agile programming

i'm on a parenting listserv at work, and i get all kinds of random messages about all kinds of not-so-useful things, but last week, i got a real gem. it was about a Ted talk by this person that has applied Agile software programming to his family life. i love when there is overlap between different spheres of life and wisdom. also, i'm guessing this Bruce Feiler guy is a Christian because of some of the other books he's written. i especially love when Christians are smart in this particular way that this guy is smart. i felt inspired and even teared up a little, thinking about our most cherished moments as parents. enjoy.

lovelove,

me

we got a puppy

so, about a week ago, we got a puppy. his name is jude and he's a basset hound mix. he's basically the cutest, floppiest puppy you might ever meet. he's pretty gentle and snuggly and even-tempered, and crate training and potty training, while being a ton of work, have still been relatively easy (he seems to generally like the crate and going potty outside). and you know, as it turns out, raising a puppy is a lot like raising a baby. who knew. i might not make the most amount of sense, but here's a shot at some of the similarities:

• if we keep a schedule, we're saner. we feed him twice a day, so we don't have to guess whether he's hungry. and then we make sure to take him outside a half hour after he eats so he can do his business.
• we take him outside after every nap and about every half hour if he's playing (which, is similar to diaper-changing activity, in that if baby's sleeping we leave him, and then we change him when he's awake)
• we're training him to sleep through the night in the crate (kind of like training a baby to sleep through the night in a crib), and when we take him out to pee at night, we stay quiet and we don't play, which is kind of how one should change a diaper in the middle of the night for newborns. 
• if we eventually don't want him to do it, we make sure to teach him not to do it now (like chewing shoes or clothes or jumping up), which is basically how we've raised mo so far. even as a tiny baby, for example, we never ever let him touch outlets or the stove or the trash (and when he did, we slapped his hand), and now, even as a curious toddler, we haven't had any problems with him messing with those things. 
• puppies need constant supervision, at least at the beginning.
• being strong with consistency and discipline (especially while crate and potty training) is very important.

as for moses, he has been super sweet with the pup. he's gentle and seems to really enjoy petting him. he wants to go see the pup every morning, and he loves to watch him and see what he's up to. also, i've been trying to teach moses not to give his toys to the puppy (since i'm not interested in dog slobber on toys that mosey puts in his own mouth), but that part's really not been easy. it's actually kind of funny because little moses offers the toys and then gets upset if the puppy takes it. he's exercising his "mine!" skills. he also gets afraid when he's sitting on the floor and the puppy licks his face. i'm trying to teach him to say, "no, puppy" and stand up and not cry about it. we may have a little ways to go, but i think they're going to be good friends someday. :O) 

hubby's been a bit busy this weekend with studio week, which is similar to finals. i've stepped in to take care of puppy, and it's been so much work! i think if i just had the puppy, or if i just had mosey, it would be manageable, but having them both is a lot more of a challenge. thankfully, it's been a bit warmer, so i don't have to get moses all bundled up and then back unbundled every half an hour. i've also started to get the hang of holding a puppy with one hand and getting momo's crocs on his feet with the other. we grab a leash, a treat, and a poop bag, and we are out the door pretty quickly!

also, something that made me laugh inside today: i was bringing jude in from a walk and moses was across the yard in a little mulch area. he was playing, and i heard his little voice say, "night night!" as he laid down flat on his back on the mulch. i just ignored it because i didn't want to encourage him to lie down just any old place, plus, i had my hands full so i couldn't actively teach him not to do that. but, man. it was so darn cute; he is just a delight.

also, i watched him retrace his steps today looking for a hairbrush so he could put it back where it belonged. i was truly impressed at that little guy.

also, he might be allergic to melons. yikes!

also, when doggies are sleeping, their feet smell like fritos. seriously, it's a real thing!


lovelove,
me

words, stats, and a story about THE poop

another molar. and a few new words: mine (said "my"), squirrel (said "cool"), moon (which, when has he ever seen one anyway? it's a mystery how he knows what it is--thank you mysterious daycare!) and last week i forgot to write hippo (which he says "bibbo"). he's also been telling me clearly in both sign and word that he wants to eat, just before dinner. wow. i'm just blown away. we have to work on some patience there, but that's another story.

i've been meaning to write down mo's stats from his 18 month well-baby visit:

• weight: 25 lbs, 9.5 oz (70th percentile)
• height: 33 3/4 (90th percentile) 
• head circumference: 19 1/4 (80th percentile)

i was a bit worried for a little while (like the neurotic mom i am) that he was wasting away and had stopped growing because his percentiles had dropped so much at around 12 and 15 months. i'm glad we're back to where we were during his first year, it makes me feel less like he's about to die of starvation and blow away in the wind. i told you, i'm neurotic. anyway, i feel better. :O)

also, something else to share (watch out, this story's kind of gross)--we had the diaper blow-out of our lives this weekend. i mean, it was phenomenal; i'm still not sure what happened! when i went to get him from his crib in the morning, i smelled poop. i looked in his crib and he was trying to wipe his sheet like he does when he has spilled something. turns out, he had had a very large bout of loose stools, and he was trying to wipe away the wetness that had seeped through his pajamas onto his sheets. i picked him up and realized it was bad. then i laid him on the changing table and unzipped his PJs and found it was worse than bad! poop was literally oozing out of the top of the FRONT of his diaper because there was no room for it to go anywhere in the back. it was an incredible amount of poop, especially for a todddler! there was a thick layer pooled all the way up the back of his PJs. wow. we each had to completely bathe after that encounter. which, he seemed just fine with the whole thing until he was standing naked waiting for the water to fill tub. which is why i held that poop-covered child tight to me, poor little guy. we ended up throwing a whole entire load of things-that-had-come-into-contact-with-the-poop in the laundry. wow.

he was a tiny bit fussier that day, but it seemed to pass with no fanfare. his bowel movements have been rather unremarkable since then. so, weird.

lovelove,

smelly tak