Thank the Gods there were witnesses

I had planned to wander over to the Reinhold's today with some baby stuff and figured I'd have Eliza in tow. No problem there. They have little baby Chloe so the two of them can stare at each other and drool.

At the last minute as I'm climbing in the car Morgan wants to come along. Despite our best efforts she is intent on coming along "to see baby Chloe."

The drive is fine, she and I are making small talk with Eliza in her new car seat grunting like a Taun Taun.

At the Reinhold's I had to change Eliza, then give her a bottle. While I was doing that Morgan was wandering around their place, then suddenly decided she was going to wash her hands. She's good at rinsing, washing, rinsing and drying, so I decided to let her go for it.
After a minute I heard no water and the door to the bathroom was closed.
"Open the door please, Morgan."
"Morgan, open the door please, I will not ask you again."
The door creeks open and her pants are down.
"Daddy, I'm going potty all by myself." and the door closes. I look from Nikki to Dylan just to make sure they heard her say that.
I must have given Dylan a secret Dad look because he was already moving to take Eliza.
"Do you mind?" I asked, "Not at all" was his reply.
I opened the bathroom door and there is Morgan, pants down, climbing onto the toilet telling me "I want you a go daddy, I going potty." and she shooed me away. I quickly called Kim to tell her what was happening when Morgan emerges with a smile, pants back up, struggling with the button on her pants.
"Daddy!" a HUGE smile, "I went potty all by myself!"

She sure did. All the frustration and stress of the accidents and confusion and she wanders into a strange bathroom and completes one of the 3 main tasks of life.

Now its just to tying shoes and driving.

Tooth #2

Bottom middle right is through. And she'll tell anyone who will listen that it hurts.

STRESS

Notice the all-caps? I'm venting.

I've had my share of stressful situations, not just at work, but with a number of other experiences in my life.
I was stressed in school as a kid to the point of migraines. I got stressed out over balancing work and school to the detriment of both. I stressed over whether I would ever play college soccer. I stressed about quitting college. I stressed over getting back into college.

I was stressed Kim wouldn't show on our wedding day. I was stressed I would fail my Paramedic exams. I was stressed I wouldn't pass the SFFD exam, I was stressed our UHaul wouldn't make the drive from Albuquerque to San Francisco.(It didn't)

But looking back at all of that from where I am now, it seems like no big deal.

The economy doesn't stress me. Politics no longer stress me.

My daughters stress me out. Eliza has a certain scream we now attribute to her teeth ripping through her gums, that, as Dane Cook jokes "Is the sound that makes me want to punch infants." He was talking about a car alarm, I'm talking about my actual infant.
The old story says that Nature makes children cute so you don't smother them when they scream. I agree. Eliza has the most radiant smile and laughs when you smile back, but has an inconsolable scream around nap time that makes your head rattle.
Her voice shakes at the end of it and before the next she has to take 2-3 stunted breaths to get enough steam going for the next one.

*sip of wine*

When we finally realized it was her teeth actually breaking through that was causing her pain we went for the old standby teething tablets. They dissolve in the mouth, allowing for temporary relief, at least enough to forget the pain and fall asleep. But even then she can almost make the windows rattle.
Today it was a perfect storm of distractions that seem to all to commonly be in place when that sound comes along.
Morgan is trying to nap so we're keeping the house quiet, Kim and I are working on one of our word puzzles from Tanga and the scream is going full blast. I've been in a few times to check that she has her pacifier, and she does. It's amazing she can move the amount of air she does and the pacifier stays right there. Almost like those covers trumpet players use to get that cool jazzy sound, only Eliza's sounds are not groovy.

I had had enough and sprang up to my feet, marched into the dark room and punched my opposite hand. "Justin!" Kim cried as Morgan had already awakened crying and I already knew that punch in the hand and the ever so brief tingle of pain was all I needed to calm down.
"Please just sleep baby" I tell her as the screaming continues.
"We're out of teething tablets" Kim's voice from earlier today echoes in my head.
30 seconds later I had Eliza in Kim's arms and was out the door to Target to get more teething tablets.
"2 please" I tell the Pharmacist who keeps them behind the counter.
"Will there be anything else?" she asks me, I imagine to ring me up there.
"No, thank you" and I went to the isle I needed.

That's when I learned Target doesn't sell liquor.

So its a glass of wine and some quiet time, but Kim reading the paper next to me and commenting on everything she reads seems like the babbling of a brook (no offense Dear) in comparison.

This too shall pass.

/vent

A little fun

Pardon our dust

As you can see, Justin has been hardly working at making the site a little more personalized. With the success of the random quote generators I wrote, I've tried my hand at writing a rotating header image script, which seems to be working well so far. You'll also notice I added our little weme family there on the right, hovering just above the first post. Thought that might bring a smile or 2.

Until next time...

Eliza has a tooth!

As of tuesday Eliza now has a bottom front left tooth poking through her little gums. The one next to it is considering doing the same.

KS/js

Kim goes back to work

Well, work will be coming to Kim. She heard back from her employer that they want her back in any way. She has decided to start easy, one day a week, from home or after hours, when needed. They'll hopefully get her in next week to get a new laptop and start networking.

In home front news, we canceled the work order on the new kitchen. It seems that 4 years does a lot to a construction and remodel company. They have so many bad reviews and actions pending at the BBB, I'm not sure how they keep getting customers. So now we're getting quotes on all the house projects we want to do and seeing what can get done.

The garage door guys comes at 8 AM tomorrow and the new counter top guy sometime next week.

Hanging history

I'm at work a few days ago and we got a call for smoke in the area. No big deal, it is Christmas Tree burning season after all, and an elderly woman lets us through her garage into the back yard to track down the source of the smoke. On the way back out, after finding which house to go to, she tells us her father was a retired fireman from the City. "That's his helmet there."

Hanging from the large rafters of the garage are 2 perfectly preserved helmets that look like they were hung up yesterday. Both date easily from the 1930s, with the small head size, maybe a 6, tall hand made leather front and tall eagle design. That's all I'm able to note when the boss calls for me to hurry up so we can go fight the fire.

We tried to go back and knock on the door to learn more, but she was gone. I took down the address and plan to write a letter asking if I can photograph the helmets and any photos of her father and give them to the station he retired from. Then maybe get a photo of the old log book there of his name and such and give a nice pic to her.
Imagine something so amazing just hanging in a garage, I had almost walked right into it before she mentioned it. Almost 80 years of firefighting history perfectly preserved in a garage in the middle of the City. I'm not even sure the Fire Museum has such a quality piece, and they have some nice old lids.

The Simpsons couch gag

Watching the Simpsons is always fun, but I liked watching to see what Bart had to write on the blackboard and for the couch gag at the end of the opening credits.

Well now you can watch ALL of them back to back in this youtube video. Too funny. See if you can spot the live action Simpsons, lego Simpsons and the fire pole one.



HA! HA! Simpson

Raised in a strange house?

A recent post by Angela about the stresses of parenting brought to mind a number of memories from childhood.

When I talk to other folks, outside the fire service family, they are surprised to learn that I do a majority of the cooking in our house. When they ask why I simply state that I can and enjoy cooking and it helps my wife who is often busy throughout the day. Growing up it was not uncommon for Dad to cook so I simply learned that Dads cook.
We were taught, indirectly, that every member of the house chips in to keep the home running smoothly. Although I can't recall ever seeing my father hunched over a pile of laundry, I don't have that memory of my mother either. Many of the chores that kept the house going were done when we were gone at school or later, done by us.

Allowance was never an automatic thing, it was earned. Laundry folding and doing dishes was a given but extra tasks in the household, such as yardcare, was where the allowance was earned.

I recall that Angela and I would rotate dish duty on odd and even days later in school life and often fought about who had a night off recently and who's turn it really was. Vacuuming upstairs versus downstairs, dusting, cleaning toys, books, etc from around the house was all alternated. Back then I thought it was just to keep us busy, but it was teaching us to appreciate what we had and how to keep it well maintained.

When Dad would come home from work to chores unfinished he would be angry. He may had only been upset, but it always came across as angry. On days he was at work I would make excuses not to do my chores and then dread walking home from school and seeing his truck in front of the house, knowing my afternoon would include mowing the lawn and housework. From that experience I learned that procrastination may give you a day off today, but tomorrow will be bad. Spread out your duties and each task alone is simple. Although walking home to find Dad was working an overtime was like a dream come true.

I recall these events simply because being raised in a fire service family meant things ran differently than other guys' homes. I saw my dad throughout the week, during the day. He couldn't coach my soccer teams because of his schedule, but who wants their dad to be the coach anyway? Too much pressure.

When Mom started transcription, I remember she had a late shift and we would be awakened from bed and Dad would drive to pick mom up at the hospital. I hated it. I hated it a lot. But it was that sacrifice that allowed her to succeed and work from home that allowed us so much more in the years following. Without those few weeks (It may have been less or more, I was sleepy) the rest of our school days would have been filled with keys on necklaces and an empty house after school.

My parents were a confusing pair to say the least, I only ever saw them fight once and it was only a verbal altercation at that. I heard from friends that their parents fought all the time. Mine said they'd talk upstairs, later and that was that. They solved their problems in private so Angela and I didn't have to deal with it. Confusing at the time, genius now.

Without going on in greater detail, I'll sum up. Parenting is tough already, despite the challenges ahead. Keeping house is difficult as well, without the headaches family adds. Put on top of that the responsibilities of a job, business, trade and it gets ridiculous. I believe in sharing the load, everyone doing what they can, when they can to keep the home on a balance of some kind. I think it is this spirit that led me to a wife who thinks the same way. Sure she won't mow the lawn, but I won't be breast feeding. I may not always vacuum, but I will be doing the repairs around the house.

We're a strange lot, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

We bought a bar

In these hard economic times, why on earth would we buy a bar?

Well, it's an addition to our kitchen island we've always wanted, even before we had this house. As you saw in earlier posts, we've been shopping around for counter tops in the kitchen. Those who visited at Christmas saw how hard is is to keep the grout and tile clean, let alone get it clean to begin with. So in our circles we asked a local kitchen remodeling company from a home show come out to give us an estimate on counter tops. His price was comparable to Lowes and such but they are able to do construction projects as well. When we asked him how much to add onto our island and make a raised area for stools he went right to it. He even commented on my refinish job on the cabinets before he knew it was a home job.

I was so proud of myself for asking every question I could think of. He gave us a fair enough price quote and then did the usual, "If you act now you get another 10% off" deal. Kim and I asked him to wait outside and discussed what we wanted to do. We brought him back in and asked for another 10% off since I would be staining the wood to match the cabinets I stained when we moved in. He tried to get me to do my own plumbing, no. Then I added him making a custom oak cutting board to fit where ours is missing. He did a little, "Let me call and ask my boss" deal that I'm sure was him making it look like he was taking too low a price. Yeah right. I feel good about getting more for less and he still hits his profit window. win-win.

So in the next few weeks, we'll be finalizing the time frame and beginning demo on the island so they can come in and build the bar addition. From there I'll add some outlets and they'll return and install the counter tops as soon as we're ready for them.

We are sooooo excited to get this going. We chose a Corian surface with a nice double rounded edge.
Let's just hope the girls can get scholarships.

Metal Mayhem part II

Back from the doctor visit and Eliza continues to impress. She is 27 inches long and weighs in at just shy of 20 pounds. At 20 pounds you used to be able to turn kids around in the car seats, but now they have to be at least 1 year old. Apparently the car hitting you knows how old your kid is.

On the more important note Eliza was able to get her shots split in two doses, one today and the rest in a few weeks. When we asked the doctor about the aluminum she had the same info we did and said some parents do what we're doing. I guess all that extra medical school covered something else.

The thing that worries me about all this is we just plain don't know. We don't know how these preservatives will effect our children, its been such a short time they're in circulation. Granted the number of autism diagnosis has skyrocketed, but the definition of autism has been widened so far you might as well call it "Kid just seems a little different" syndrome and leave Autism for the kids who are really sick.

So Eliza received an illegal and dangerous (in any other form) amount of heavy metals in a shot today to protect her from a legitimate danger.

What's that they say about damned if you don't, maybe damned if you do, we don't know, just pay?

Our doctor did have separate doses of the vaccines but their combined aluminum content was only slightly lower if at all and the non-aluminum comes in bulk cases and expires quickly so they don't stock it.

But she is healthy and well, so I can't really complain.

Heavy Metal Mayhem

With all the concerns out there about immunizations, a "new" issue has emerged, aluminum.
Aluminum and aluminum derivatives are used to increase the effectiveness of certain immunizations. What has caught Kim's eye and she passed along to me, is the AMOUNT of aluminum used. The FDA has set the limits allowable in injections and medications at 5 micrograms per kilogram per day. In other words, Eliza at approx 6 kg, if in a life threatening emergency needed an injection that had aluminum would be limited by law to 30 micrograms per day. The FDA has set that limit based on studies that show the body is not able to process metals above that level and that brain damage can occur.

So why is it that the immunizations she is scheduled to receive today could contain over 1200 micrograms of aluminum?

The FDA does not regulate immunizations, at least not the same way they do medications. Why not? Is there some profit margin at stake? Probably not. It turns out there is a lesser of two evils decision to be made. There are immunizations that have less aluminum, but may not be as effective at immunizing our child against life threatening diseases.
Kim and I discussed it quite a bit last night and I've been up a few hours researching the facts. Problem is, there are none. No studies have been published that look at the effects of aluminum in immunizations on the tissues of the body, only on the injection site. Those studies show increases in pain at the injection site. If it hurts on the outside, chances are it is doing damage on the inside. But still, no studies are even looking at it. I think because the medical community at large could care less. They got rid of most of the mercury in immunizations since it only acted as a preservative, but only after public outcry.
So what to do?
We've decided, well Kim has, to either get the lowest aluminum content shot(possibly not covered by insurance)or spread the shots out at least over a few weeks to help her body process all the hard metals.

The more I read about this particular additive to vaccinations, the more I wonder what on earth these companies are thinking. They missed on the flu vaccine 2 years in a row and we're supposed to believe they have our health on their minds? Don't they only make money when we're sick? There's no profit in a healthy population.

There should be no profit in health care.

Now we only hope our doctor has access to the vaccinations that are best for our family.

$10,000 says you can't do 30 in a row

I was directed to this new site Future Game today and find myself going back over and over. It's easy. Where will the price index be in the next 30 seconds? Higher or lower? That's it. You pick which one and see what happens. You can earn cash the more correct choices in a row, 10 cents for 10 in a row, but if you make 30, you get $10,000.

The highest ranked each day wins an iPod and the highest ranked each month wins a laptop.
It's free and oddly addictive the same way midway games are, but it's free! How cool would the midway be if it were free?

My personal best is 5. Comment here with your login name so I can track how far behind me you are!

Midget 2 hits 6

6 months. 6 friggin' months old. Eliza will be accepted to college soon I think based on how fast she is growing. She is a chunk. A chunk and a half almost. She is in 9 month clothing, has been for a few weeks now, and much of it is getting tight. She smiles and grins all the time and is working on rolling over. As you saw in the photo earlier, she's in the walker each day and learning she can push herself around a little bit, more on accident than purposeful.

We're discussing what to do with the annual tax refund, provided we don't get an IOU from the state.
We're considering a new garage door, new countertops or a tankless water heater. It was a tossup earlier in the day, but after seeing hte solid surface options out there I think a decision has been made to go for new countertops.
We'll keep you all up to speed on the decision and bring you live team coverage as it happens!

Hehe.

Morgan has 2 settings

I think I've mentioned this to a few folks, but Morgan has 2 settings.

6 months old
and
16 years old

There is no in between. Sure parents can be preferential and notice 'genius' when junior doesn't trip and fall all the time, but some of the observations, comments and instructions Morgan gives lead me to believe she is indeed smarter than the average almost 3 year old.
Then there is the other side of the coin, the 6 month old side, that cries, collapses, covers her eyes when she does something wrong and refuses to calm down sometimes.

On another note, we're all recovering from the Christmas day bug that rolled into town with Angela. She had the sniffles and a cough when she arrived and it stayed long after they left. No blame here, had she had that stomach bug she would still be welcome, but our symptoms are now clearing. Well, mine are, Kim is in the other room with a dry cough. The girls have had runny noses most of their lives, but no cough as of yet.

I'm glad Morgan is too young to be asking about the invasion of Gaza by Israel. Its on the news and pictures are in the paper, she sees but doesn't comprehend their meaning. I'm not sure how to teach my children about war, let alone the ridiculousness of religious war. Let's hope Israel agrees to a cease fire soon.

CSS opacity vs z-axis

Hey visitors.
I've been working on changing things on Carriage House Blog, new year and all, and am having a technical issue. Like with most of my technical issues, I'm not sure there is a solution. Here's my problem:
I have a div element I want to float between 2 layers of existing div elements. It is position:absolute and the surrounding elements are relative, but I can't get the 3 layers to separate in order to insert the fourth. Should I take the easy way out and alter the opacity of the element or is there a way to crack the CSS z-axis settings to set them to 1,2,4 and my new one at 3?
I've assigned every division its own z-axis setting and no dice.


Well?

New Year Resolutions

It's that time of year to look at resolutions. Not sure why really, but it seems like everyone else is doing it so let's give it a shot.

I resolve to:

• Watch less TV and play more with the girls.
• Give Kim more time away from the house or in the house alone.
• Finally get moved into the garage
• Get serious about my projects or move on
• Prepare for the Paramedic Captain's exam
• Write more in the Girl's books

Kim resolves to:

• Cook more
• Take more walks
• Continue to kick ass
• Minimize psychological damage to the children

Back to the grind

Back to work I go, after the chaos at the house, here I am at my quiet house. As you saw in the last post Eliza is in her walker with nice results. My only fear is that Morgan will figure out she can push her sister around in it. And I can guarantee Eliza will smile and laugh when she does.
In other Eliza news, she is on to solid foods! We've been doing bananas and rice cereal, but yesterday she got a whole can of peas and loved every bite. Now near dinner time she screams and cries until we put her in her high chair...and even then!


Morgan's early success at potty training has regressed since we changed products. The cotton training pants just led to too many accidents that required my haz-mat training to deal with. With a return to a paper product, Morgan finds it easier to just play and worry about the potty later. But then we go out somewhere and all of the sudden she remembers how to use the toilet.


I expected to work new year's eve, but it looks like I may not have to after all.
For now I'm just catching my breath at work.

Random Christmas Pics

Here are a few more pics of the girls









And look what Eliza can do now:

The human side

Proposition 8 has been a touchy subject recently. Supporters of the bill seek to redefine Marriage as between only a man and a woman, legally overturning previously legal unions.

It passed by a slim majority and is slated to become state law in California, the first ever alteration of the State Constitution to deny a right.

These are families being ripped apart. Watch this slideshow and realize that if Prop 8 becomes law, everyone of these couples, plus countless others will be forcibly divorced against their will.

"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD." - Leviticus 19:18

A hap hap happy christmas

Later on Christmas day Morgan was overheard saying her favorite gift was "My kitchen!"
Ken and Linda got Morgan a big play kitchen complete with dishes and play food and she just loves it. It seemed like a good place at the time, but against the wall in the family room may have been wrong, it shares a wall with our bedroom and is quite noisy first thing in the morning.

In other news, the families are now scattered back to where they came from. Angela Mike and Meadow left yesterday and Jerry and Jeana left this morning. Ken and Linda are the only stragglers, but they leave today for a few days in Napa to "relax." I told them taking the girls for a few days would be a nice way to relax and Linda laughed.

Eliza slept in on Christmas morning and smiled and played all morning. Morgan and Meadow took turns begging for their fathers to open certain packages, such as a baby you can take a bath with and a toy shopping cart.

It was chaotic at times, but we had a blast hosting Christmas. We hope everyone who visited had a nice time. We've been updating the slideshow up there in the right hand corner and will continue to do so as we sort through the pile of photos taken.

Hope all is well,
Carriage House

The Eve

The Eve started early for Angela as Meadow awoke around 2:15 proclaiming, "Play Morgan."
Last night, with the family all together, the girls were adorable. Running around in matching pajamas and playing together made everyone smile.
This morning started with Morgan and I starting the coffee and bringing in the paper while Arnold ran out to use the yard. Angela and Meadow were next to wander out and the two girls were so excited, they woke Eliza. Kim made it out just before Jeana and Jerry arrived with Coffee in hand and activities to distract the girls from the exhausted parents. Mike was last to surface, but after the long drive yesterday with a 2 year old I'm surprised he's conscious.


Right now I'm huddled in the front room chair you saw in our card photo, the one near the tree, while Linda and Jeana (Grand and Mina) are helping the girls build a gingerbread house. On occasion someone will wander in with Eliza in hand or Arnold will sniff around for dropped food.
Johnny Lang's Merry Christmas Baby is on the radio and all is well.

I need more coffee. More pictures soon.

One last quiet night

We've got the girls to bed and are sitting near the fire catching up on TV and the interwebs before the chaos that is the Schorr family christmas begins. We have the moose shaped glasses for nog, got a black dickie and white sweater for Mike and cleared out a space for the RV. The keg is here, the dartboard will be going up in the morning and the tree is being held up by a number of gifts. Can't wait for everyone to arrive.

In other news, congratulations are in order for the newest local member of our extended 'family,' Chloe Reinhold. Chloe was born December 21st at 7:19 AM weighing in at 6 lbs 11oz. We have word that mom Nikki is doing well and Dylan is wandering aimlessly (New dad syndrome).

I don't want to go back to bed

moRemember when I said it was neat that Eliza and Morgan can keep each other entertained for 20 minute stretches? Yeah, I should have said what time of the day that was a good thing.
Whenever I don't work I try to wake up before Morgan to keep her from waking Kim so she can get at least a little more sleep. Sometimes she does the same for me. Usually Morgan wakes up, wanders into the family room and asks for cereal and Caillou. After getting no sleep the night before at work, I chose to hit the snooze button this morning instead of just dragging myself out of bed at first alarm...like I did all the night before.
This morning was not a new experience, just always a great way to wake up. I awoke to the sound of Eliza talking her grunting language (which actually sounds like a tawn-tawn from Empire Strikes Back) and Morgan talking back. Morgan woke early, saw no one in the family room and decided to wake Eliza. Lovely. I walked in and shout whispered "What are you doing in here!"
"I don't want to go back to bed!"
Smile* grunt*
Now the feeding and nap schedule is toast and we have a lot to get done today.

Welcome All!

Welcome all you newcomers to Word from Carriage House.

Our Christmas card has arrived here, which means you all should be receiving it and heading this way out of curiosity. We've been at this since soon after Eliza was born in July and try to keep it updated as best we can.
How about a tour?
At the top right of the page is a slideshow of recent pictures. Just click on the image to start it and the little arrows in the lower right corner make it full screen.
To the left is the archive, which will let you pick and choose which events to catch up on. Below that are fun links to other blogs, websites etc that we enjoy and want to pass along.
So take a look around, click on an ad (Help the girls get to college) and while you're here, press control-D to bookmark us and make coming back easier.

We're getting ready to host Christmas this year, the whole clan is coming up to visit. Ken, Linda, Jeana, Jerry, Mike Ang and Meadow, Jennifer and likely the dogs will make for one busy house so we'll be posting photos and news as it happens.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and have a Blessed Solstice on Dec 21st!
The Schorrs

Christmas Towne 2008

Sequoia Hose Company #1 and Carriage Hose Company #5 race to a fire at the Candy Shoppe.

Carriage Hose Company #5, the first horse team in the County















The Firemen racing















Sequoia Hose #1 pulling out of the Firehouse behind the horses














Great Great Grandfather Schorr, ahead of the Company team

Eliza has a boyfriend

Now that I have your attention...Eliza has been kissing the fellow in the photo below. If I find this guy, he's toast.







In other Carriage House news, the tree has been up for a while and I'm getting requests for a tree picture. I tell these people, it looks a lot like a douglas fir with a bunch of lights on it, but they keep calling. So let me post this photo to end all the calls...LINDA!

And that takes care of that.
Morgan has been at it again...that is acting like she's 2 1/2 going on 14. She has informed us of everything she is going to teach Eliza when Eliza gets "bigger and bigger" (arms rising higher and higher). Tonight it was teaching Eliza to swim. Morgan also turned to me at the dinner table and said, WITHOUT COACHING, "When I get bigger and bigger daddy, I'm going to go work with you. Is that OK?" I nearly cried. You see Morgan is slated to be a 3rd generation firefighter and eventually Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department. I looked at her and said, "I would like that very much." She turned back to her dinner and said, "OK."
Then she spat out, "When I get bigger and bigger I be a Doctor" so we laughed and then the gold began to flow..."When I a doctor you and mommy come live with me." I immediately turned to her and extended my hand. "Deal?" I asked, hand extended to shake, "Deal" she shook. We're SO totally taking her up on that on account of her being the first Doctor Chief of the SFFD.

The way too inside joke

I thought you all knew this, but the comments prove otherwise. As Morgan has grown, and since she was Eliza's size, I have played silly games. One of those games was singing a certain song to the tune of Gumby. Instead of the part, "Who started out as a little green clump of clay...GUMBY!" I changed the words to "Who's your favorite Secretary of State...COLIN POWELL" With the arm raised up where the "..." is.

Geez people, that was easy to get wasn't it?

Oh Tannenbaum... Oh Tannenbaum...

The tree is up and looking good. It was such a painless experience this year. we bought the tree from a local school doing a fund raiser. Pick your type, height and pay them. A few weeks later, we get the tree. We wandered into the school building and there were 4 of our kind waiting. I asked the guys to help me stand one up (they were only that morning unwound and cut down only 2 days earlier) and it was perfect.
So it spent the night in the garage, drinking an entire tree stand of water in less than 12 hours and this morning was moved into the front room. Morgan's job was to hold the front door slightly open and when she saw me coming with the tree, open the door. This was to minimize the 48 degree weather from coming in while I carried the tree part way around the house. This thing weighs an easy 60 pounds and as we all know isn't easy to get a grip on. It was right near the door I can hear morgan's voice from deep in the house "Mommy the tree is here, the tree is here!" Thanks kid.


In other news it seems you don't realize what you leave in the car until it gets ransacked. My shaver is missing as well. I save time in the mornings and used to shave while driving. Oh well, that's the second one I've misplaced.


In adorable news, Morgan and Eliza are now able to keep each other entertained for 20 minutes at a stretch. At the end of one of their "playdates" I heard a familiar cadence in the things she was saying. Kind of like when you hear a pop song in musak in an elevator and can't quite place it right away. It was Morgan lifting Eliza's arm that finally made what she was saying, and their playing so funny.
It's like that quote we have says, "The most haunting thing in motherhood is hearing your own words come out of your daughter's mouth."
What Morgan was saying to Eliza was this (just sound it out) - "Oos favit serary ate? Orin (pull Eliza's arm up)Owl!

It clicked and Kim and I lost it. Morgan was trying to teach her sister what I spent so long trying to get her to do, often to her complete refusal. My work here is done.

They took what?

As a belated welcome to the neighborhood gift, it looks like someone found the Prius unlocked in the driveway and decided to give it a try. Justin came back from work around 930 this morning and we went to get the tree, more on that later. After an afternoon of putting up christmas lights, Justin decided to run out to the car and grab a little something he had bought just a few days ago. He opened the door and the satellite radio dock was on the floor, the saddle compartment open, as well as the glovebox and he couldn't find the item he was looking for. There in the backseat was his computer bag, badge and uniform cap. Then he noticed the DC splitter for the satellite radio was missing and sure enough so was the item he was looking for. The Prius had been ransacked.

BY IDIOTS!

Here is where I go from feeling sorry about losing $10 worth of stuff and kicking myself in the head for neglecting to lock the doors and wanting to kick the little punks in the head. Not because of what they took, but because of WHAT THEY DID NOT TAKE.
OK, pop quiz:

You're in someone else's car and have the option of stealing the following, which do you take?
A. $5 cigarette lighter adapter
B. $5 Wooden bird house, unfinished
C. Dry cleaned pants, in plastic
D. Laptop Computer
E. Garage door opener
F. D and E
G. A, B & C

Correct answer: G
You guessed it, they took my work pants. Wool fireman pants, a wooden bird house and a cigarette lighter adapter. I fear for the future of America if our best and brightest choose someone else's dry cleaning over a computer. Idiots.

Ah....an overtime

Many consider working work, but my work is my time off. Justin here by the way. I'm stuck working an overtime near the beach, watching the Arsenal game getting ready for volleyball. My co-workers consider it losing a day off, but I realize that it's actually an additional day off. I'm not having to carry Eliza around while Morgan cries or awake in the middle of he night to feed the baby. I wake in the night for other reasons, but that's another story.

Our Christmas tree arrives on Saturday and it seems as though Christmas is not sneaking up this year, but breaking through the wall Cool Aid style, "Oh YEAH!" We bought a tree from a charity a few weeks back. We pay them then, and a tree is cut down on Thursday in Oregon and brought to the local fairgrounds on Saturday for pick-up. We've already specified the type and size, so hopefully if I can get there early enough we can get the best one. It needs to look good since it's going in the front window this year.

Morgan now has an advent calendar, actually 2 of them. Linda got her one while I was at the store buying a nice wood one she refers to as "My tree with doors." She loves opening all the doors, then closing them and trying to keep her opening just one at a time is a chore, but I've been here 2 days so Kim knows more about that.

On another note: My 1976 Ladder Truck is still for sale. If you all are going to get it here before the heart of winter you need to move fast.
Arsenal 2-Chelsea 1 8 min remaining.

Winding down

The last of "My visitors," as Morgan called them have gone and the house is almost quieting down. It was a busy week and a lot of fun to have family around for awhile. It was also nice to be able to host family in the new house, without making people stand around in a number of different rooms.
We got some great pictures, now up in the slide show and some fun video of Eliza laughing.
So back to the grind I guess and getting ready to host Christmastime here in a few short weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Eliza watching the family run around


Janet and Eliza share a quiet moment


Morgan reads a story to Aunt Janet


Morgan makes up a story to Aunt Janet


Morgan eating the double stuff oreo cookies she and Grand made into little turkeys.

The turkey breast was juicy and the ham was great. Forget the roast at Christmastime, we're having bourbon ham. Mike will like that, I'm sure. The wine was a McDowell 2003 Syrah which complimented Linda's cheesy potatoes nicely. Morgan ate mostly bread and ham while Eliza made her usual grunts at the table. We finished the night with some lovely apple pie with crumble crust Kim made last night. Simply divine if I may say.

Well, time to get Janet and Margaret back to their hotel. Tomorrow we sleep in and get some work done around the house. Tomorrow night will be the viewing of Christmas Vacation and the official start of the Christmas season.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!

Meltdown

When Kim went to get Janet and Margaret at the BART station, Eliza melted down. Screaming, crying and completely inconsolable. Yeah. Good news is Kim eventually returned and we were all able to relax a bit. Janet and Grandma are here safely, although very tired after a full day's travels.
Luckily the girls got adorable when I had the camera out. More tomorrow, time to get the pies going and season the turkey breast.

It has begun

The first wave of guests for the holiday have arrived. Morgan was waiting at the window as Ken, Linda, Sufi and Arnold pulled in just a short while ago. Cleo was found huddled in a bush this morning after refusing to come inside last night before the rain started. With the dogs running around, Cleo has needed to find refuge from them and the rain. I think she's doing just fine.
The pies and stuffing will be prepped tonight and the ham starts at 10 tomorrow morning! Let's go!

A big week coming up

After a rough week with sick Morgan and sick Justin, Kim is anticipating the arrival of 4 additional guests for Thanksgiving. Ken and Linda are coming as well as Ken's sister Janet and their mother Margaret from Indiana. Needless to say it's going to be a full house, but empty compared to the Christmas we are hosting in a month's time.
To get ready for all that I got an early Christmas gift last night at work. With the week sick and a busy week coming I got a full night's sleep last night...AT WORK! A full 9 hours. It was almost like stealing, but not really. Working 2 days in a row now so I can have the whole week off to prep for TG.
Back to work now, time for movie #2 before volleyball. Oh and what a tough place to be stationed for 2 days. Google Earth it - 32nd Avenue at Pacheco.

Morgan feeling better, Justin too

Morgan recovered rather quickly from the stomach bug, mainly by passing it to Justin. I suffered through Monday night on the couch awaking numerous times for business and finally in the morning to Morgan whispering "Shhhh Mommy, Daddy's sleeping on the couch." If poor Morgan had half of what I did she is quite the trooper.

I am back at work today, Wednesday, after going to sleep last night not sure what would happen. I was able to live like a fly on the wall the last few days and watch Kim take care of three whiny people and it reminds me what an amazing woman and mother she really is. She helped me along while dealing with Eliza, who is now teething, and Morgan, who now melts down on a regular basis.

So here's to Kim, wife and mother extraordinaire.

Silent Night...Holy $#!& !

Last night was Eliza's first full night's sleep. Normally parents would awaken on that morning happy and excited that their little one let them sleep.

Unfortunately at the same time Eliza was snoring away, Morgan was recovering from a stomach bug that had her vomiting after she tried eating anything and then every 30 minutes after that. The poor thing was so exhausted every time she got sick she shook and cried. Her first event was before midnight 2 nights ago and had us racing into her room every time we heard her scream "Mommy!" in a way reserved only for real pain. Kim eventually lay down in Morgan's room to be there before Morgan got sick, mainly to make cleanup easier. I offered but Morgan refused to let me sleep in her room. In the middle of the night, when Morgan was starting to feel better she told Kim to go back to her own bed. As Kim was leaving the room Morgan stopped her and said, "Mommy, take your stuff" and pointed at the bedding she had brought in.

Our planned trip up to Laytonville yesterday was understandably postponed as we hoped Morgan would recover from the previous night. She did well for a few hours, but when she was down for her nap we were summoned by that call, "Mommy!" We've done a lot of laundry in the last 36 hours.

Last night, Eliza's night, we were awakened to a version of "Mommy!" that, half asleep, sounded the same, but Morgan only wanted her pacifier.

Eliza is also now teething. Feels like she just got here and she's screaming in the other room. Kim fumbles through the medicine cabinet like an addict looking for a score and in a way she is. She gave Eliza some teething tablets and the kid is silent.

Morgan has kept down everything for the last 16 hours or so, and things are getting back to normal. Good thing I had 4 days off.

So Silent night, Holy $#!& !

More money from the Feds?

I ran across this article and it looks like we will be eligible for another $300 because we had Eliza this year. I know a lot of people who also had a kid this year and could benifit from this. Please pass this information on to any new parents (or new-again parents).

Christmas Lists

CHRISTMAS NEWS
As requested here are guidelines for gifts for the girls. If you are reading this thinking I want you to get them something, think again. This post is for anyone (mom) who is already wanting to get the girls something for Christmas but wants some guidance first.

Ahem...

For Morgan,
1. She is showing interest in cooking and a play kitchen has already been arranged (Thanks Ken & Linda) as have play foods and the like. She enjoys stirring for whatever reason. But anything else play kitchen wise...
2. Dolls or small toys she can pretend with. Preferable ones that are quiet so she can create the fun instead of having it done for her.
3. Stuffed animals are a big hit right now as are coloring books.
4. Clothes, she is hovering in a 3T-4T winter clothes area with spring and summer likely a 4T. She's good on sweaters, but loves a good variety of long sleeved PJs.
5. NO. Let me repeat that...NO singing books. You know the ones with the buttons you push and it makes a sound? Yeah, um, no. She loves them too much. the ones we have will do just fine.
6. Really anything that comes in a box would go over well here. She's too small for most fun toys and Barbie is a few years off.
7. The best gift for Morgan would be a visit from anyone who wants to come and see her smile. She'll dance for you and introduce you to her..."Lilly sister Eliza Rose."

Eliza is big on stuff that goes in your mouth. Not intentionally of course, just stuff that happens to be in reach or might be fun to chew on.
1. She's in mostly 6-9 month clothing for the winter and we're decently stocked on clothes from Angela and Morgan.
2. Toys that encourage crawling would be fun for her, she already has the little blue talking monkey "hoo hoo hee hee ha ha!" for those in the know.
3. Eliza also loves company and will stare at you, grunt, laugh and pee for no additional charge.

The girls would love a few nights away from mom and dad in the coming year. You could get them( the girls) a coupon book with stuff like "Dad gets 3 hours uninterrupted in the garage" or "Mom gets to sleep tonight"

Just having fun. We are so excited to have everyone up at our new place for Christmas their visits alone are gift enough. More to follow.

3??? Are you out of your mind?

Got you there, didn't I? No we're not expecting, but we watched a friend's little one for an hour this morning and it may have made that difficult decision for us. As it is now, there is time to sneak away when the other is distracted, but 3 requires constant supervision. I was able to get online a bit only because the new visitor fell asleep in my arms, simply I think because the 4 and 2 year olds he usually listens to were gone.
I'm not saying 'no' to a third, but this put things in perspective.

In other news, many of you know we frequent a puzzle site, Tanga for daily brain teasers. You can solve the puzzles for points and even submit your own for consideration. I've been a regular there for about a year and had quite a few puzzles published. They recently made me (us) a puzzle moderator which allows us to review the submitted puzzles and decide if they should be published or not. Sounds simple but for this growing community it is quite an honor and since not much else is happening, this is what I have to show for as a hobby. Tanga is also the ones who sponsor that random question we have here at the site. So link over there from their ad on this page, register and try a puzzle or two.
Our id there is steph_frolin. Happy puzzling!

Justin's christmas list

For all of you friends and family looking for the perfect gift this holiday season, let me show you what I want so there's no awkward mis-sized sweaters or electronics I already have.


YES, that is a 1976 Seagrave 100 foot tractor drawn tiller fire truck located in Canada, near New Jersey. I know it's a long drive and would be a TON in wrapping paper, but only a bow need be placed. I already have a place to park it and a plan for it, which will be revealed in due time.
So put down the Sharper Image catalog and forget gifts for Kim and the Girls, Jerry Jeana, Ken Linda, heck cross everyone off your list because this thing will take up most of your time.

Everyone wants their own fire truck, right?

Thanks and Merry Christmas.

Justin
( I originally spelled catalog 'catalogue,' I think my fingers are British)

2 year olds don't get sarcasm

Morgan has been testing the boundaries of acceptable behavior recently and we've both been trying to keep our cool and stay consistent, but when she screamed at the top of her lungs after leaving the doctor's office today I found myself getting frustrated. It was one of those moments when I understood why some people take out their frustrations on other people. Not to toot my own horn, but a lesser man would have snapped and crashed into a pole hoping the unconsciousness would be a break from the screaming. All she wanted was "Mommy" but Mommy was back at the doctor's with Eliza where Morgan had not followed instructions to stay away from the exam table so we had left.

Its maybe a 10-12 minute drive and she was at full volume the whole way. I tried asking, whispering, hinting, reasoning, reverse psychology (Scream louder Morgan, louder!) and finally sarcasm. Funny thing, it didn't work. She used every tear and every bit of volume her little lungs could muster and then, as if flipping a switch, we pulled into the driveway and she just stopped. We got down from the car and she wandered into the house as if nothing happened.

Earlier this evening she was in one of her moods following another bi-polar episode. We were all at the table and just started eating when she said, "May I be excused please?" adorable right? Then after being told she may not, she cried, faked a bathroom run and then melted down again. With Kim needing to eat before putting Eliza down it fell upon me to corral the flimsy crier and either punish her with a bath and bed time an hour early or convince her to return to the table. Much like a scene from a horror movie, it was while I was holding her over the bath water that she broke down and agreed to return to the table and eat.

Add to this day the usual bath time panic and wiggling, the almost tortuous teeth brushing and then calming her enough to comb her hair before bed. Groan.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

We did it

President Elect Barack Obama!

Now the real work begins. Goodnight from Carriage House, tomorrow is the first day of a better America.

Way to go New Mexico

After 8 years there and trying desperately to convince folks there of the benefits of the blue, New Mexico does the right thing in choosing Obama. Morgan is running around the house looking for Obama, Kim and Eliza are having a lopsided screaming match and I'm cleaning up the dishes and sneaking onto the computer here in the Kitchen. It looks as if we did it. Not to celebrate too soon, I've taken the wine out of the fridge, but it's still wrapped and corked. I think a 2003 Coro Mendocino will go nicely with some election results when the west coast closes. As of this posting McCain has to win EVERY remaining state, including California, to win.
Now to see the results of local initiatives...

Polls are closing

Our big day draws to a close. We were out and off to vote shortly after 9 AM and reached our polling place when Morgan looked around and asked, "Where's Barack Obama?" We had to tell her to quiet down and that our vote was our own business.
Then off to story time at the library and hot dogs at Costco.
After a break nap for Morgan and Daddy we awake to polls closing and Indiana still in the balance. This is a day the girls will tell their grandchildren about. Either way today is history.

Eliza wakes first on big day

Eliza awoke just before 6 this morning, clearly knowing its a big day for us. Not just the election, but its our story time Costco hot dog day too. When Eliza wakes in a happy mood she talks, which wakes her sister who's first words this morning were, "I don't want to go back to bed."

Kim is still asleep, apparently having a rough night with Eliza and I was able to trick Eliza back to sleep so here Morgan and I are watching Little Einsteins and MSNBC, which can get confusing from time to time when you forget which one you're watching. Why is Chris Mathews driving a big red rocket? How come Quincy has a different electoral vote count than everyone else? I need more coffee. We'll leave updates throughout the day. Don't forget to vote!

Welcome Parker!

Parker Ryan Hambel arrived today weighing in at 7 lbs 14 oz just after 1 PM this afternoon. Mom and baby are doing well and we can only imagine how excited Daddy and Emma are. So Happy Birthday Parker and sorry I thought you'd be a girl.

Morgan says the darndest things III

While dressing her before playgroup I asked her if she was looking forward to going to McDonalds since it has been raining playgroup would be indoors. She smiled and I asked her what she would see there. She responded, "Horses, cows and chickens!" Huh? I asked and she began to sing Old McDonald had a farm.
A popsicle is no longer a "parking lot" but now a "Pock-ill-lull." We've been trying to get her to sound it out in syllables which came back at us recently as Kim asked her, "What are you eating Morgan?" she responded "Mommy say Pop" "Now sick..." and Kim laughed so hard she never made it to "cull."

Election Day approaches

Those tricky political folks are at it again. Even here at the Carriage House Blog, the "protect marriage" folks are busy hiding their true identity to the folks over at google that run our ads. We are able to choose certain advertisers we do not want on our page so the ads reflect our beliefs. However, the "Yes on 8" campaign identified themselves as "Voter Guide 2008" allowing their ads to go straight through the filter and onto our page.
We do not support the constitution being altered to deny rights to any group of persons for any reason.
Proposition 8 will amend the State constitution to define "marriage" as the union between a man and a woman. Why? Religious groups from out of state have poured millions of dollars into California to get this initiative on the ballot to ensure that THEIR beliefs and their beliefs alone are recognized. They hide behind the Bible but refuse to read the entire book. By eliminating rights they clear the way for any majority of voters to pass religious doctrine into law.

A quick Voter's Guide 2008 - For real

President - Barack Obama
YES on 2 - Safer, cleaner, healthier food. Eggs will cost you another 3-6 cents a dozen.
NO on 8 - If you want to protect "Traditional Marriage" love your spouse, raise your children to love other people and expect nothing of them but to be themselves.

EDIT - Just a few mometns after altering our ad filter to remove the deceptive "yes on 8" ads, they have another group of ads under the title "Safer Children." If you see an ad for them on this page, please click on it all day long today and tomorrow. They refuse to clearly state their affiliation which makes them cowards. Maybe they realize that no one will support them if they tell the truth?

Double Edit - It's been a little over and hour since the ads were changed and here are a few of the ad titles submitted by the deceptive "Yes on 8" campaign - "Biden", "Safe Children" (they dropped the 'r'), "Equal Rights 2008" (That one cracks me up), "Schools need your help" and the last straw was "Marriage Equality". They lie about the content of their advertising so I have pulled all the ads from the site. Is this really the only way they can advertise their hateful message of inequality?

The high chair is here

Another big step for Eliza is on the horizon as she is showing an interest in food and sitting with us at the table when we eat. So this morning I got the high chair down from storage and put it in the eat in area of the kitchen. It didn't hit me until I walked away, then came back that little baby Eliza is about to sit up and sit with us at the table. Wasn't she just born like ... oh. Time really does fly.

Our thoughts are with Jenn Hambel and her impending delivery. Well wishes to the Hambel clan, check their blog for photos of Parker, even though he's scheduled to arrive next week, I have a feeling today is a good day. Then again I thought he'd be a girl.

Happy Halloween to all and remember the 31st and the 1st are a Pagan holiday, celebrating the end of summer and the beginning of the next year, so enjoy!

Trick or Treating

This past weekend saw the girls and I attend the annual mom's club trick or treating outing at a local retirement community. Morgan was Tinkerbell and Eliza was a flower. Morgan had a blast (most of the time). Halfway through she handed me her candy bag and held on to a red lollipop. She wanted to eat the lollipop and didn't care about the rest of the candy. I promised her she could have it on the couch in the lobby when we were done. The magic time came, we went to the lobby and she started looking back and forth between the four different couches. I told her it didn't matter which one, she made a bee-line for the closest and devoured it.

The Other Schorr Girl

A lot of text here about one of the girls, hows about news of Eliza, the Other Schorr Girl?

Where to begin really? She can make your heart melt when she smiles and bring out the opposite when screaming at bedtime. We had a run in with what can only be described as "Colic" which is latin for 'pissed off baby.' Our pediatrician, who has been seeing patients less than I have suggested adjusting bedtime to just before the screaming and it worked for quite awhile. Now we are tweaking the bedtime routines and hopefully it will jive soon.

Eliza is a blast to just hang out with on the couch. She loves to stand on her own and makes funny faces as she does so. She is very ticklish and does more of a fast grunting than a laugh, but we're working on it.

She spends most of the day in awe of her sister, watching her move with her mouth open almost wondering aloud, "How long until I can do that Daddy?" She is now aware of her hands and that they are indeed under her control as evidenced by her new found interest in holding things. She reaches out and grabs toys, hair, anything really. Her least favorite thing so far is standing still. I think watching her sister on the move all the time has her wishing she could do the same. Carrying her can get tiring, although I'm not sure how Kim handles them when I'm at work. Having to give each one equal attention is near impossible when one wants you to help her build a Lego tower and the other wants to walk around in your arms. (Kim's response: Caillou, Caillou, and more Caillou. Moms, you know what I'm talkin' about.) For you non-moms, Caillou is a bald French Canadian cartoon Morgan adores.

Eliza now sits up on her own in corners of chairs, so long as she can lean back against something and will rock from side to side as her head turns, again watching Morgan move around.

She is truly an absolute blast to have around and I love that she smiles when she sees me and it's not just gas. Now I'm looking forward to them blaming things on each other.

Who will raise your taxes next year?

I found this link sponsored by an independent group which allows you to enter your family's income, then how you pay for healthcare and it estimates your tax burden next year based on both candidate's tax plans. Under McCain my costs go up $100 per year. Seems not so bad...under Obama we would receive a $4500 decrease in taxes.

Try it for yourselves:
http://www.brandimation.com/ria/election08/

I even tried it with a fake income over $250,000 after all the talk about "Joe the Plumber" (not even a plumber, nor is he buying his boss' business) and I still would get a bigger tax cut under Obama. Not until I stated I would buy my own health insurance with no dependents did McCain give a bigger tax cut.

Whatever your choice this November, please remember to vote!

Morgan's Field Trip

Last Monday Morgan and I (this is Kim, by the way) went on a very exciting field trip. She had a wonderful time and impressed me with how well behaved she was.
The day started with a train ride - yes, her first trip on BART. She was very excited about the whole idea, she has seen the train from the freeway all the time and has commented on it more times than I can count. So we got our ticket, made our way through the turnstiles and onto the train. If you have every gotten on BART from our local station, you know that since it is the end of the line, the train is there for close to 10 minutes before it leaves. But Morgan wanted it to leave right when we got on. We got our seats, I explained we had to wait for other people to get on. A few people got on and Morgan said "OK, they're here, let's go!" When the train finally started moving, the look on her face was priceless; it just light up in a big surprised smile.
We had to change trains partway through our trip and she stuck right with me and enjoyed waiting at the new platform and watching the train pull into the station. Once we got to our final destination, she wanted to get on another train. I had been worried about keeping her occupied and quiet for the train ride. I needn't have worried. She spent the whole time looking out the windows and telling me every time we went into a tunnel.
Our destination was Habitot, a children's museum in Berkeley. We met up with a few other moms and kids from my mom's club. I'm not sure if "museum" is the right term for this place, but it was great. It is a really nice play and discovery space. They have different areas including a water play area, a wall to paint, clay, a couple of train tables. Morgan loved the grocery store area where she could take a shopping cart and fill it with plastic food from a few bins. There was also a diner section with menus and cash registers so they can play restaurant. I ordered a taco and a potato, and Morgan went to the bins and brought me a taco and a potato. Of course, I don't think I got the correct change, but that's ok.
On a potty training note, Morgan had no problems whatsoever that day. She even stopped in the middle of her water play, told me she needed to potty, went, and asked to go right back to the water play area again. I was worried about the time on BART because there are no bathrooms even in the stations, but she handled it perfectly. I was so proud of her.
Morgan had a great time, left with a new toy ("bouncy guy"), and had a enjoyed pointing out all the tunnels on the return train trip. Overall, Morgan and I had a great morning together without the distraction of the new baby. It was great quality time that we have been missing lately.

Schorr Family Sleep-a-thon

Raise your hand if you've had a full night's sleep in the past, oh 3 months. OK, all you people giggling have slept well and we need your sleep! Help us out by going to bed an hour later or waking an hour early and let the universe redistribute that sleep to us. Eliza wakes usually twice, Morgan now at least once and I can't even find a quiet night at work anymore. This morning I rolled out of bed at the firehouse only to look at the clock and realized we had been asleep for 3 hours since our last call. When I arrive home Kim will, I'm sure, be exhausted and both girls ready to continue their day.
So sleep less people and send those winks, z's, mimi's what ever you call them! We need them! Thank goodness my parents are coming to visit for a few days. Forget an adult date with my wife, I'm taking a nap.

Goodbye Aunt Mary

Meeting Ori

An adventure into The City today to meet little Ori, son of Teri and Dickie who was born a mere 12 hours after Eliza this summer. Even though our families are only 41 miles away, they've never met Eliza either. And when you add in that Trisha and her son Kieren (Kee-ran, I'm butchering the spelling for sure) are in town, we had to stop by. Tami and Tiffany, Trisha and Teri's sisters (for those of you having trouble following along, yes all the sister's names start with a T) also came by to meet all the little ones and visit all together. Morgan had a blast running around their old City house, up and down the stairs and Trisha colored with her a bit. Everyone passed around children so at any one time 2 people had no child to monitor. It was nice to see everyone again and finally meet Ori.

After a long drive home Morgan and Eliza were ready to climb into bed. Morgan wanted only 1 book instead of her usual 2 and closed her eyes as I left the room. My mother will simply adore this next part of the story. I hear a sudden cry from her room and open the door to see her getting out of bed. Does she have to goto the bathroom? Is she in pain? No. "We have to brush my teeth Daddy!" In all the rush to get them into bed, I had neglected to brush her teeth.

How I spent last Christmas

Thinking ahead to the holiday season I am reminded of how I spent the holidays last year, off work on disability. For those who didn’t know I had a decent accident last year at work. Decent enough to send me to the hospital in the ambulance. In remembering the event I came across pictures of the building I was in when I got hurt and I wanted to put something together to kind of commemorate it. So without being too dramatic, although I’m sure it will be, here is the story of how I spent last Christmas Vacation.

Early morning December 17th and I’m working on an Engine. A call comes in over the radio for a reported fire in a part of town not too far away and it sounds big. We get called not 5 minutes later to investigate smoke in the area a few blocks from the fire. We arrive downtown and the smoke is so thick the buses have stopped moving. Weaving around stopped cars we can barely see until we turn the corner and see the large old building with flames shooting a good 30 feet out 2 giant windows in the front. Old buildings in this part of town are usually wood frame structures with brick or stucco facades and this thing is cooking.

Our engine is one of the later ones to arrive and the fire is pushed back up the stairway before we aim our hose lines at pushing the fire back towards the large windows. Making our way up the stairs we turn and enter a large open room, I say open because there is a faint glow of fire far away in all directions.

Take a look at this video and you’ll have an idea of where we found ourselves. Take special note of where the man is dancing, near the middle in the bright red pants. The entrance to this room is below the camera and those big windows are where the fire was blowing out from. Remember that location in your mind.


We were all making progress, good progress. The theatre seating was getting knocked down and the ladder truck crews had made it to the roof and opened a large hole allowing the smoke to escape. We could see what was happening around us and most of the large room area was full of firemen tearing walls open to find hidden fire. We were shooting water into one of the balcony areas still smoldering when one of my co-workers asked if they could switch spots with me and use the nozzle. I happily obliged and moved back, picking up the hose about 6 feet behind her and helping to steady the heavy hose.

The next thing I remember is hearing someone shouting, “Hey are you all right over there?” I recall seeing the chinstrap to my helmet waving in front of my face, which was odd on account of I had tightened it around my chin and for it to be where it was meant I was face down. I answered, “I’m fine, give me a minute.” I felt an arm lift me from my shoulder and realized I was on my knees, looking down, surrounded by debris. “Help me get this guy out of here,” there was a lot of commotion around me. “Tell the Chief there’s a man down, the ceiling collapsed.” The next few minutes are blurry to me but a good friend was there helping me and told me the rest.

This photo from a few days later shows the section of ceiling that likely fell on me, an approx 4' by 8' section of wallboard and plywood that fell almost 30 feet. And yes that is our union hall next door. We saved that.

I was carried to the main stairwell and they lay me down to assess my injuries. I was holding the right side of my head and asking repetitive questions, a sign of a head injury. They began removing my fire coat to check for injuries when I asked them, “Is the building still on fire?” “Yeah” “Then put my coat back on.” I didn’t know that where I was had been a safe area. The ambulance ride became more real halfway through when I recognized the sweating, nervous Paramedic was one of the ones I had helped to train earlier in the year. After an hour or so at the
hospital I was released with diminished hearing in my right ear, a headache like I’ve never had before and the need to call Kim and tell her what had happened.

“Hey I’m running late,”
“There was a big fire on the news, are you there?”
“Not anymore.”
The next few weeks I was on medication in case my brain was bleeding and it meant no alcohol and no caffeine. That’s big for me. Everything seems to have turned out fine and I haven’t experienced anything that would make us worry, but it was a reminder that not all my work calls are B.S. Hopefully this Christmas break will go better.

Recalls and recklessness

Eliza joins me in front of the keyboard as she is screaming everywhere else we try to put her.
Her crib, made by the Jardine company, has been recalled, a second time, so we sent in the parts and received a voucher for a new crib. Check for your recalled baby items here. the first recall was due to brain dead parents assembling the front gate upside down, even though there is a big plate marked "PUSH" on the front. I guess they never noticed the letters upside down. We skipped that "recall" and just confirmed that we had in fact assembled the crib properly. This most recent recall involved the wood slats breaking and injuring 4 children. No deaths, just 4 kids got scratched. So we went to get Eliza's new crib yesterday and I assembled it this morning so Kim and I could get our room back. Eliza is not a fan of sitting still and cries as soon as we sit down. Kim just took the crying child to eat, but she has yet to settle down.

A friend of ours mentioned on her blog a guest on the Oprah show who left their daughter, unknowingly, in the car on a hot day while she went to work. Temperatures outside reached over 100 degrees, meaning inside the car was easily 150 degrees. A horrible way to die and a reminder to slow down. With all the confusion people are adding to their lives today, we all need to remember to slow down. Less activities, less work, less school. I am not immune to hurrying at times. More than once I have arrived at a destination only to find I neglected to completely secure one of my children in their car seats. It happens. But completely forgetting your child is in the car is inexcusable.
Friends have told me stories of forgetting who had what child and quickly realizing what had happened but there are people out there who can't even read simple letters on a crib to see if it is installed properly.
In the Air Force they have giant REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT tags on the planes. If your schedule can not be altered to see if your child is indeed in the car try adding your own type of REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT tag. Moms: Place your purse next to the car seat regardless of whether you have the child in the car or not. Each time you get in or out you will be required to look at or past where your child will be to retrieve your items. Dads, get in the habit of putting your bag or briefcase in the same place. Don't carry a bag? Place your wallet and phone where the car seat goes. If these simple tips seem too difficult to follow or you don't have "time" to do them, you need to seriously rethink your priorities.
The extra 5 minutes waiting in line at Starbucks in the mornings can be better spent checking to see if you have a human being with you or not.
Dropping Jr off at the daycare, Grandma's, a friend's...take the time to ensure you have the child and if not, find out who does.
I hate to sound overly preachy about this but the increasingly busy schedules and activities I hear families undertaking will only lead to more confusion. Buffer more time into your day or take less responsibilities into your day. I would love for Kim to return to work full time, but her salary would be eaten up by daycare and someone else would be raising our children. And I only work 9 days a month. I can't imagine the chaos that comes from both parents gone all day every day.
And I'll pass along a quick story that sums up why I can't get too mad when Eliza freaks out and won't stop crying.
Back in Mission Viejo at my father's promotion ceremony to Captain, a Chief stood at the podium trying to say a few words. The fire house apparatus floor was full of young families with a number of children and babies crying. I remember wanting them all to be quiet and we could barely hear the Chief. He said very calmly, "You know some of you may be upset about all this noise but I've learned something over the years as I'm sure most of these men have as well. A crying baby is a breathing baby. When you walked into the room on that call, that baby was silent and all you wanted to hear was that baby crying." I remember that like it was this morning and I continue to believe every word of it.
Eliza is most certainly breathing.