Nov 26, '09 9:46am: Happy Thanksgiving! .....and Mommy's knee surgery

Mommy is doing fine today. The surgery went very well (after a VERY long delay due to the surgery prior to her). She wasn't in very much pain, because she has a femoral block, but that's being taken out today. She'll get a goodbye-shot in the leg, then 12 hours later the pain will start to kick in. The doctor preferred to keep her till tomorrow, but Mommy was persistent on coming home today. Speaking of which..........Happy Thanksgiving!!! Daddy leaves in a few minutes to pick up Mommy and bring her home. In the meantime, check out a few pics from yesterday and the swank hospital digs.

Nov 24, '09 11:57am: Mommy's big bad booboo on the knee

Mommy was running yesterday (11/23) morning when she slipped on a welcome mat in our outside foyer. She landed with her full weight on the cement on her left knee cracking her patella in three pieces, one of which is lodged a bit in to the knee. Gives me the shivers. She is in a lot of pain and will stay that way until her surgery, which is scheduled for 5:30pm today (11/24). We tried to get an earlier appointment, but we got the best they could offer. Anthony was really helpful last night and this morning. He helped Mommy scoot across the floor and brought her breakfast this morning in bed. We're going to pick Anthony up early from school today, so he can be here with Grandpa while Mommy and Daddy deal with the hospital. Angela will be staying overnight in the hospital. Daddy and Anthony will visit in the morning. If all goes well Mommy will be home by tomorrow (11/25) evening. She won't be able to walk on her bad leg for about 8 weeks. Grandma P is working out the details on taking a trip down here from Washington to help out during that time. Sad to say, but we're just a little too used to medical emergencies around here. .....let's hope this one is the last one for a very long time. More info to come.

Nov 23, '09 1:45pm: Mommy's got a BooBoo

Mommy's got a fractured pattella. Really bad too. Clean break about a half inch separation. We're headed now to the OrthoSurgeon in Novato, and then maybe to the hospital as the pipeline towards minor surgery has been greased. Mommy's never stayed in a hospital before and has never broken a bone before. Anthony saw her fall, so you can imagine what this morning was like with a wife in 10+ pain and Anthony freaking out. All will be better soon. Pain meds have been given. (for both of us, as I reinjurred my back while carrying Mommy to the couch). Stay tuned. More updates later.

Nov 15, '09 9:57pm: First day of preschool tomorrow!!!

It really is a preschool. They have a class just for 2 to 3 year olds that is more day care than a school, but its in a classroom next to the bigger kids and they do do some learning style activities like the big kids do. Anthony was so jazzed about going there the last time. Now, when we mention the 'new school', he starts blurting about the skateboard and treehouse. There's more there than that, but from his perspective the fun stuff is all there is. Mommy and Daddy are really glad to have Anthony out of his old day care. When we started there it was absolutely perfect, but after the change to new ownership the quality of care and attention dropped off considerably. Anthony will still see some of his old friends from time to time on play dates. Anthony's birthday party was last weekend. We want to thank everyone for coming. It was so nice to see everyone. And thank you so much for the gifts for Anthony. He loves all of them and has already abandoned his old books and toys for the new batch. Quick medical note: Anthony has received his first H1N1 flu shot. He was one of the kids brought to the front of the line due to his medical history. He will get a second dose (as prescribed) in another month or two. In the meantime, Mommy and Daddy already got their normal flu shots. We should be all set…we hope. That's it for the moment. Tune in shortly for a report on Anthony's first day of preschool/daycare.

Nov 3, '09 11:52pm: Happy 2nd Birthday, Anthony!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Anthony!!! He was born at 1:35 in the afternoon. And exactly 2 years and 1 minute later... he fell asleep for nap time. Earlier on this day Anthony went for his 2 year physical. The doctor was impressed with his progress and health. The cough Anthony has is considered normal and comes and goes. It doesn't stop us from worrying about it though. He also got his H1N1 flu shot today. He was the first to get it at his doctor's office due to him being listed as high risk. Apparently, post cardiac patients that get H1N1 have an even tougher time. (Boy...let's hope Insurance Reform is done right, or Anthony's entire 2 year past will be considered a pre-existing condition. But if you read the news you know 'reform' is not what we will be getting. Makes us worry for the long term aspects for our child.) Anthony measured in at 35 inches and at 26 pounds 10 ounces. .......After the doctor's office Mommy and Daddy took Anthony to a park that he's never been to before. For some reason we were the only people there for over an hour. We came home to give Anthony his next birthday present: his Woody and Buzz Light Year Chair. He has no idea who the characters are, but Glamma and Poppies will be sending the Toy Story movies soon, so he can learn the characters. It will also give Mommy and Daddy a break from Thomas the Tank Engine, which (BTW) was the theme this year for his birthday presents. (The play tent was also a gift.) Anthony has a few more gifts he needs to unwrap from the rest of his family, and another one from Mommy and Daddy (it's an Elmo Live talking doll). We'll be unwrapping those at his birthday party this weekend. ........After his nap we hung around the house until dinner time. We met Grandpa at a local Indian restaurant where Anthony got a taste of some spicy food and was a little scared after that of everything else. He did eat a lot of it, but we certainly needed to give him his more familiar food when we got home. All in all Anthony had a fun and relaxing day with Daddy (who took the day off), and Mommy who worked a half day. We lost count of the giggles. From Mommy and Daddy's perspective Anthony's second birthday is a milestone that certainly gives us a sense of security for Anthony. The emotional and physical roller coaster we went through last year still weighs on our minds, especially each time we undress him and see the scar. Anthony is such a good boy, and quite energetic too. You'd never know he went through what he went through last year. .......and we like it that way. Happy Birthday, Anthony!!! Love, Mommy and Daddy.

Nov 1, '09 11:59pm: Happy Halloween!! ...and Aunty Roxanne

Happy Halloween!!! Essentially Anthony's first where he could actually participate. We started out the day by going to a local Halloween festival put on by a third grade class. The event had games and food and stuff centered on the theme of harvest. Each booth manned by classmates and designed to show a lesson about harvest. Not bad for third graders. Anthony wore his Thomas the Tank Engine costume and mingled amongst all the Darth Vaders, Ninjas, Hulks, Iron Mans, and vampires. He had lots of fun playing the games and seeing all the funny costumes. Later that evening (round about 5:00), Anthony put his Thomas costume on again and we headed out for his first Trick or Treating. We just went around the neighborhood. We were surprised at the number of people that had candy. It took Anthony three houses, and a little confusion, but he soon got in the rhythm. He said "trick or treat" at every door, ...then tried to walk in. Anthony was also trying to eat the candy through the wrappers. At the door of 10th house (last one due to dinner-time) he finally bit through on a Hersey's chocolate bar, so we took it from him. That started a full on grand mal tantrum that lasted until we carried him in to the house and continued through getting the costume off. The whole time he was screaming at the top of his lungs, "Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat...!!!" He finally calmed down enough to eat dinner. All in all a very normal and fun first Halloween. He hasn't really asked for the candy that much after that. But without a doubt, the seed has been planted. Halloween will be a much bigger event next year. This past weekend was also time for more visits. This time Aunty Roxanne came up from Southern California for a quick visit. Anthony absolutely loved Aunty Roxanne. He was laughing and giggling the whole time she was here. Uncle David also came over to say hello and give Anthony a hug. Overall we had a really nice weekend with friends, family and fun. Next up......Mr. Anthony has his second birthday this week with the actual birthday party next weekend. Stay Tuned for the 2 yr milestone....and a doctor's visit on that very day.

Oct 28, '09 11:43pm: Anthony's first day of School....kinda....sorta....

Anthony had his first day of school today!!!! Well, not really his first day, but a trial morning to see how he takes to it. ...And let me tell you.... Anthony was amazing!! The preschool is really a preschool, but it has a room for 2 to 3 year olds. Those young ones do get a structured section of their day, but its still more day care than school, which means lots of play. Anthony started off the day watching the other kids play. Age ranges from 2 year olds up to 5 in one large area. There's also a smaller play area. He is always cautious at first when meeting other kids, but it only took a few minutes for him to start exploring and interacting on his own. He rode a scooter for the first time (and can't stop talking about it). He played in a tree house, met all the teachers and started playing trucks with some of the other kids. He helped them and they helped him. It was really great to watch. The bell rang for class to begin and he was a little wary, but he followed the other kids right into the line. As they went down the path the teacher and he were waving goodbye. He looked a little like a dear in headlights, but was waving and seemed ok. Daddy had to leave for work. Mommy was already in the school signing some paper work. She checked in on Anthony and he was doing circle time with the other kids and interacting well. Mommy and Daddy are quite surprised at Anthony's total acceptance of the situation and the environment. Which means: he is starving for stimulation. (More on that in a bit) Mommy left Anthony there for the morning and returned to eat lunch with him at noon. Anthony was still playing well and interacting. The teachers loved him. Anthony has been jazzed for the rest of the day about everything he did. This preschool/daycare center is absolutely perfect for Anthony. We will most likely move to this place within the next couple weeks. ....Which brings me to the current day care and stimulation. Anthony is one of the oldest there now and the others are moving out to other centers, so he needs to be in an environment where the other kids are not just babies. The fact that 3 hours at the new place today sparked such a excited response means he's not getting much at the moment. But the biggest reasons for us moving him lay more in the problems we have started seeing since the change of ownership of his current care center. I won't go in to specifics, but suffice to say that the new owner is more interested in just baby sitting and not anything more. Anthony deserves better and so did Mommy and Daddy when it comes to information on how the business was changing. (sigh) ....Soon he'll be at a much better center with kids his own age and older. Which also means that we are about to see a dramatic change in Anthony once he's at this new place for just a few days. We're a little excited and sad about this as its good for him, but.... he'll also be leaving his baby years behind and growing up a bit more. Stay tuned.

Oct 17, '09 11:16pm: Just a quick update

So...check out the picture that is displayed with this posting, .....should we worry? Other than that, life has been fairly routine for the past few weeks, but we're excited to be getting ready for the holiday season. Tomorrow Cousin Kara comes for a visit and Anthony gets to go to a local Pumpkin Patch. Daddy and Mommy can't wait for Halloween and some righteous trick or treating. This holiday season will be Anthony's first where he may keep some permanent memories (we hope).

Oct 12, '09 10:56pm: Soccer Boy and the Football Fan

Ok, so... Anthony has been loving kicking around his soccer ball lately. One day we brought it, and him, to a park to run around. We thought it would be just some simple kicking around, instead Anthony surprised us all. He ran up to the ball and began kicking and chasing it, which very quickly turned in to him actually dribbling the ball. Mommy and Daddy were quite surprised and proud. We're not sure if this is normal for all kids, but a few people at the park were also amazed at how well Anthony was doing for his age. We've researched our area and found that the GrassHopper Soccer League starts up in the spring for 3ish year olds. Perfect timing for Anthony. ......Meanwhile, ...all of the football teams in the AFC North won this past weekend. Well, not all of them. (Sorry Aunty Tish.) ....Anthony's second birthday is coming up soon. We're planning a small get together. We hope the weather will be ok. As of tonight a big storm is moving in with 50+mph winds. It better not be a trend. We hope Anthony's birthday will be a nice fall day. Grandma P had a great time with Anthony. She left last week, but will be back soon. Uncle David came by too for a quick visit. We'll have plenty of family in the area for Anthony to have fun with. ...This will be Anthony's first holiday season as a toddler. We're going to have so much fun. This weekend we're starting off with a visit to the pumpkin patch for jumpie houses, pumpkins, and hot cider. And of course Halloween is just around the corner. Anthony may do the pirate thing. Although he has expressed interest in an Elmo outfit. :)

Sep 29, '09 11:49pm: Grandma P and Aunty Tish Come for a Visit

This past week Anthony's Grandma Parker showed up for a nice visit. Grandma P always helps around the house, and she's muchly appreciated. (thanks Grandma P!) Anthony enjoyed playing with Grandma and reading books. We just didn't take many pictures. Grandma P will be back this Friday for a few more days following her quick jaunt to Santa Barbara, so we'll take some more pictures. In the meantime, Anthony enjoyed meeting his Aunty Tish and Uncle Mike. Aunty Tish is Grandpa A's sister and this was her first time meeting Anthony since his birth. We didn't capture any video of that meeting, but we did get many other pics and vids. See the links below. Anthony really had a wonderful time with Aunty Tish. They went on a walk together, swam in the White Trash Water Park for a bit, and even did the jumpie house. Grandpa came over and made ribs and chicken for everyone. Anthony hadn't had ribs before, so it was a treat. Aunty Tish's only handicap is that she's a Baltimore Ravens fan. The Steeler Nation (and Anthony) forgive her. …… Anthony's bedroom received some changes last week with two new dressers. We moved his armoire into our bedroom and made it a lockable medicine cabinet, and will soon be giving his changing table away to another couple. In their place now stand two huge dressers with lots and lots and lots of screws that caused Daddy to get a blister booboo from using the screwdriver. Check out the furniture and other fun stuff at the picture links below. More updates later regarding developmental progress and what in the world Mommy and Daddy have been doing.

Sep 21, '09 12:19am: Weekend Fun

Furniture and swimming. What a combo. That was our weekend. We're upgrading Anthony's bedroom furniture. The dresser arrived on Friday. The changing table (slash) mini dresser arrives soonish. Of course, Anthony wanted to help, but couldn't do much, so we decided to give him an early birthday present. Check out the Handyman shots of him fixing everything in the house. ..... Today was a hot one, so we were invited to go over to a friend's house to swim and cool off. Anthony had a blast. He was a little skittish, but warmed up to it quickly. He never panicked once. Next up are swim classes. We got Chinese food for dinner, then went back home to take care of more things that needed fixing.

Sep 17, '09 11:12pm: First Annual Cardiologist Check Up

Anthony had his first annual cardiologist visit today.....and he got a flying colors review. Strong heart, good lungs, very well developed scar tissue reduction, well mannered, patient, and just a plain old good boy. He was very quiet and cooperative for the visit. Not a single complaint or tear. Not afraid at all. In fact, quite curious. His scar will continue to flatten as he grows, but will most certainly be visible for the rest of his life. We're wondering what stories he'll tell the "chicks". Anthony's stats are now: 35.8 inches and 26lbs 8.5oz. Doc says he has well developed muscle tone. So a stellar review. Our next visit may be longer than a year from now, because the doc thinks Anthony is doing great. He will certainly need to continue being monitored for quite some time. Doc says past his teenage years. No biggy if he keeps getting great reports like this. After the visit we went to the park with Grandpa and had some fun on the swings and slides. It feels so good to be at this point as parents. I mean, it was obvious he was doing fine, but to have the doctors say so with that much confidence gives us a much deserved solid ground to stand on. Way to go Anthony!!

Sep 17, '09 12:18am: My nam es Antonee!!!

No, that's not a strange language. That's our son sayin' his name (I say proudly). The other day he was in the living room and I had to go into the bedroom. I could hear him practicing saying "my name is anthony' getting better at it each time until he had really gotten it down as good as he does in this video. It sounded so cute from the other room. I then heard his foot steps running into the bedroom where he smiled large and said with pride "mali nankooteesl hanoneee". I told him he did well, but he paused and looked at me weird, and then he said it perfect "my nam es antonee". He got a special hug for that one. ......Stay tuned....... As tomorrow (thursday) is Anthony's cardiologist check up. They finally got the schedule all set and confirmed. We'll post an update after the visit. .....There have been a few picture and video updates. Enjoy them at your leisure. Ciao.

Sep 3, '09 11:24pm: A doctors visit that wasn't, and more

UCSF.......great doctors, nice facility........the worst administrative staff in the world. They originally scheduled Anthony's annual cardiologist appointment for 8/21, then called us to tell us its being moved to 9/4 and followed it up with a confirmation call a few days ago. So, guess what? When we got there today the lab was shut down and not accepting patients. Further still Anthony didn't have an appointment on record. We were just a little mad at this point, and were given the manager's phone number to complain. Mommy and Daddy took the whole day off, changed Anthony's feeding and nap schedule, only to find we'd been shafted. ......thank god for the almighty profit motive. If it weren't for that, then maybe UCSF could have hired better administration staff. Do yourselves a favor and read up on the health care reform out there, and turn off Fox News, Rush, Beck and all the other right-wing-nuts. For the health care industry in particular there is no more need for profit when profit motive starts to whittle down the ability to provide health care itself. The private industry is failing at helping. 'Nuff said. ............. So, what did we do instead? Well, we went for some kick ass burgers at M&G's near our old apartment. Mommy and Daddy ate there a lot during our pregnancy. Afterward, we went on a loooong walk in the old neighborhood. We saw duckies and birdies and bike riders and bees and doggies and old farts and a guy driving a truck with a flat tire. (I stopped him. Told him. He had been "wondering what that sound was". jeeesh.) Anthony only had less than an hour of a nap, so when he starting acting up we packed it in and headed home. Not much planned for the rest of the weekend. We're a little surprised to see that not much is going on around our area for kids Anthony's age. We'll come up with something for him. Daddy has an extended weekend to try and relax. Mommy has reduced work, so family fun time indeed. ...... On the subject of progress: Anthony is coming along just great. His vocabulary is constantly increasing, and his understanding of the world is a joy to watch. The local market has children's sized shopping carts. Anthony has gotten in to the habit of using the cart and walking the isles as if he's doing the shopping. Way too cute. He even wants to help unload at the register. He stops at the payment step though. His personality is also growing. He can be classified as a semi shy goof ball. He's always trying to do something to get us to laugh. Such a cutie. Mr. CutiePie though, still has a bit of a chesty cough. He's getting better, but slowly. Hopefully being at home for the long weekend where he does sleep better will give him the rest he needs. ..... Well, that's it for now. Catch ya'all here and there. -j/a/a

Sep 1, '09 10:43pm: Chest Colds and Doc Visits

A chest cold. In summer. ....a chest cold in a very hot summer. Not sure how Anthony caught it, but it may have something to do with the new kids in his day care. A couple of new kids have arrived and two others graduated. Anthony is cautious of new kids at first, but seems to make friends easy once he gets going. We took Anthony to the doctor who says it's just a chest cold, and there's no problem with his lungs or ears. Just a chest cold........in a very hot summer. (go figure) His next medical event is his annual cardiologist visit this Thursday. We go in during the late morning and leave in the afternoon. He'll be getting a full EKG and an echocardiogram. No one expects any problems to be found as this is a required check up. Anthony will need to be still and quiet for the exams. Daddy has his phone loaded up with some cool cartoons and we'll be bringing Anthony's hand held games. The hospital has dvds too, so he should be fine. The good news is we don't need to trek in to the city for the exam. We'll be at the satellite offices near our old apartment. Very pretty area. We'll be taking Anthony for a walk along the water following the exam. Also following the exam is......opening day of football!!!! We'll be home in time to watch the Steelers beat the Titans. Anthony will want to wear his jersey, of course. Other than that we're getting ready for a nice long weekend. Sleep is Daddy and Mommy's main priority. Not sure about Anthony's. We'll probably hit a couple events in the area. Of course the jumpie house will make a few more appearances. Next update will follow Anthony's Thursday cardiologist appointment.

Aug 23, '09 9:06pm: Jumpie House!!

It's been a weekend filled with new things. First and foremost was the birth of Evan Schlotzhaur, Anthony's immediate cousin (and Mommy & Daddy's first nephew). There's more info a couple of posts ago. Later that same day Anthony went to the Raceway to see Indy Car racing. It was a bit loud, so we didn't stay for too long. And today....Anthony got a gift from Mommy: a big ass jumpie thingy. Anthony loves these things at the fairs and other places, and Mommy always wanted to buy him one. So Daddy ran out when Mommy and Anthony were napping, got it, and set it up. We had a blast for the next couple hours. Daddy is too heavy for it, but Mommy weighs a bunch less, so she and Anthony were able to have a lot of fun. .... Meanwhile... life gets back to normal tomorrow.....monday....blech.

Aug 22, '09 11:42am: Baby Evan Schlotzhaur!!!!

Baby Evan Schlotzhaur was born at 1:07pm EDT and weighed 8.9lbs. No word yet on length. Mommy, Daddy and baby doing fine. The baby took to breast feeding right away. More pictures soon.

Aug 18, '09 12:57am: Updates galore!

Check out this cute photo of Anthony sleeping. Hugging the blanket is quite new. ..... Anthony has had some social fun over the past few days. Angela joined a local Mommy-Group and met some really nice people. She invited Cynthia over with her daughter, Isabel, to play with Anthony. Isabel is a few months younger, but they had lots of fun together. Also, Cousin Melanie and Grandpa came over for some fun and food. We all got a little wet in the pool(s). Last Friday Mommy and Daddy brought Anthony to a local park where a band was playing, there were jumpie houses, and plenty of food. It started small, but never got too big. It was quite fun and enjoyable. Anthony was a bit shy of the crowd and band noise, but he had fun and was cute the whole time. Check out all the pics and large vids. Talk soon. .....oh ...and ...Go Steelers!

Aug 13, '09 11:29pm: It's Football Time!!

Pre-seaon football. Not as good as opening day, but....the Steelers are on, so we are required to watch. As for the jerseys: I had to do it. The jerseys were just asking to be bought. One for Daddy, Mommy and Anthony. Anthony's jersey is the smallest available. You should see him running down the hall while wearing it. He also knows where its stored. When I turned the game on he pointed to his shirt and ran to the closet where all the jerseys are stored. Anthony enjoyed some extra play time and went to bed after the game. Mommy reportedly likes her jersey. GO STEELERS!!!

Aug 5, '09 11:16pm: Happy Anniversary, Mommy and Daddy!

Six years ago today Angela and I went on our first date. Three years ago today we were married. ....and I couldn't have asked for anything better. Angela is the most loving person I've ever known. She makes both Anthony and I feel warm, wanted and loved. Happy Anniversary, Honey! ....We celebrated quietly. We went to a local Italian restaurant and enjoyed a nice family dinner out. Our neighbors own the restaurant, so we enjoyed saying hello. Anthony enjoyed all the food, sorta. He had crab cakes, broccoli, Caesar salad, (he threw the prosciutto at me), veal picatta, pasta, but he didn't have any of Mommy's lobster because he thought it was a big bug. ...Just a nice dinner out, then back home to give Anthony his meds. Just two more doses of antibiotic to go on this ear infection thing. He still has some diarrhea from the meds, but he's slowly getting back to his fun personality. Poor kid was sick for a while. Tomorrow is a pot luck at his day care with the rest of his friends and their parents. One of the other kids is graduating. We have only met the other parents in passing, so it will be an experience.

Aug 2, '09 10:29pm: Feeling better with new meds

Poor little Anthony is doing better from his ear infection, but wound up having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. He's broken out in red spots all over his body the same as when he had the reaction last time with the same meds. We went to the after hours clinic today to check and the doc agreed that the reaction warranted changing the prescription. So, only two or three more days of the (new) meds to go. He should be fine after that. Poor kid. His appetite is almost nill, because the old meds were upsetting his stomach so much. We should have a better functioning child in the next few days.

Jul 31, '09 11:53pm: Still sick, but fever is down

Anthony's temp is down to 100.2 without any meds. His ear is still filled with some dried blood. Poor kid is droopy and tired looking. We are really hoping that there isn't anything stuck in his ear. We've talked to our day care provider and she had no incident to report at all that would have resulted in something going in his ear. Anthony doesn't really touch it much and didn't touch it too much prior, so it's hard to figure out if the problem is physical, viral, bacterial, or whatever. The doctor has cleaned it out twice and still can't see what's going on before Anthony gets too much in pain. The doc will be calling us through the weekend. We have an appointment for Tuesday with the pediatrician and probably an ENT. We continue with the antibiotics and ear drops....and the love and care. Anthony's a little on edge lately, but it's understandable and we're extra gentle with him. He seems to be sleeping well at the moment. Earlier today we took him to a hobby shop and got him a toy train. He had a blast and loves the train set.

Jul 30, '09 11:38pm: Still got a fever

Anthony still has a fever of 101.5. Not as bad as yesterday. Mommy and Daddy are worried. The doctor saw him again and still couldn't see past the dried blood, but what he did see looked ok. He cleaned up Anthony's ear until it became uncomfortable. We're worried that he may have something lodged in his ear. The doctor doesn't think so, yet. We were told that regardless we need to continue treatment (drops plus antibiotics) and see the doc again on Tuesday. We have a backup contact doctor for the weekend. When Anthony isn't in fever mode he's still playful and wants to dance. Poor little guy. He just wants to keep going.

Jul 29, '09 8:10pm: Poor little guy's got an ear infection

Well Anthony had a good run of perfect health there for a while. Last night he developed a fever of 101 that we thought was teething related until I touched his ear and he winced in pain. We ran him to the doctors this morning, but there was so much dried blood in Anthony's inner ear that the doctor couldn't tell what the problem was. (Mommy and Daddy have been a little freaked since.) The doc gave Anthony some antibiotics and some ear drops. We have another appointment tomorrow morning to see if the ear drops cleared things up for a better diagnosis. If not, then our doctor promised to walk Anthony over himself to the baby ENT next door. Anthony's in good hands. He's got a 102 temp right now, but he just took some Motrin and is almost asleep. His fever should come down during the night. We'll keep you all posted. ...... meanwhile..... Remember that car accident Daddy got in to a couple years ago (t-boned by an old lady that ran a stop sign)? Well....the lawsuit is over with a settlement that will most likely wind up in Anthony's college fund as well as a mini shopping spree for Daddy and Mommy. Meanwhile, the pain continues. Daddy is doing his stretches and following doctors orders, but all the docs say the same thing, "welcome to daily pain management". Today is especially painful. Not sure why, but I'll be on the couch with ice packs by early evening. :( ....... Meanwhile, my son (aka Anthony) is turning into Mr Independent. His Royal Terrible Two-ness is becoming a bit more demanding and bit more confrontational. Overall no big deal as he is still kind and follows direction (most of the time). But when he doesn't want to do something.......watch out. The other day Daddy had to leave the store with him as he wailed at jet engine levels, while the other customers were wondering what the hell is going on. That particular incident took place at the second store on the errand run, and was because Daddy bought him a very big toy truck at the first store that Anthony insisted on playing with before we got home. Turning a 5 minute stop at the garden shop into Little Shop of Screaming Horrors. Nice to know my kid can wail like that. Last weekend we took Anthony to a kiddie carnival being put on by the county parks and rec department. It was really fun. Anthony got to bounce around in the jumpie houses and play in the fun house. There lots of rides and plenty of bbq for the adults. Check out the photos and the Livecam we did that day. Also check out the AJ Fashion Show in the photos section to see some outfits Anthony wears day to day. ...... Mommy is doing well. She's a bit overworked this week, but ain't we all? Daddy is working hard at work and keeping the other web sites going. (I'm looking to transition a lot of that work.) Other than that life rolls on here at the Amato homestead. We'll post more info tomorrow regarding Anthony's ear condition and overall health. -bye for now.

Jul 18, '09 2:32pm: Anthony's Second Hair Cut

We decided to give Anthony a hair cut today. It's actually his second as the first was given to him by Glamma in NY. One thing that is a bummer is that we can't find the lock of hair that we brought home with us. We'll keep looking, but I really think it's lost. :( ....on to other topics....we got wasps. They keep building a nest by day, and I keep knocking it down at night. Last month was gophers, this month is wasps. Not exactly plagues of the end times, but it feels that way.

Jul 11, '09 11:50pm: Catching up on...everything.

Well...here we are: dawn of a new era....speech. Anthony is full steam on his communication skills. He's getting good on the two word sentences, especially when he tells me to "geeet upp" in the morning. We've been using an online site that uses interaction to teach the alphabet. As a result Anthony is pointing out letters and words in other books and has been adding words to his vocabulary almost daily. There's more software I'd like to try. The benefits of buying a touch screen laptop for him are growing....and Daddy has been wanting new hardware for a couple years now, so...... :) ....It was my birthday today!! ..oh joy. This year I got a prescription for high blood pressure medication as the perfect gift. My history is long with high pressure measured even in my most fit years. We'll see how things go from here. Here being 44 years old. Old hat for others, not so for me. No cliche'd upbeat comment can erase the feeling we all have felt at times: I hate growing old. My back injury that requires daily attention kinda punctuates it all. But then I see Anthony's smile and it seems easy to feel young again. .......speaking of which, Happy Fathers Day!! Its been awhile since we provided a big update. Even holidays are slipping by. Not that we did anything earth shattering. DaddyDay around here was just hanging out at the local park followed by dinner at a local italian place with Grandpa. The 4th of July didn't have any fireworks, but we did attend a birthday party for Jessica and Rachael, twin daughters of a good friend of Daddy's. Anthony was a little freaked out at first with new people (seems to be a pattern), but he warmed up after a bit. Check out the pictures in the Photos section. ...... Also, check out the pictures and videos of us at the Marin County Fair the weekend of the 4th. Anthony had a blast in the petting zoo and even came face to face with an angry cow. Anthony wasn't tall enough for all the rides except one: the merry-go-round (with adult supervision). The first time around all three of us went on the ride. That video is in the photos section. The second time around is in the Livecam archive where it was just him and Mommy. He was a little freaked, but had fun and wanted a third ride (of course). ..... We got a surprise from Anthony this week: he started asking to use his potty. We haven't done anything except buy one. He's completely going at his own pace. Way cool. ..... Mommy's doing well. She just recently changed jobs, so we're getting used to a new schedule. Angela and I just don't have the time together anymore, which was predictable, but experiencing it is a bit different. We do the best we can in Anthony's down hours. Angela has been doing great with Anthony. They have a very special relationship where Mommy winds up getting a few more special hugs than Daddy. It is true that a scruffy beard doesn't help in the kisses department. Angela keeps the happy-fires burning in the house without a doubt. Anthony doesn't go very long without asking 'where's Mommy' when she's not around. Anthony is aware that he's a boy and has attained a level of awareness that creates more identity with Daddy, but he always seeks out Mommy for kisses and tickles (he actually throws himself at her asking for it). Angela is the best Mommy and the best wife. .... That's it for now. Thank you to all for the nice birthday wishes!! Make sure to read on for web site changes and check out all the new photos and videos from the past month. Especially "Energetic Boy". :) -joey/angela/anthony

Web Site Changes
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I'm getting closer to an environment that reduces down my work to keep things up to date. I have just completed linking this site to Anthony's Facebook page via a blogging service called Posterous. Any post I make here also produces an automatic Facebook update. There will always be more content on this site, but now I have a way of publishing notifications to Facebook automatically. The ability to auto publish photos will be added later. All posts to Facebook will contain a link back to here (this page) if more content is available. I've also added links to Anthony and Mommy's Facebook pages within the left hand menu. (Sorry, with upwards of 400 viable emails a week (mostly work related) it gets tough to keep our E-Life up to date. The above changes make it a bit easier.) Enjoy.

Jul 11, '09 11:19am: Daddy's Birthday at the beach

We went to the beach today. It was chilly, but fun. Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Jul 10, '09 8:00pm: It's my Daddy's birthday tomorrow!

It's my Daddy's birthday tomorrow!

Jul 5, '09 10:29am: Brunch at Joe's Cafe

Out for brunch. Anthony LOVES bacon!!!!!

Jul 3, '09 12:03am: LIVECAM NOTICE: Marin County Fair 7/3 3-5pm-ish

We're heading to the Marin County Fair tomorrow (7/3) from 3 to about 5 or so. No exact promises, but we'll have the Livecam going somewhere in that window.

Jun 21, '09 5:39pm: Anthony out for Father's Day Dinner

Happy Father's Day!!!!! We're eatin' Italian...Family Style!!

Jun 14, '09 12:41am: LIVECAM NOTICE - Italian Street Painting 3 to 5pm PST

Just thought I'd pass on a liitle notice that we're headed to Italian Street Painting fair tomorrow. We'll be Livecam'ing it sometime between 3 and 5pm, Sunday June 14th. There probably will be some quick posts and pics too. Stay tuned.

Jun 1, '09 9:27am: Sick again

Anthony has a fever today. He was up in the middle of the night not feeling well. Yesterday his appetite was pretty small. Other than that he didn't seem sick until he woke up with a 100+ temp. He's doing fine now with Mommy staying home with him today. If he's not feeling well tomorrow, then Daddy will stay with him. Poor baby.

May 31, '09 12:08pm: Discovery Museum in Sausalito

We've been here for the past two hours. We'll post more pictures later. Anthony is having a ball playing with all the stuff and other kids!!! BUT....its nap time coming up real soon. He'll probably fall asleep in the car. Here's a shot of Anthony digging for burried treasure in the broken down pirate ship.

May 30, '09 3:36pm

We're headed out for a walk. Daddy's back isn't doing so good today, so Mommy gets the stroller duty. Hot and sunny here. How 'bout you?

May 30, '09 12:13pm: Lunch Time!!!

After a quick trip to the hardware store to buy mole killer stuff....it was LUNCH TIME!

May 29, '09 11:59pm: Web Site Changes

Ok...so... If you haven't noticed, I've made some changes to this web site. First off is the LiveCam. It's working. I've got all the technical issues solved and have been streaming video a few times now. We have subscribed to a service (Qik.com) that captures video from our phones and posts them into our account, and then on to this web site in the LiveCam page. The LiveCam control window has all the commands to access recent and past videos. Whenever we are in the act of streaming a video it will appear live on the LiveCam page with a 10 second delay. Once done the video is stored and is still accessible in the library. Click on over to the LiveCam page and read the instructions at the bottom. Sorry, but due to how random live video streaming can be, we can't really notify you all ahead of time, but we will try. ..... Another aspect I've added to this site is the ability to post updates (like this one) to the site remotely and quickly. This allows us to be Twitter-like and post quick updates on the fly, or take just as long as we do now. We will also be able to post a picture along with wording for each post. Multiple picture pages (like the ones in our Photos section) are still put together the old fashion way, but I'm working on a remote version for that too. ..... Why not just use Facebook, you ask? Because I don't want all the other bs that comes with that site. This one is bad enough to keep up with on top of the (literally) hundreds of emails I need to read through each week (approximately 500, to be exact, mostly work related). But I did find a way to connect to Facebook and post a note on to Angela's Facebook page whenever this web site is updated. Of course, we'll see if she gives me permission to do that. That's it for this update. I'll post again over the weekend with a bunch of photos. In the meantime, enjoy the photo embedded in this paragraph.