puredanger.com Blog

Updates November 28, 2006

Just some quick updates on the kids.

Beck has been really vocalizing a lot lately. When he’s in the right mood he makes all kinds of sounds and is starting to say da-da-da and other sounds like that. He hasn’t rolled over yet and doesn’t really seem too interested in it. He’s happy to be on back or belly and is pretty strong. Maybe he’ll just skip all that rolling over and just sit up. He’s also really taken to the cereal lately and is actively eating it now.

I’ve been going swimming with Truman lately and he’s coming along. He’s not quite ready to get his face wet or go under yet but is getting better at kicking and jumping in off the side. For now, I’ll be happy if he just is having fun in the pool. His favorite thing is just playing with toys, which they have at the class. His favorite thing is to fill up a toy and then squirt the water out of it (preferably at my face). About the time we get home is his normal nap time and he is usually just wiped after swimming. Usually he is asleep before I leave the parking lot.

Ella has been doing a lot of drawing in spurts and has learned to write her name pretty legibly! I’m floored by that. I’ll try to scan some art or writing if I get a chance sometime soon.

Truman’s speaking and vocabulary and general verbal abilities continue to surprise us lately. When he gets a word in edgewise over Ella, he can express really elaborate thoughts.

As an example, this is a snippet of a longer conversation tonight, consisting of a long chain of Ella’s “what if” scenarios (which Truman is now participating in).

Ella: What would happen if we didn’t have food?
Mary: Well, after a while you would die.
Truman: Like Grandma K?
Mary: Yes, but she died because she was sick, not because she didn’t have food.

I thought this was a really impressive bit of reasoning by Tru. Basically, he took in “if A, then B” and “B”, and concluded “A”. Pretty good. Of course, this is a logical fallacy (“affirming the consequent”) as it ignores that C could also cause B. Which is basically what Mary said, except she did it in a way that Truman could understand, as opposed to the incredibly nerdy way I just explained it. :) Good thing I was busy eating ice cream.

Death metal band names November 27, 2006

For a long time my friends and I have been making up or running across good (or funny) band names. You can see a lengthy list of names I’ve captured from our discussions here.

I just ran across a link to a list of death metal bands in a festival (plus logos) that is equally as funny, perhaps more so as these are real actual band names. I think my favorite is probably “Nunwhore Commando 666″. If you scroll down, you’ll see a bigger list of past attendees at the bottom in small print.

And interestingly, there is at least one name on our made-up list that is also on the actual list: Catheter. There might be more too although nothing else I saw at a glance.

Kiki Fairy Update November 24, 2006

I thought I should post an update to the post the other day about the Kiki Fairy. Ella slept through the night without her kiki. Then we were awakened the following morning by a plaintive voice saying “Daddy, I want my kiki”. As it turns out, the kiki fairy decided Ella wasn’t ready to give up her kiki yet after all and it was still in the bag. :)

The kiki fairy November 21, 2006

For years, Ella has carried around a pink blanket (made by Mary) that is affectionately known as “kiki”. The name comes from the end of “blankie“. Lately, she has been relying on the kiki less and less and typically uses it only when sleeping.

Today I took Ella to school in my car and she brought her kiki (which was unusual in itself) and she accidentally left it in my car. I didn’t realize it and at nap time Mary thought it was just lost so Ella took her nap without it.

Later that afternoon Mary figured it out but in the meantime she told Ella about the “kiki fairy”. When you’re done with your kiki for good, you can leave it for the kiki fairy and she will take it and replace it with a toy. It’s important that when you leave your kiki for the kiki fairy on the front porch, that you shout into the night what kind of toy you would like to get for it.

Ella seemed quite excited by this and picked out a nice bag to put her kiki in and leave outside for the kiki fairy. She shouted that she wanted a doll that she could dress up, so presumably the kiki fairy will leave that for her tonight and she will be kiki-free!

Truman was also curious but doesn’t seem quite ready for the go-go fairy to come yet (his version of the kiki), so I think the go-go fairy will have to wait.

Awesome concert site

If you’re interested in streaming some really great old concerts, check out Wolfgang’s Vault, which is all old Bill Graham shows from the Fillmore. You have to register, but it’s free. They have a nifty little player and the concert notes are fantastic. Highly recommended