Friday

July 31

Today was day number two of Daphne's swimming lessons. Last week, Jennie enrolled our little water bug into a seven day crash course in swimming. Daphne is quickly becoming acclimated to the joy of swimming and learning how to float.

Daphne continues to grow her vocabulary daily. A few of her newest words are: "hot", "bath", "fork", "more", "wa-wa" (water), "bel-bow" (elbow), and "Mel-mo" (Elmo).

She is nodding her head for yes and shaking her head for no. I am now "Daddy" (instead of da-da) and Jennie is "Mommy" (instead of mum-mum).

Here are some photos from today:








Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Monday

July 27

As we approach the dog days of summer, I am pleased to announce that Jennie and I have decided to sell our current house and buy a new (larger) home. It will be interesting to see just how long the entire process takes...

Daphne is now 17 months old and tipping the scales at 22 1/2 pounds. What I would give to have her skinny frame! She still prances around the house on her tip-toes.

My Aunt Betty spent several hours playing with Daphne over the weekend as she was visiting middle Tennessee with some friends.

Here are a bunch of new photos of Daphne for your enjoyment:









Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Thursday

July 23

Happy 143rd Anniversary (in months) to Jennie and me! Next month on this day, Jennie and I celebrate 12 years of marriage. Wow! Where does all the time go?

Many apologies for my recent blog slacking. As you know, I work all day, race home to play with Daphne, and after she's asleep, I spend large amounts of time Twitter'ing and Facebook'ing until bedtime. And sometimes, I even find a wee bit of time to do chores!

Jennie and I have decided to look for a bigger house (in a nicer neighborhood). After all, what better way to take our mind off of getting pregnant? We figured that a move before baby #2 arrives would be smarter than waiting to move a family of four (especially if the fourth has colic). Plus, seven gunshots were fired a few streets over from our house the other night -- nothing says, "let's move out of the ghetto" like a good ole drive by shooting! How can I raise a child in good conscience here?

Tonight was the Skate of the Union Address at the Sommet Center in downtown Nashville. I was unable to attend, but I understand a lot of great things were said about the future of the Predators hockey team. It was basically a way to get folks out to the arena, fill them up on free food, sell them tickets to next year's games, and pump everyone up about the upcoming season. Players walked around freely signing autographs and Steve Sullivan's Masterton Trophy was on display, too.

Oh well, I need to drift off to sleepy land...

More photos of Daphne coming soon!

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Sunday

July 19

Over the weekend, I placed a bird feeder outside of Daphne's bedroom window for her to enjoy. She cannot pronounce the word "squirrel" yet, but she gets so excited watching all of the colorful little birdies... (unfortunately, squirrels and bunnies appear more often than the birds).

On Saturday, Jennie visited a friend's house while Daphne and I stayed at home. We had a great time watching Yo Gabba Gabba and Sesame Street following breakfast. After her morning nap, Daphne danced (or you might say she "hopped around like a chicken") to a nursery rhyme CD on her Hello Kitty boom box. Later, we played with her wooden puzzles and blocks, squeezed her stuffed animals and dolls, and tried a little "hide and seek" in the living room. Overall, we had a great time notwithstanding the three poo-poo diapers she decided to produce for me as a treat. The first two were somewhat manageable, but the third reminded me of an eruption from Mt.Vesuvius; I'm so proud of my baby poop machine! Her bowels work magically.

For the first time, Daphne fell asleep in her highchair after eating a large meal. Below are some new photos of my sleeping beauty:







Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Thursday

July 16

What can I say about Daphne? She is a handful of mischief! Her poor little noggin is constantly bopping against a coffee table or chair, but her bruises do heal quickly. I suppose it is the nature of a toddler to be riddled with contusions.

Although Daphne still watches the occasional episode of Sesame Street in the morning, she has a new favorite TV show. Yo Gabba Gabba on Noggin (Nickelodeon's secondary channel) really seems to capture Daphne's attention. I don't know all of the characters' names yet, but the Teletubbie-esque creatures sing and dance along with a tall, skinny spandex-wearing person of color toting a boom box. That's about all I know... have you seen this show? I really need to videotape Daphne dancing -- it is priceless!

Here are some random photos of Daphne (sorry for a few of them being slightly blurry):







Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Monday

July 13

You probably noticed that I finally replaced the banner graphics of Daphne in the header and footer. Can you believe the outdated header photo was taken when Daphne was 6 months old (almost a year ago)? Phew! I pray the new "look and feel" is easy on the eyes. I particularly love the new footer photo with Daphne's gaping smile (at the far bottom left of this page).

Other TT site modifications: I removed the Sudoku gadget from the bottom of the page and replaced it with a popular Twitter gadget for all you Tweeps out there.

Daphne can now open all of the upper kitchen drawers. It is not uncommon to see her parading around the house like a band conductor with spaghetti tongs and various plastic ladles. Daphne can fully grip all of our door knobs, but luckily, she does not know how to twist open the door knobs (yet). Keeping her off of the top of the dinner table is definitely a chore as well.

While soaping up all of Daphne's 2000 parts last night in the bath tub, she sang a new word, "shazbot". I looked at her curiously and wondered, "isn't she much too young to know about Mork & Mindy"? A few minutes later, Daphne bowed her head and gave me a fervent death stare. In her most solemn tone, she stated, "bonk da-da". As I lowered my forehead and tapped hers gently, she giggled and bonked my head a few more times with great force. Ouch, that hurt! I do not enjoy bonking foreheads like my little warrior princess. She is one tough cookie! hehehe

I have high hopes and aspirations for baby Daphne. Will she be a doctor, lawyer, or Indian chief? As long as she is happy and healthy, I will be satisfied (even if she decides not to pursue computer programming like her Daddy). But, I insist on her becoming a numismatist (a hobby dominated by wrinkly old men).

New photos later this week...

Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Friday

July 10

Daphne has a funny new trick! She wags an index finger from side to side, shakes her head, and says, "no no no" just before we bust her for mischievous activities (e.g., climbing onto the dinner table, banging toys into glass end tables, playing with potting soil, removing random items from the pantry into the middle of our kitchen, etc). It takes a lot of self control not to bust out laughing, but Jennie and I try to give the impression of being in control as serious parental units.

My favorite time of day is the moment I get home from work and open the laundry room door entering our living room. Daphne drops whatever she is doing and screams, "Da" at the top of her little lungs. It truly warms my heart to see my little girl's excitement upon my arrival. After spotting me, Daphne jumps around like a rabid monkey aching for a banana slightly out of reach.

Last week, my older sister gave Daphne a "Tickle Me Elmo" doll. Wow, what a great gift! Daphne absolutely loves Elmo and Grover and Abby Cadabby and Ernie et al. She even tries to feed Elmo juice, but we don't have the heart to tell her that he's not alive or thirsty.

Daphne occasionally shows signs of having a touch of OCD like Jennie. She regularly empties all of the soda pop cans out of a 12-pack and proceeds to place them neatly in a pattern (sometimes two or three rows, but always symmetrical). Toy blocks must be organized properly or she gets frustrated and knocks them all over to start again. Another new behavior I have noticed is Daphne's desire to put her toys away --- unfortunately, she enjoys dumping them all over the floor repeatedly after putting them away.

Here are some new photos of Daphne:








Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Tuesday

July 7

After 11+ hours in the car, Jennie, Daphne, and I arrived home safely Monday night and I returned to work today. Traveling with a toddler can really take its toll on you mentally and physically (i.e., frequent diaper changes, hour long feedings, lengthy crying spells), but it was great to visit with family nevertheless.

I am still unpacking my bags and working on chores around the house, so I will be brief.

More photos coming soon...



Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Friday

July 3

Happy Independence Day!

We arrived in Panama City Beach safe and sound Thursday afternoon. After spending a few days with family, relaxing a bit, and taking in some more beach time, we will return to Nashville. Vacations are never long enough...

Daphne's high energy level never ceases to amaze me. She is constantly playing with some type of toy, hopping around the house, or basically becoming a wiggle worm if you try to hold her in your lap. But, pop in an Elmo DVD and she enters a dazed stupor of delight. Thank goodness for Sesame Street!

Today we ventured over to St.Andrew's State Park in Panama City Beach and soaked in some rays. Here are some photos of Daphne enjoying the beach:







Until tomorrow,
Dave T.

Wednesday

July 1

Happy Canada Day!

Since today was our last full day vacationing in Gulf Shores, we decided to brave the heat and visit the local zoo. Daphne loves pointing at the wild animals and speaking to them in her very own gibberish language. Sometimes she simply calls an unfamiliar animal, "woof woof" or "ball". Go figure.

Toting Daphne on the side of my hip, we strolled upon a cage housing several Bengal Tigers. One of the intimidating beasts entered a tub of water near us with a slow, nonchalant demeanor. Before I could process Jennie's "watch out" warning, I felt the warm trickle of tiger pee stream over my face and chest. Great! I'm holding my baby daughter and I have just been sprayed with feline urine. How about those apples?

I suppose it could be worse, right? Monkeys might have flung some poo or a billy goat could have bitten me instead. Watching Daphne's expressions at the zoo is priceless. But, I must say that tiger urea leaves a lingering musky stench.

Here are some photos from our zoo adventure:








Until tomorrow,
Dave T.