Mega Tons of Mega Blocks

We indulge our child and we admit it. Especially when it comes to old-fashioned, no lights, no sound type of toys. As posted earlier, I bought Katie a bag of Mega Blocks. There were 80 in the bag and the girl loves them--okay, okay, I love them too. In typical Rick fashion, he had to Rickerize (bigger, better, stronger) her collection of blocks. His thought was most likely this, "If she loves 80 blocks, imagine what she'll think of three times that?!" Yes, Rick bought her two more bags of Mega Blocks, which brings the grand total to 240 blocks. There are so many that I had to put them in a 32-gallon purple toter. I have even built a life size chair for Katie, which she dismantled. Of course Katie likes to dump all of the blocks on the floor, and if you are a parent you know how painful it is when you step on a block. Thank goodness Katie likes to clean up or I would be cussing about the 240 pieces I would be picking up five times a day!

Sisu

Kate Gustava Ala Backstrom

My Grandma Kate, my father's mother, was born April 25, 1882 in Kemijarvi, Finland. According to her marriage license, her parents names were Issac Ala and Brita Seidi. She had one brother, who drowned in a lake on the family farm, and two sisters named Liisa and Hilda.

Life on the farm in Finland was hard as her parents had her working in the fields. At the age of 24, she decided to search for a better life. One evening she went out to milk the cows and never came back. She had hid her suitcase in the barn and somehow made it from Kemijarvi to Liverpool. She boarded the S.S. Saxonia on July 10, 1906, and headed for America. She arrived in Boston on July 19, 1906, with $10 in her pocket. According to the ship's passenger list a cousin paid her passage to America. At the port in Boston, there were people welcoming the immigrants and handing out food. My Grandma received a tomato. It was the first she had ever seen and didn't know what the heck it was. From Boston she traveled to Calumet, Michigan, which is in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Imagine at the age of 24 moving to a foreign country with basically no money and not speaking the language.

In Calumet, she took a position as a domestic to Martin Backstrom, a widower with a six children. On November 16, 1907, Martin and she married. She saved money to bring her younger sister Hilda to America, a deed she later regretted. Hilda was working in a hotel which caught fire. Hilda jumped out of a high window and was paralyzed as a result. My Grandpa Backstrom died in 1925 when my dad was two years old. That left Grandma, at age 42, with six step-children and six of her own children. However, by that time some of the step-children were older and working like my Uncle Bill. If it wasn't for my Uncle Bill handing over his paycheck from the copper mines, who knows what would have become of them.

The house my parents live in is the same house my Great-Grandfather Backstrom built. I believe it was after Great-Grandfather Backstrom's death that my Grandma and Grandpa Backstrom moved into that house. My father was born in that house, but just barely. My Grandma went out to milk the cows--milking cows figure largely in her life--and my dad was almost born in the barn. Grandpa Backstrom collapsed in that house of a cerebal hemorrage and his funeral was in the house. My Aunt Hilda died in my Grandma Backstrom's arms while they rocked in a rocking chair in the dining room. My dad traveled the world while in the Navy and for a time my folks lived in Milwaukee, but that house has always been home to my Dad.

Grandma Backstrom did not like to talk of the old country and had no desire to return. Like many immigrants to this country her name got changed upon arrival and with each census. On the ship's manifest her name is Katri; on her marriage license it is Krintina; on her social security card it's Kate; on censuses it is Catherine with many different spellings. I always knew her as Kate and that is why our Doodlebug is named Kate.

Grandma Backstrom died January 28, 1973 at the age of 90 when I was nine years old. She had what is called "sisu" "Sisu" is a Finnish word that really does not translate into one English word. On wikipedia.com they describe sisu as:

• a Finnish term that could be roughly translated into English as strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity. The equivalent in English is "to have guts", and indeed, the word derives from sisus, which means something inner or interior. However, sisu has a long-term element in it; it is not momentary courage, but the ability to sustain the same.

Our Doodlebug is named Kate as a tribute to my Grandma Backstrom. I hope she has "sisu" just like her namesake.

Home Improvements

Looking back at previous posts I realize this blog has turned into a Katie Blog. In reality, there is so much more going on in our lives in addition to Katie and her development.

For example, our house was hit by a small tornado/hail/straight line winds back in April. It wasn't until July that the insurance money came through so work began last month on rebuilding and improving our house. The siding has been replaced, as well as the roof. There is still soffit work, painting and numerous outdoor electrical projects to be completed. In the roof replacement we ending up replacing the entire sub roof with radiant barrier sheathing. Basically it's plywood with what looks like aluminum foil on one side and helps by reflecting up to 97% of the suns radiant heat. Rick also had octagonal vents put in gables of the house and vented soffit all around the house. He will then add fans in the attic to keep air moving through that space. Hopefully all of these improvements will help with our $500+ electric bills in the summer months. I will post before/after pictures when the house is complete.

Abilene Regional Airport is remodeling the outside of the airport. On one of the numerous trips to/from the airport Rick noticed a stack of light poles with goose neck lights. Rick began making phone calls and learned that the poles were the old ones from the parking area. He got in touch with AEP (the electricity service provider) and was able to obtain 17 25' light poles for the base. ALL he had to do was remove them from the airport. With the help of friends James and Tony, the three of them loaded all of the light poles and lights onto two trailers. The work was back breaking to say the least since all told the items weighed 3 1/2 tons. Next challenge was to get the lights and poles off of the trailers.

This is where Grant, James and Marion's son, stepped up to the plate. Rick and Grant had to maneuver the truck with trailer backwards down the curving driveway to the Quonset hut--not an easy or quick task. They then used Thomas', another friend, wrecker to unload the poles. In the end we ended up with $10,000 worth of lights for the base basically for "free". I put free in quotes because it required the kindness of our West Texas friends to accomplish this task. Thanks James, Tony and Grant. Isn't if fun being friends with Rick?!!

Rick started in a new position at the company for which he works. The company basically eliminated his old position and it looked like he was going to be out of work. However, Rick interviewed for another position in the company. It was a stressful few weeks before Rick got the other position, but it sure is a statement on this nation's economy. Every company seems to be reducing and refining.

As for me, I am looking forward to the coming cooler season. In September, the MOPS group that I belong to will begin again. This year I will be a table leader. This past Monday I had a meeting and Katie was able to go to MOPPETS, which she loves. At my meeting we were able to work on our boxes for our tables and I have been crunching my brain for a centerpiece for my table. This year's theme is Adventures in Mothering. I have started making a three ring circus, but we will see how it goes. I'll post pictures if my creation doesn't embarrass me too much!

The Good German

Today, Katie helped me put the toilet paper away, which we stack in the linen closet. She did a great job creating a tower o' toilet paper. Rick then commented that Katie needed some building blocks, so Katie and I zipped off to Wal-Mart and purchased a set of Mega Blocks. She LOVES them!! True to her German heritage she has a knack for engineering and precision. The poor child sat on the floor with her legs tucked under her for so long that her legs went to sleep. She started to cry when she couldn't get up and walk.

Potty Training Hurdles Results

Well, Katie has cleared a few of the potty training hurdles, but she has one that she continually knocks down. It's an important hurdle and her inability to clear it disqualifies her from achieving medal status. Okay, too much of the Olympic comparisons.

If Katie does not have a diaper on and she has to go to the bathroom, she asks for a di-di (diaper), starts dancing around and crying. We put her on the potty chair and two little drops come out and she seems fine. Then a little while later the di-di dance starts again, which results in a few more drops in the potty chair. The minute I put a diaper on her, she full out pees and poops. From this evidence it's safe to say she can hold it, but we cannot get her to fully pee and poop in her potty chair. She firmly has it in her mind that unbridled peeing and pooping must be done in a diaper.

We don't know how to transfer her understanding of "okay to pee and poo in a diaper" to it is better and also okay to pee and poo in the potty chair. Perhaps the only option is time, but if you have suggestions to help her transfer, they are appreciated.

Thirteen Buttons At 2 a.m.

Rick walks Eric up the driveway late at night or sometimes in the wee hours of the morning. Rick, being the smart one that he is, doesn't go meandering at night without some firearm. Today, in the early hours, he encountered Mr. Thirteen Buttons. He promptly shot it in the head. The snake looks to be about 3-4' long.


The number of buttons on a rattlesnake does not note the age of the rattlesnake, but rather how many times the snake has shed its skin. The more the snake eats, the faster it outgrows its skin. They can shed their skin four times a year, and each time they do they add another button. So Mr. Thirteen Buttons was at least three years old. Below is a close up of the buttons.

Fun and Finds In The Driveway

You know you are no longer city folk when the evening's entertainment is letting your two-year-old steer the lawn tractor as you drive up and down the driveway. However, you know you really are getting into rural living when you do it in your nightie.

As a side note, the picture below is of a shed snake skin that I found along side the driveway. It is about 6' long and belonged to a bull snake, not a rattlesnake.

Katie With Her New "Dogs"

Two More Birthday Photos

Katie with L'il Wherewick. He came in his own carrier.

This carrier contains Pucci Pup. He's a Yorkshire Terrier.

Singing In The Rain

Last December, Rick and I became cotton farmers. This occurred when we purchased the 144 acres next to us. We don't actually farm it, but we lease it out to a couple that have been working the land for many years now. You could say we inherited the couple with the land. They also have a few head of cattle on the small pasture portion, so by default we are also ranchers.

For the first time in our lives, we pray for rain. When the cotton begins to bud, the last thing you want is a drought and things were looking that way. But last Friday the skies opened and it has rained every day since. Several days of rain this time of year is odd for West Texas, but we got it just in the nick of time. So lately, we have been singing in the rain.

A Pinch To Grow An Inch

Katie had her annual doctor's appointment today. She weighs 32 lbs 9 oz and is 35 1/2" tall, which puts her in the 90-95%. This means she taller and weighs more than 90-95% of the kids her age. She also got her Hep A booster shot and will not get another shot until she turns four.

The little girl has a memory. The nurse, who is a very nice lady, is the one who gives her the shots. Katie got one look at her and started to whimper. When the nurse took her to be weighed, she cried "Mama" all the way down the hallway. When they returned, the nurse told me she knew one thing about Katie, so I inquired what it was. "She likes to pinch" the nurse reported. Katie has never pinched anyone. I guess she was getting the nurse back for all the shots for the past two years.

Below is picture of Doodles doodling on her Doodle Pro Board. Note the cheesy smile.

The Birthday Girl

Yesterday we had Katie’s cat themed birthday party. Those in attendance were Mama, Dada, James, Marion, Grant, Denise, Taylor, Tanna, Thomas and Bill.

I had baked Katie a cake, but was a failure in decorating it. I didn’t have the right decorating tips and it ended up being a fugly cake, so Rick had to buy a cake in Abilene.

For food we had chips and dip, cheese and crackers, watermelon fruit bowl, sloppy joes, Waldorf salad, and of course birthday cake with ice cream. Here is a picture of Taylor, Tanna, Katie and Rick blowing out the candles.

The girls, Katie, Taylor and Tanna got to go swimming even though it was overcast and the pool was cool, 84 degrees. They also painted cat shaped sun catchers. Both Taylor and Tanna did a great job and it was Katie’s first try at painting. Below is Katie’s sun catcher.

Katie got quite the bounty of gifts. From the Seidenbergers she got a overnight bag that is a horse. When she first saw it she called it a rabbit. From the Manske’s she got a Furreal pet which is a little animated white dog in a carry bag. Since it is white, she calls it Where-wick. From Aunt Margie and Cousin Danielle she got a terrier in a bag that came with a leash, bowl, bones and jacket. She enjoys dragging the dog around on his leash. She also promptly gave Eric the bones, but luckily he didn’t try to eat them. From Grandmom and Grandpop Kirschner she got a Raggedy Ann doll, Princess See and Say, princess lunch bag and the grandma and buggy for her dollhouse. From Uncle Keith, Aunt Diane, Cousins Courtney Allison and Lindsay she got Aurora pajamas and a Disney Princess talking mirror with brush and comb. She loves looking in the mirror and being told that she is as pretty as a princess. From Grandma and Grandpa Backstrom she got money which will go into her college fund. From Mama and Dada she got a toy airplane and a Fisher-Price Doodle Pro, which hopefully fulfill her need to draw and encourage her to not use the walls as a canvas. Below is a picture of Katie modeling one of her many great presents. She is holding her rabbit/horse overnight bag.

This year Katie understood the concept of a birthday party. She was excited when she saw all the wrapped gifts on the bar and exclaimed, “Wow.” She was also excited about the cat decorations, which resulted in numerous wows. She has become an expert in opening gifts and had to model each one. The look on her face when we sang happy birthday was precious and she knew we were all singing to her. She tried to blow the candles out on her cake, but only got one. Thankfully she had Dada and friends to help her.

It was a wonderful day for Katie, as well as for Rick and me. It is always a blessing to spend time with friends. Thank you one and all for the gifts and celebrating Katie's second birthday.

Reminiscing

Two years ago Kate Alexandra was born. She entered this world via a planned C-Section which was performed by Dr. Cass. Katie really was a beautiful newborn and had these little heart-shaped lips. Words cannot describe what a wonderful day it was, so I will illustrate in pictures.

Here I am at 6 am outside of Abilene Regional Medical Center.

Here is the first family photo after Katie was cleaned up.

Mommy and Baby. I am in major pain in this picture; however, the most painful part of the C-Section was getting the shot to numb my back so they could give me a spinal.

Grandpop and Grandmom Kirschner with their fifth grandchild. All five are girls.

The new family's first outing. I got to walk around the maternity ward. It was a major accomplishment for me considering this was the day after Katie was born.

Today's Date In History

Happy Birthday!!

• 72 years ago Grandpop Kirschner was born.

• 2 years ago Katie was born.

Here is a picture of the birthday buddies taken last May before Katie had hair.

Here's Katie and Grandpop at the mall before Christmas.

I Wish He Had Found A Finger

After dinner Rick said, "When one of the roofers took the last pack of shingles off of the pallet, he found a fingerling." At first I thought and wished he had said "finger", but no it was "fingerling." A fingerling is a baby rattlesnake.

Adult rattlesnakes are bad enough, but fingerlings actually scare me more because they are smaller (9"-13" long) and hard to see. They are born without rattles so they cannot warn you if they feel threatened. They are born with full-strength venom and, like so many youngsters, they do not know moderation, which means if they bite they tend to unload all of their venom. Older rattlesnakes can actually control the amount of venom in a bite. But the best part is that they are abandoned by their mother shortly after birth along with their 5-11 slithering brothers and sisters.

A finger under the pallet I could have handled, but this.......scary.

On All Fronts

On the critters-that-slither-in-the night front, last night Eric and I walked up the driveway to lock the front gate. On our way back we came upon a rattlesnake. At first I thought he was dead then he moved a little. My second thought was we probably passed him on our way up, but didn't see him. Our driveway is 1200' long and we were about 1150' from the house where the shotgun sat. By the time I got back to the house and got the shotgun and Rick, Mr. Snake was long gone. I should have known better than to go meandering around after the sun set without my rattlesnake killer. That is the first snake I have seen since I got my shotgun for Mother's Day.

On the home front, the roofers finished the today and the siding guys just have one side of the house in which to add the vented soffit. The yard still looks like a war zone with all of the discarded old materials flung about.

On the Katie front, she is starting to string more and more words together, such as "Hi Dada" and "Katie's shoes." She has also learned to command. Let me rephrase, she has always commanded/demanded, but now the words are coming. For example, yesterday I was doing my puzzle book and she wanted her book to color. She kept on saying "Book, book" and then got really close to my face and commanded, "GO!" I guess I wasn't moving fast enough for her.

Katie will be two years old tomorrow, August 14. It seems like a long time ago that she was born because she has changed so much in the last two years. Other times it seems like only yesterday when we heard her first cry. The thing that stays in my mind about when she was born was how soft her cry was. I was expecting a big 'o "Waaaaaaa!" To this day Katie doesn't all out cry. It's still a controlled sob. I write more about the day she debuted tomorrow.

On the Olympic front, Michael Phelps has eleven career gold medals and is now the winningest Olympian in history. On the downside, the women's gymnastic team choked and only got the silver, while China, whose team looked awfully young, got the gold. And the one story that seems to typify the attitude of the Chinese government is the one of the "cute" girl that sang at the opening ceremony. The little girl was lip syncing. The actual singer, which was another little girl, wasn't "cute" enough for the Chinese government, so she was not shown to the world. Click here to read article.

Olympic Event: Potty Training Hurdles

We are starting to potty train Katie. Being new parents, we are trying to match a potty training method to her level of intelligence and development. Sounds good, but in reality we have been reduced to flying by the seat of our pants and being the blind leading the blinded. However, today Katie did something that clearly points to the biggest hurdle on the Olympic potty training track.

Katie and I were in the pool this afternoon. We took our after swim shower. I left her in the bedroom with an afternoon snack and Baby First TV. I checked voice mail and when I returned to the bedroom she was stark naked and was wiping herself with a baby wipe. The diaper, which she discarded on the floor, was wet. She always tells us when she needs to be changed, which is right after she pees or poops. But today I wasn't handy, so she decided to take care of it herself and I am sure if there had been a clean diaper handy, she would have put it on.

In any case, here are the facts on her potty skills:

• she knows when she's pooped or peed
• she knows she doesn't want to sit in it
• she knows to wipe herself

Now, how in the heck do I get her to connect the urge to go to the bathroom with her pink cushioned potty chair? Suggestions welcomed.

P.S. Coverage of the Summer Olympics in Beijing starts this evening and I am so excited. It's Katie's first Olympics! Hence, the Olympic theme of this post.

What Is and What Is Not

• Rick is not at home for he is in Plano and has been since Wednesday night.
• The contractors are here working on the outside of the house.
• The internet is back after being down for two days.
• Eric is getting old and when he is sleeping I often check to make sure he is breathing.
• The birthday party supplies and decorations for Katie's second birthday are here. She is having a Cuddly Cat themed party.
• Katie is napping and I need one too.
• Today Katie is right-handed. Yesterday she was left-handed.
  

Til later here is a picture of Smarty Pants with my crossword puzzle book filling in the hard answers Mommy couldn't get.

Doing Time For The Crime

It's hard to discipline a child when they are intelligent. Why have I concluded that? Because Katie knows she is not supposed to color on the walls with crayons. To help squelch that desire to do so, she cannot play with her crayons unattended. Well, the other day the little booger hid one crayon, an orange one, in our bedroom and when I walked into the bedroom later that day, she had scribbled on the wall with the contraband.

When Katie does a "no-no" she has to take a time out in the corner, so when I walked into the room she said, "No-no", tossed the orange crayon in the air and ran into the corner of the room in a self-imposed time out. Here is what perplexes me. She knows it's a no-no to color on the walls. She knows that no-no's result in time outs, yet she seemed to weigh the joy of coloring on the wall vs the agony of a time out. I guess she decided to do the crime because she didn't mind doing the time.

It reminds me of a story our friend Bruce told us about when his daughter was a teenager. If my memory is correct she wanted to do something of which Bruce did not approve. Bruce told her she would be punished if she did so. She asked what her punishment would be and she was told that she would be grounded for one week. She thought about it and replied to the effect of "I can deal with that" and proceeded to do what she wanted.

Now if Katie is using this kind of logic at two, what is it going to be like when she's sixteen? On second thought, don't tell me. I want to hold onto MY innocence as long as possible.

Cindy Brady and Where-wick

Being the parent of an almost-two-year-old, you are guaranteed at least one good laugh a day. Today was a good day, I had two.

First Laugh: For dinner I made Katie chicken nuggets and added a side of mandarin oranges. (Don't laugh. You could not tell from her pictures, but the child is a picky eater and mandarin oranges are the "go-to" food, which means that is the only food she will always eat.) Anyway, I placed her plate in front of her and for the first time ever she said, "What's that?" I replied that they were chicken nuggets. She looked me square in the eye, shook her little head and said, "Noooooooooooooo."

Second Laugh: After dinner, Rick, Katie and I got ready to take a refreshing dip in the pool. (Yes, it is still in the 100's here.) Rick was already outside by the time I got Katie and myself ready. I called for Eric, but he didn't come. I figured that he was already outside with Rick. However, Katie was truly concerned were he was, so she takes off through the house calling his name. Why this made me laugh:

1. Nothing can tear her away from the front door when she knows she is going into the pool.
2. Until that moment, she has always called Eric "Dog-Dog" even though she knows his name is Eric.
3. She said his name with a Cindy Brady Lisp. Which is interesting because she does not lisp other words. In any case, "Eric" came out as "Where-wick". I thought maybe she was saying "Where's ick?" with "ick" being Eric. But when we were in the pool, she was looking right at him and saying "Where-wick."

As a side question, yesterday I put two pig tails in her hair and I thought it looked like a Cindy Brady hairdo. I wonder if that is why the lisp developed?!! Below is a picture, which I have dubbed "Katie's First Mug Shot", of Katie with the Cindy-Do.

Wa-Wa Dance

Here is Katie in her combo swimsuit/life vest. I call it her Michelin Man outfit. She loves going into the pool or, as she says, "wa-wa" and always does this happy dance accompanied with screams. I usually put my swimsuit on before I get her ready, so the Wa-Wa Dance starts when she sees me put my suit on. Needless to say--but I am going to anyway-- if I want to go into the pool alone I either have to undress/dress outside or do so when she is sleeping.

Once in the pool, Katie loves hanging onto the edge and kicking her legs. Regular swim lessons are soon to follow. Interestingly she does not like the chlorine dispenser to be in the pool when she is. It is a dolphin with sunglasses and she demands that the bobbing dolphin be removed immediately. Rick bought her a toy speedboat and an Ariel doll that swims. She doesn't like those in the pool either. I have come to the conclusion that she doesn't want anything moving around the pool by themselves except for Momma and Dada.

Dog Days of Summer

The weather here in West Texas has been in the high 90's to 100 degrees. We are also in the midst of having the house resided, so the outer windows and solar screens are not on the house. Needless to say even with the air conditioning running full tilt it can get a little warm in the house. Katie seems to suffer the worst of it during her daytime nap. Below is a picture of her from today after she woke up from her afternoon nap. The poor kid's hair was wet and looking like Einstein's hair-do, and she didn't seem to happy about the situation.