Leo officially took his first steps last night! We were hanging out in his room before bedtime, just winding down. He was standing against the futon like he usually does, and I guess he wanted to go pet bother the dog just a few feet away. Without hesitation he just turned and started walking towards her! He took 4 clean steps before I think he realized what he was doing, then he got kind of a bewildered look on his face and fell on his butt. He grinned as we started clapping, then he started clapping too…
Our dog Uma is always on the lookout for anything that might be edible. Not unusual I suppose. Well, her apetite almost did her in this weekend - she ingested some bits of vegetation from an oleander bush and wound up spending the night at the emergency pet clinic.
We had just returned from a walk, and Daph was brushing Uma out front and noticed that she was quietly munching on something. She tried to get whatever it was out of Uma’s mouth, but Uma stubbornly swallowed it. Daph got a bad feeling as she noticed the leaves and dried flowers on the sidewalk - droppings from the oleander bushes that line the walkway. Within minutes Uma’s demeanor drooped, and she proceeded to puke several times. She shuffled inside with her head hanging low, lay down in the corner (clearly very uncomfortable), and didn’t move. She’s usually tired after a long walk, but not like this.
We did a quick internet search and got a consistent message: If you suspect your pet has ingested oleander, take it to the vet immediately! Yikes. Uma was barely able to make it out to the car, and as I drove to the vet she just burrowed her face in my shoulder. The vet quickly took her in and said to call in a couple hours if we didn’t hear from him - and we didn’t want to hear from him.
So we waited.
Thankfully we didn’t receive any calls, and when we called in later we were reassured that Uma was stable. It was a close call, said the vet. When we brought her in, Uma’s heart rate was nearly double what it should have been, and her gums “looked like crap”. They induced vomiting again, gave her lidocaine to try to get her heart under control, and charcoal to soak up the toxins. It worked. They monitored her for the rest of the day, and advised us to take her to the after-hours clinic for continued observation overnight since her pulse was still high when the vet’s office closed.
So we changed venue, and picked her up again yesterday morning. She was exhausted, but today she is starting to perk up again. I guess we’ll try to get the oleander bushes along our walkway removed. After learning more about the extremely toxic nature of this plant, I’m surprised it is so commonly used in landscaping. Apparently small children can die from ingesting just one leaf, and it has been used by adults to commit suicide. Knowing this, I don’t think oleander would be my first choice for shrubery to line the path to our front gate…
A friend gave us a little wooden board and pegs of various shapes that you can hammer through it. Leo has started to figure it out, and of course I couldn’t resist capturing a bit on video:
Other noteworthy activities during the past couple of weeks: clapping, opening and closing doors (over and over again), standing on his own, climbing up the entire flight of stairs (well-supervised, of course), standing on his head — just kidding - but he does crack up when I stand on my head, and he tries to do it too! He puts his head down on the floor and pushes with his feet. It’s pretty cute…
I think Leo’s first word might turn out to be “Yum”. It sounds more like “Bum” or “Dum”, but he says it repeatedly at meal time, and not at other times, so it’s definitely associated with food. Usually while he’s munching on something he enjoys. I got a bit of it on video - turn up the sound for this one:
REI is having their annual “anniversary sale”, so we used our 20%-off coupon to get a backpack carrier for Leo. We tested it out today on some trails in the Marin headlands. Successful test:
We got the Kelty FC 1.0, which seemed like the best option for our needs - well-suited for short hikes. Not as much carrying capacity as some, but a much lighter frame and the weight distribution with Leo on my back felt more comfortable than the other models I tested out at the store. Leo dug it too - he was snug and secure in his little cockpit, babbling the whole time. We had a really nice walk, topped off with a picnic on the beach. Here’s a shot of Uma chasing Daph along the shore:
May 5th was Boy’s Day, so Happy Boy’s Day to all of you with little boys running or crawling around your house. Actually, in Japan it is now officially called “Children’s Day”, and it’s a national holiday celebrating children of both sexes. But there is a separate day for girls (”Girl’s Day”, of course), so May 5th is still celebrated as Boy’s Day. Anyway, this is recent news to my haole self - I tend to think of May 5th as “Cinco de Mayo”, and hence usually celebrate it with Tecate, lime, and salt.
So I was surprised when a huge box arrived at our doorstep last weekend, addressed to Leo. It was very carefully (and beautifully) wrapped; we had no clue what it might contain. So we excavated through a couple layers of bubble wrap and uncovered a glass case containing a miniature samurai helmet! Sweet! But why? Well, I soon learned that it’s Japanese tradition to display a Kabuto (that’s what it’s called) during Boy’s Day each year as a symbol of good health and strength for each boy in the family. So ours is on display in the living room. It’s quite something - a very intricate helmet with gold and red colored plates draped down the back to cover the warrior’s neck, and a winged crest above the forehead, flanked by the hilt of a samurai sword and a bow with arrows, all to scale and tastefully arranged in the case.
Leo isn’t sure what to make of it yet, since he can’t put it in his mouth or crinkle it, but I think after a couple of years he’ll start to look forward to seeing it as the month May rolls around. Thanks for the Boy’s Day wishes Grandma & Grandpa!
Last weekend we drove up to South Lake Tahoe to hang out with my brother Kirk and his family, who were vacationing at a hotel at the base of Heavenly ski resort. They graciously secured an additional room for us, and we had a really good time. The snow conditions were what you might expect at the end of the ski season - slushy, with lots of exposed dirt and rocks - but it was enough to enjoy some sledding and even a day of snowboarding at Heavenly!
Leo had fun on the sled that Kirk brought:
On Saturday we dropped the kids at Heavenly’s day care service and enjoyed a kid-free day on the slopes. This was a first for us - Leo hadn’t been to day care yet! Of course, he was just fine, and it was a welcome escape for us. Here’s a shot of Daph and I with Kirk & Kara:
We all had fun hanging out back at the hotel, talking over pizza & beer and playing with the kids. It was a short trip for us, but a great getaway nonetheless. The benefits of going to Tahoe at the end of the ski season: no lift lines, and no traffic! Thanks bro for arranging the accommodations and inviting us to crash your vacation!
I’ll leave you with a shot of Leo and his cousins Kolby and Kayden:
Our friend Dan took this shot while we were hanging out in the park. (Thanks for sending us the image!) He and his wife Fab organized a BBQ last weekend and invited several new parents that they know, and we all had a good time comparing notes and seeing how each of the kids had evolved since we last saw many of them at Christmas time…
Well, I think we’re nearing another big milestone. The week Leo has been pulling himself up to a standing position any chance he can get - holding on to the bars in his crib (which we rather quickly decided to lower to its lowest position), pulling on the fabric of sofas and beds, climbing up the handles on his chest-of-drawers, and grabbing my blue jeans. I’ve been putting toys just out of his reach to see if he’d take some steps, and he does (while still holding on to the furniture)! Is that mean?
Our dog Uma is always on the lookout for anything that might be edible. Not unusual I suppose. Well, her apetite almost did her in this weekend - she ingested some bits of vegetation from an oleander bush and wound up spending the night at the emergency pet clinic.
May 5th was Boy’s Day, so Happy Boy’s Day to all of you with little boys running or crawling around your house. Actually, in Japan it is now officially called “Children’s Day”, and it’s a national holiday celebrating children of both sexes. But there is a separate day for girls (”Girl’s Day”, of course), so May 5th is still celebrated as Boy’s Day. Anyway, this is recent news to my haole self - I tend to think of May 5th as “Cinco de Mayo”, and hence usually celebrate it with Tecate, lime, and salt.
