The Night Howler

Does this look like the face of a Night Howler?
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Not really.
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How about this one?

Last Tuesday the Tater woke up screaming and crying at about midnight. She would scream for an hour and then, completely exhausted, sleep for an hour. Then more screaming. This went on for many, many hours. It was easily the worst night she's had. We didn't know why she was so unhappy. She finished her antibiotic on Tuesday, and we thought that maybe she still had some sickness. Anyway, we decided we couldn't send her to day care in this condition so I stayed home for the morning shift. At about 9:30 am, during another fit of screaming and crying, she filled her diaper. Absolutely filled it. The screaming stopped immediately. It was the carrots! We gave her carrots for the first time the night before and apparently she couldn't process them. Maybe the antibiotic killed the bacteria in her tummy that might normally help with the digestion. So after a bath (there was no cleaning that mess with wet wipes):

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and another full diaper (sigh):

and a nap:

she was back to her normal happy self:

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What a relief! Mom and Dad are just now catching up on their sleep.

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Famous and Tate bundle up for the walk to Kelley's:

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Hey good lookin'!

Dad is taking up gun sports and the martial arts in preparation for the gentlemen suitors that will surely come calling soon. Our old friend Tim stopped by for a visit today and the Tater couldn't keep her eyes off him. I had to remind her that when she is 30, Tim will be 60.

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Mama keeps me well fed!

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Tate prepares to either pick Mom's nose or poke her eye out:

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Chubby cheeks in profile:

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To see my kid get this excited over seeing me walk into the room:

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Well, there's nothing quite like it.

Kids are cool,

Sweet Potato and family

Check Out My Coolie!

Here's the Tater getting some bare bottom tummy time:

She's got a runny nose and a cough, which her doctor diagnosed as an ear infection. She's taking an antibiotic, but none of that appears to be slowing her down --- she's as happy and flirtatious as ever and she slept 11 hours last night.

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Here she is, posing for the camera:

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What! Cereal, again?

OK, we'll give you something new. What should it be? Sweet potatoes of course!

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With the first bite she made some awfully funny faces, but it didn't take long for her to gobble it down as fast as we could load the spoon. What do you think her poo looks like? Sweet potatoes. Spit up? Orange. Last night we gave her some avocado. Guess what her poo looks like now --- avocado!

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Here she contemplates her change in diet.

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As you can see, she's still trying to take control of the spoon. Sometimes we'll give her her own spoon just so she won't interfere with the feeding process.

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Tate still likes to sleep on Famous:

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And she still likes to sleep in her car seat. It won't be long before she outgrows this one. Check out her kicks - pink Pumas! Thanks Sweet V!

On Friday we spotted a hawk out the front window. The feathers were a-flying!

As I walked across the street with the camera, the hawk flew off with a pidgeon's body, but she left the head:

Ah, nature.

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Here's a pic of Ethan. He's not too keen on having his picture taken, so I thought his parents might like to see this one.

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I was finishing my ride today and I saw something familiar flash by. I couldn't help but stop to take a picture. A few of you will appreciate this.

Until next time,

Sweet Potato and family

Winter Wonderland

We had a little vacation in Steamboat Springs with our friends the Campbells and the Crosbys. Steamboat got lots of snow in the days before we got there, which made for quite the winter wonderland. I took these pics from way up high on the mountain. While it might look cold, the pictures don't show that the wind is blowing a brisk 40 knots. Brrr!

Here's a picture of bffs Sweet V and Tate mugging for the camera. They were laying near each other on the floor and spontaneously held hands. Seriously, how sweet is that?

Tate naps on Famous, a lot:

We all met for lunch at the gondola house restaurant on the mountain. Tate and Dad were making faces at each other, as usual. Nothing too scandalous about that, so why is the guy in background mad doggin' us?

Another perfect pour, but aren't they all?

The Campbell Boys:

If I didn't know better, I'd say they look like thugs! Troublemakers maybe, but not thugs...

Mrs. Campbell with a tired Tater:

A proud papa:

Riding the bus in downtown Steamboat:

We tried this one a few times but could never get everyone looking in the same direction at the same time...

More than once we were asked if Tate and Sweet V are twins. The answer is no, but they sure can look alike...

Tate grabs at anything you put in front of her and pulls it to her mouth, which makes for some great pictures. This one's just about perfect...

Tate gets overwelmed by these new-fangled activity centers!

Good times are the reward for clean livin'! Thanks to the Campbells for making this happen and thanks to our old friend Soni for acting as scout and tour guide.

Until next time,

Sweet Potato and family