Howling out loud! » Alpha Cub

N got a new haircut!

Alpha Wolf — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:45:36 +0000

Here is Alpha Cub with a fantastic smile on his face!

Christmas Eve 2009

Alpha Wolf — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:38:45 +0000

Christmas Eve was the best evening I have had this year, and one of the best I have had in a long time. M and I worked hard to get the place cleaned up, and I did a lot of the leg work while she did all of the cooking and preparing. We invited some friends and M’s sister to join in the feast of the seven fishes, which brought the total dining count up to five.

From the start there was nothing but joy and good will throughout the evening, starting with some cheese and crackers to whet the appetite. We were supposed to have some trout dip, which came a little late. The only extremely minor mistake in an otherwise flawless evening. The next thing we did was open the gifts we exchanged with each other. I loved watching LMB open a few gifts and squeal with joy! Then LMB got his last bottle and off to bed with him.

Well, not quite. Shrimp cocktail with a homemade cocktail sauce was served while he was drinking his bottle. He finished and came over for a taste of shrimp, which he did not like at all. After we enjoyed the cocktail I had enough time to rock him to sleep and place him in his crib.

After that we had some salad with prosciutto wrapped asparagus. That was super yummy! We rested for a little bit then had some snow crab legs. They were fantastic, sweet and didn’t really need any butter at all. Another rest and some talking and then we had some linguine with clams and mussels that was out of this world! There was just the right clam juice and garlic to flavor this great meal. Another break and then we had some whitefish soaked in milk and covered with homemade breading and butter. The fish tasted absolutely fantastic!

After the fish there was some cleaning and some talking, and then there was dessert! On one plate we had some cheesecake from Costco via the Cheesecake Factory. On another plate we had genuine Godiva Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes! The cupcakes were absolutely decadent! A treasure in chocolate form!

The dinner was the centerpiece, the highlight of the evening, and it was fabulous! However there is also much to be said about the company. I had a great time talking to my friends and sister in law. They were fantastic guests. I was very sorry to see that evening end, as far as I am concerned it could have lasted forever.

My sister in law paid my wife the highest compliment, she told her it was just like grandma used to do it.

Book Review – The Read Aloud Handbook

Alpha Wolf — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:33:01 +0000

: Image by San Jose Library via Flickr

I recently finished reading ‘The Read Aloud Handbook‘ by Jim Trelease. I am extremely happy that I picked up this book. This book was not only an excellent read, but it was also very informative. The book is essentially divided in two, where the first half presents mounds and mounds of evidence in support of reading to your children from when they are born to when they finally move out and go to college. The second half of the book is a resource list for anyone who needs ideas of what books to get your child.

I really enjoyed reading this book, there are a lot of little tips and facts that I didn’t know that have helped me out with Alpha Cub a whole lot. The second half of the book is proving useful even to this day, and I am sure the book list will be useful for years to come.
I fully recommend this book to current and future parents.

Update on Alpha Cub – Celiac Disease

Alpha Wolf — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:55:16 +0000

Here is another update on LMB, aka Alpha Cub!

Overall, he has been doing fine. He has been growing, but we have noticed that he is not so broad shouldered as other babies. He also has ezcema that often drives him crazy with itching.

One might think that these are very minor issues, but when he scratches thin bloody lines in his skin in multiple areas, M and I decided to try and do something about it. Especially since doctors seemed a little stumped by the whole thing and just keep on prescribing different medications, none of which have really helped him out for any length of time.

So we did our own investigations, and have decided that he may have some form of Celiac Disease. Yes, we are not doctors and attempting to diagnose issues is very scary for both of us. Still, since the solution has no real downsides except not helping him we saw no reason not to attempt the cure – a gluten free diet.

Oh, and the reason that we thought this might help instead of just accepting that he may have ezcema? Well, he also has a pot belly after eating, he still has some minor issues holding down his food, the aforementioned persistent rash/itching and he seems to not be thriving (but how is one to measure that?) All of these things are symptoms of Celiac Disease and it’s forms.

We will keep the diet going for a month and see if there are any changes. Most internet reports say that changes happen within the week, so a month is more than enough time to see a positive change in LMB.

I hope it works.

My morning exercise…

Alpha Wolf — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:09:28 +0000

After my Alpha Cub had his breakfast he insisted, in his own I only speak baby way, that he wanted to watch Wiggle Time! It’s a fantastic DVD, featuring The Wiggles, an Australian troupe of four that sings lots of songs and dances to them. Of course they all encourage their audience to ‘wiggle’ also. ‘Cub loves this DVD, and he loves it when I dance with him while watching it. Of course I happily joined in and we danced for about 20 minutes straight. After that the DVD goes more into song and less into dance and we get a little rest.

The DVD is awesome, and entertaining! I recommend it for any child, and their parents.

A lot of my neighbors annoy me…

Alpha Wolf — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:10:32 +0000

Why? A lot of them have dogs.

Let me clear on this, I love dogs. I love playing with them. I even love letting them lick my face. It’s an aquired taste, not for everyone. I do not like their poop left in the grass. I despise it! I would love to run and play with Alpha Cub and just have a lot of fun there. The dog poop every three feet is an obvious deterrent.

I am not mad at the dogs themselves. They have to do their business sometimes. They go where their owners tell them to.

The funny thing is, the field cannot be more than about 30′x30′. It’s really rather small. There is also a doggie poop station on one side of the field. At least 6 feet tall with a sign on it to let people know what it is. There are bags there to pick the poop up with and a receptacle to hold the poop. It doesn’t even smell, although I am not sure if that is excellent design or because NO ONE USES IT!

Therein lies the reason I am annoyed at my neighbors. They refuse to clean up after their dogs! Even when there is a perfectly good doggie station nearby for just such a purpose!

It is inspiration to get my own house with my own lawn that, if I must, I can fence and prevent dogs from pooping on it!

Ok, rant over.

LMB, aka Alpha Cub update

Alpha Wolf — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:10:26 +0000

It’s hard to do an update, as there really isn’t a leave off point. So I will just start talking about how he is doing now.

He is walking fine now, oh he stumbles here and there but he can walk just fine normally, he gets a good speed when he wants to and loves walking decent distances. Nothing too long yet, but the summer hasn’t even started yet so I am looking forward to when we start walking around the block.

He is still a very skinny child, and he is still allergic to animal milk. However, we have found that he loves both meat and cheese ravioli. Yes, apparently the cheese making process somehow removes whatever it is in the milk that causes a reaction. We also discovered he is allergic to pediasure, so we are sticking with the Soy Milk with Omega-3 added. He also LOVES his aunt’s meat sauce on pasta. We tried to feed him the Gerber Graduates Meals, but he didn’t like them and the last one made him sick! I don’t like a puking Cub so those Graduates are in the donation bin! He eats a lot of homemade food now, and Gerber pureed fruit and grain cereals (oatmeal, rice and barley). When he gets a little bigger we will switch him over to adult fruit permanently. He used to eat blackberries and strawberries, but he stopped doing that. I hope we get him into the habit again.

As far as talking goes, he seems to pick up a new word every day while keeping the old ones! When he does something bad, like throwing something or biting or hitting … not that he is a bad boy, he just has spirit in him … after being punished he says that he is sorry, which of course brings hugs and acceptance.

I am soooooo looking forward to when he is fully potty trained!