Tuesday

September 30

Daphne proudly discovered the metallic, spring door stopper behind the pantry door today. Wouldn't you know it? It was the only one remaining in our house. Now that Daphne has become mobile, Jennie and I will begin baby-proofing the house ASAP.

This week, Daphne started pulling herself up to a standing position. Her little legs are not quite strong enough to stand for more than a minute or two.

Daphne playing ball with Mommy, laughing, and sitting upright...


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Sunday

September 28

Jennie, her Mom, and Daphne attended a T.A.C.A. (Tennessee Arts & Crafts Association) fair yesterday afternoon. I took advantage of the time alone to work on the guest bathroom floor. I would guess my cumulative tiling progress now stands around 33% until completion (my goal was to be at 70% after today, oops! I keep forgetting how much a baby can slow you down.). I spent all day Sunday playing with Daphne and helping Jennie with chores around the house. If I am lucky, I hope to begin cutting tiles for the bathroom's periphery on Wednesday (my day off).

Daphne is officially 7 months old tomorrow!

Here are some new photos from today:

My tummy is full of good food...

I'm in Baby Jail


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Friday

September 26

Daphne weighed 15 pounds and 1 ounce at her doctor appointment yesterday. She is now in the 16th percentile for weight (up from 14% at her last visit). The doctor seems to be satisfied with her progression. Daphne received the first of two flu shots -- I imagine she voiced her displeasure as the needle pierced her little leg.

The Predators lost again last night in front of a small, weeknight crowd (10,228 paid attendance). This looks to be a rebuilding year where we could potentially end up with a great draft pick. Oh well, win or lose, hockey is still exciting to me... But, winning heals all wounds and puts more butts in seats.

A couple of days ago, we tried to feed Daphne a jar of "chicken puree in chicken broth". While it was definitely listed as a phase 1 baby food, she displayed some priceless expressions of disgust, turmoil, and horror. The doctor told Jennie not to introduce meats again for a few months. So, for now, we will continue with a delicious assortment of rice cereal, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, peaches, prunes, and blueberries. Yum-O!

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Wednesday

September 24

Daphne has a doctor appointment tomorrow morning to verify her weight. For the past three weeks, she has not gained any weight and we are a little concerned. Daphne's eating habits appear normal and she seems to have a healthy appetite, but she remains a petite, little princess. (7 months old and only 15 pounds on the scales)

Today I spent several hours working on my guest bathroom tiling project. Numerous Hardi-Backer boards were cut and sized to be placed on the sub-floor. Once I have applied a shallow layer of thinset mortar to the sub-floor, I will arrange the cementitious boards one by one and screw them down using Hardi-Screws. So, I should be laying tile no later than Saturday afternoon and reassembling the new closet flange by Sunday. If all goes well, I hope to be finished with the final tile cuts and quarter-round trim a week from today!

Jennie and her mother took Daphne for a nice stroll around a local park today. When they came home, Daphne was fast asleep in her carseat (see photo below).

Sleepytime

I'm Cornholio...


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Monday

September 22

Tonight I attended a preseason hockey game with a buddy of mine from work. The smell of fresh ice, the sounds of the Zamboni, and the players fighting for roster spots contributed to a great game. The free food and concessions helped, too! Nashville lost to Atlanta 3-2 in a shootout, but the rookies played well enough to win. The regular season is only a few weeks away.

Daphne has a new favorite fruit! She adores the blueberry/apple puree by Beechnut. Jennie said Daphne would impatiently lean towards the spoon while opening her mouth for more (and quickly, she had eaten over half a jar). She has been eating fairly well, but rarely does she attack the spoon with such fervor.

Yesterday, I spent several hours measuring Hardi-Backer cement board and planning my tile strategy for our guest bathroom. I ended up going to Home Depot and Lowes for all my necessary supplies (3 cases of 12" tile, cement boards, Hardi-screws, a closet flange, and a 4" PVC coupling). Home Depot only sells PVC & metal combination closet flanges (and I refuse to install a cheap metal top flange). It is absolutely asinine to introduce the potential for rust and therefore increasing the odds of rotten flooring due to a toilet leak. Why sacrifice quality for a few measly bucks? Oh well, I will step off of my soapbox.

I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow, so I need to run for now...
More pictures soon!

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Saturday

September 20

The Predators hit the ice today for the first time as NHL training camps are now in full swing. This is probably my favorite time of year -- the weather is beginning to cool off, hockey season is about to start, and the dreams of sipping from Lord Stanley's Cup fill our heart. If Nashville wins 40 or more games this year, I will be shocked (we are due a stinky season). With no free agent signings over the summer and several departures of note (G Chris Mason, D Marek Zidlicky, D Darcy Hordichuk, F Alexander Radulov, F Martin Gelinas), our team will feature more youngsters this year (i.e., inconsistent play from rookies equals more losses).

Today I removed the guest bathroom closet flange (fancy name for the PVC poop-contraption that your toilet sits atop). Now I am ready to lay cementitious, Hardi-Backer board (.5" thick) as we have a crawl space. The good news is that Jennie and I quickly agreed on a taupe/tan colored tile from Home Depot. When we tiled the kitchen and master bathroom, it took a long time to agree on a tile color. This time was a piece of cake! My biggest worry was finding a tile that would require the bathroom walls to be repainted. So far, so good!

Daphne rolled around on the floor this evening before we put her to bed. I videotaped her sitting up, crawling, and playing with a miniature beach ball. I plan to isolate a 30 second clip and post it on YouTube tomorrow. She's so full of energy!

I believe Daphne's palate has found another food she can do without. Green beans and now, butternut squash can be added to the list of foods she does not favor. She is still bonkers for prunes! I guess she will grow up to be a Dr.Pepper nut (as Dr.Pepper uses prune flavoring in its recipe).

Here are some new photos of Daphne for you to enjoy:

More peas please!

Totally zonked on Daddy's shoulder

Daphne's devilish grin


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Thursday

September 18

There's no turning back now. "Project: Tile-My-Guest-Bathroom-Floor-Quickly" is underway! I carefully removed the vinyl flooring and baseboards in my guest bathroom yesterday. While a couple of years have passed since I tiled our fireplace hearth, the kitchen floor, and master bathroom floor, I am anxious to get back to it. I will keep you posted on my progress daily... (hopefully, it will not bore you?)

Daphne continues to eat well and gain weight albeit slowly. Just shy of 7 months old, Daphne now weighs 15 1/2 pounds. She's quite petite compared to other babies her age. No worries, she's healthy and happy.

Daphne loves to flap her arms up and down like a bird when she is sitting up on the floor (and grinning/chuckling). I will try to create a YouTube video to show you her new trick!

Daphne has been turning away from green beans (baby food puree). Maybe, she will grow into liking them (an acquired taste perhaps)? I'm trying to convince Daphne that she will grow up to dislike peaches, mushrooms, and raisins, but so far it's not working. She loves peaches. Oh well, I suppose I am in the minority.

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Tuesday

September 16

Fairly sizable milestone: Daphne can now sit up on her own without falling over. In fact, she prefers sitting up, looking around the room, and delivering smiles of satisfaction to Mommy & Daddy...

Here are a few pictures from Sunday:





One of the many websites operated by my employer was relaunched today with a new "look and feel". If you want to view what I have been working on the past three months, please check out JTV Watches and browse through the content. Well, I am pooped and in need of some rest and relaxation...

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Saturday

September 13

After mowing the yard and working outside early this morning, I helped Jennie clean the house (dusting, vacuuming, hauling trash to the dump, etc). Funny how we tend to rest up during the work week, and wear ourselves out on the weekend, eh? Nearing 36 years of age, I am really starting to feel old. These days whenever I mow the yard, the only way to soothe these old bones is a handful of Ibuprofen and a one-hour power nap.

Daphne ate three meals today! We weighed her this morning and unfortunately she is still 15.0 pounds (same as last week). Hmmm, she does feel heavier with each passing day. At her last check up, the doctor told Jennie not to worry about Daphne's weight -- Daphne will let us know when she is full, so feed her generous portions of baby food, rice cereal, and breast milk.

Tomorrow, I hope to rest my aching body in between trimming the shrubs and weeding the mulch beds. Time permitting, Jennie, Daphne, and I need to agree on a tile color for our guest bathroom. Before the weather gets too cold, I would like to lay some tile (~55 square feet). Finally, our laundry room will be the only non-carpeted room needing tile. Oh well, as a friend of mine once said, "you can only polish a turd so much..." hehehe



Have a wonderful weekend!

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Thursday

September 11

Today marks the 7th anniversary of 9/11; a plaintive day in our history not soon forgotten.

Jennie entered her 14th week of pregnancy a year ago today. And now, our happy little daffodil is 6 1/2 months old. Time sure does fly!

Daphne gulped down a healthy helping of butternut squash and prune puree for supper. We are pleased with her increasing appetite and enthusiasm for eating. My petite princess can really pack away some food in her tummy.

Daphne visited her grandparents this afternoon while Jennie grocery shopped. Hamming it up and crawling on the floor, Daphne loves visiting my parents-in-law. She did scare Jennie on the car ride home with her strange cries (apparently she was beyond exhaustion and fell fast asleep upon arriving home). Daphne is now curled up in her crib like a turtle with her tush high in the air and her hands tucked under her torso.





Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Wednesday

September 10

Daphne, the wiggle-worm, has officially become mobile. Well, she crawls a few paces and then tuckers out to rest. In due time, she will build up her endurance and have calluses on her knees.

Jennie has a huge "honey-do" chore list for me to tackle today on my day off. I will leave you with these photos as I do my chores:

Look what I can do!

Crawling is a piece of cake...

Relaxing with my toes


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Monday

September 8

Major Milestone Alert: Daphne officially crawled forward today at 6 months, 1 week, and 3 days of age. For the past few weeks, she has teased us with sideways and reverse crawling. Before you know it, she will be getting into everything!

Daphne weighed in at 15.0 pounds on Saturday morning. Steadily gaining weight, the introduction of baby food coupled with breast milk and rice cereal is helping Daphne grow big and strong. On the other hand, our little sack of potatoes has begun producing regular, fully-formed fecal surprises for us -- the biggest downfall of eating solids. Yuck! Anyone know where I can buy a military-grade gas mask? hehehe

Enjoy some new photos:

Daddy & Daphne watching TV

Carrots are G-r-r-r-r-r-r-e-a-t!

Daphne loves her new high chair...


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Saturday

September 6

Milestone alert: This morning I lowered Daphne's crib from the highest setting to the middle one. At the highest level, she can reach the hanging toys on the mobile with the tippy-tips of her fingers.

Daphne has a humorous way of almost sitting up in her crib; it almost appears like she's preparing to breakdance. When Daphne begins her routine, she quickly topples over on her back and brings her feet up to her mouth.

Keeping socks on Daphne is a chore! She loves sucking on her tiny little piggies so much that she removes her socks whenever we turn around.

Other than mumbling for an hour at a time (testing out her newly found voice), she thoroughly enjoys staring at herself in the mirror. Daphne continually kicks with excitement and smiles at her reflection (it never gets old to her).

On all fours, ready to crawl

Who's that baby in the mirror?

Preparing to breakdance!



Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Thursday

September 4

At 3:29 am CST today, my youngest sister gave birth to my niece in North Carolina. Congratulations to Lance and Daina on the arrival of Kylie Paige Barber (8 pounds, 4 ounces and 20 inches long)! Lance should arrive home from Iraq in another month or so. I know he will be anxious to see his new daughter.

Many thanks to Grammy & Grampy Aston for buying Daphne an Evenflo High Chair yesterday. I carefully assembled it last night and Daphne has already christened it with carrots and pears.

Excessive drainage notwithstanding, Daphne appears to be getting healthy again and has been in a great mood throughout her illness (common cold).

I will post some new photos (and possibly some video) this weekend.

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Wednesday

September 3

I fed Daphne baby food carrots for the first time today. So far, she loves all of the veggies (sweet potatoes, peas, carrots)! I really enjoy having Wednesdays off from work to spend the day with my little pooh bear (and Jennie, too).

While Daphne's summer cold has not affected her mood (she's still full of smiles and hugs), her inability to breathe (nostrils constantly clogged up) has completely messed up her nap schedule. My little daffodil sneezed carrots all over me today during her feeding. And then, she voices her displeasure as I wipe her runny nose. Poor thing, I really want her to get well soon.

My younger sister, Daina, is giving birth to my niece, Kylie, today. She was admitted to the hospital late last night and I will be an uncle any time now...

Daphne, the sleeping turtle

Dave, Jennie, and Daphne strolling before the Tropical Storm Fay unleashes her wrath...


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Monday

September 1

Happy Labor Day!

Daphne woke us up this morning by crying furiously at 2:30 and 5 am. Sniffling and coughing up phlegm, Daphne is sick with a summer cold. We believe she became infected during her doctor visit last Friday. No worries; I am sure this is only the beginning of many illnesses to come over the next few years...

Hopefully, you roasted some wieners, grilled some burgers, and devoured some homemade apple pie today while celebrating Labor Day with your loved ones.

Daphne seems to really enjoy eating her sweet potatoes and peas. Next up, carrots.

Ready for some dinner!

Daddy makes peas taste good...

Why is there a green donut on my head?


Until tomorrow,
Dave T.