thoroughly dispelled.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6n8rVHPF2WqgQ2qFzwh6v0xDKTpyvWyUlENIRyyRTlvfgfQ1Hm0B6iQI9vmh1mxeFQt4ixXe77laEjgCAFQQxLMIDjKOPY3LEyTJttWl6oRUK_1jBvbTrTA8v7QNzrwE-B9Qf/s1600/7G2A9835.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6n8rVHPF2WqgQ2qFzwh6v0xDKTpyvWyUlENIRyyRTlvfgfQ1Hm0B6iQI9vmh1mxeFQt4ixXe77laEjgCAFQQxLMIDjKOPY3LEyTJttWl6oRUK_1jBvbTrTA8v7QNzrwE-B9Qf/s400/7G2A9835.JPG" width="267" height="400" /></a><br />
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<hr><br />
Since Oskar was born early, we had a bonus 0th birthday party for him on his official due date! Anders insisted. And since <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-0th-birthday.html">Anders also had a 0th birthday party</a>, it seemed only fair. Plus, cake.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDEtxaF270cjH9a9C83cdXb6fQJ6kBSFClxxdn4jklFG-I6aOETIxxvyP7EgFB23fQbAaNwpV5MuR-wAe_liq-_cmqFa-KTOSpU9j_bVnoeEdHIXsvFdD7ARFEPhCuW6dm0Xd/s1600/7G2A9921.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDEtxaF270cjH9a9C83cdXb6fQJ6kBSFClxxdn4jklFG-I6aOETIxxvyP7EgFB23fQbAaNwpV5MuR-wAe_liq-_cmqFa-KTOSpU9j_bVnoeEdHIXsvFdD7ARFEPhCuW6dm0Xd/s400/7G2A9921.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgzxug6nUggY6H-dW0m6vLjDir9yTWiTRZLbiNMy95N608Mupe3jimp_5ygXIiH8QDCbsYaiA-HhE6hCGZA6SPNzsMPflfzZQby-EL-2EyOJ20MCGNHxHfZ2XBtXH7T1Uvkj8/s1600/OskarBirthdayNote.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMgzxug6nUggY6H-dW0m6vLjDir9yTWiTRZLbiNMy95N608Mupe3jimp_5ygXIiH8QDCbsYaiA-HhE6hCGZA6SPNzsMPflfzZQby-EL-2EyOJ20MCGNHxHfZ2XBtXH7T1Uvkj8/s400/OskarBirthdayNote.jpg" width="400" height="314" /></a><br />
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Anders made the decorations. Unfortunately for Oskar, he can only appreciate the cake second-hand.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKCfzEafXnlcGZHR0eoy7Cfk9AdQhDDgBSAecWlDZzAcTOOJMD1yx1VCp5K33BezMZdhft2aSu6fSHB17ePQdP7gQHJ4nqHWv1xJJAhMueGT2Fubj7zyp7Z2jvUt_NovBa2YP/s1600/7G2A9947.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLKCfzEafXnlcGZHR0eoy7Cfk9AdQhDDgBSAecWlDZzAcTOOJMD1yx1VCp5K33BezMZdhft2aSu6fSHB17ePQdP7gQHJ4nqHWv1xJJAhMueGT2Fubj7zyp7Z2jvUt_NovBa2YP/s400/7G2A9947.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpbkG7EctPGILMeeSVVIoqUGoaUgcnff_2xbkAgvwO_Py1u1Rf34lS8sQHaSeOHbIcGOSs__-cTfUet66ekOLv56PqXPpazBkAnOXoWZEVNjbriB4YrBvAyroy0hFCHquEpPS/s1600/7G2A9877.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpbkG7EctPGILMeeSVVIoqUGoaUgcnff_2xbkAgvwO_Py1u1Rf34lS8sQHaSeOHbIcGOSs__-cTfUet66ekOLv56PqXPpazBkAnOXoWZEVNjbriB4YrBvAyroy0hFCHquEpPS/s400/7G2A9877.jpg" width="267" height="400" /></a><br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBmph533lakSHWHMgQbF3adePBbXQ1STD4BuRAOLC2PplUPVJ5IvhsZ7dRsOF1MlkUwX2U2A22xswzC8nT-e5DU7uxlc367lEFDIFb1y57cR1hiyldZCegldCuQ2YWj7PettK/s1600/7G2A9787.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBmph533lakSHWHMgQbF3adePBbXQ1STD4BuRAOLC2PplUPVJ5IvhsZ7dRsOF1MlkUwX2U2A22xswzC8nT-e5DU7uxlc367lEFDIFb1y57cR1hiyldZCegldCuQ2YWj7PettK/s400/7G2A9787.JPG" width="267" height="400" /></a><br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZTf3uyn6nVFZRZPZE8LFQEl3x9mJRhQsX4hh1xMoApfCFBWJslHlRelBz5dUnOLemXLzbA7pgrjG4Ixqw0sIUvPKto71GTR-wRk-RYKnbBOpkzk6MB6JefqYdqRr1A9NtbbK/s1600/7G2A9810.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZTf3uyn6nVFZRZPZE8LFQEl3x9mJRhQsX4hh1xMoApfCFBWJslHlRelBz5dUnOLemXLzbA7pgrjG4Ixqw0sIUvPKto71GTR-wRk-RYKnbBOpkzk6MB6JefqYdqRr1A9NtbbK/s400/7G2A9810.JPG" width="267" height="400" /></a><br />
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Happy 0th Birthday, Oskar!<br />
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- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and OskarMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-86223858667255330932016-08-14T14:22:00.000-07:002016-09-01T22:06:54.607-07:0033/52 - First Week HomeWith excitement and a bit of trepidation, we left the hospital with Oskar and headed home on our own.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspfr_euOTrDBG251AG29hYsN6vaILd_f5wloFodncw5REcLYJqQjR1SMlu2k1774S8U9pSeJc5-ppS7ew_iTfhQ8qOjbOggVJuNla8PT1ji89T-bHomzI2FGygGJuKGNZ_UH-/s1600/IMG_3625.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspfr_euOTrDBG251AG29hYsN6vaILd_f5wloFodncw5REcLYJqQjR1SMlu2k1774S8U9pSeJc5-ppS7ew_iTfhQ8qOjbOggVJuNla8PT1ji89T-bHomzI2FGygGJuKGNZ_UH-/s400/IMG_3625.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
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Our first task was introducing him to his brother, who had waited all week back in Trout Lake with Grandma Donna. Anders has been really excited to have a brother. He has always loved little babies and has a nurturing personality. After the initial introduction - which didn't take long, given how little Oskar has to contribute to the interaction at this point - Anders immediately went into helper mode. He helped setup Oskar's bed (the pack-n-play we had for Anders), retrieved burp cloths, and anything else we asked. "Mom, can I get you anything?" "Mom, what do you need?" "I can do that." This was a good start!<br />
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Corinne summed up the first overnight at home pretty accurately: "That was challenging." Oskar didn't sleep for more than about an hour at a time that first night. It turns out that he had day/night reversal, which is just what it sounds like. He slept great during the day but restlessly and intermittently at night. This seemed to correlate with his activity in the womb; some of his most active times were just as we were getting into bed at night. The experts indicate that this usually resolves itself "in 2-3 weeks", but thankfully he seemed to settle in to an average of 2-2.5 hour blocks by about the third night. We won't be fooled this time around, though; we know that there will be many sleeping regressions in our future.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw-ICqWSX67h5G54wUjVbaXve3VpbT9ITEyNtfmbj0NndtkzWDJDfTbuYL7CKDxBi_r35brmV1_IQn37jH1g5p4BHDogb5-1jQeJFE6FttFptF9kURt3nrqKaHdUh3eOqe1Qe/s1600/IMG_3610.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw-ICqWSX67h5G54wUjVbaXve3VpbT9ITEyNtfmbj0NndtkzWDJDfTbuYL7CKDxBi_r35brmV1_IQn37jH1g5p4BHDogb5-1jQeJFE6FttFptF9kURt3nrqKaHdUh3eOqe1Qe/s400/IMG_3610.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
Daytime (of course)<br />
</div><br />
On the morning after that first challenging night, we all went to a parade! Another one of the differences between having the first and second child is that when you have your first, you can just drop everything and focus on the newborn. But the second time, you have another child that still has things he wants to do! That weekend was the <a href="http://www.troutlakefair.org/">Trout Lake Fair</a>, and Anders wanted to ride his bike in the parade. So we hauled all of us out for a hometown parade.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_IkseeGy7y-irES__fGZkZN3wb5yC-uf7xs9zZmp6qHPYcFaSPbDQXGMdPoERyX0oj2k00I1fVJ1Fxk9BJQcjlRDKBxrXMUtAlNulaC-oI8EzvlbdZOg3FNGcfHm-1QTPyE9/s1600/IMG_3674.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_IkseeGy7y-irES__fGZkZN3wb5yC-uf7xs9zZmp6qHPYcFaSPbDQXGMdPoERyX0oj2k00I1fVJ1Fxk9BJQcjlRDKBxrXMUtAlNulaC-oI8EzvlbdZOg3FNGcfHm-1QTPyE9/s400/IMG_3674.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Anders decorated his bike and brought some candy to toss along the route. But he didn't have a chance to practice his tossing technique: on his first toss attempt (which happened to be to us), the candy only landed about one foot from his bike and he almost crashed. Anders reports that his tossing improved by the end of the parade.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDoG7JSbwJoLxt4SpIBDJ88v91oZTDIVbwmZemW63sHMqK9Lnf45JZzkmPBJkY-_fzdw932OVOVoAvdUZ76ALG1ozAaITjCCmvl7uRF__F0oTZFgPUCxjonIAZHlJw0ltC575/s1600/IMG_3655.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDoG7JSbwJoLxt4SpIBDJ88v91oZTDIVbwmZemW63sHMqK9Lnf45JZzkmPBJkY-_fzdw932OVOVoAvdUZ76ALG1ozAaITjCCmvl7uRF__F0oTZFgPUCxjonIAZHlJw0ltC575/s400/IMG_3655.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
When it came time for the emergency vehicles, I covered Oskar's ears to mute the loud noises. He didn't seem to care one way or the other.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioiyldMzAybSTJV4zXloj-DAzHtr6ouB9h6wo7Bs-IXBneia2iqig_-AJx4Q0YsobaDG16Bh5LjMTasWCrpTp1fAJ1tMI2hcu1Srk2c4q0Cagi1h8IsaA9lzz61giD8NrJ7sD/s1600/2016-08-06+11.16.01+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiioiyldMzAybSTJV4zXloj-DAzHtr6ouB9h6wo7Bs-IXBneia2iqig_-AJx4Q0YsobaDG16Bh5LjMTasWCrpTp1fAJ1tMI2hcu1Srk2c4q0Cagi1h8IsaA9lzz61giD8NrJ7sD/s400/2016-08-06+11.16.01+HDR.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The Trout Lake Fair is a local fair, put on by and for the locals. For such a small community, there sure is a lot of creativity. This "float" was our favorite this year.<br />
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<div class="video"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zxS6MaF0fc8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxS6MaF0fc8">Watch this video on YouTube</a> <br />
or in the <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/08/3352-first-week-home.html">original post</a><br />
</div><br />
After the parade, Anders and I stayed for the rest of the fair while the rest of the crew went home to relax since Corinne is on restricted duty for 6-weeks, to recover from the surgery. Just getting everyone to the parade was a major accomplishment!<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnEQaCO0cpfGb6DTRCOeMwW-AnDERKH3b9Go4T-btVKySbKMqIwmLxrdkZ1n3_ia5AIF0YqGQddcESMURfQf6HjdBG4K3UzUnTsB7piaqLXLgYzJfkY1Y0Sy8ltn4ycperVib/s1600/IMG_3679.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnEQaCO0cpfGb6DTRCOeMwW-AnDERKH3b9Go4T-btVKySbKMqIwmLxrdkZ1n3_ia5AIF0YqGQddcESMURfQf6HjdBG4K3UzUnTsB7piaqLXLgYzJfkY1Y0Sy8ltn4ycperVib/s400/IMG_3679.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
Anders climbing up to run the zipline<br />
</div><br />
For the entire first week home, Grandma Donna stayed with us, helping with whatever needed to be done (lots of laundry and dishes). Thanks!<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XlvAAA4MnUnfu-OctRRqenKzQvmzrlQgs9IK77PeabC8DuBccpWMXvfXwkP39V5A9CKHBXcKeJ4IQEwWuTYbKrjGBEhhRChlSwStUaYR-j_mYPOPHeYm5bXP1x_iCIKqXyi-/s1600/2016-08-07+14.02.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XlvAAA4MnUnfu-OctRRqenKzQvmzrlQgs9IK77PeabC8DuBccpWMXvfXwkP39V5A9CKHBXcKeJ4IQEwWuTYbKrjGBEhhRChlSwStUaYR-j_mYPOPHeYm5bXP1x_iCIKqXyi-/s400/2016-08-07+14.02.31.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
Babies make so much laundry<br />
</div><br />
About halfway through that first week, Grandma Lee (my mom) arrived on a short visit before her National Parks tour. She made the plans a year ago but added on a short visit at the beginning of the trip "just in case" there was a new baby to see. She got lucky. We'll see her again for a few more days at the end of her trip.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EIvph0WeBi2pT6MazaBxxoiqBM1-rNXHO4gEDENeGddmU7nhTqqah1qB51RivQa1qK5k4_8DZdTYhtVavVZWl_jff_M5Bit-XAde-PukOYdQHpt8Sx2Jov001lIVOYSgqQWe/s1600/7G2A9479.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7EIvph0WeBi2pT6MazaBxxoiqBM1-rNXHO4gEDENeGddmU7nhTqqah1qB51RivQa1qK5k4_8DZdTYhtVavVZWl_jff_M5Bit-XAde-PukOYdQHpt8Sx2Jov001lIVOYSgqQWe/s400/7G2A9479.JPG" width="299" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-tLrwMdHxsLgF9-fvdI4BadHfolR0tffmCLFT3TGMy1JjGGcNIGqOA66pTpnDhxmUjCwWu4OrFqBK7L9_PWnRgY47V9Jy5sYNLmVW9zMYCt3JY6-vhAn_Di0G321_b9SRKY_/s1600/7G2A9495.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-tLrwMdHxsLgF9-fvdI4BadHfolR0tffmCLFT3TGMy1JjGGcNIGqOA66pTpnDhxmUjCwWu4OrFqBK7L9_PWnRgY47V9Jy5sYNLmVW9zMYCt3JY6-vhAn_Di0G321_b9SRKY_/s400/7G2A9495.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
At this point, newborns spend 95% of their time eating and sleeping. They are most expressive while sleeping (and dreaming) as they move the muscles that will be used to create their voluntary facial expressions in the near future.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Rudo8op2ZWYDQ5Xqm78q1rTNuW82vHbTybwxMcIrtY1Ca63Y1L21QqxShtrnrCkBbdCEhq1Acth8IELgCeA4alY-t8PmWRAk5aHhK-30UhCtdFHpM4WqXXu1G_wTBgAvHBtC/s1600/7G2A9404.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Rudo8op2ZWYDQ5Xqm78q1rTNuW82vHbTybwxMcIrtY1Ca63Y1L21QqxShtrnrCkBbdCEhq1Acth8IELgCeA4alY-t8PmWRAk5aHhK-30UhCtdFHpM4WqXXu1G_wTBgAvHBtC/s400/7G2A9404.JPG" width="267" height="400" /></a><br />
Practicing his smile<br />
</div><br />
Here are a few things we have learned in our first week home as a family of four:<br />
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<ul><li>Changing a diaper and getting a bath are tantamount to torture, but peeing on your own face isn't worth even noticing.</li>
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<li>Saving those bins-and-bins of baby clothes, toys, and gadgets was useful after all. It is much easier to pull out something you already have than to spend an hour researching which one to buy.</li>
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<li>Anders really does enjoy being a big brother. Sometime in the first few days home, he gave Corinne a spontaneous hug and said "Thanks for giving us Oskar."</li>
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<li>We really can do this. No matter how many times we thought "yes, we really do want another child", there's always another voice saying "You're too old and set in your ways!" "Two kids is much harder than one!" "It'll ruin everything!" So far, so good. :)</li>
</ul><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAlkeP6pKs1yUbZEA60jdMkuUuM3wpgt7_VdhVwW4zGYGIR_v4ZdAWz3ms4oduKieh5HG0ljMyeus2grl02YE3uWYv-HvrJzqp29sd5Ia7wix1_IRpBL5wAbcnL4PpaZ3oduN/s1600/IMG_3612.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAlkeP6pKs1yUbZEA60jdMkuUuM3wpgt7_VdhVwW4zGYGIR_v4ZdAWz3ms4oduKieh5HG0ljMyeus2grl02YE3uWYv-HvrJzqp29sd5Ia7wix1_IRpBL5wAbcnL4PpaZ3oduN/s400/IMG_3612.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
All in all, a successful first week!<br />
<br />
- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and OskarMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-68475620279854063382016-08-07T22:30:00.000-07:002016-08-17T20:37:10.504-07:0032/52 - Start of a New EonNow that we've had a few days to recover from the big change in our lives, here is the story of Eon's arrival.<br />
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The baby had been breech since early May, with no signs of moving on his own. When the ultrasound at what would be our last weekly prenatal visit showed that he was, indeed, still in the same position, we decided that we would schedule an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/External_cephalic_version">External Cephalic Version (ECV)</a> (aka <em>version</em>, aka <em>turning the baby</em>) for as soon as possible. Waiting longer only increased the chance that Corinne would go into labor and we would have little choice but to do an emergency C-section. Medical protocol required that we wait until 37 weeks into the pregnancy, so we scheduled for the first available day just 3 days later, on Monday.<br />
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Over the weekend, Corinne made a point to take it easy, avoiding exerting herself as much as possible. The last thing we wanted was for her to go into labor before we had a chance to attempt the turn! Meanwhile, Anders and I took a break from baby prep to visit the Hood River County Fair.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWwMpgsQn64rtqlT0I-hkhyNZ405Y7U6xYp0PNCr1XEdINsJXhGV1e-Wh8RcLdXthfNCs9DCr74VKT0C6_-kT2RFEj2336bosq4FQQNrfO4nm0f4unZanG0-Hs8WTLiG6F4x0/s1600/2016-07-30+20.51.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdWwMpgsQn64rtqlT0I-hkhyNZ405Y7U6xYp0PNCr1XEdINsJXhGV1e-Wh8RcLdXthfNCs9DCr74VKT0C6_-kT2RFEj2336bosq4FQQNrfO4nm0f4unZanG0-Hs8WTLiG6F4x0/s400/2016-07-30+20.51.40.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Thankfully, Monday arrived and the baby hadn't. Since there is always a chance that the version could either induce labor or stress the baby, preparations are made for a C-section, just in case. Therefore Corinne couldn't eat or drink anything starting that morning. After an acupuncture appointment in the morning - also intended to help the baby turn - we departed for the hospital with our overnight bags and infant car seat, just in case.<br />
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Corinne was hooked up to an IV for a few hours before the version to rehydrate her, then the doc arrived around 4pm to start the ECV. I'd never seen one before, but it looks like what it is: trying to push the baby around with your hands.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMVrEreR_HVoUhT_dygaaM2m0fMOiybmGe25_dNMG53sWH3m_pGSVzu1H5rBfy1vvHv3nnmqa6huP7pQcZc0hi-C5FWzWtbkncGRienrpgXgicCBohxGYd0mx_ndGtnItspKD/s1600/2016-08-01+16.45.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMVrEreR_HVoUhT_dygaaM2m0fMOiybmGe25_dNMG53sWH3m_pGSVzu1H5rBfy1vvHv3nnmqa6huP7pQcZc0hi-C5FWzWtbkncGRienrpgXgicCBohxGYd0mx_ndGtnItspKD/s400/2016-08-01+16.45.28.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Our doctor tried turning him one direction, then the other. After about 30 minutes, she declared the version unsuccessful. Both Corinne and the baby were monitored during the whole procedure, and the nurses continuously commented that "the baby was happy". Corinne's monitors, however, showed that she had some mild contractions even before the ECV had started. She couldn't feel them beforehand, but after the version attempt she started to feel them. Our doc wanted to monitor her for a couple hours before deciding what to do, though we both started to get the sense that we probably wouldn't be going home that day.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqauo1Dq2QsHAhyphenhyphen6f_SS-avmJ8TXEFgn-7blzToz0pHbGtKXL4lMB8ffJ9KRGX2dfwH0qMhPcy6d5nitLCtQGI8n5yYRNX3FMg7Nk4hJAiAbCDcxTlUdz2PUxYftZBUlIeoCrg/s1600/2016-08-01+18.42.13+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqauo1Dq2QsHAhyphenhyphen6f_SS-avmJ8TXEFgn-7blzToz0pHbGtKXL4lMB8ffJ9KRGX2dfwH0qMhPcy6d5nitLCtQGI8n5yYRNX3FMg7Nk4hJAiAbCDcxTlUdz2PUxYftZBUlIeoCrg/s400/2016-08-01+18.42.13+HDR.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
Waiting, waiting through mild contractions...<br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQcPtfYr5x7NT8oKGwQdz39LqE2U8iX0KmBm25XVxUjENggh2JVuiclNM7Kz_0DMWZ4YZIyR0W2VWjTwieKf_XLZ_nTBh4l-gxjbnOuDI6llH9WVeCnesQgykFfmi2X81Rr_z/s1600/2016-08-01+18.42.42-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQcPtfYr5x7NT8oKGwQdz39LqE2U8iX0KmBm25XVxUjENggh2JVuiclNM7Kz_0DMWZ4YZIyR0W2VWjTwieKf_XLZ_nTBh4l-gxjbnOuDI6llH9WVeCnesQgykFfmi2X81Rr_z/s400/2016-08-01+18.42.42-1.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
Working while waiting in what would turn out to be our home for the next 4 days<br />
</div><br />
Two hours later, Corinne was still having mild contractions and was slightly dilated. A few more hours later at 11pm, with contractions still present and dilation progressing, the path was clear: we were having a C-section that night. Just 45 minutes later while on the operating table waiting for the start of the surgery, her water broke, thereby confirming the wisdom of that decision. No turning back now!<br />
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Once the procedure had started, it took only about 10 minutes for Oskar to emerge at 12:24am on Tuesday morning. For the sake of the squeamish readers out there - not to mention Corinne - I will leave out the details of the C-section procedure itself. I will say that it was very cool to be able to watch. I guess all of those medical dramas and graphic horror movies finally came in handy; I was fine.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SzmMffOEgIFOyaqjc6gePoxnSI_ChtAUP0ZhDYl4OOACmkLDPfvBWLqTpMjEmcWD4Ul26mhAM0LibVMxh9Myp-cdlMmId57GFQzec79ue4-jFIsSCS2vSGk3Xm8gBCR8qllj/s1600/2016-08-02+00.56.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SzmMffOEgIFOyaqjc6gePoxnSI_ChtAUP0ZhDYl4OOACmkLDPfvBWLqTpMjEmcWD4Ul26mhAM0LibVMxh9Myp-cdlMmId57GFQzec79ue4-jFIsSCS2vSGk3Xm8gBCR8qllj/s400/2016-08-02+00.56.55.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
During the operation, they did discover the most probable reason for why he wouldn't turn: the umbilical cord was fairly short, somewhere less than 18 inches long. Between that and his breech position, we are pretty thankful that it all happened the way it did. We are pretty sure that Corinne had started labor before the version. By already being at the hospital that day, everything was calm and procedural. We didn't have the stress of deciding when to leave home or whether to make the 1.5 hour drive to our preferred doctor; given how she presented in the hospital, the labor would likely have progressed pretty quickly.<br />
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C-sections are a mixed blessing. They are sometimes the only option (like in our situation) and involve less pain during the delivery, but the trade-off is a much longer recovery time. It is a fairly invasive surgery, after all. We would be in the hospital until at least Thursday so that the hospital staff could monitor both patients. Oskar did have an orange pall, indicative of possible jaundice. But <a href="https://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2008/09/first-week.html">unlike with Anders</a>, Oskar's bilirubin (the substance that makes him orange) never reached the level requiring any light therapy. On his 2nd day, Oskar's temperature and blood sugar were low but those were resolved over the next day.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLle3lujouJXCCLldgpn9f53NSC7COlQuOlLdxeGHXFxSXS3TofshTD1jAM49Dq_naV6D8EtyCWDryaZ5_tsGTSw-nn2i6AwJ2drNp8dPMgt9f7v86RDocN57RUESiDUjY6NiN/s1600/2016-08-02+18.32.39.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLle3lujouJXCCLldgpn9f53NSC7COlQuOlLdxeGHXFxSXS3TofshTD1jAM49Dq_naV6D8EtyCWDryaZ5_tsGTSw-nn2i6AwJ2drNp8dPMgt9f7v86RDocN57RUESiDUjY6NiN/s400/2016-08-02+18.32.39.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04b632ZwBcTHd0V0xjWjbQc53GIx1idN3j_y-bR5NOkCgbL7yknQ84Zsn_GEHN7RQT4W569ED1GZ70qCoZEMXwC4ojab_K8B8aWteyBXQfx4s5-l3g4iDWBLHuxnrmYwlm8ov/s1600/IMG_3598.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04b632ZwBcTHd0V0xjWjbQc53GIx1idN3j_y-bR5NOkCgbL7yknQ84Zsn_GEHN7RQT4W569ED1GZ70qCoZEMXwC4ojab_K8B8aWteyBXQfx4s5-l3g4iDWBLHuxnrmYwlm8ov/s400/IMG_3598.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The hospital is certified as <a href="https://www.babyfriendlyusa.org/about-us/baby-friendly-hospital-initiative">Baby-Friendly</a>, which among other things meant that Oskar stayed with us in our room for the whole visit.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5Kyz7bNa_xmNlML9QRvD6DlSDrfEaG6-e11vay8okR4jem2XXtkuIwHUERTERilpKx69RRpioWxRLuwwDWnOVzTZ4LqxXEZ6eXV1dmE-vmcLF2Zg80oYBdrcJKemzhNEf9po/s1600/2016-08-04+15.45.46+HDR.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5Kyz7bNa_xmNlML9QRvD6DlSDrfEaG6-e11vay8okR4jem2XXtkuIwHUERTERilpKx69RRpioWxRLuwwDWnOVzTZ4LqxXEZ6eXV1dmE-vmcLF2Zg80oYBdrcJKemzhNEf9po/s400/2016-08-04+15.45.46+HDR.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
Enjoying a double-nap<br />
</div><br />
We were in the hospital through Friday, staying an extra day to allow for additional Oskar monitoring and to fix his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankyloglossia">ankyloglossia, aka tongue-tie</a>. His tongue ended up being fixed with a simple scissor snip that made Corinne cry even though Oskar barely noticed.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPZfS_JqXYHTba_epF8EYgnUcKFEaic4Eoeaf622wHXFwHNGTI3mR4_em-mtlKaNXENvAM60NXeCntVlkQUu641huYEniC0_GLEARY6x7D7Xz9N9SFE9JjgbkaQDiQfz35l8E/s1600/IMG_3586.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPZfS_JqXYHTba_epF8EYgnUcKFEaic4Eoeaf622wHXFwHNGTI3mR4_em-mtlKaNXENvAM60NXeCntVlkQUu641huYEniC0_GLEARY6x7D7Xz9N9SFE9JjgbkaQDiQfz35l8E/s400/IMG_3586.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We had wonderful nurses and became pretty friendly with them. As it happened, during our stay the hospital was doing a promotional video about one of the nurses and the educational program through which she became a nurse. We got to be part of the shoot! The hospital makes souvenir (aka not a legal document) birth certificates with the baby's footprint; we received an extra one signed by the film crew.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyO6VazG2mlyF3VYQ87wEQOH_tbBNQWjbtioyzso76JGy3Z3yIoTYBHVPTA4pkGsrfWalyoqqUjsVeLY1u60_lDoyS8kneBvnPF9rApsEOM26k_eh1HiZpqJp5-hQLgbbDn3pt/s1600/13937835_1123448047725417_5491060785876992905_o.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyO6VazG2mlyF3VYQ87wEQOH_tbBNQWjbtioyzso76JGy3Z3yIoTYBHVPTA4pkGsrfWalyoqqUjsVeLY1u60_lDoyS8kneBvnPF9rApsEOM26k_eh1HiZpqJp5-hQLgbbDn3pt/s400/13937835_1123448047725417_5491060785876992905_o.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlqV4QJQs5zCtv47UjQkZQ5ONzg4wJC_FtHp46XGW64Dl9TBGzQAowgxK_QNTILovzvQEiYnfOLVm0yd7EWu-_aE37hAs-f-JvdVYBCQ85q6xdwf2Egc6vCb9Jgs_gBbfn0t4/s1600/2016-08-04+12.17.55.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlqV4QJQs5zCtv47UjQkZQ5ONzg4wJC_FtHp46XGW64Dl9TBGzQAowgxK_QNTILovzvQEiYnfOLVm0yd7EWu-_aE37hAs-f-JvdVYBCQ85q6xdwf2Egc6vCb9Jgs_gBbfn0t4/s400/2016-08-04+12.17.55.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The final video and still photos should be available sometime in the next couple months; we'll post them when they are. It was great fun!<br />
<br />
Finally, on Friday we were cleared to go home. Now the real journey begins.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02RvgYnm7Sc6ZHKOtlQIrZ2L7KslIX5wJ70FkYKx2HLziRDHaPaCkiJWZsAiM70wdZIQ-alk62128TezjtGnHKsHDZRAHKJEMqS0jXOclhHI39qz_1xFhnlnWAJ0HD6ioQLYW/s1600/2016-08-05+13.35.28.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg02RvgYnm7Sc6ZHKOtlQIrZ2L7KslIX5wJ70FkYKx2HLziRDHaPaCkiJWZsAiM70wdZIQ-alk62128TezjtGnHKsHDZRAHKJEMqS0jXOclhHI39qz_1xFhnlnWAJ0HD6ioQLYW/s400/2016-08-05+13.35.28.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6dQd-AlAVFzI_pxARIWlsdDddLivCN7F5chjQSKL2b9GmPqpnPdMqKintqTl4vgaOyO0xuxPVmEBKKub3CzLKQ8McuOFrIAfySKIqGX5Dl1QwaqoUj8HNl3jk0yNEGRrY_ST/s1600/2016-08-05+13.48.04+HDR.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6dQd-AlAVFzI_pxARIWlsdDddLivCN7F5chjQSKL2b9GmPqpnPdMqKintqTl4vgaOyO0xuxPVmEBKKub3CzLKQ8McuOFrIAfySKIqGX5Dl1QwaqoUj8HNl3jk0yNEGRrY_ST/s400/2016-08-05+13.48.04+HDR.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and OskarMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-21486188325107523642016-08-07T18:01:00.002-07:002016-08-07T18:01:54.680-07:00Introducing...We have chosen a name! Introducing... <br />
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<div class="image"><h2>Oskar Eon Balto Ilvedson Daly</h2><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OG1NDY9ACMXdXIlhu1n7ahRzDrL7TS8VNAzjiSBNwG4ytg9PIkV2YK7EMfrI2gB1nsrmDMpiKn87FUlkq7WVkP0T2UK5QeQXsSJY3AuV4AHyYc6xJ-LnL6OTQxkJqz0XjGHd/s1600/2016-08-009.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OG1NDY9ACMXdXIlhu1n7ahRzDrL7TS8VNAzjiSBNwG4ytg9PIkV2YK7EMfrI2gB1nsrmDMpiKn87FUlkq7WVkP0T2UK5QeQXsSJY3AuV4AHyYc6xJ-LnL6OTQxkJqz0XjGHd/s400/2016-08-009.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Yes, you read that right: he has three middle names. We are those parents, the 21st century version of '60s hippie parents who named their child Sunshine Rainbow Flower Blossom.<br />
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<b>Oskar</b> is a solid Scandinavian name, particularly with the <em>K</em> spelling (which shouldn't trip up American's trying to pronounce it). Anders and Oskar sound great as a pair, and we liked the Α to Ω aspect of the two names together. Oskar was also the name of Corinne's paternal grandfather who immigrated from Norway in the early 20th century. It is more popular in the US than Anders - #181 (for the American spelling Oscar) vs #745 (for Anders) in 2014 - but still uncommon enough that he might be the only Oskar (or Oscar) in his school.<br />
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<b>Eon</b> is where our real nerd shows through. We set ourselves a pretty high bar for interesting names with <em>Anders Rocket</em>, and we wanted to stay with a science or space middle name. Eon is just cool. Scientifically, it means a billion years, or more colloquially, a really long time. This reflects how long we have worked and waited for him to arrive. It also is used to mark astronomical time periods, and this certainly qualifies as major line of demarcation in the life of our family. Thanks to Jason & Tara for the awesome suggestion!<br />
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<b>Balto</b> is a name Anders chose, based on a book he had just read about <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balto">Balto, the sled dog</a>. Balto (the dog) was actually named after Norwegian-Sami explorer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Balto">Samuel Balto</a> who helped explore Greenland, so it even fit with our overall theme. We have a college friend whose parents let each of their kids provide one middle name to each of their younger siblings, so that put the idea in our head to use Anders's suggestion in that way. If Anders had his way, his brother would be named <em>Balto Asteroid Ilvedson Daly</em>.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyBI37PJwVNvEbReOxOxHT5vyCgZYK5p_-Rz8httCeXt4NBEQZ_UqgOLO6A48WbPDizZOAM2cA1IqYfOdFXeSV0sG3akp4rBAkkr7FOoTvi10ol5t1rB9lAmPsfM-nWJkTV2_/s1600/2016-08-02+18.32.34.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyBI37PJwVNvEbReOxOxHT5vyCgZYK5p_-Rz8httCeXt4NBEQZ_UqgOLO6A48WbPDizZOAM2cA1IqYfOdFXeSV0sG3akp4rBAkkr7FOoTvi10ol5t1rB9lAmPsfM-nWJkTV2_/s400/2016-08-02+18.32.34.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGf9tEo9iuK0qowmXjo9dMk5BzE2W9_fzd1Mp_7gMOdp1o71ViRT2C29J9qGKHGUnge_7y-SO9X8gF6gQcJxTpe7O9YD-PX0y0zqjLj-8GKXIRSVAhpucfhmCq2W4kfpt2dPR_/s1600/IMG_3597.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGf9tEo9iuK0qowmXjo9dMk5BzE2W9_fzd1Mp_7gMOdp1o71ViRT2C29J9qGKHGUnge_7y-SO9X8gF6gQcJxTpe7O9YD-PX0y0zqjLj-8GKXIRSVAhpucfhmCq2W4kfpt2dPR_/s400/IMG_3597.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Thanks to everyone who made suggestions in the naming contest! They were lots of fun to read and did inspire our final choice. We'll do a separate post with the naming contest winners.<br />
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- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and OskarMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-70408319256084132282016-08-02T12:43:00.000-07:002016-08-02T12:44:20.245-07:00Here's The Baby!On Monday, we went to Mt. Hood Medical Center to attempt to manually turn our breech baby. The turning didn't work, but remember that part where we said there was <i><a href="https://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/07/3152-whens-baby.html">a small risk that attempts to turn the baby may cause us to actually deliver</a></i>? Well, guess what?<br />
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We are delighted to announce that our baby boy has arrived!<br />
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Name: <b><em>Baby Eon</em><sup>1</sup></b><br />
Weight: <b>6lbs 5oz</b><br />
Length: <b>19.5 inches long</b><br />
Born: <b>August 2, 2016 at 12:24am</b><br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcOX097BfkYCssBu-raMxEgFWEw3w5BI9nmbP9ijibj889tg52DmUsADefz1taV0rxr9Bg0IWSwdYz7x71m_XZtcv_AIGEBauL1QkF8X1UF-uit9alPsYX_AecAQ53MbuxtP9/s1600/2016-08-02+10.11.33+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcOX097BfkYCssBu-raMxEgFWEw3w5BI9nmbP9ijibj889tg52DmUsADefz1taV0rxr9Bg0IWSwdYz7x71m_XZtcv_AIGEBauL1QkF8X1UF-uit9alPsYX_AecAQ53MbuxtP9/s400/2016-08-02+10.11.33+HDR.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Mom and baby are both doing well. We'll save the rest of the story for later. But for now, enjoy this photo of our "splayed chicken", about 10 hours old. (Breech babies often look that way.)<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJri0A8Bh2KwvE6zB7ow28ZcMCmOB9CeD7v5rflwU5rFjkp4QEoRtmvGDcrvWKsrohDXxPR4EzZnGJLLqZ5GExx1piSLnDSKvJ_-BbEMrP0ScGIEPP5CXnAXzFneDbdejoNX2/s1600/IMG_3583.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJri0A8Bh2KwvE6zB7ow28ZcMCmOB9CeD7v5rflwU5rFjkp4QEoRtmvGDcrvWKsrohDXxPR4EzZnGJLLqZ5GExx1piSLnDSKvJ_-BbEMrP0ScGIEPP5CXnAXzFneDbdejoNX2/s400/IMG_3583.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and "Baby Eon"<br />
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<sup>1</sup> Eon is what we have chosen to call the baby until we make a final decision on his real name.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-54807733369687392302016-07-31T09:08:00.000-07:002016-07-31T23:11:58.401-07:0031/52 - When's The Baby?As of July 31st, we have entered week 37 of this pregnancy: officially full term. Hooray! We're still driving in to Portland every week for monitoring and ultrasounds. Baby is approximately 47% percentile overall, with an estimated weight last week around 5 lbs, 11 oz. We're in the home stretch, and everything still looks good (mostly - see August 1).<br />
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Probably the most common question that an expectant family gets is this: When is your due date? For us, that answer for us is easy: August 20, about three weeks away. But while that is the question people ask, it isn't really the question that people want answered. What they really want to know is: When will the baby arrive? That is, of course, a question that is much more difficult to answer with any certainty. But here is what we know...<br />
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<b>Wednesday, July 27</b><br />
Anders was born at 36.5 weeks, just shy of full term. If this baby had only made it that far, he would have arrived last week.<br />
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<b>Monday, August 1</b><br />
This baby is breech. The normal position for delivery is head down, and most babies naturally orient themselves that way as the delivery approaches. But ours has not. He's been hanging out hammock-style for the last two and a half months with no signs of turning on his own. On Monday, we will be trying to manually turn him, and by "we" I mean our doctor and a group of specialists, of course. There's a small risk that the attempts to turn the baby may cause us to actually deliver - but hopefully not.<br />
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<b>Saturday, August 13th</b><br />
This is when we reach 39 weeks. As a consequence of "advanced maternal age" (i.e. over 35...), our doctor recommends scheduling a delivery for some time this week.<br />
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<b>Saturday, August 20th</b><br />
40 weeks, aka due date. It is very unlikely that the pregnancy will proceed this far.<br />
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Of course, the other question that people ask is about gender. We have <a href="https://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/03/big-reveal.html">known the answer for some time</a>, but here is an ultrasound photo from a recent visit just in case.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvLG5XZ_KfPOm5trN9vr4nAI3kEhhFZs3zrluTXCTGQNcGF7OrzwKE0_W1jcxjert0rFmCNY9KbKDDuVQtKnwpblYxrfqM1Jqxhnd2wKtryYlac1EUWYA8S2h5zr4hIEH8wtZ/s1600/Scrotum+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvLG5XZ_KfPOm5trN9vr4nAI3kEhhFZs3zrluTXCTGQNcGF7OrzwKE0_W1jcxjert0rFmCNY9KbKDDuVQtKnwpblYxrfqM1Jqxhnd2wKtryYlac1EUWYA8S2h5zr4hIEH8wtZ/s400/Scrotum+1.jpg" width="400" height="286" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Meanwhile, we're doing the last minute planning and packing. We've made progress on choosing a name, down-selecting from the original list of ~200 down to a final 10. The newly arrived infant car seat is loaded in the car (the one we saved from when Anders was a baby had expired - doh!), and we're packing our hospital bags.<br />
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Wish us luck!<br />
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- Mike, Corinne, Anders and ??Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-67173797666613864612016-07-24T22:16:00.000-07:002016-08-22T12:38:42.397-07:0030/52 - Milk Truck AccidentWe live in beautiful country surrounded by farming, with open irrigation ditches snaking through the valley along many of the roads. There are several organic dairies, so it is a common sight see <a href="http://www.lynden.com/mw/">Milky Way dairy tankers</a> picking up the product multiple times per day. But sometimes things don't go according to plan, like when milk trucks and irrigation ditches meet.<br />
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This past Saturday, we got a call from our neighbor saying that there was a "milk truck accident", and that there may be milk leaking into the irrigation ditch. As I went out to turn off our pump in an effort to keep any milk from entering our sprinklers, I could already tell that it was too late; the yard smelled like milk. When I reached our settling pond, I saw the first visual confirmation.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSx83kGQU4ZmfkywCtFCJj4X9CcCTW0fty4rbTI_Cdf9VPIB-pg1tGH3rCMb0PdkZmRCQ086u3HH6GrkJ8f_TN1zSpGxD4oY-gBWpY1QpgjuTvYobcLDmSJPZ4lJieJL4ey3vg/s1600/2016-07-23+15.20.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSx83kGQU4ZmfkywCtFCJj4X9CcCTW0fty4rbTI_Cdf9VPIB-pg1tGH3rCMb0PdkZmRCQ086u3HH6GrkJ8f_TN1zSpGxD4oY-gBWpY1QpgjuTvYobcLDmSJPZ4lJieJL4ey3vg/s400/2016-07-23+15.20.04.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
This isn't supposed to be white.<br />
</div><br />
I hopped on my bike to see if I could find the source of the spill. About a half mile up the road, the flashing lights lead me to the scene of the accident. It would have been hard to miss.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctf-zvrrDNlz1jffEDhAKF09hcYJujaQrF4xVKgiZG_g-wN1b3yZFGie7Hyk0prYhyphenhyphenYPLvXBGlKBil3t6JGbIpdsz-CXp1Fk4g4bSGwNTo9dUwEl0lJUcmPHZQnjp8slPqjyQ/s1600/2016-07-23+17.13.25+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctf-zvrrDNlz1jffEDhAKF09hcYJujaQrF4xVKgiZG_g-wN1b3yZFGie7Hyk0prYhyphenhyphenYPLvXBGlKBil3t6JGbIpdsz-CXp1Fk4g4bSGwNTo9dUwEl0lJUcmPHZQnjp8slPqjyQ/s400/2016-07-23+17.13.25+HDR.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Somewhere around 1:30pm that afternoon, the wheel of a milk truck filled with somewhere around 7,000 gallons of milk slipped off the edge of the roadway. I imagine that the sloshing of the milk - around 25 tons - made it impossible to recover, and the entire rig rolled over, putting both tankers into the ditch. Before I arrived, the driver had already been taken away by Life Flight with a broken scapula and a punctured lung. I hear that he is expected to recover. But man, the driver compartment in that tractor looks scary.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8C7AxGCKfZAVUp1J-68A38-TWu2Mwnw43mb0X_5pVLdSFmkDa7b_dQSaWz0xmYPmbvM4JUr-qJBvEz0U4x67liu7g9KddZqUgpVrjGFUrL-1AG35IW1EdKB21CmDCFqF1eJka/s1600/2016-07-23+17.03.24+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8C7AxGCKfZAVUp1J-68A38-TWu2Mwnw43mb0X_5pVLdSFmkDa7b_dQSaWz0xmYPmbvM4JUr-qJBvEz0U4x67liu7g9KddZqUgpVrjGFUrL-1AG35IW1EdKB21CmDCFqF1eJka/s400/2016-07-23+17.03.24+HDR.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The state police, county sheriff, county road department, and Milky Way reps were already on scene; the first wave of the emergency cleanup team arrived about an hour later. <br />
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The first tanker continued to leak its approximately 5,000 gallons of milk into the ditch for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. In high enough concentrations, milk can actually be toxic to fish, so we closed the headgate of the ditch and tried to pump as much of what remained out onto the fields rather than have it flow back into the White Salmon River at the end of the ditch.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcAWvfaR2oe8LmZNvhl-Dnw4lPBB0_orc-8WP2b7qCnfaztc_4qoW1ISYP93LJiN8agJdwznuf2p-EQjuOQ8c06EyzekdvifYUuxBwS2OuprqYvfri59ycomi0kmm0yUn8YQn/s1600/2016-07-23+16.21.15+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcAWvfaR2oe8LmZNvhl-Dnw4lPBB0_orc-8WP2b7qCnfaztc_4qoW1ISYP93LJiN8agJdwznuf2p-EQjuOQ8c06EyzekdvifYUuxBwS2OuprqYvfri59ycomi0kmm0yUn8YQn/s400/2016-07-23+16.21.15+HDR.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The second tanker did not rupture in the accident, but both tanks had to be pumped of any remaining liquids so that they could be lifted out of the ditch. The cleanup crew worked through the night and had all of the vehicles and most of the detritus from the accident gone by morning.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKokjvDQX7Hr20GyycjKDKwKBp6jcTvBGtMOWz4zmHDVnSr5GtwMiYj-EL8wqojgz_lmH9-Abvd-XEl5BtiTxV2qz7YfUJirriK2Ik2OLqIO9BFrKZAdqLSycxK1X4zvQseT9/s1600/2016-07-23+16.14.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKokjvDQX7Hr20GyycjKDKwKBp6jcTvBGtMOWz4zmHDVnSr5GtwMiYj-EL8wqojgz_lmH9-Abvd-XEl5BtiTxV2qz7YfUJirriK2Ik2OLqIO9BFrKZAdqLSycxK1X4zvQseT9/s400/2016-07-23+16.14.36.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWRGyKknuf5nDqApPyNhB2mOjdCpjurwIHBWYmFw7nevaf6Rrw-VyjSO5rf_3yYcpCiExMGocMXbPoKy6CJBMBBKqgMFHZ4-nPHhkKDUSDh8hBRaJOLYmwh7Lv811GW-grkaH/s1600/2016-07-23+17.03.43+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAWRGyKknuf5nDqApPyNhB2mOjdCpjurwIHBWYmFw7nevaf6Rrw-VyjSO5rf_3yYcpCiExMGocMXbPoKy6CJBMBBKqgMFHZ4-nPHhkKDUSDh8hBRaJOLYmwh7Lv811GW-grkaH/s400/2016-07-23+17.03.43+HDR.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
A number of the ditch board members helped to coordinate getting the ditch cleaned up and ready to irrigate by the next day. It wasn't exactly how I planned to spend my weekend, but I guess that's a small price to pay for getting to live where we do.<br />
<br />
- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and ??Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-48280033169908485852016-06-29T23:10:00.001-07:002016-06-29T23:16:03.327-07:00Name The Baby: The SequelAt 32 weeks, we're getting pretty close to the <i>end game</i> for this pregnancy. (If he comes when Anders did, we're only 4.5 weeks away! Yikes!) Must be time for another <b>Name The Baby</b> contest!<br />
<br />
Periodically over the past several months, we have been reading through baby name books looking for boy names we like, with each of us keeping an individual list of any that appealed to us. So far, none stand out overall as obvious winners. Here is your chance to help! We got some great suggestions in the <a href="https://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2008/08/countdown-to-rocket-name-contest.html">first contest</a> 8 years ago, even after discarding all of the names suggested in the original <em>girl's name</em> round.<br />
<br />
This baby hasn't had a <a href="https://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2008/05/codename-rocket.html">codename</a> so far, so we're including that as a category. (We've just been calling him <em>little brother</em> - boring.) It's also important that the name be equally as cool as <em>Anders Rocket</em>; in fact, Anders has stated that his brother should have a vehicle for a middle name, too. So <em>Best Pairing with Anders Rocket</em> is another category.<br />
<br />
We'll be picking winners in the following categories:<br />
<ul><li><b>Most Creative (First+Middle Name)</b></li>
<li><b>Most Likely To Be Used (First+Middle Name)</b></li>
<li><b>Best Codename</b></li>
<li><b>Best Pairing with <i>Anders Rocket</i></b><br />
</ul>
In general, we tend to like less common names (at least in this country), with Scandinavian influences or space/science related names getting extra points.
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMWkq1R9ANAI65_GT1-NF6zt-TJWDalk8DONzDtMKmpfVaEaB623d4u2v7lhDnbPlX_6So7eDzhyt6D5aXqhxd9zscRneRXjXzbTz-aLDd3SgJqm9oRekMFaRrmrTlMNFeD0u/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgMWkq1R9ANAI65_GT1-NF6zt-TJWDalk8DONzDtMKmpfVaEaB623d4u2v7lhDnbPlX_6So7eDzhyt6D5aXqhxd9zscRneRXjXzbTz-aLDd3SgJqm9oRekMFaRrmrTlMNFeD0u/s400/4.jpg" /></a>
<br>
30 weeks </div><br />
You can submit your entries in any fashion you like: email, SMS, social media, postal service, telegram, etc. Contest is open until the baby arrives. Participants may enter as often as they like. Be creative! Be entertaining! Have fun!<br />
<br />
- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and <your entry here>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-28022476572180534092016-06-26T20:00:00.000-07:002016-07-14T08:40:42.784-07:0026/52 - Lair of the BearWhen I was a kid, my whole family would go off to a <em>family camp</em> at the end of the summer. We'd stay in a cabin, spend time at the lake, eat together in the dining hall, and just generally do camp stuff as a family<small><sup>1</sup></small>. It was all great fun, and we wanted to find a way to pass that experience on to the next generation and enjoy it again ourselves.<br />
<br />
It's most fun to go to camp with people you know, but for a variety of reasons we couldn't get something going here in the gorge. So instead, last year we attached ourselves to some friends of ours that attend <a href="http://alumni.berkeley.edu/lair">Lair of the Golden Bear</a>. Lair is a YMCA-style camp in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, owned and run by the Cal Alumni Association, UC Berkeley. Yes, we said Cal Alumni Association, despite neither Corinne nor I having attended a Cal school. And yes, it's in CA. So starting with last year, we have paid our $60 annual membership fee to join the CAA, and we have driven the 12.5 hours to Pinecrest, CA to spend a week at camp. Call us crazy, but it's the best vacation we've taken as a family.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQQg5tZJuZx2iwrY6SoDkl_Bf7DvtijESyvsHbahAiLwpBos3m1OScdeLTdD-Mo1-Wy6u99pphLmUCdNgj9i4ONLlluETpDMKWyDo9H6aBN78W_WwYXgIRaOLlUtveaftIfOm/s1600/00-Screen+Shot+2016-06-29+at+8.04.08+AM.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQQg5tZJuZx2iwrY6SoDkl_Bf7DvtijESyvsHbahAiLwpBos3m1OScdeLTdD-Mo1-Wy6u99pphLmUCdNgj9i4ONLlluETpDMKWyDo9H6aBN78W_WwYXgIRaOLlUtveaftIfOm/s400/00-Screen+Shot+2016-06-29+at+8.04.08+AM.png" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The camp<small><sup>2</sup></small> has about 250 campers per week-long session. Each family has their own cabin, with wood floor, basic beds, and canvas roof.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJQ2ncv0HeTOUC3BRah2GRpIENaL0QJZ1ULLt7yxSSYJ1tAvOxHZZeHssLpjTpG4p4MRkmJtRTFh882wcD4mfXRL3Dep1AYDUr3daILnPHRO-pplLiq0hAD0ADRYcfberDPyJ/s1600/2016-06-21+10.25.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglJQ2ncv0HeTOUC3BRah2GRpIENaL0QJZ1ULLt7yxSSYJ1tAvOxHZZeHssLpjTpG4p4MRkmJtRTFh882wcD4mfXRL3Dep1AYDUr3daILnPHRO-pplLiq0hAD0ADRYcfberDPyJ/s400/2016-06-21+10.25.51.jpg" width="400" height="188" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHp_ND-d3-RHzeMarr5S5l4pG77UcUKMcggt90LRnZuZ3upYmEzFaOV8gm7peOuy9Voh-FMw9PIjgdOxD-xSwvfJQIeaOMrTeR4pg1A1EjDM0NnhI_NxTuYyMy4BI5Cozjck7/s1600/7G2A8663+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHp_ND-d3-RHzeMarr5S5l4pG77UcUKMcggt90LRnZuZ3upYmEzFaOV8gm7peOuy9Voh-FMw9PIjgdOxD-xSwvfJQIeaOMrTeR4pg1A1EjDM0NnhI_NxTuYyMy4BI5Cozjck7/s400/7G2A8663+copy.jpg" width="267" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Like most things at camp, someone else takes care of most of the day-to-day tasks that take so much of our time when we're at home. Meals are served three times a day. When the 15 minute warning bell rings, everyone starts salivating and migrating toward the dining hall. The food is camp food, but it's pretty good camp food, with a good salad bar available at every meal.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgBtDWr1NPeIK0dTEoQZXBeN71xZZDllp3diU03xYRcfdTcnJRbwmhGMXgnk1JzxsmP_hCV6b2tJuK381e2cTfJSRyUsf7ABW0Hx-SIOxoVyVNk55vgIiyXoMVdOQkfPyO0QF/s1600/02-IMG_3280.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgBtDWr1NPeIK0dTEoQZXBeN71xZZDllp3diU03xYRcfdTcnJRbwmhGMXgnk1JzxsmP_hCV6b2tJuK381e2cTfJSRyUsf7ABW0Hx-SIOxoVyVNk55vgIiyXoMVdOQkfPyO0QF/s400/02-IMG_3280.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
In the mornings and afternoons, there are "age group" programs for the kids. Anders' 6s & 7s group went panning for "gold" in the nearby creek, went on a scavenger hunt around the camp, made s'mores and told stories, along with countless other things. When the kids are off with their age groups, the adults have time to do.. well, whatever we want! We spend a lot of time just reading.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mXOOk2ifrqp5I5VmRuCmNuAGDdPErl5KZDKHv51RjfEtkMjvFpctnsvihVuV7r4c6nhCGtwG_7tKRqbavJfAm2qjAslkico4g84DmBWUilLmrNLjD7xZHh30LFwbG5DjYf94/s1600/7G2A8625.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mXOOk2ifrqp5I5VmRuCmNuAGDdPErl5KZDKHv51RjfEtkMjvFpctnsvihVuV7r4c6nhCGtwG_7tKRqbavJfAm2qjAslkico4g84DmBWUilLmrNLjD7xZHh30LFwbG5DjYf94/s400/7G2A8625.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15MpNxZ9FxB0Ui8Tgndw4WAoZ3eZaLw7Piuf1Wnga8Br7T35LLD6OXHohvupd-pCUTSCOTxiisF9U7Zz4faSOFSAqzzoBwSDocmOkKsnjvT2ksL6Rs6ZEyTDQI2vRSXnoe3p3/s1600/7G2A8630.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj15MpNxZ9FxB0Ui8Tgndw4WAoZ3eZaLw7Piuf1Wnga8Br7T35LLD6OXHohvupd-pCUTSCOTxiisF9U7Zz4faSOFSAqzzoBwSDocmOkKsnjvT2ksL6Rs6ZEyTDQI2vRSXnoe3p3/s400/7G2A8630.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
</div><br />
In between programs and meals, we spent some time in the arts and crafts grove. Last year, each of us made a clay pot on a pottery wheel, then glazed and fired them. While it was fun, we're a little bit too "type A" personality to really enjoy them without focusing on all of the flaws. (One of the pots ended up with a big hole in the middle after it was fired. Oops! But all three are still on our counter, filled with tomatoes and pistachios for snacking.) This year, we opted to buy a pre-made plate for Anders to glaze.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_GDKxl9TriOTQFLDaYyCx3K5wgTbZgDEpX7Hk44SyQ5l3hSH50nilWUzDSULHkSjp38ZqcMs-vYAlU7_vNRwtWAnLxkcIxT2l6xtolBgXHioWMSovvoIZcSeAStlMeuFoPuO/s1600/IMG_3202.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ_GDKxl9TriOTQFLDaYyCx3K5wgTbZgDEpX7Hk44SyQ5l3hSH50nilWUzDSULHkSjp38ZqcMs-vYAlU7_vNRwtWAnLxkcIxT2l6xtolBgXHioWMSovvoIZcSeAStlMeuFoPuO/s400/IMG_3202.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKsb6yWD866UWXJ_RN2Zv8I0uD-VT6NugwsMpXZb25MIob4gmVYH5vkwupqpVADr0pVKzbDPFH4k57aIav3-r_o1ExA_PYpSoyFZHi6SL0dV4wKTGBN00C8Ft82grBhpX0tfC/s1600/03-IMG_3234.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKsb6yWD866UWXJ_RN2Zv8I0uD-VT6NugwsMpXZb25MIob4gmVYH5vkwupqpVADr0pVKzbDPFH4k57aIav3-r_o1ExA_PYpSoyFZHi6SL0dV4wKTGBN00C8Ft82grBhpX0tfC/s400/03-IMG_3234.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Tie-dying is also a big activity at camp. Last year, Anders made a tie-dyed shirt, but this year we had grander plans. We brought 4 napkins, 3 pairs of underwear (Anders' idea), and a few onesies leftover from a work baby shower.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Pi0Xd2j1ha_DRCianywoKLrnzc_CEZr_-cYPHGx5t1m-FoLeQXenYKjFas2YbKvKiMUEQ92GnrfpCPWSJ_m4I5itgx0injG0cWtMyVCb6M3JDf9RlQND7OFTu0ZgPeqVTTTv/s1600/2016-06-22+12.02.51+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Pi0Xd2j1ha_DRCianywoKLrnzc_CEZr_-cYPHGx5t1m-FoLeQXenYKjFas2YbKvKiMUEQ92GnrfpCPWSJ_m4I5itgx0injG0cWtMyVCb6M3JDf9RlQND7OFTu0ZgPeqVTTTv/s400/2016-06-22+12.02.51+HDR.jpg" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We think they turned out pretty darn great!<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAlLv4lH4RNnNB10Otj4aBQgKAnXr2chBpRHByB4cLFtqu19Gz0fZpwL_JrYL6_WdsD9ysD8WRPaB_hi0hE-cSXVp-CDI8yVFDtk6UYo3o6saGIY2Gc5WnV29OCPsrUZQcy2r/s1600/05-7G2A9005.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAlLv4lH4RNnNB10Otj4aBQgKAnXr2chBpRHByB4cLFtqu19Gz0fZpwL_JrYL6_WdsD9ysD8WRPaB_hi0hE-cSXVp-CDI8yVFDtk6UYo3o6saGIY2Gc5WnV29OCPsrUZQcy2r/s400/05-7G2A9005.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
</div><br />
And no summer camp is complete without lanyards.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBzXb_BIkXX9VHrKbvJyQryzSuNFY69siMdB6Uavm5sMwQ81ESm-8VmU-ujIShsVqFSH3wsaaxUaCevj2LhwLo-QR7yHZ_xCXhR-9YFYWSp-JD5uRwihW6yQSMLlkQGxLqSVO/s1600/IMG_3317.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBzXb_BIkXX9VHrKbvJyQryzSuNFY69siMdB6Uavm5sMwQ81ESm-8VmU-ujIShsVqFSH3wsaaxUaCevj2LhwLo-QR7yHZ_xCXhR-9YFYWSp-JD5uRwihW6yQSMLlkQGxLqSVO/s400/IMG_3317.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
There are camp activities in the evenings as well. One night's activity was "Disco Bingo". The participants dress in their favorite 70s outfit and play bingo (using the letters D-I-S-C-O). When someone gets Bingo, a dance party ensues.<br />
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We knew about disco bingo ahead of time, so Corinne and Donna got a jump start on this year's Halloween costume.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4lpbWQjLHVdNTMaBWwMw1AbLlac_I01MfUMlE8z7n8LGMktwA1cbPoKW-uDKzTBCyshAEjFffHCpKW7jXXFYAYfT_7DSvlfLw5Z3AdQBZx4OxCxVkFDxI-HXu2nC8eqzgUcu/s1600/07-7G2A8698.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf4lpbWQjLHVdNTMaBWwMw1AbLlac_I01MfUMlE8z7n8LGMktwA1cbPoKW-uDKzTBCyshAEjFffHCpKW7jXXFYAYfT_7DSvlfLw5Z3AdQBZx4OxCxVkFDxI-HXu2nC8eqzgUcu/s400/07-7G2A8698.JPG" width="267" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Dance party!<br />
<br />
<div class="video"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ywokvJyuJ_s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywokvJyuJ_s">Watch this video on YouTube</a> or <br />
in <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/06/2652-lair-of-bear.html">the original post</a><br />
</div><br />
Father's Day falls during our camp, but just being at camp together is the best gift.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh1HH95hCuq3WKe4whmcbridRzpK3Z0RW62f4tKnN1g2D9SpGv6idHlUQGkx6P_16UtzkGccjSfdE26xTgjtfTETZu4SVZ1a347p_Yuej5oYdw4dxU5iQI1QAGk7PSlduJS4b/s1600/7G2A8653.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikh1HH95hCuq3WKe4whmcbridRzpK3Z0RW62f4tKnN1g2D9SpGv6idHlUQGkx6P_16UtzkGccjSfdE26xTgjtfTETZu4SVZ1a347p_Yuej5oYdw4dxU5iQI1QAGk7PSlduJS4b/s400/7G2A8653.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
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Early on in camp this year, Anders found a buddy: Eddie. They met at a neighbor's Happy Hour (yes, that's a camp thing, and yes there are drinks) and spent most of their free time together after that point. While it was great for him to connect so well with someone close to his age, we did end up spending less time with him than we did last year. I suspect that this is a sign of things to come...<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcPBpEks0tEhfLKLGbQUcnLfpEK8QcgKkyLrsRI_fVdCCB9Mgtc868GACHuqZS1MTkRbHEz66QvnUJzRVyZ-U4dqxUovSPwiSTu_LGNogCesgTwtDLH3SLIb9ihRjtKvWlo26/s1600/IMG_3326.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjcPBpEks0tEhfLKLGbQUcnLfpEK8QcgKkyLrsRI_fVdCCB9Mgtc868GACHuqZS1MTkRbHEz66QvnUJzRVyZ-U4dqxUovSPwiSTu_LGNogCesgTwtDLH3SLIb9ihRjtKvWlo26/s400/IMG_3326.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The camp is run almost entirely by the "staffers", college students who stay at camp and do everything: cook/clean, run age group programs, etc. Surprisingly, a majority of the staffers are not actually students at Cal; most were actually campers when they were kids. They are enthusiastic and know how to make camp fun. (Since we attend "Week 2", which is actually the first full week camp session of the summer, I often wonder how that enthusiasm might wane by "Week 10".)<br />
<br />
The staffers put on a "wacky pool show" where they dress in costumes and jump into the pool. Here they form a human bridge and help the kid campers walk across.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvk79TxFj6A1OmFLpUl6hz5DIjZO5AyUcPTM_MiKVeIlMq59e-U61pNxyo1VfmptYf6CPQ6RfI3D5esVR-8eLBkPj0NZLnYyAo9h3fxetpn-Ttsp-eQxTugL3j8IkKsERPyGXw/s1600/06-7G2A8610.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvk79TxFj6A1OmFLpUl6hz5DIjZO5AyUcPTM_MiKVeIlMq59e-U61pNxyo1VfmptYf6CPQ6RfI3D5esVR-8eLBkPj0NZLnYyAo9h3fxetpn-Ttsp-eQxTugL3j8IkKsERPyGXw/s400/06-7G2A8610.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJnvtHeJE4RHX6EAO7drL9XOyb2HLViQV9tgAmo0u_g9FL9Eggs-PjFWcy4eZnondXTUbENXq8X0R5MYLZnQPohzuSGyImma6B4YS68EHiaGMQsEOf-C9sbVBm7Fbar8TELWz/s1600/IMG_3361.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJnvtHeJE4RHX6EAO7drL9XOyb2HLViQV9tgAmo0u_g9FL9Eggs-PjFWcy4eZnondXTUbENXq8X0R5MYLZnQPohzuSGyImma6B4YS68EHiaGMQsEOf-C9sbVBm7Fbar8TELWz/s400/IMG_3361.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
Anders with one of his favorite staffers, Zara<br />
</div><br />
One of the camp legends involves "Staffer Bob", a staff member who supposedly lives at camp and has a beard down to his waist. Anders and Eddie made lots of "tributes" to Staffer Bob, including turning a hollow tree stump into a fort.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRcEHXCZ7qkiHwmDkTI9Z2LCSelGvPOAmTrfpjuo8fHjktgzV8Cyk2ZzZVQbUuDCZ7fBvtC-e43wYsxYvaolnL5Gk5Z64aR9nImxtlMPamjjlcRrUh_n1CylY-_7W78lwz52s/s1600/IMG_3385.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWRcEHXCZ7qkiHwmDkTI9Z2LCSelGvPOAmTrfpjuo8fHjktgzV8Cyk2ZzZVQbUuDCZ7fBvtC-e43wYsxYvaolnL5Gk5Z64aR9nImxtlMPamjjlcRrUh_n1CylY-_7W78lwz52s/s400/IMG_3385.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Many of the evening performances consist of skits and songs performed by the staffers. But one evening activity is the "Blue Revue", a variety show of performances by the campers. Last year, Anders decided that he wanted to do a standup comedy routine at the revue. He killed it, and he loved it.<br />
<br />
<div class="video"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/TF7Y7QuHGTs?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF7Y7QuHGTs">Watch this video on YouTube</a> or <br />
in <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/06/2652-lair-of-bear.html">the original post</a><br />
</div><br />
When we arrived at camp this year, many people remembered him from his performance last year. This year, he wanted to bring his ukulele so that he could up his performance game.<br />
<br />
<div class="video"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/3q-uIKH-adA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q-uIKH-adA">Watch this video on YouTube</a> or <br />
in <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/06/2652-lair-of-bear.html">the original post</a><br />
</div><br />
In order to keep the event around an hour, they usually limit performances to one song or skit. But in Anders's case, we just cut a few verses from each of the songs and they let him keep his whole act<small><sup>3</sup></small>.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfo_Jvvk4Lzi9yRR_k-7WlW1vBMkbaD_evIVxIazlMfBHSUH1OpQ8DxBzSdyKY5FVmKikzV3RW7zn2Vf5wUf3OvQaiKa2FIKa5K9vPSYDKTPRd0aWcBMS2UTDnpxfS2ffmNaX/s1600/IMG_3300.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfo_Jvvk4Lzi9yRR_k-7WlW1vBMkbaD_evIVxIazlMfBHSUH1OpQ8DxBzSdyKY5FVmKikzV3RW7zn2Vf5wUf3OvQaiKa2FIKa5K9vPSYDKTPRd0aWcBMS2UTDnpxfS2ffmNaX/s400/IMG_3300.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
As we mentioned, neither of us are Cal alumni. During camp we do need to "endure" a bit of Cal school spirit, including some songs at the evening performances and a "Go Bears!" after each announcement at the dining hall. But we have been working to build our own MIT contingency. Marnie is the MIT grad who married a Cal grad to start this crazy scheme, then we invited ourselves last year. This year we enticed fellow MIT alum Amory and her daughter Lizzy to join us.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjO5SIrIPRbZgzC-MKiKDyRxCqzc2OhARNwZwHY65MLc_a_evQeItrkT-atZI8f9XmmhqJ-wp6-CteVqO3-ehhzjUw_xDsA5cJisumph211r5NqP0tADWW0SqNHDCFIIeDFdG1/s1600/IMG_3292.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjO5SIrIPRbZgzC-MKiKDyRxCqzc2OhARNwZwHY65MLc_a_evQeItrkT-atZI8f9XmmhqJ-wp6-CteVqO3-ehhzjUw_xDsA5cJisumph211r5NqP0tADWW0SqNHDCFIIeDFdG1/s400/IMG_3292.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
MIT WILG!<br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxk29AJ-kOkMCNILyls4ktRGPgwsAoYM10TuTKz1rcS9PK7_FdJz2VBhB72gbs3QC9mRj7NdLxzF7JGwg8gb6MBIG5FGDfdiOaocoMrWfB4nGhaY4kE1Pnt2IpiRTSWLhFEwNx/s1600/7G2A8978.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxk29AJ-kOkMCNILyls4ktRGPgwsAoYM10TuTKz1rcS9PK7_FdJz2VBhB72gbs3QC9mRj7NdLxzF7JGwg8gb6MBIG5FGDfdiOaocoMrWfB4nGhaY4kE1Pnt2IpiRTSWLhFEwNx/s400/7G2A8978.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
</div><br />
At the end of the week we weren't quite ready to go home. We could have stayed there at least another week. But it was time for us to go.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMT8gi7jhtZAX6YL1E4ROpxV3zY7nCTRFPQUvr-2XhW0hGebR4ZOehkEbswNSB-ZgopIUNaYjOWPk68rnYoSrYa-YKqFfh2eir4j1HXTl_71SLQvMtDIugtzpWEDACD4Lb5V3-/s1600/2016-06-25+11.32.29+HDR-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMT8gi7jhtZAX6YL1E4ROpxV3zY7nCTRFPQUvr-2XhW0hGebR4ZOehkEbswNSB-ZgopIUNaYjOWPk68rnYoSrYa-YKqFfh2eir4j1HXTl_71SLQvMtDIugtzpWEDACD4Lb5V3-/s400/2016-06-25+11.32.29+HDR-2.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
For the drive home, we went the "eastern route" over the Sierra Nevada mountains and through Nevada. It's a little bit longer, but so much prettier.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4O1_RIcUptx76dlpY_CdoG4fCBN_4mX71S1lgJxd80ISX4_UiohT1tT3Q8wo3kOw2dO80Cxnyhz4W6zZTwYlgvm5Zgmx2r6P3whFSbgBII7k4Uk3rAOlPXhN6-lD4Q_cyUsy/s1600/IMG_3390.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4O1_RIcUptx76dlpY_CdoG4fCBN_4mX71S1lgJxd80ISX4_UiohT1tT3Q8wo3kOw2dO80Cxnyhz4W6zZTwYlgvm5Zgmx2r6P3whFSbgBII7k4Uk3rAOlPXhN6-lD4Q_cyUsy/s400/IMG_3390.JPG" width="400" height="300" /></a><br />
</div><br />
There is some serious climbing on this route, though. At one point we saw a sign indicating <em>26% grade</em>, which is the highest we've ever seen. Last year we weren't prepared for the steep climbing and windy roads; we had to make one "motion sickness" stop for Anders. This year we were more prepared and brought dramamine with us. The combination of motion sickness drugs and a week of playing hard had its effects on the ride home; Anders fell asleep just a few miles outside of camp.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1p8N5MirQp_tIGdXVWf7oeIgZ7LJItv15nhi1VbMB_NHecGYFeIIUKKtrUPX8yQRfsSGYbofM8J6jIanAKP00_MjPu8BXJf60ZGH3QDHXVPq-_DBjS5S4jwOy_jxZ4JfUjdpZ/s1600/IMG_3389.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1p8N5MirQp_tIGdXVWf7oeIgZ7LJItv15nhi1VbMB_NHecGYFeIIUKKtrUPX8yQRfsSGYbofM8J6jIanAKP00_MjPu8BXJf60ZGH3QDHXVPq-_DBjS5S4jwOy_jxZ4JfUjdpZ/s400/IMG_3389.JPG" width="300" height="400" /></a><br />
</div><br />
It's easy to see why people come to Lair year after year. There are people in our session whose families have been coming to camp for 40 years! It is quickly becoming a tradition in our family. Next year will be a little different for us, so we haven't made a decision about whether we'll go to camp with our less-than-one-year-old. But we sure hope we can!<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriGLzPZS6695VmGvFt_oJr9WBRtevh6M78za8ofmwv8ww6ZvT4hMRMi8Mky5MtsjnL5rMdNpJymOKJ9xwo3YE9G7BWBHP8WdIufNWxk2mpObmDi4RzGpjV0NNX4E2ZfMo9T4_/s1600/01-7G2A8921.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriGLzPZS6695VmGvFt_oJr9WBRtevh6M78za8ofmwv8ww6ZvT4hMRMi8Mky5MtsjnL5rMdNpJymOKJ9xwo3YE9G7BWBHP8WdIufNWxk2mpObmDi4RzGpjV0NNX4E2ZfMo9T4_/s400/01-7G2A8921.JPG" width="400" height="267" /></a><br />
</div><br />
- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and ??<br />
<br />
<small><sup>1</sup></small> If you don't know what I'm talking about - or if you do and just want to hear more about it - there's a <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/109/notes-on-camp">This American Life</a> episode.<br />
<br />
<small><sup>2</sup></small> There are actually three separate camps within Lair of the Golden Bear: Camp Blue (ours), Camp Gold, and Camp Oski. They each have their own facilities and staff, and generally only interact during a few inter-camp sporting events.<br />
<br />
<small><sup>3</sup></small> Due to audio issues, some of the jokes are a bit hard to hear on the recordings.<br />
<blockquote>Did you hear the one about the broken pencil?<br />
<No!><br />
Nevermind, it's pointless.<br />
<br />
What did the left eye say to the right eye?<br />
<What?><br />
Between you and me, something smells.<br />
<br />
Why can't you hear a pterodactyl go to the bathroom?<br />
<Why?><br />
Because the P is silent.<br />
<br />
What did the 3-legged dog say when he rode into town?<br />
<What?><br />
I'm looking for the man who shot my pa(w).<br />
</blockquote>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-2434430188522490222016-05-22T21:42:00.000-07:002016-05-30T22:51:13.897-07:0021/52 - Entering the Third TrimesterHere we are, about to enter the third trimester of Corinne's pregnancy. It's hard to believe that we're here already! Time for an update.<br />
<br />
For a variety of reasons, we recently switched to an ob/gyn clinic in Gresham. The upshot is that when the baby is ready, we will be driving to the hospital in Gresham for the delivery, about an hour and 30 minute drive from our house. (Unless, of course, <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2008/09/rockets-landing-story.html">things don't go according to plan</a>.) But it also means that we have access to more advanced equipment, including nice ultrasound monitors. Here are some of the pictures from our most recent appointment.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6bI3Ix1rldm4_PRcxrd4ERg1Pu_jNgKiEyxR0JfuKYL9n4epDDJJpQCBPytXkHnUh_FlOse0OUsnmot41pP58wqkC2Yuu_gqZZe2slB94NptPLR2ZCBty9nF7R_lB2SamlLl/s1600/Face+-+Profile+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6bI3Ix1rldm4_PRcxrd4ERg1Pu_jNgKiEyxR0JfuKYL9n4epDDJJpQCBPytXkHnUh_FlOse0OUsnmot41pP58wqkC2Yuu_gqZZe2slB94NptPLR2ZCBty9nF7R_lB2SamlLl/s400/Face+-+Profile+4.jpg" /></a><br />
Face, profile<br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqHFbP8udjaH82ylPcjuFa_X8sLM9UdY5syi0KmJjxBVQGY4P4uFsRsRpJdQvL2DxOcQcmKO1WnK0Z1-C_hzq6N3LSGrZ_XXwhb24G-jp1JDOG0JsEl7W_spU5wplXgwxBD0r/s1600/Face+-+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqHFbP8udjaH82ylPcjuFa_X8sLM9UdY5syi0KmJjxBVQGY4P4uFsRsRpJdQvL2DxOcQcmKO1WnK0Z1-C_hzq6N3LSGrZ_XXwhb24G-jp1JDOG0JsEl7W_spU5wplXgwxBD0r/s400/Face+-+Front.jpg" /></a><br />
Face, portrait (aka "Voldemort")<br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoo5mi3Hy4bVlGRyh42f_DZ4nijDG2M-o0Q7QYodi859DsE-wrI2QLcRc1sT8fZCcqTjWi6TNGhwvsSCCp-oqezL1YHFCKnqnI5XkJgLVFe8FlVy5KpfWmrminArq1fZT03BU/s1600/Biceps.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoo5mi3Hy4bVlGRyh42f_DZ4nijDG2M-o0Q7QYodi859DsE-wrI2QLcRc1sT8fZCcqTjWi6TNGhwvsSCCp-oqezL1YHFCKnqnI5XkJgLVFe8FlVy5KpfWmrminArq1fZT03BU/s400/Biceps.jpg" /></a><br />
Bicep<br />
</div><br />
He's at about 26.5 weeks and is looking remarkably like a real person. Corinne is still doing well with no major issues other than some sciatica pain and a little less energy than usual, both within normal pregnancy expectations. Onward we go!<br />
<br />
<hr><br />
Meanwhile, we have another child. As we have mentioned before, Anders is a reading junkie. He had a definite preference for non-fiction over fiction, but the Magic Tree House series has helped us to strike a better balance. Out of the 54+ Magic Tree House books, he only has about 3 more that he hasn't read. They are often finished on the same day that they come home; on other days, he is reading 3 at the same time, switching between them indiscriminately. Within non-fiction, he has branched out to more than his past favorites of wildlife and vehicles. A sampling of topics from his current library books includes Greek mythology, The World Series, Pope Francis, Obama, and giant squid. When he is engrossed in a book, the house becomes pretty quiet.<br />
<br />
On the not-so-quiet front, about a month ago he decided that he wanted to learn how to whistle. In fairly short order, he went from being able to make a very airy, barely tonal sounds to full-on whistling. It has now become a default action that he seems to do without thinking; when we're playing a game, riding in the car, or even reading to him, he is usually whistling. His two most frequently whistled tunes are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_to_the_Chief"><i>Hail to the Chief</i></a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Imperial_March"><i>The Imperial March</i></a>, sometimes with the two songs interleaved. (One or more of those songs will be useful to know come this November.)<br />
<br />
We're pretty happy that he was able to pick it up on his own. Now, if we could just get him to put it down sometimes...<br />
<br />
- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and ??Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-3936182628976447742016-03-13T15:44:00.001-07:002016-03-18T08:56:11.315-07:0011/52 - Small ThingsNow that the <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/03/big-reveal.html">big news</a> is out, everything else seems small! But small is good, too.<br />
<br />
<hr><br />
Anders lost another tooth! This one has been loose for a while, and... well, we'll let him tell the story.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ogpi6hcvo-UrbfybJ04wV8-WUkBI2QbnzzkQZ7THbh5W1iFafgc1iDJJ05r4cZBTRxWeNdYgS6K9FdbMiSinZBGLo7H-9SK5_b66i1Sa5tqAxVvLpX2HNy68VjRG8mPj-KFG/s1600/ToothStory.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ogpi6hcvo-UrbfybJ04wV8-WUkBI2QbnzzkQZ7THbh5W1iFafgc1iDJJ05r4cZBTRxWeNdYgS6K9FdbMiSinZBGLo7H-9SK5_b66i1Sa5tqAxVvLpX2HNy68VjRG8mPj-KFG/s400/ToothStory.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The tooth fairy always leaves a note. (But she doesn't always leave one this creepy.)<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNPpTndDI3gRpmiRlabcjUIjF5xFu32b8YpsPD0d0W4q7dSJFHVXc4_fuSRuJZFAzbb81cBSwBqWX-8soA2d6imrMLGnugkHOtzJtD0TTfkc0CaKflr3hS-wwGnPWcMInY4Ba/s1600/2016-02-29-LostTooth1.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNPpTndDI3gRpmiRlabcjUIjF5xFu32b8YpsPD0d0W4q7dSJFHVXc4_fuSRuJZFAzbb81cBSwBqWX-8soA2d6imrMLGnugkHOtzJtD0TTfkc0CaKflr3hS-wwGnPWcMInY4Ba/s400/2016-02-29-LostTooth1.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The teeth he <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2015/07/2752-another-lost-tooth-cascade.html">lost last July</a> have been replaced, just in time.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBu8aCG7tElvUIckPcZTsjx8Mp6mZyB5eFJDRLvc2E2onFGf8APIuoJogK0pduuPltPEqaftEMz9qteVAoRqlFnVPDGxmdY9GfqMDgtCBQB9YYgxA8431G5kbY8XGsJm480ze/s1600/7G2A6095.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBu8aCG7tElvUIckPcZTsjx8Mp6mZyB5eFJDRLvc2E2onFGf8APIuoJogK0pduuPltPEqaftEMz9qteVAoRqlFnVPDGxmdY9GfqMDgtCBQB9YYgxA8431G5kbY8XGsJm480ze/s400/7G2A6095.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<hr><br />
I made a <a href="http://www.mommypotamus.com/coconut-lime-chicken-curry-soup/">thai curry soup</a> recently. When I poured the last of my fish sauce into a bowl, I heard a "clink" as something solid tumbled out. I fished around (pun intended) and pull out what at first appeared to be a piece of glass. But a quick lick confirmed that it was actually a salt crystal! We used the opportunity to reinforce the idea of crystals and crystal structure with Anders.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3k6bCbi_aEtQDOsXQaLA8H5rQsPLunVLl8DQJCTTbrAMeoi1CizfzCoMZkgDJRbXlpDB5QiCNX6H0No2pbpWRlN52aDgomfdJBTgmk1xF23R1M-bgtPhg3glzTcmEA_fHLy8/s1600/7G2A6073.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3k6bCbi_aEtQDOsXQaLA8H5rQsPLunVLl8DQJCTTbrAMeoi1CizfzCoMZkgDJRbXlpDB5QiCNX6H0No2pbpWRlN52aDgomfdJBTgmk1xF23R1M-bgtPhg3glzTcmEA_fHLy8/s400/7G2A6073.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<hr><br />
Anders is still really excited about having a sibling. He has been telling his friends and teachers, particularly in the last week. When one teacher asked him if he was excited, he responded:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Yes, I'm really excited. Because sometimes at home, I get lonely.<br />
</blockquote><br />
He has taken to giving the baby hugs and kisses, by proxy through Corinne's belly.<br />
<br />
Thanks for all of the support and shared excitement!<br />
<br />
- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and ??Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-67682630279820559272016-03-06T21:53:00.000-08:002016-03-10T10:15:01.424-08:00Big RevealWe've been working on quite a few large projects, including a <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2015/10/4252-geothermal-installation-begins.html">new heating system</a> and a major thinning project in our forests. But this project tops<sup>1</sup> them all.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV0jqaraKuFsjbRyE6XAPGNUUxHO2CZtScLikAfBpNbhNvDSG_2ELRdnUvgtfy7hYhoBIAiCrB8zqvygzleoaPjYTPhKNEBE2WsFAzlxUVSevXf80_lBAeteG9XPy5uKPTrQP/s1600/2016-02-10-12wks4days-length.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV0jqaraKuFsjbRyE6XAPGNUUxHO2CZtScLikAfBpNbhNvDSG_2ELRdnUvgtfy7hYhoBIAiCrB8zqvygzleoaPjYTPhKNEBE2WsFAzlxUVSevXf80_lBAeteG9XPy5uKPTrQP/s400/2016-02-10-12wks4days-length.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwJCRorbj1t2wuUXKKRTvk-F6GdGNg988mxFQKmFoB9r-1hyipBIZ8Qh3sGTfrqdBAcwxfdjiM4qEIooWe_HjipQY8bof9qB2DKT0BLTO6RMrG-R8FWE9GWBRBPsWg5nzisIr/s1600/2016-02-10-12wks4days-heartbeat.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwJCRorbj1t2wuUXKKRTvk-F6GdGNg988mxFQKmFoB9r-1hyipBIZ8Qh3sGTfrqdBAcwxfdjiM4qEIooWe_HjipQY8bof9qB2DKT0BLTO6RMrG-R8FWE9GWBRBPsWg5nzisIr/s400/2016-02-10-12wks4days-heartbeat.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Yes, that is what you think it is. This August 20th (give or take), we will be a household of 4!<br />
<br />
This has been a long-term project for us. Back when Anders was around 2 years old, we decided we would go for our second (and final) child. A couple years after that we saw our first specialist. Then we did two rounds of in vitro fertilization in Portland. Then we did two more rounds of IVF at one of the foremost centers on the procedure in New York City. We finally had success using an egg donor, and here we are. We are excited!<sup>2</sup> (BTW, we have lots more information on the processes involved and would be happy to talk with anyone who is interested.)<br />
<br />
Now is a good time for a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137523/">Fight Club</a> moment where we revisit situations over the last 4 months in light of new information, such as: why Corinne <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/02/752-skiing-valentines-day.html">isn't learning skiing with us</a>; why she is <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/01/best-recipes-of-2015.html">drinking masala chai</a> instead of lattes; and that when <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/01/252-happy-birthday-mom.html">I went to NJ</a> for a week in January, she had to self-administer all of her IVF-related injections. Go, Corinne!<br />
<br />
With the IVF and egg donation procedures, we conducted lots of genetic and chromosomal testing to ensure a healthy embryo. One of the outcomes of the testing is a highly reliable answer to the question of gender. We <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2008/06/mr-or-ms-rocket.html">won't be surprised</a> this time! The doctor has known the gender since before the embryo was implanted, but we weren't ready for the information at that point. So we had her write it on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. Now that we're past the first trimester, it's time to find out.<br />
<br />
We wanted to do something fun to find out. So we took that envelope and gave it to a local baker with instructions to make cupcakes with an appropriately-colored filling: pink for a girl, blue for a boy. We picked up the cupcakes on Friday, and Saturday afternoon we sat down to take our first bite of what our future holds for us.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3g58w8wDz1GYie-82mWFAb_u2yGDY3vw278OnfBLxkARMMrA27cWFzzrFg_JHFwdmyFH9GRjjn8OkU-wIAVPnTT5X8cNIpboJBQWAYFQjfDEl274llPAxJ652-1f4B26N_wXe/s1600/2016-03-04+15.11.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3g58w8wDz1GYie-82mWFAb_u2yGDY3vw278OnfBLxkARMMrA27cWFzzrFg_JHFwdmyFH9GRjjn8OkU-wIAVPnTT5X8cNIpboJBQWAYFQjfDEl274llPAxJ652-1f4B26N_wXe/s400/2016-03-04+15.11.16.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
I know you are all anxiously awaiting the results. So, without further ado...<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXc1pW_hMCHykV48uA3dkPWbWElAAoRMNmdJhXPsqV27Eh4Duo7HUvUarbNFzQJbUV20JDck_iJxD8tc7DjtUCBPDEcRrQIXi-qTLEsuaWPkXYBU-Ex1ns62Xt85wUb_QYjxV/s1600/IMG_2515.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXc1pW_hMCHykV48uA3dkPWbWElAAoRMNmdJhXPsqV27Eh4Duo7HUvUarbNFzQJbUV20JDck_iJxD8tc7DjtUCBPDEcRrQIXi-qTLEsuaWPkXYBU-Ex1ns62Xt85wUb_QYjxV/s400/IMG_2515.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
That's the photo we sent to our families on Saturday evening. Not nice, I know - but fun. :)<br />
<br />
Here is the video of us finding out - for real - what's coming in August. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<div class="video"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/73hn0sE0hFg?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/73hn0sE0hFg">Watch this video on YouTube</a><br />
or in the <a href="">original post</a><br />
</div><br />
- Mike, Corinne, Anders, and ???<br />
<br />
<small><sup>1</sup> I just can't bring myself to use the word <i>trump</i>.</small><br />
<small><sup>2</sup> ...although we occasionally have doubts about introducing a disturbance into a well-oiled machine.</small>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-15101525151562325622016-02-14T08:51:00.000-08:002016-03-03T21:45:09.657-08:007/52 - Skiing, Cheer Clinic, Valentine's DayAnders and I are learning to downhill ski! Before Anders was around, Corinne and I <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2006/01/snowboarding_21.html">learned to snowboard</a>. But when Anders arrived, it was difficult for us to make (or justify) the time to go to the mountain, since we'd have to leave Anders behind. And although snowboarding was lots of fun, there were definitely times when we were envious of the skiers around us; trying to make it across a flat section on a snowboard is annoying. Anders has several friends who are learning to ski, so now seemed like a good time.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cooperspur.com">Cooper Spur</a> is the closest resort on Mt. Hood, and also conveniently the least expensive. It only has a single lift and a relatively small network of runs, but when you are learning that doesn't particularly matter. Anything that points downhill is generally challenging.<br />
<br />
We started with a 1-hour private lesson, just the two of us with an instructor. The main goal was to figure out how to move around with all of this weird gear on our bodies.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRh-QH2oXTyVyGZILDzha6m70hpU9odpfrkyeVkRSL09Is4_ufJghRSYDmIUVxjgls0YSTY3M1B7yG9TtD1_FFr3KiiJlwEef3QWHCOs3hViZFGyxgb9JPWX6ChQGS65UktgLn/s1600/2016-01-032.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRh-QH2oXTyVyGZILDzha6m70hpU9odpfrkyeVkRSL09Is4_ufJghRSYDmIUVxjgls0YSTY3M1B7yG9TtD1_FFr3KiiJlwEef3QWHCOs3hViZFGyxgb9JPWX6ChQGS65UktgLn/s400/2016-01-032.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Anders thought the ski boots felt great (?!), and he had a good attitude about the whole experience. The instructor commented at the end of our lesson that he had "the best laugh on the mountain." At the end of the lesson, the first thing Anders asked me was: "Dad, can we come back next weekend?"<br />
<br />
So we did. But unfortunately, when we got here all of the lessons were full. (There was some sort of <a href="http://www.superbowl.com">"big game"</a> going on, and only one instructor had showed up that day.) I didn't think we were quite ready to try to explore the mountain ourselves yet, so we opted to spend some time on the snow tubing run and try again the following weekend.<br />
<br />
This time, we arrived first thing in the morning and were the first in line to register. (It must be fun if we are willing to get up at 6am on a Saturday for it!) Since I've been snowboarding and cross country skiing previously, some of the muscle memory from those sports started to transfer over for me. So the instructor spent most of his time working with Anders, occasionally giving me some tips.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wG_rZJ_r1L4SpGkvQSz_IWqLJhuw0_gUShxm-aOGEld5JbjG4sVpFIgTRPtGxRlviA8n_uxDIypM421f2GWqGfP04JddwyD5zmr9IWFRFmP67PXSKasWmrTYmOUdH8TOU0ji/s1600/2016-02-13+09.50.40.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_wG_rZJ_r1L4SpGkvQSz_IWqLJhuw0_gUShxm-aOGEld5JbjG4sVpFIgTRPtGxRlviA8n_uxDIypM421f2GWqGfP04JddwyD5zmr9IWFRFmP67PXSKasWmrTYmOUdH8TOU0ji/s400/2016-02-13+09.50.40.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Anders got pretty frustrated trying to get up after falling. The instructor nicknamed him "noodle legs" because when you tried to help him up, his legs stayed pretty limp until you had pulled him most of the way up. But slowly, slowly, he started to figure it out. After the lesson, we took a snack break then decided to take our first trip on the lift.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaxUGYBTgOvWekbmGhhx9gS_AQt3m_afz0N8RrcGRE_fmfWiydWwKGwGIpTU5pQxzaakGbVgZ8vELlZ8N9-_RmJiKnTutkTxUZl1TudD7dhSWni3VsSHRRq_1_JXCVKjPHSm3/s1600/2016-02-13+11.10.20.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaxUGYBTgOvWekbmGhhx9gS_AQt3m_afz0N8RrcGRE_fmfWiydWwKGwGIpTU5pQxzaakGbVgZ8vELlZ8N9-_RmJiKnTutkTxUZl1TudD7dhSWni3VsSHRRq_1_JXCVKjPHSm3/s400/2016-02-13+11.10.20.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Top of the lift! That's the trail map for the whole resort.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNC3HbQqaTMm4KFdJNIKL2aKrSoBoAqrBd1pE4Wwz3ynzOksZadrlkjhdlFTjOBoPaVqNfUvbJCPMzKAvY8vHwp_Ok56K6JjVcQcl7VT_RNrWVG651PT48pG-IEQ4JRGgGSIK0/s1600/2016-02-13+11.16.36+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNC3HbQqaTMm4KFdJNIKL2aKrSoBoAqrBd1pE4Wwz3ynzOksZadrlkjhdlFTjOBoPaVqNfUvbJCPMzKAvY8vHwp_Ok56K6JjVcQcl7VT_RNrWVG651PT48pG-IEQ4JRGgGSIK0/s400/2016-02-13+11.16.36+HDR.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We were both a little apprehensive about that first run. The first slope was icy and steeper than anything we had done during lessons. We took it slow, just traversing across the slope, falling down, manually flipping the skis around, then heading back the other way.<br />
<br />
<div class="video"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/S7vFtwVz5Nk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7vFtwVz5Nk&feature=youtu.be">Watch this video on YouTube</a><br />
or in <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/02/752-skiing-valentines-day.html">the original post</a><br />
</div><br />
By the time we got to the second half of the run, things were starting to click. At this point, Anders pointed downhill and just took off to the bottom! I kept yelling for him to slow down, but he kept his skis pointed in a bit and never seemed to be out of control. He ended up doing 3 runs that day, taking a break after the second run to rest his legs while I went up again. I never did manage to catch up to him enough to get any video of his runs at the bottom.<br />
<br />
Looks like we have our weekends scheduled through the rest of this winter.<br />
<br />
<hr><br />
For the second year in a row, Anders participated in the Cheer Clinic at the Trout Lake School. The clinic invites elementary students to learn the basics of cheerleading from the high school cheerleaders and culminates in a half-time performance during a high school game. Anders loves singing, dancing and performing, so this was right up his alley.<br />
<br />
Last year, he and his friend Bridger were the only two boys that participated, and the organizers didn't really seem prepared for them. The T-shirts they had made for the clinic were hot pink and had giant ribbons on them! They did manage to find a couple yellow Trout Lake shirts for them to wear before the performance, but this year we worked with them to make it a more friendly and open event for anyone. Several parents had said that if they knew the event was open to both boys and girls that their sons would have participated as well!<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uzh-pKsk0HsRSyO9k7jQH6c0IxRs1XwEvcppmUE81xHNwiX9ZVmTxYtLR5l8tBhYRNNiQ69BoPpdLmYmIRLU7W02nT2eQGFOaHCgyKl1zHDLCHzG9ZcPOfrsh0YCbwC0_bnY/s1600/7G2A5978.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uzh-pKsk0HsRSyO9k7jQH6c0IxRs1XwEvcppmUE81xHNwiX9ZVmTxYtLR5l8tBhYRNNiQ69BoPpdLmYmIRLU7W02nT2eQGFOaHCgyKl1zHDLCHzG9ZcPOfrsh0YCbwC0_bnY/s400/7G2A5978.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
This year's poster design featured both male and female silhouettes; as a result, they had a much higher male representation in the group. Sometimes in a small school, that's all it takes to change the perceptions of a sport.<br />
<br />
<div class="video"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/9rKqkdUuaeU?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rKqkdUuaeU">Watch this video on YouTube</a><br />
or in the <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2016/02/752-skiing-valentines-day.html">original post</a><br />
</div><br />
<hr><br />
Happy Valentine's Day! This year we went the ultra-romantic route: we took down our Christmas tree, updated the family budget, and <a href="http://gardusinc.com/linteater.html">cleaned the dryer vent</a>.<br />
<br />
- Mike, Corinne, and AndersMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-30631109321719343672016-01-31T18:10:00.000-08:002016-03-01T21:06:21.711-08:005/52 - Everyday LifeThis was a "slow news week", as they say. But here are a few snapshots.<br />
<br />
Anders is obsessed with the show <a href="http://www.octonauts.com/">Octonauts</a>. It's an animated show about animals living under the sea, interacting with - and usually saving - a different marine animal each episode. He keeps asking me when the next season is going to be available on Netflix.<br />
<br />
For Christmas, he received several Octonaut toys suitable for bath play. He switched to showers quite a while ago, but the new toys enticed him to take a rare bath. We won't get opportunities like this with Anders for much longer.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNH2DKgv51-lDwyzuapYsU5tmRHARXItICsA6CTx0r4lkxa58d44Vrrgk4cjVABpxkOtuLx92WvGeFr8NreZx3_EhuSlsRtz4QL4FcoqAoeE4oq1BJSa8PWzwQ2hMQYcOyRW_A/s1600/7G2A5777.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNH2DKgv51-lDwyzuapYsU5tmRHARXItICsA6CTx0r4lkxa58d44Vrrgk4cjVABpxkOtuLx92WvGeFr8NreZx3_EhuSlsRtz4QL4FcoqAoeE4oq1BJSa8PWzwQ2hMQYcOyRW_A/s400/7G2A5777.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7Exlt_uJxTPxBW_fb3Qyudu38jN1Bn6maFNNJW7LBDhtzseemDA6b9LOBhdpwBG-XIytSprYwpiywqrDM1eHZlgj9do8-kTCLYbWRtmR2dK6McDZ7YsyNW3RPjAf6G49pl9b/s1600/7G2A5785.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7Exlt_uJxTPxBW_fb3Qyudu38jN1Bn6maFNNJW7LBDhtzseemDA6b9LOBhdpwBG-XIytSprYwpiywqrDM1eHZlgj9do8-kTCLYbWRtmR2dK6McDZ7YsyNW3RPjAf6G49pl9b/s400/7G2A5785.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Anders is reading the book <a href="http://www.wonderstruckthebook.com/">Wonderstruck</a>, which is an interesting combination novel and graphic novel. When he finished, he said it was "the best book he ever read."<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqrKWl-4bKjpL6H0NmjjO840ciX1Fn-MPJe6y-8ygmWM5BqSabXpR2IguLI2sOEBCWH6YSsggaxXQQLy1EYkvX_G9LP9SDgYGvRAgV4T88NlxfsIAZZYvwQd2N97o27CpA4VE/s1600/2016-01-08+19.19.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqrKWl-4bKjpL6H0NmjjO840ciX1Fn-MPJe6y-8ygmWM5BqSabXpR2IguLI2sOEBCWH6YSsggaxXQQLy1EYkvX_G9LP9SDgYGvRAgV4T88NlxfsIAZZYvwQd2N97o27CpA4VE/s400/2016-01-08+19.19.46.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
In addition to Octonauts and <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/">PBS's Nature</a>, Anders has decided that <a href="http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/tv/ask-toh/">Ask This Old House</a> is one of his favorite shows! He probably already knows more about home repair than I do.<br />
<br />
- Mike, Corinne, and AndersMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-66634986659847506972016-01-24T13:07:00.000-08:002016-02-28T10:47:50.308-08:004/52 - Cat Stories, Big Rock Candy MountainAnders's class recently did a narrative writing project. The original assignment was to tell the story of your "favorite family moment", but for some reason Anders took his story in a different direction.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKGWIdM6qQMmKP1Vdf38jiFnNIvGpYpWkNl32aaD4p_jcCoLQFQfwoZOG-CnLsf7Jg5sAEZi1ly5vesS9fe0C5NOM2c-dNQSTWnS_mS6P3Kx9ztos-M-oJRqK0lA1Mx7GHfet/s1600/SaddestMoment.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKGWIdM6qQMmKP1Vdf38jiFnNIvGpYpWkNl32aaD4p_jcCoLQFQfwoZOG-CnLsf7Jg5sAEZi1ly5vesS9fe0C5NOM2c-dNQSTWnS_mS6P3Kx9ztos-M-oJRqK0lA1Mx7GHfet/s400/SaddestMoment.png" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The above was the final product but as part of the process, they drew panels to tell the story.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijje9Q6VUoKa8ysECrgwuESMNPSHmdDO0MDYoc1FOKepfSEEQld_ZDDA3ivBkj4gXW-uoWQAwCW4qCi_kMGzlW6ZbtPmcLzR9BNH8is8XhQq74QTelhXD7QhDl2DgTJmY-Qp-d/s1600/SaddestMoment3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijje9Q6VUoKa8ysECrgwuESMNPSHmdDO0MDYoc1FOKepfSEEQld_ZDDA3ivBkj4gXW-uoWQAwCW4qCi_kMGzlW6ZbtPmcLzR9BNH8is8XhQq74QTelhXD7QhDl2DgTJmY-Qp-d/s400/SaddestMoment3.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Every time I see those drawing, I get a little twinge in my eye. Somehow, he really captured it.<br />
<br />
Anders was only 5 <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2014/07/story-of-awesome-cat.html">when Max died</a>, and at the time he didn't seem to have a particularly emotional response to it. But apparently it made a bigger impression on him than we thought.<br />
<br />
As a result of Anders' project, the bulletin board with the stories was change to "The Most Memorable Family Stories".<br />
<br />
<hr><br />
Speaking of cats... Here is Anders's letter to Santa from this past year.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVoq3vN_fOvMCvIfrM29jJk-o-uuyRTUnw6MRzhuMONVghoIWSdJ_AMtIArMfocKSEnnu1FXWiTvTAdQkm_wtZGN6Ne7WBSIj5zfOLcDy9OY3TrR95Hrv30fC2TLvkDVNDKRy/s1600/SantaLetter.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVoq3vN_fOvMCvIfrM29jJk-o-uuyRTUnw6MRzhuMONVghoIWSdJ_AMtIArMfocKSEnnu1FXWiTvTAdQkm_wtZGN6Ne7WBSIj5zfOLcDy9OY3TrR95Hrv30fC2TLvkDVNDKRy/s400/SantaLetter.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
This is the letter he wrote in school, that in turn was sent to the newspaper for publication. He didn't put "texito (tuxedo) cat" on the list he made at home, so this was news to us.<br />
<br />
Max was a great cat, but we have been enjoying our pet-free lifestyle. We're not ready to get another pet just yet.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Anders: I want a tuxedo cat for Christmas.<br />
Corinne: I think you're old enough now that you can take care of it.<br />
Anders: (blank look)<br />
Corinne: You know, feed it, give it water, empty the litter box.<br />
Anders: Well, you can help me with the litter box.<br />
Corinne: No, I think you are old enough. Are you sure you want a tuxedo cat this year, or maybe you want to wait a year?<br />
Anders: (contemplative look) I think I'll wait a year.<br />
</blockquote><br />
<hr><br />
For at least a year now, Anders has been asking to build a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rock_Candy_Mountain">Big Rock Candy Mountain</a>. This song was recently brought back to pop culture via the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rock_Candy_Mountain">O, Brother Where Art Though?</a> soundtrack, but Anders's primary inspiration came from the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdOh5GA_tJg">John Deere Earth Mover Action</a> video. It's a mountain where you use construction vehicles to mine and transport candy; what's a kid not to love about that?<br />
<br />
Gingerbread to the rescue!<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJM5AfJilfFy4jjagP-YvZTj8NGNcrWh38JfvRPfAR0wzfGsBHedgMdixFu1AylnRg-mudPsthDnNWWLzUnQ8KEqMWcX5RIhenM-F-yWBAH53ZgUQUs3C6Dnc5UlklRuakfdX/s1600/IMG_2440.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJM5AfJilfFy4jjagP-YvZTj8NGNcrWh38JfvRPfAR0wzfGsBHedgMdixFu1AylnRg-mudPsthDnNWWLzUnQ8KEqMWcX5RIhenM-F-yWBAH53ZgUQUs3C6Dnc5UlklRuakfdX/s400/IMG_2440.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83VWedeCeBojw-0NmU9pj06OjpyeJBrtb1p9AMz3TUhjmizjQu-46vqXPNFiqbyKMMLuXhpLSfoSmrQnuWXn308AVHbGV6gK1J_ke_UesT3xH5GgYx8un5BaW_imN2mLYxKX7/s1600/7G2A5792.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83VWedeCeBojw-0NmU9pj06OjpyeJBrtb1p9AMz3TUhjmizjQu-46vqXPNFiqbyKMMLuXhpLSfoSmrQnuWXn308AVHbGV6gK1J_ke_UesT3xH5GgYx8un5BaW_imN2mLYxKX7/s400/7G2A5792.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
And now, the finished product!<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-bOztQahvg3hHQX6DLhfl9B34NjDHc5J2s1yarAQLBKFni1DPzq52l_lyLaIWP5SRFJ9goWrhwXXqMMr2t5EgcptDlNARS7FhP4Py2ysD4k4nHcZoXUjhukFwjayqiLsT9sN/s1600/7G2A5878.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-bOztQahvg3hHQX6DLhfl9B34NjDHc5J2s1yarAQLBKFni1DPzq52l_lyLaIWP5SRFJ9goWrhwXXqMMr2t5EgcptDlNARS7FhP4Py2ysD4k4nHcZoXUjhukFwjayqiLsT9sN/s400/7G2A5878.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tqFZjyXKzCH8HVk5Og3F10b4wwLtCjcFOCj7Kq1iwnNj-xYJzBZZRg8U6fguPdVV6NQMtxex4TJ1etgXHQFihwKyJBQ03ebLrM-XfPJWA49VMIjX5zVEaf_VbnjfKXgb0pw7/s1600/7G2A5816.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tqFZjyXKzCH8HVk5Og3F10b4wwLtCjcFOCj7Kq1iwnNj-xYJzBZZRg8U6fguPdVV6NQMtxex4TJ1etgXHQFihwKyJBQ03ebLrM-XfPJWA49VMIjX5zVEaf_VbnjfKXgb0pw7/s400/7G2A5816.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwqBFmC2wq-L-mGe6tiemVBtwOFrntk8UMwtO5jVqXMrnCJxp9G_2hgzUUbE1FB5n8i7nf3gH_RO0GZrfFS4kklpN1ikrlB1RUq4Skh-aiwUMVzL8yGgxwRNhogk_kquktzCy/s1600/7G2A5823.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwqBFmC2wq-L-mGe6tiemVBtwOFrntk8UMwtO5jVqXMrnCJxp9G_2hgzUUbE1FB5n8i7nf3gH_RO0GZrfFS4kklpN1ikrlB1RUq4Skh-aiwUMVzL8yGgxwRNhogk_kquktzCy/s400/7G2A5823.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
- Mike, Corinne, and AndersMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-61842323492042631282016-01-17T12:48:00.001-08:002016-02-22T21:09:10.036-08:003/52 - Visit from Grandma LeeWe've had a glorious month of perfect, snowy weather. But this week, it decided to rain. A lot. After several dry winters (and the resulting summer fires), we can't complain about the rain too much. But it is sad to see the snowpack beginning to disappear, while simultaneously being uninspired to play in the snow in the rain. We'd much rather have the snow.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VJTGxH3icy_QS6o0PmXdOi1cKHm1SCjt2L9L5En5llNnVIvarBBBXHOPlAGvBwQ8Lh4OnkEoiiogKdGzNEWFToX0T5RCtkKZ0fEe5szgpudDBy7NYHSB5BiaLYzWOsyC_9Fw/s1600/2016-01-13+16.51.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VJTGxH3icy_QS6o0PmXdOi1cKHm1SCjt2L9L5En5llNnVIvarBBBXHOPlAGvBwQ8Lh4OnkEoiiogKdGzNEWFToX0T5RCtkKZ0fEe5szgpudDBy7NYHSB5BiaLYzWOsyC_9Fw/s400/2016-01-13+16.51.48.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
While I was in NJ, about 7" of new snow arrived in Trout Lake. Unfortunately, since I wasn't around to clear it before the rains came, the driveway is now impassible. It will likely stay that way until it either dries out enough to not jam in the PTO snowblower, or it gets cold enough to freeze solid again. So when mom and I arrived in Trout Lake with our luggage, we had to trudge up the driveway through several inches of wet snow. Welcome to winter in the country, mom!<br />
<br />
During her visit, the weather kept us inside most of the time. We played a few games, including Boggle. Anders has a great time and occasionally even finds a few words that we don't! When the precipitation finally broke, we managed to convince mom to go on a snowshoe walk with us through our property.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7xB_p7WedV496XRR1Y5H7YS57zcjiEM0nuWmfW7GoN3NWnl0LGyQjTg1RddZVxzJiEnSwTlir5uWmNUGXiB0ZCYhSu9YvFoCWjLBVR1C2JLF5re6m5VWUFjWMQY3Ht51kOJn/s1600/IMG_2418.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7xB_p7WedV496XRR1Y5H7YS57zcjiEM0nuWmfW7GoN3NWnl0LGyQjTg1RddZVxzJiEnSwTlir5uWmNUGXiB0ZCYhSu9YvFoCWjLBVR1C2JLF5re6m5VWUFjWMQY3Ht51kOJn/s400/IMG_2418.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbg8nO-P_BrIR58KP7iG3WC3H9mxaa6VHA5nsT2gfHffDah9PreK4ZdVgdaeKuTdt6D_wm-WX25bcGK3jHurczK41Dw50AvYCLJq3DI1-cQ95dqC7g3WAwyh_dF7hqeJ46T-y/s1600/IMG_2430.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbg8nO-P_BrIR58KP7iG3WC3H9mxaa6VHA5nsT2gfHffDah9PreK4ZdVgdaeKuTdt6D_wm-WX25bcGK3jHurczK41Dw50AvYCLJq3DI1-cQ95dqC7g3WAwyh_dF7hqeJ46T-y/s400/IMG_2430.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQQhJAQUgoK0vgiXp9EiESlp6DMiXbhp36MLiBpAJs0TqJSW8oKKbQ9vbJZYrfY67inwTJlZrmHCk2vBMT7pkw0RM4EEPv2M7spdmDwTR_b4Kbf5nlyP6Ond4dzQqfvu14dX3/s1600/IMG_2435.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQQhJAQUgoK0vgiXp9EiESlp6DMiXbhp36MLiBpAJs0TqJSW8oKKbQ9vbJZYrfY67inwTJlZrmHCk2vBMT7pkw0RM4EEPv2M7spdmDwTR_b4Kbf5nlyP6Ond4dzQqfvu14dX3/s400/IMG_2435.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Way to go, mom! Thanks for the visit!<br />
<br />
<hr><br />
This week, Anders and two of his classmates were moved to the next higher grade for reading. They are all really enjoying the challenge of 2nd grade reading but we are having to coach Anders a bit on expected answers versus accurate answers.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDmSAVYeX_Yq8VUjFM9zSjNtgex1BV30y0onvYL7dQV6SaGNXuVZIvhVyhPm3EDFw92JA2VlasVR8oXltqkRMwX4I2A_zLG_a6VF9RuzKwCt1gFa9HM0P9Q7zx7eyZBA32-_m/s1600/2016-01-021.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTDmSAVYeX_Yq8VUjFM9zSjNtgex1BV30y0onvYL7dQV6SaGNXuVZIvhVyhPm3EDFw92JA2VlasVR8oXltqkRMwX4I2A_zLG_a6VF9RuzKwCt1gFa9HM0P9Q7zx7eyZBA32-_m/s400/2016-01-021.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Apparently, the 2nd graders don't reliably turn in their homework. On particularly bad days, those who completed the assignments and turned them in receive prizes. Anders enjoys that, too!<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mv6XtKrQCCJGEF-ng619aSETWyKB1v_iwJ3IMpLVdPcEqwodJsFiBAG7lbu3rAb2dmCfrAaeM8dFBlKlUXvcrzBz87C3H1Nk60MVOpFvMiuvKMqdRWhWXJr9HUi14Vx_GRO6/s1600/2016-01-11+15.46.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mv6XtKrQCCJGEF-ng619aSETWyKB1v_iwJ3IMpLVdPcEqwodJsFiBAG7lbu3rAb2dmCfrAaeM8dFBlKlUXvcrzBz87C3H1Nk60MVOpFvMiuvKMqdRWhWXJr9HUi14Vx_GRO6/s400/2016-01-11+15.46.49.jpg" /></a><br />
Anders's plastic snake and lizard collection, courtesy of 2nd grade<br />
</div><br />
- Mike, Corinne, and AndersMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-3520797478588372182016-01-10T12:47:00.000-08:002016-02-21T20:38:20.602-08:002/52 - Happy Birthday, Mom!The Anders quote of the week came when he saw Corinne's new sunglasses. She misplaced her previous pair about a month earlier and finally broke down to buy a new pair. When she showed her new sunglasses to Anders for the first time, he told her that the new glasses:<br />
<ol><li>make her look cool, <br />
<li>are giant, and <br />
<li>make her look like a bug<br />
</ol>
So I guess looking like a bug is cool. (And 3 days after the purchase, she found her old sunglasses.)
<p><hr><p>This year, my mom turns 70! My brother Drew and I planned a surprise birthday luncheon for her with some family and friends, and part of the surprise would be that I was flying in from the west coast to be there.
<p>The party was on Saturday afternoon, so I found a flight to arrive in NJ on Friday evening. But when I arrived at the airport Friday morning, my connection through Denver was at risk due to bad weather. While waiting in line in Newark to receive instructions on my alternatives, I was unexpectedly whisked away to a neighboring gate to board a non-stop flight! Not only did they have a seat available for me, but it was an exit row aisle seat! About 5 hours later, I landed in NJ - 2.5 hours ahead of my original itinerary. It was truly a birthday miracle. (And it wasn't even my birthday.)
<p>In order to preserve the surprise until the party, I stayed with my cousin Bev and her family on Friday night. All of the guests arrived and setup at the party 30 minutes before the guest of honor. When she arrived, she was suitably surprised.
<p><div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIIyZpteHmd9tbed-PYBvL4qbBuBYpMCPaqg5L5Q_xvxkWACTjJSvCQnlvwm0wUBCQs5SFzsATgCOjk1GZZgffh76GXlzPpw4qp1x_AC-uWwMhiaGLHLKQ1cleI98yX0Gtaj-/s1600/IMG_2405.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIIyZpteHmd9tbed-PYBvL4qbBuBYpMCPaqg5L5Q_xvxkWACTjJSvCQnlvwm0wUBCQs5SFzsATgCOjk1GZZgffh76GXlzPpw4qp1x_AC-uWwMhiaGLHLKQ1cleI98yX0Gtaj-/s400/IMG_2405.JPG" /></a>
</div><p>Happy Birthday, Mom!
<p><div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioccw5hypBebNPzjnrCW_UPMEp1hzmsxqVOlA1bpro0IS4CWd-fD_Tpg6I1rtGObVzFmuDAPdyq0XjHuRbdpCEFW053ZotaEi0Pl6jauCnLFAkAFrJS1EumuBdqlRhEXde7o3d/s1600/IMG_2410-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioccw5hypBebNPzjnrCW_UPMEp1hzmsxqVOlA1bpro0IS4CWd-fD_Tpg6I1rtGObVzFmuDAPdyq0XjHuRbdpCEFW053ZotaEi0Pl6jauCnLFAkAFrJS1EumuBdqlRhEXde7o3d/s400/IMG_2410-001.JPG" /></a>
</div><p>Unfortunately, Corinne and Anders couldn't make the trip with me this time. I did have to torment Corinne with several photos of the delicious pizza that I ate while I was there, though. (Sorry!)
<p><div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzZmcqop6ndf_x-0tlhNS6FqwShtevmCh5V287Kr-ml2ASKE0yQkOxmWILnviczToD-1l7JiEZzKZZoaBWEJHlIMQFU0h_t8qxsD42cytQ2qFDcvuK_CQaS5sazDdGm7t3gpb/s1600/2016-01-08+17.08.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzZmcqop6ndf_x-0tlhNS6FqwShtevmCh5V287Kr-ml2ASKE0yQkOxmWILnviczToD-1l7JiEZzKZZoaBWEJHlIMQFU0h_t8qxsD42cytQ2qFDcvuK_CQaS5sazDdGm7t3gpb/s400/2016-01-08+17.08.33.jpg" /></a>
</div><p><div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNpUFAcnY-OG-lNGc_0Qjj1xuWYmNDrgALwyFbS14nbUC1ZpHt_zbyr7ZWfuvOFNdlIQqaYxK2yT4cv7mPIUKHD-EIorRDIuquCjBvwwPvJcLDJaDxd3ZdnZOKdzqcN0BDOcT/s1600/2016-01-11+16.04.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNpUFAcnY-OG-lNGc_0Qjj1xuWYmNDrgALwyFbS14nbUC1ZpHt_zbyr7ZWfuvOFNdlIQqaYxK2yT4cv7mPIUKHD-EIorRDIuquCjBvwwPvJcLDJaDxd3ZdnZOKdzqcN0BDOcT/s400/2016-01-11+16.04.52.jpg" /></a>
</div><p>It was a short visit for me, in NJ for less than a week. But when it was time to head home I wasn't going alone. My mom had already planned a trip to visit us in Trout Lake, so I surreptitiously booked a seat next to her on the return flight. :)
<p>- Mike, Corinne, and AndersMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-35525454025761229762016-01-01T08:54:00.000-08:002016-01-12T05:38:31.009-08:00Best Recipes of 2015I did quite a bit of cooking this past year, but for whatever reason there weren't a lot of new recipes that ended up on our repeat favorites list. Several from <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2015/01/best-recipes-of-2014.html">last year's best of list</a>, in particular the <a href="http://www.ilvedson.com/recipes/The%20Whole%20Bowl%20-%20Tali%20Sauce.pdf">Whole Bowl</a> and <a href="http://www.ilvedson.com/recipes/Sweet%20Potatoes%20with%20Warm%20Black%20Bean%20Salad.pdf">Sweet Potato</a> recipes, made frequent appearances this past year. I did more experimentation this year as well, "making up" things based on the veggies we received from our neighbors and what we happened to have in the fridge. On the whole, I think my experiments were mediocre to good, but none worthy of this list (yet). Here are some new favorites and old standbys from the past year.<br />
<br />
<div class="recipebox"><span class="title"><a href="http://www.ilvedson.com/recipes/Russian_Cabbage_Borscht.pdf">Russian Cabbage Borscht</a></span><br />
<span class="source">Source: <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/85517/russian-cabbage-borscht/">AllRecipes.com</a></span><br />
<span class="description"><br />
Borscht is like the chili of eastern Europe: there are tons of regional variations and a wide range of different kinds. We happened to get a lot of beets this summer and fall (and actually had some leftover from last fall), so I was on the hunt for good beet recipes. This was one of them. Beets seem to elicit strong responses from people, probably because most people first experienced beets from a can and rejected them out of hand after that. You don't know what you are missing! If anybody has a favorite beet recipe out there, send it our way! We always seem to have some on hand.</span></div><br />
<div class="recipebox"><span class="title"><a href="http://www.ilvedson.com/recipes/Sausage_Potato_and_Spinach_Soup.pdf">Sausage, Potato and Spinach Soup</a></span><br />
<span class="source">Source: <a href="http://damndelicious.net/2014/10/29/sausage-potato-spinach-soup">Damn Delicious</a></span><br />
<span class="description"><br />
As the author mentions, this has sausage and heavy cream, so it probably wouldn't be classified as "healthy." But it does have dark greens and is a good, warming soup for those evenings that call for just such a thing.</span></div><br />
<div class="recipebox"><span class="title"><a href="http://www.ilvedson.com/recipes/Bourbon_Sweet_Potato_and_Apple_Casserole.pdf">Bourbon Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole with Pecan Crust</a></span><br />
<span class="source">Source: <a href="http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/bourbon-sweet-potato-apple-casserole-pecan-crust.aspx">Fine Cooking</a></span><br />
<span class="description"><br />
This is not a new recipe for us this year, but it did make an appearance at Thanksgiving. It's one of those dishes that is just enough work that you don't want to make it very often, but it's tasty enough that you do want to pull it out for those special occasions. Put aside your marshmallows and try this casserole next holiday instead.</span></div><br />
<div class="recipebox"><span class="title"><a href="http://www.ilvedson.com/recipes/Bildners%205-Alarm%20Chili.htm">Bildner's 5-Alarm Chili</a></span><br />
<span class="source">Source: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-New-England-Cookbook-Recipies/dp/155832139X">The New England Cookbook</a></span><br />
<span class="description"><br />
This is also not a new recipe for us; I think we've been making this one since we still lived in New England. But I haven't mentioned it here yet and it appears in our house several times each winter. This is just a solid, beans and beef chili with a good level of spice.</span></div><br />
<div class="recipebox"><span class="title"><a href="http://www.ilvedson.com/recipes/Masala_Chai_Tea.pdf">Masala Chai</a></span><br />
<span class="source">Source: <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-masala-chai-tea-165369">The Kitchn</a></span><br />
<span class="description"><br />
We've been enjoying weekend lattes at home for many years now, thanks to a simple stove-top espresso maker from my aunt and uncle many years ago. (Thanks, Anita and Lew!) But recently we decided to expand our repertoire to include masala chai, or what American coffee shops call a "Chai Latte." The specific combination of spices is fungible, depending on your spice preferences. Green cardamom seems to be the important base spice that holds it all together. If you use a red tea, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooibos">Rooibos</a>, you can even make a caffeine-free drink to warm your mornings.</span></div><br />
You can check out the recipes from other years through the <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes">recipes tag</a>. Happy eating!<br />
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- Mike, Corinne, and AndersMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-28094572421437049432015-12-13T08:09:00.001-08:002015-12-13T21:58:05.025-08:0049/52 - Wild Trout LakeThis past week, Trout Lake showed its wild side.<br />
<br />
Last weekend, we got a couple inches of snow to coat the ground. But then it got a little warmer, and the falling snow turned to rain. A lot of rain. For the next several days, it poured continually. This is a bad combination. The rain quickly melted much of the snowpack that had developed on the mountains, and the combined deluge overflowed all of the local waterways. The worst came together on Tuesday night into Wednesday, when water flowed across the main road in Trout Lake, closing the school and rendering several places unreachable. Friends of ours woke up Wednesday morning to find themselves surrounded by water: their driveway and ground floor garage were already flooded, and the water was only a few inches from entering their slightly elevated first floor. They moved what they could to the second floor and were evacuated later that day by Search and Rescue.<br />
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This USGS White Salmon River discharge chart speaks for itself.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilRip2tpQ2FMhKSovaDgYz-Dxy240QqQcATl17M40eW2iswNAAuepiJjYmDVER-yvx9JimVqHEXK_3oyhqklgrTfXZw5G98fzoCpeYOkoyGNFkk6XeYCELc1PjaFKnepTaPr-T/s1600/USGS+White+Salmon+River+flow.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilRip2tpQ2FMhKSovaDgYz-Dxy240QqQcATl17M40eW2iswNAAuepiJjYmDVER-yvx9JimVqHEXK_3oyhqklgrTfXZw5G98fzoCpeYOkoyGNFkk6XeYCELc1PjaFKnepTaPr-T/s400/USGS+White+Salmon+River+flow.png" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Near the peak of the flow on Wednesday, we walked down to the river. The water was as high as I think we've ever seen it, to the point where we had a hard time recognizing where we were along the river.<br />
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<div class="video"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/fx7_ch9D1Zc?rel=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<a href=https://youtu.be/fx7_ch9D1Zc">Watch this video on YouTube</a> or <br />
in the original post<br />
(video 1.5x speed)<br />
</div><br />
Somewhere underneath all of that water is our sandy beach and several waterfalls, including Sidewinder/Kettle Falls. With this much water, it's easy to see why all of the waterways in town overflowed.<br />
<br />
By Friday, the rain had largely abated, allowing much of the water to recede. We took advantage of a break to take another walk to the river on Sunday.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKll4i2Ed122xzSCQITa1qfvnJzvHOTW2TRpJ-YZgTzeztoqkkBcILYzUrhX2TfVhGVLVVz8zcSFq6Sk_E2hLo_e6ANBZ4Jp0ArdZe8lOxvb5Ht6-pFzMlA-Km7ThLGqaLqmS/s1600/IMG_2141.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuKll4i2Ed122xzSCQITa1qfvnJzvHOTW2TRpJ-YZgTzeztoqkkBcILYzUrhX2TfVhGVLVVz8zcSFq6Sk_E2hLo_e6ANBZ4Jp0ArdZe8lOxvb5Ht6-pFzMlA-Km7ThLGqaLqmS/s400/IMG_2141.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
By Sunday, the river was back to a normal high level for this time of year. The difference between Wednesday and Sunday was striking. For reference, here is the water level at a bridge near the southernmost river section of our property.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYBkKlC8qhQZ5WVQVv0hX88B_NG5DJCh3Yog-aMjQWG0pr45k-BFEUlCPC94jPH56oiT8IWw27MQ7jR4n1y4QwhF9oj8xgJzQZuzHj6SEJ-jIxoVKaZ5KoQi3qVWbWKdzIVal/s1600/Bridge_Before_And_After.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYBkKlC8qhQZ5WVQVv0hX88B_NG5DJCh3Yog-aMjQWG0pr45k-BFEUlCPC94jPH56oiT8IWw27MQ7jR4n1y4QwhF9oj8xgJzQZuzHj6SEJ-jIxoVKaZ5KoQi3qVWbWKdzIVal/s400/Bridge_Before_And_After.JPG" /></a><br />
Wednesday at peak flow / Sunday at normal "high"<br />
</div><br />
Corinne and Anders stood at Wednesday's waterline, which was easily identifiable by the clean line of Ponderosa pine needles that were swept up.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjP4_ZK-kdY-BkZtHmYIK0X7_OvR4Sl4DSkLObQ19mT5EBABHVuxzbHbg29liAPZMBgLwHVVQSeaGKOvJ6Jvn-BXq1OooN-qwKGQ_Tqj0Yw0NoK_kWio8vLfOy2dt0uEhTEmpu/s1600/IMG_2164.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjP4_ZK-kdY-BkZtHmYIK0X7_OvR4Sl4DSkLObQ19mT5EBABHVuxzbHbg29liAPZMBgLwHVVQSeaGKOvJ6Jvn-BXq1OooN-qwKGQ_Tqj0Yw0NoK_kWio8vLfOy2dt0uEhTEmpu/s400/IMG_2164.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Here is Anders standing next to a cluster of severed roots that were swept up by the currents and pressed into a ball against this tree.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEJIoh4rhyphenhyphenZSXhKVEkoryBpplnl0GN-ZMG2W_pfBPQ4-hwrajftqA_Ufnl8m4Mgmhe8ATZ41b_WGayJzo77dzFYG2TZccTl6xSyCWTG_rLLKkqHcoN1q9-DbsCveMILUxpfRF/s1600/IMG_2154.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbEJIoh4rhyphenhyphenZSXhKVEkoryBpplnl0GN-ZMG2W_pfBPQ4-hwrajftqA_Ufnl8m4Mgmhe8ATZ41b_WGayJzo77dzFYG2TZccTl6xSyCWTG_rLLKkqHcoN1q9-DbsCveMILUxpfRF/s400/IMG_2154.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Despite having the river as one of its property boundaries, we are very thankful that our property is not in a floodplain. It is incredible to see such a dramatic change in such a short period of time, and we are able to be an observer of the high waters without worrying!<br />
<br />
<hr><br />
Trout Lake exerted its wildness in other ways this week as well. We've had a covey of quail (yes, I looked it up) around the house. They wander around the driveway until they notice us, then fly up into the trees.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6t5f-caOzywl7zVBxE7AC8wD-gUaqc_t9RCF4Z-swFA7bAs4MA_RbAmyi-_uqES7eigTqkVfau-D9O34BXmA-goP2mw0AzfDLTDizy5eDCNni_8Lxg5EPsv-6DKMZUXve6TVJ/s1600/7G2A4619.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6t5f-caOzywl7zVBxE7AC8wD-gUaqc_t9RCF4Z-swFA7bAs4MA_RbAmyi-_uqES7eigTqkVfau-D9O34BXmA-goP2mw0AzfDLTDizy5eDCNni_8Lxg5EPsv-6DKMZUXve6TVJ/s400/7G2A4619.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
When we first moved to Trout Lake, we saw turkey tracks all over the property. But we hadn't seen any in a long time until this past week.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3M0frh2cEOFlSnaF6BsP1WgqsSutaix-2P_IC-KLGT5xt5JCU00BT2JgNSxqGrdjmc4I7ovt4aQxe7_cPAgYpNUNVrPr1yBW819qP_WG6CR-Iv37aK0G_NMTTJpAUzC0Yw8qy/s1600/IMG_2190.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3M0frh2cEOFlSnaF6BsP1WgqsSutaix-2P_IC-KLGT5xt5JCU00BT2JgNSxqGrdjmc4I7ovt4aQxe7_cPAgYpNUNVrPr1yBW819qP_WG6CR-Iv37aK0G_NMTTJpAUzC0Yw8qy/s400/IMG_2190.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Now we have a confirmed sighting of 13 turkeys! The rafter (group of turkeys - yes, I looked that up, too) has been wandering all around our place for several days now.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPOiy2rzEjRpKvPfm-rNDRms5dJ1w47vTRndMfEZyzJagKbR_x5mdpZuHFAsxob9Vifu6bkpiHrHMY-tvuiT_uKuSt4Ds_K63dGrq9rmF5cq_kqnUZopGUCJtC19YMUHkAirt/s1600/7G2A4650.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPOiy2rzEjRpKvPfm-rNDRms5dJ1w47vTRndMfEZyzJagKbR_x5mdpZuHFAsxob9Vifu6bkpiHrHMY-tvuiT_uKuSt4Ds_K63dGrq9rmF5cq_kqnUZopGUCJtC19YMUHkAirt/s400/7G2A4650.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
But the most unexpected exhibit was one that happened too quickly for a photo opportunity. On Thursday morning, I noticed some movement out our Great Room window and discovered a herd of Elk booking single-file through our yard into our forest! We've had <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2010/01/elk-in-yard.html">elk come through our property before</a>, but this is only the second time that we've witnessed it.<br />
<br />
Mother Nature abounds!<br />
<br />
- Mike, Corinne, and AndersMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-59697077185354612992015-10-25T21:42:00.000-07:002016-02-15T17:10:42.923-08:0042/52 - Geothermal Installation Begins!<i>25 Oct 2015</i> This is a big week in the life of River Ford Farm. After <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2014/11/4652-winter-without-furnace.html">losing our primary heat source</a> last fall and <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2015/05/1852-official-end-of-winter.html">weathering a winter with only a wood stove</a>, we are finally starting the installation of our new heating system!<br />
<br />
We had many constraints on our options. Our house has a water-based heating system, with a combination of baseboard hydronic radiators in the log portion of the house and in-floor radiant heat in the great room addition. Using a different heating mechanism would require lots of changes to the log structure of the house, something we wanted to avoid. There was nothing wrong with the existing plumbing, so finding a new system to heat and circulate the water was our goal. As it turns out, there aren't too many options. There is a company that makes a heat pump air-to-water system, but none of the local HVAC companies we talked to had ever dealt with it. We had LOTS of issues finding someone in the Gorge who knew how to work on our old, somewhat esoteric propane-based system. Finding a system that had some local expertise was also important.<br />
<br />
In the end, it came down to two options: a new propane boiler or a geothermal system. We ran the rough numbers for the two systems: propane would be cheaper up-front but would have recurring fuel costs similar to what we had previously. When factoring in the 30% Federal tax credit for qualified geothermal installations, we estimated the payback time for the geothermal investment to be about 10 years. Geothermal it is.<br />
<br />
Technically, what we are having installed is actually a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_heat_pump">ground-source heat pump</a>. True geothermal heating systems require a high temperature source in the ground, such as a hot spring, and simply transfer the heat directly. Our system involves using the temperature of the earth to drive a heat pump. Water is equalized with the temperature of the earth by circulating it through long pipes through the ground. Drilling vertically to run the pipe requires minimal land but is expensive, since you may have to drill several hundred feet. But we have the land available to do a horizontal system with "racetrack" trench. Time for a <a href="http://www.callbeforeyoudig.org/">call to the utility line locator</a>!<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kl0C8wP3rkFuFPaFLNtnFD9hYyJl4Mq077nCHfZ5Ou92Olhshx7Z5Lo5qnuwhbK0j6LyHqtkFXWGEe72Jc8mZtPcRnbFaK7-jfIUs_oXB5NMFI4Lc1OIJeBirxH1aFdjm7kr/s1600/7G2A3455.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8kl0C8wP3rkFuFPaFLNtnFD9hYyJl4Mq077nCHfZ5Ou92Olhshx7Z5Lo5qnuwhbK0j6LyHqtkFXWGEe72Jc8mZtPcRnbFaK7-jfIUs_oXB5NMFI4Lc1OIJeBirxH1aFdjm7kr/s400/7G2A3455.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We had a couple options for locations. We ended up choosing the open space north of the house, between our house and Mt. Adams. We figure that we'll never want to put anything else there that might obstruct our mountain view, so having piping beneath the ground would be safe.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3R3DWlf-dvTLBRB4O-AymHrxLdskWUIT9ca-fQ-vKqnPURTrwBO9EQAZwBLuwcf91OS4N7I6uikh4H5UiLyDdxiZUSEzFJnEs-D4vY3uTlJLTgYraANUGQsVeEYp-JCPYhOM/s1600/7G2A3458.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3R3DWlf-dvTLBRB4O-AymHrxLdskWUIT9ca-fQ-vKqnPURTrwBO9EQAZwBLuwcf91OS4N7I6uikh4H5UiLyDdxiZUSEzFJnEs-D4vY3uTlJLTgYraANUGQsVeEYp-JCPYhOM/s400/7G2A3458.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The "racetrack" through which the water pipe will run will be about 800' long, with the water circulating through the entire length. Here is the quick rough sketch of the path that was marked on the ground.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_y8x5cyq0skZGa6mtph85GoR2NEjetoN0j8q5AF20UqKwP-yiix4jFGwjMzMWsoEvPdQjM5K3GLmO6dh8D85GMABIE3x-lbVJta-v9votrntlrTS7A_teMlqd7YzJsdYXj9A/s1600/2015-09-29+Geothermal+Trench+Layout.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_y8x5cyq0skZGa6mtph85GoR2NEjetoN0j8q5AF20UqKwP-yiix4jFGwjMzMWsoEvPdQjM5K3GLmO6dh8D85GMABIE3x-lbVJta-v9votrntlrTS7A_teMlqd7YzJsdYXj9A/s400/2015-09-29+Geothermal+Trench+Layout.jpg" /></a><br />
Square is the house; drawing not to scale<br />
</div><br />
<a style="float: right" href="http://www.superlon.com"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNg4CGmYPapFKIZlW9L-2vr-eRcpmzdI2weFNYeHn1fi3d0H0KF0fGik55tCucCuIhI8HNW0-Bi57uaBlPdqwReibptgLVuOjGWupSnF8GSufVPJl1TICjbpHHbkOU37My3MdZ/s1600/Superlon-logo.png" /></a>Excavation was planned to start on Tuesday, so we arranged for the polyethylene pipe to be delivered to us on Monday. Corinne's father and step-mother run Superlon, a polyethylene pipe company in Tacoma. We'd have family-made, high quality pipe for our heating system!<br />
<br />
But over that weekend, Superlon's delivery truck was totaled and wouldn't be able to bring the pipe to us. So we would pick up our 800' of ¾" pipe and 300' of 1" pipe ourselves. 1986 Dodge farm truck to the rescue!<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDwHiEK9rMkIWBdCRwciWj5h_-4PQ-Ti9glDn9nbYyEHbv7o9Tei-GN2KhBgHK4tduNE5Oj17szLFQAw0vFWgP34fKCeXnY8cHCloT-g_nfRDu7ZFYuVWTDyk1f7RvfW3zqSq/s1600/2015-10-19+12.38.35.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEDwHiEK9rMkIWBdCRwciWj5h_-4PQ-Ti9glDn9nbYyEHbv7o9Tei-GN2KhBgHK4tduNE5Oj17szLFQAw0vFWgP34fKCeXnY8cHCloT-g_nfRDu7ZFYuVWTDyk1f7RvfW3zqSq/s400/2015-10-19+12.38.35.JPG" /></a><br />
Quick trip to Tacoma, in style (not)<br />
</div><br />
Now that we had the pipe, it was time to start digging! We would need 800 feet of 5-foot-wide by 5-foot-deep trench. The biggest risk of the whole project was encountering large rock deposits. The installer spot-checked his proposed path by poking a metal rod into the ground, but there's always a risk of missing something. Thankfully, only once did the excavator find a spot that required using the hammer attachment.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamU8naE4GTjEzBZuuRnW2Jjus7U_04ZRj6p1vTBtWTJshm7o6ygl35zAH5bLgHeD2ItQgktx8p5Di6NSSo0cDddgcB0_5Lm7t5LoE-91_V14CW_MDIGhBun20V86wefivC9yA/s1600/7G2A3798.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamU8naE4GTjEzBZuuRnW2Jjus7U_04ZRj6p1vTBtWTJshm7o6ygl35zAH5bLgHeD2ItQgktx8p5Di6NSSo0cDddgcB0_5Lm7t5LoE-91_V14CW_MDIGhBun20V86wefivC9yA/s400/7G2A3798.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We knew where the trench would be dug, but we didn't truly grasp how large it would be until we saw it. The main trench area covers about half an acre. Enormous.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22JoLCrsH1UcphH3E6oR3MPV6H60GMlIISojkK77FJaNIW6ZE3WcQqT3g0qY8mTm29A-A-j7c8oGQzBrt1vG0N96tocsnzaGHSXDa1TGzSSFrnJ87Wh7c7ejH6hLcXvO3uST3/s1600/7G2A3889.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22JoLCrsH1UcphH3E6oR3MPV6H60GMlIISojkK77FJaNIW6ZE3WcQqT3g0qY8mTm29A-A-j7c8oGQzBrt1vG0N96tocsnzaGHSXDa1TGzSSFrnJ87Wh7c7ejH6hLcXvO3uST3/s400/7G2A3889.JPG" /></a><br />
Anders looking at giant trenches<br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_8MbAWFsrvtcKsshvYFdVmG_PPcoe-TBNATdRsk_XL-fcUYG0qckChOf7mwh2Phh32NcUmgCXvrRNvjjW3LS2IzwGfx-Lay4HGCjl56XybDkrV6TwKytXohwAv-9HNg7PjRg/s1600/7G2A3894.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_8MbAWFsrvtcKsshvYFdVmG_PPcoe-TBNATdRsk_XL-fcUYG0qckChOf7mwh2Phh32NcUmgCXvrRNvjjW3LS2IzwGfx-Lay4HGCjl56XybDkrV6TwKytXohwAv-9HNg7PjRg/s400/7G2A3894.JPG" /></a><br />
Trench pattern<br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5RrLWh9HSA9KtldjTqF5slVdGopeNfel-9QO_QHG6qJTj6nriqrhqeN4DCHZG4lpFeCmLMg8SU1ifcRt-wgcZSKbZ7htvBOSN3DspYePOlN7YkI6EVoA7qGuG5IFVS9bwGql/s1600/IMG_9501.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx5RrLWh9HSA9KtldjTqF5slVdGopeNfel-9QO_QHG6qJTj6nriqrhqeN4DCHZG4lpFeCmLMg8SU1ifcRt-wgcZSKbZ7htvBOSN3DspYePOlN7YkI6EVoA7qGuG5IFVS9bwGql/s400/IMG_9501.JPG" /></a><br />
Early morning trench, with steam<br />
</div><br />
The connection to the furnace closet in the house had to go right through a cluster of three <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaecyparis_lawsoniana">Port Orford Cedar</a> trees. One of the trees' branches had started to hang down on the roof, even after pruning them up 16'. So we decided to remove it to make room for the trench.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2btZWyvIsUCQBzFZ4mcT74ZlWFKmO7QIYShXD9WlJY98Wc92AuSnO9-fVW0oMG0zmOWh6oOH2PYTo2kRn5DfJWT7gimzWPw3X6RevXZWxttdR4ynprbK0k6hFeQkdykCszf-/s1600/7G2A3874.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2btZWyvIsUCQBzFZ4mcT74ZlWFKmO7QIYShXD9WlJY98Wc92AuSnO9-fVW0oMG0zmOWh6oOH2PYTo2kRn5DfJWT7gimzWPw3X6RevXZWxttdR4ynprbK0k6hFeQkdykCszf-/s400/7G2A3874.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The path to the house didn't need to be as wide, since it only housed two 1" pipes, out and in.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoHSn2ReudVhVcjI-dVBbyt5i_mkwIDuCAjPiccRSZFcJUvEYI0J48-lq9P3he7FxEbK6dZO_ZSkA6tOyvPa-MTfrlx1HsywCpiA-x2W9aIi-Dyi46q6szpI14PrVVd9mVOqr/s1600/7G2A3878.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoHSn2ReudVhVcjI-dVBbyt5i_mkwIDuCAjPiccRSZFcJUvEYI0J48-lq9P3he7FxEbK6dZO_ZSkA6tOyvPa-MTfrlx1HsywCpiA-x2W9aIi-Dyi46q6szpI14PrVVd9mVOqr/s400/7G2A3878.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCQ_XbEjlHwC44809jm9pfeDQCZ0q2VlioIrYF76Pb4W_vNq7rEBfNepue1nW6Z42-bHAMGwdqRM31KKCLoIwdys8yQ6hF2K-d_4gQ46V7TT95lgU432Hxtl-7W57ZiMpjj8l/s1600/7G2A3904.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxCQ_XbEjlHwC44809jm9pfeDQCZ0q2VlioIrYF76Pb4W_vNq7rEBfNepue1nW6Z42-bHAMGwdqRM31KKCLoIwdys8yQ6hF2K-d_4gQ46V7TT95lgU432Hxtl-7W57ZiMpjj8l/s400/7G2A3904.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
So many roots! Oh, and the white things sticking out randomly are irrigation lines for our sprinklers. We'll repair that at the end. The last several feet of the trench to the house were dug by hand.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4S__4oHjpj1OKMF2o4eIru9PBuGXhcRTqYhhEyG2DMOA5ivwC8-xmbNl_ehgFWoTff3K66714qx-l_um0TBSGNjpTRcDjCAQXcK6qvpFPWbcaJAH5OuTEKWVtXgi5cwXsNVk/s1600/IMG_9543.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD4S__4oHjpj1OKMF2o4eIru9PBuGXhcRTqYhhEyG2DMOA5ivwC8-xmbNl_ehgFWoTff3K66714qx-l_um0TBSGNjpTRcDjCAQXcK6qvpFPWbcaJAH5OuTEKWVtXgi5cwXsNVk/s400/IMG_9543.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Each trench in the racetrack will contain 6 separate pipes, to maximize heat transfer between the water and the ground. These connect to the 1" main lines at a junction point.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhP1CLefZ7p0g5K2eXPjlrQR_-3qrQQrycIxwqKRIn13rdSnLGJtBKarc2VUjIOnE8q3RhIKpfN-72GkxDmu9AQOZ9cEPJf_FEldcE0XBTcbcWJ8Wlr0boyXBpTX5XPYIV25n/s1600/7G2A3879.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhP1CLefZ7p0g5K2eXPjlrQR_-3qrQQrycIxwqKRIn13rdSnLGJtBKarc2VUjIOnE8q3RhIKpfN-72GkxDmu9AQOZ9cEPJf_FEldcE0XBTcbcWJ8Wlr0boyXBpTX5XPYIV25n/s400/7G2A3879.JPG" /></a><br />
Pipe in trenches with spacer<br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZeFfddDrk25kx3zc1FfZo_onthj2WaUrWRuuqTiDqhbpMBbDZO2TqX5V6gBA8xjwcBubzStGnSOeoCDYfNoY8CrG9a3_eC8Fjb4OMy8AaR2-CfUStsH0SjIRtF4JWYEDCKJW/s1600/IMG_9545.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZeFfddDrk25kx3zc1FfZo_onthj2WaUrWRuuqTiDqhbpMBbDZO2TqX5V6gBA8xjwcBubzStGnSOeoCDYfNoY8CrG9a3_eC8Fjb4OMy8AaR2-CfUStsH0SjIRtF4JWYEDCKJW/s400/IMG_9545.JPG" /></a><br />
Junction between 3/4" track and 1" supply<br />
</div><br />
By the end of the week, the trenches were dug and the pipe was laid. The trenches have been mostly filled-in, to be finished off with another piece of equipment.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAgqQ1ImPo57kcH6IevHrX5RvWrS2elXvYdQ1uWZ17veQ_lJbV92bQh3wKe7e6X-rziWJYpeZtncueJZ_971tEfYUv83hqa3hqPfHMKmYJe5or_dlTuBEZazXoUvT4texfn5c/s1600/IMG_9548.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTAgqQ1ImPo57kcH6IevHrX5RvWrS2elXvYdQ1uWZ17veQ_lJbV92bQh3wKe7e6X-rziWJYpeZtncueJZ_971tEfYUv83hqa3hqPfHMKmYJe5or_dlTuBEZazXoUvT4texfn5c/s400/IMG_9548.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
The old furnace was ripped out and the new geothermal heat pump installed inside. But there is still much work to do on the inside. With any luck, in another week it will all be done, we can put the house back together, and we'll have heat!<br />
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- Mike, Corinne, and AndersMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-50637431645715723702015-10-18T22:09:00.001-07:002016-01-10T11:18:53.025-08:0041/52 - Stumps, Squash, and A BatOur neighbors have a flower and squash patch every year. They previously had a large garden patch they tended, but for the past few years they have seeded with flowers and squash as a low maintenance way to keep the weeds out. We enjoyed cut flowers a few times from it this summer, and now that fall is here the squash is overflowing.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkcGbnZXpuEGyR9Afr8QhgBvuMcg8Shmccb1ncdpDS85Vt7NJQAua-S4LDBxP68ZwiDuYpwwOX8MfsDWlhZigPEfArfP-Hgf2iLYJcZtZHi1Kx2zbh0BCo-K6_APMITbwYo5S/s1600/2015-10-16+16.36.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTkcGbnZXpuEGyR9Afr8QhgBvuMcg8Shmccb1ncdpDS85Vt7NJQAua-S4LDBxP68ZwiDuYpwwOX8MfsDWlhZigPEfArfP-Hgf2iLYJcZtZHi1Kx2zbh0BCo-K6_APMITbwYo5S/s400/2015-10-16+16.36.58.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We gathered a carload of various decorative and edible squash a couple of weeks ago, but it barely made a dent in their patch. They decided to load a trailer full of squash and put a "free" sign on it at the end of our road. Within a few hours, the entire trailer had been emptied. So a few days later, we gave them a hand loading it a second time. It disappeared just as quickly.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsO5Kel8Mq2qgd1IHWcRzC-uuR1hi7kiO0vax-_5K33qn7o4_deK6EQCxopsFcz9l5ChUCTLF60ugsJ-E5-m0UPzw-hNiAds3_EGESSx-UZSljcDrhFwkccSKRG-2MHSAj5c0/s1600/2015-10-16+16.35.22+HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsO5Kel8Mq2qgd1IHWcRzC-uuR1hi7kiO0vax-_5K33qn7o4_deK6EQCxopsFcz9l5ChUCTLF60ugsJ-E5-m0UPzw-hNiAds3_EGESSx-UZSljcDrhFwkccSKRG-2MHSAj5c0/s400/2015-10-16+16.35.22+HDR.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We are now properly prepared for the <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/09/news/companies/pumpkin-shortage/">great pumpkin shortage of 2015</a>. Thanks, Carl and Inese!<br />
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<hr><br />
Speaking of things you only see in farm country... Corinne was out for a walk to the mailbox when she encountered this coming down the road:<br />
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<div class="video"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/rN4cKSJa8sg?rel=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/rN4cKSJa8sg">Watch this video on YouTube</a> or <br />
in the <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2015/10/4152-stumps-squash-and-bat.html">original post</a><br />
</div><br />
This is one section of one arm of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_pivot_irrigation">pivot irrigation</a> system, which we have throughout the valley. It's not every day that you get to see something like this. And this was actually the SECOND one in a row to drive by, so Corinne had enough time to get her camera out.<br />
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<hr><br />
As summer fades into fall, our time for doing outdoor improvement projects is closing down. We have a BIG one starting very soon (more on that next week), but I did accomplish a smaller one that was particularly satisfying.<br />
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In the almost 10 years that we've lived in Trout Lake, we have thinned out the plethora of trees in our yard. The previous owners loved trees and planted a variety of interesting trees in what was then an empty yard: Butternut, Quaking Aspen, Elm, Oak, Maple, Cherry, Giant Sequoia, Port Orford Cedar, Hawthorn, and more. But as the trees grew, they started to crowd each other. So we have gradually started to thin them out. But without a good way to remove the stumps, we just left them.<br />
<br />
Until now.<br />
<br />
Last weekend I rented a stump grinder and spent a few hours grinding out many of the stumps we had accumulated. We didn't quite get them all this go 'round, but one more day and we should be able to check this longtime property management task off of the to-do list.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYYDP61k4Dremb0B7rE-EDvva9pK0JZjHZQxd8wKPwctUrHRUqixRAAr_ZaXrwvUaYssCy_ZfPsTpleYfi1a52ZDznGVS8jJ7lbbME13FEPicY2QiH7-QfeeuVqIvvSK_AySw/s1600/7G2A3646.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYYDP61k4Dremb0B7rE-EDvva9pK0JZjHZQxd8wKPwctUrHRUqixRAAr_ZaXrwvUaYssCy_ZfPsTpleYfi1a52ZDznGVS8jJ7lbbME13FEPicY2QiH7-QfeeuVqIvvSK_AySw/s400/7G2A3646.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs1PzqgxiMPAoKqNwQr1kxAIOZ12iqBYzEL9NW8xD9ABgczwEUSG_Qxkxold3i83F77jYbddusP2vE8efSQ3JZTPanGeem_bPUgwqJqUoVmiWhl2bbsaIiZojHQDelDsyvj_c/s1600/7G2A3659.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs1PzqgxiMPAoKqNwQr1kxAIOZ12iqBYzEL9NW8xD9ABgczwEUSG_Qxkxold3i83F77jYbddusP2vE8efSQ3JZTPanGeem_bPUgwqJqUoVmiWhl2bbsaIiZojHQDelDsyvj_c/s400/7G2A3659.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Walking back into the house after practicing soccer in the yard, Anders suddenly called out: "Mom, Dad, look at this!" When we got closer, we saw what he did: a small bat was lying face down on the grass. When we leaned over to get a closer look, it turned its head and opened its mouth.<br />
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Something wasn't right. We have <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_brown_bat">little brown bats</a> in our area during the summer months, but we don't see them this late in the season. And we'd never seen one just sitting on the ground in plain sight. We couldn't see any obvious signs of injury. We know that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_nose_syndrome">white nose syndrome</a> is a major problem for bats, but we didn't see any of the telltale white coloring on his nose, and the experts haven't reported <a href="https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/resources/map">any cases this far west yet</a>. When we checked on him after a short while, he had moved about a foot from his original location, still on the ground.<br />
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Not knowing what to do, we made a call to our <a href="http://www.ucdwa.org/">local conservation district</a>. They referred us to the local Department of Fish and Wildlife office, who then called their bat specialist in Olympia. The best hypothesis they had was that this bat could have been one of this year's pups that somehow got left behind when the rest of the bats migrated at the end of the summer. There aren't any wildlife rehabilitation facilities anywhere near us that would take bats. They suggested that he was probably cold, so the recommendation was to give him a place protected from the elements and see what happens.<br />
<br />
We found a small cardboard box, lined it with fleece, and wrapped the outside with a towel. We used two sticks to transfer him to box and placed the box at the base of the closest tree to where we found him. He seemed more active when we picked him up, spreading his wings once. Once we placed him in the box, he appeared to snuggle into the inside corner on the fleece.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCBgMZEOn3eBW_uPofK6gfioTh2Vrl96DYlq9pxx4yasx-eSVjaktq2mOR-pY-UL5tK4UtushPMrN4y1p8X3qzAZzbIV0h-aCQCn_xuOJ-bijgcFnelSzZEK6wyN7cbfssTEu/s1600/IMG_1970.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiCBgMZEOn3eBW_uPofK6gfioTh2Vrl96DYlq9pxx4yasx-eSVjaktq2mOR-pY-UL5tK4UtushPMrN4y1p8X3qzAZzbIV0h-aCQCn_xuOJ-bijgcFnelSzZEK6wyN7cbfssTEu/s400/IMG_1970.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Survival seemed unlikely, but it didn't hurt to try. Now we could only wait and see.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wQXgJZh0DrEfheH9SymxV2gThOJL2yvtG2wN7_881PaIvcG72CrfNdOUj96Q-JtSMMfHoVVR0FafN9hzrBCbbuG-RIw3tZYEw89fySFh66EstSZopW-ez8EFiaBnM7UzlthZ/s1600/IMG_1974.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wQXgJZh0DrEfheH9SymxV2gThOJL2yvtG2wN7_881PaIvcG72CrfNdOUj96Q-JtSMMfHoVVR0FafN9hzrBCbbuG-RIw3tZYEw89fySFh66EstSZopW-ez8EFiaBnM7UzlthZ/s400/IMG_1974.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We checked on him every day, but he didn't show much activity. By the fourth day, we confirmed that he had lost his battle for survival. We hope he died knowing that someone cared.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSiia4tQPMRK15lFVdXjJPRdHkMAgYwAde3DFR0dOOdcLcOpd64_lsJZXzqRNaqD2zMbeEGEuocPCwG_6tV3D0ul1l37iWs4pMVJnJL8iN7cdUxAz7f5aRolYi68f0yX4W1Tm/s1600/IMG_1976.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSiia4tQPMRK15lFVdXjJPRdHkMAgYwAde3DFR0dOOdcLcOpd64_lsJZXzqRNaqD2zMbeEGEuocPCwG_6tV3D0ul1l37iWs4pMVJnJL8iN7cdUxAz7f5aRolYi68f0yX4W1Tm/s400/IMG_1976.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiIp-k_L2HbapREnAA8z2dEimolUstIl20O_NzApgSz_aGT77VT_72eKxGuPQ6CvY8W1IXUt33bAyyVm5ComeY4D_ZTp3olgFFB1RSjXDYz2O2us6ebP6LfBQoZWrxryKIb-O/s1600/IMG_1980.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiIp-k_L2HbapREnAA8z2dEimolUstIl20O_NzApgSz_aGT77VT_72eKxGuPQ6CvY8W1IXUt33bAyyVm5ComeY4D_ZTp3olgFFB1RSjXDYz2O2us6ebP6LfBQoZWrxryKIb-O/s400/IMG_1980.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgloZz7RVp_2Cks4OveRlwSulGmgT4p2ta7YzJlGeWPgJ6oNUBcp_fpxx7fp6M6KgwFKZycckf3jo3ApPGhO7SzcF4fi84x8v9HaJ9-SjoUJG5kvAfgRownLH2nmAf48M9Uaqzd/s1600/IMG_1984.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgloZz7RVp_2Cks4OveRlwSulGmgT4p2ta7YzJlGeWPgJ6oNUBcp_fpxx7fp6M6KgwFKZycckf3jo3ApPGhO7SzcF4fi84x8v9HaJ9-SjoUJG5kvAfgRownLH2nmAf48M9Uaqzd/s400/IMG_1984.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
We put the whole box - bat and all - into a ziplock bag and put it into our refrigerator, hoping to bring him to Anders's school for <i>Show and Share</i> day. But the school was concerned that it could give the kids nightmares, so they said no. Seems to me like this would have been a perfect opportunity to de-mystify bats so that they aren't scary, particularly given that several of the students did a bat writing project.<br />
<br />
<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIEStuhMoD0TBsY32EeJ0FRQHDhrFhPlOOxE6JAwb5LKi2yPVeWPga1byyuSO4t9ACqSE3sniZMRRqjsX3nFFNCwFPKNx2VcDYrlPeRds_9YexKl2VLKaIv9xe8w54n783zNc/s1600/image0.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIEStuhMoD0TBsY32EeJ0FRQHDhrFhPlOOxE6JAwb5LKi2yPVeWPga1byyuSO4t9ACqSE3sniZMRRqjsX3nFFNCwFPKNx2VcDYrlPeRds_9YexKl2VLKaIv9xe8w54n783zNc/s400/image0.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Oh well. Anders got a good look and hopefully a better appreciation for bats as a result.<br />
<br />
- Mike, Corinne, and AndersMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8529922.post-14777285034599987952015-10-11T21:43:00.000-07:002016-01-09T19:03:25.527-08:0040/52 - Cake, School Bus, GummiesAfter <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2015/09/3752-anderss-birthday.html">making/carving Anders's birthday cake</a>, we had some leftover cake pieces and excess frosting that we had put aside for later. We decided to give Anders a chance to do some cake decorating on his own.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91NUCSzBA_gl4V9kvwgrvKW2KSoG38ZP_HFuRa0XjczUDIVlb4DaRpeccswK82lW27LpCYN4YcNpU6IbBOwiBruzAkqqR-pg4BoEXfvpLmTsQw0wadnU63ZCtGcEqx4i0g7dC/s1600/7G2A3439.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91NUCSzBA_gl4V9kvwgrvKW2KSoG38ZP_HFuRa0XjczUDIVlb4DaRpeccswK82lW27LpCYN4YcNpU6IbBOwiBruzAkqqR-pg4BoEXfvpLmTsQw0wadnU63ZCtGcEqx4i0g7dC/s400/7G2A3439.JPG" /></a><br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyF5eehD26TNDp_8LThgglVwFJVLIhNhf5RWeTKE2ekeyN5i1315fJ6L4XCHhEVnBGiZiHhkzWMwQka7pDfaDZUnFLqGAlpGvDEaFvv4WkuARRvboL0DoFv9Z2V8DdmekASf4V/s1600/7G2A3436.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyF5eehD26TNDp_8LThgglVwFJVLIhNhf5RWeTKE2ekeyN5i1315fJ6L4XCHhEVnBGiZiHhkzWMwQka7pDfaDZUnFLqGAlpGvDEaFvv4WkuARRvboL0DoFv9Z2V8DdmekASf4V/s400/7G2A3436.JPG" /></a><br />
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Nice job, Anders! Tasted delicious.<br />
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<hr><br />
Here is a "day in the life" at the school bus stop.<br />
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In the morning, the whole family walks down the driveway to meet the bus.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbqKRTA-NE61CyLEVpy1E5PKrTeqjo281j5BLH8_ExGnC_Ph7EEvN0EMjR1MlEKj3jBMZVYsm-tsbHe8c1oWI_4xJiE4Rj5anONalefKJBZYEHE9vm6SWtW-mg1n0EEOz0VIn/s1600/7G2A3972.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbqKRTA-NE61CyLEVpy1E5PKrTeqjo281j5BLH8_ExGnC_Ph7EEvN0EMjR1MlEKj3jBMZVYsm-tsbHe8c1oWI_4xJiE4Rj5anONalefKJBZYEHE9vm6SWtW-mg1n0EEOz0VIn/s400/7G2A3972.JPG" /></a><br />
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In the afternoon, Corinne and I walk back down to meet him when he gets off the bus.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUW8r8mb8ouwynjDvmBopjC5NdVh71HzuTaiQmkdISxjLpU08ifJa9M8pZF4bkl-ned5gSIYSk-xYHJHsu8csIiVYYsfr3o74aUK4LcyZUA1FsnoXm533Q_Sq1wKeCSP8tZRv_/s1600/7G2A2869.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUW8r8mb8ouwynjDvmBopjC5NdVh71HzuTaiQmkdISxjLpU08ifJa9M8pZF4bkl-ned5gSIYSk-xYHJHsu8csIiVYYsfr3o74aUK4LcyZUA1FsnoXm533Q_Sq1wKeCSP8tZRv_/s400/7G2A2869.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
He says hi (sometimes) then walks past us toward the house. Rarely is he wearing his coat/sweatshirt from the morning. Thankfully, it is usually in his backpack (and not in the lost-and-found at school).<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-eI7y_erHpsGv3pZ3lHx-C3bkULYaBYDx4x4rTX-dBW8tFKcYLHdF6SmefjlWMwciNTvffcK2HajV5z5BQHX51Doe9PdcMIta9IPlBqpK5GyPXHD8O85iORC_3sN6j8mbNhi/s1600/7G2A2875.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-eI7y_erHpsGv3pZ3lHx-C3bkULYaBYDx4x4rTX-dBW8tFKcYLHdF6SmefjlWMwciNTvffcK2HajV5z5BQHX51Doe9PdcMIta9IPlBqpK5GyPXHD8O85iORC_3sN6j8mbNhi/s400/7G2A2875.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
Most of the time, he runs away from us toward the house. He finds this hilarious. (Us, less so.)<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RNIQpyGXzWNv2d-ga2fOJ5gPtkBDVsmrVRrUkVlzovnQR7Yr9dbwv8I_qHncZa77Q-SJ6TPIXil09n1GkjswonMF3KiHW8TfL6r4PMSJ7GvPPeC8YNKiwTvoz7GmyarAUIll/s1600/7G2A2883.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RNIQpyGXzWNv2d-ga2fOJ5gPtkBDVsmrVRrUkVlzovnQR7Yr9dbwv8I_qHncZa77Q-SJ6TPIXil09n1GkjswonMF3KiHW8TfL6r4PMSJ7GvPPeC8YNKiwTvoz7GmyarAUIll/s400/7G2A2883.JPG" /></a><br />
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On rare occasions, we manage to convince him to walk with us.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0Oh6lK6Ix1At0F-h8UkMhX4OmPbP8IfvNbrYHdbfqoYhu40_yybO8adet51ofR5c7ycl3_WklxHjYskAWqAZhpdHJh7jG5r2VPLKXYoDcj9QF_JRWyPcg8LE7N81RGtu8FYn/s1600/7G2A3431.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0Oh6lK6Ix1At0F-h8UkMhX4OmPbP8IfvNbrYHdbfqoYhu40_yybO8adet51ofR5c7ycl3_WklxHjYskAWqAZhpdHJh7jG5r2VPLKXYoDcj9QF_JRWyPcg8LE7N81RGtu8FYn/s400/7G2A3431.JPG" /></a><br />
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On days when we <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2015/03/852-birthday-cake-school-lunch-and.html">join him for lunch</a> at the school, we get a glimpse of his lunch routine. On one of these days, we discovered his favorite concoction from the salad bar:<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmNgOQF-NqSCBdGBNTMN6Umk5A7dDYTu8Fb-ukW3gThVUe0ETVkypbX9-DWN6ykUNhCL_ocycIxeiHaGZ-gLkKAePQCPGmBlbVjmJ4HbST0EAbPP_eqR1l_ioQJoM5abrN_vJ/s1600/2015-10-06+12.39.47.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikmNgOQF-NqSCBdGBNTMN6Umk5A7dDYTu8Fb-ukW3gThVUe0ETVkypbX9-DWN6ykUNhCL_ocycIxeiHaGZ-gLkKAePQCPGmBlbVjmJ4HbST0EAbPP_eqR1l_ioQJoM5abrN_vJ/s400/2015-10-06+12.39.47.JPG" /></a><br />
Peas, olives, cheddar cheese, and peaches<br />
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Nutritionally speaking, it's not too bad. The flavor profile, however, ... well, as long as he likes it.<br />
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<hr><br />
For his birthday, Anders received a small RC quad-coptor from Grandpa Reidar. Anders calls it the "Extreme F-Two-Two".<br />
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<div class="video"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/ZxtrrjKLYxw?rel=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/ZxtrrjKLYxw">Watch this video on YouTube</a> <br />
or in <a href="http://mikecorinne.blogspot.com/2015/10/4052-more-cake-making-gummies.html">the original post</a><br />
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<hr><br />
Another item on Anders's birthday wish list was a kit to make gummies. Rather than buy a pre-made kit (with its paltry and overpriced collection of ingredients), Corinne found <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3_dV-e4d9c">gummy-making instructions</a> and made her own kit. It doesn't take much more than flavored gelatin, corn syrup, and some silicone molds.<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniNkNwLe89p8h1bdNjsgX7Es1mrX3N9gfBAhu6Hh0aoZriSxRmX5NtD_3GCts6yBRWtT_Yxb5_sKu5Jrmuq76vQPMZPk0gdNZlz21L3L7vhhKlilfrB2VfNr_FG8-yC2hsIbE/s1600/7G2A3702.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniNkNwLe89p8h1bdNjsgX7Es1mrX3N9gfBAhu6Hh0aoZriSxRmX5NtD_3GCts6yBRWtT_Yxb5_sKu5Jrmuq76vQPMZPk0gdNZlz21L3L7vhhKlilfrB2VfNr_FG8-yC2hsIbE/s400/7G2A3702.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
...and voila! Who doesn't love gummy LEGO minifigs?<br />
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<div class="image"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqdzSkKY_1U0gZY76W5oHzTBNgYoe9ThY1BkYqLN-Ohh3aYcSpV9fzL4iqxJqt6mQW_ewSBMeXea48Emto9RyxdnmPc77fF6Ewj-WfhmlI3LWZ_g9Cr3qtg3O9x6dG_8bCFUh/s1600/7G2A3707-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqdzSkKY_1U0gZY76W5oHzTBNgYoe9ThY1BkYqLN-Ohh3aYcSpV9fzL4iqxJqt6mQW_ewSBMeXea48Emto9RyxdnmPc77fF6Ewj-WfhmlI3LWZ_g9Cr3qtg3O9x6dG_8bCFUh/s400/7G2A3707-001.JPG" /></a><br />
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- Mike, Corinne, and AndersMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06176405347375756994noreply@blogger.com0